Page 82 of No Going Back

The staging area was the overflow car park, about halfway between the gates and the hotel itself. Out of direct line of sight from the hotel, it provided the ideal marshalling point for the security force. As they arrived at the mobile base of operations, Cam Fraser was coming to the end of imparting what he knew to Mac’s second-in-command.

Guy had a question of his own. “Did Alex and the others make it to the village okay?”

“I’ve sent some of my men to find them,” Mac replied. “We’ll make sure everyone’s taken care of. Now—tell me everything you know, Guy.”

McDonald listened intently as he and Maddie delivered a swift but thorough briefing on everything they knew about the enemy in terms of numbers, arms and deployment. Mac nodded with satisfaction when they informed him of their free-range eyes inside the hotel, Ryan Quinn.

“They’re expecting me to show up any time now,” Maddie said. “Maybe we can use that—”

“We?” McDonald questioned, giving her the kind of look Guy could only approve of—the man was, after all, a Dominant and another member of Aegis. “There is no we, Miss Scott, at least, not one that includes you.”

“I work at the hotel, I know it inside-out, and I used to work alongside Guy for the intelligence services. Would you care to reassess that comment, Commander McDonald?” Maddie’s tone was as flinty as her piercing gaze.

In that moment, Guy was torn between wanting to kiss her and wanting to teach her a lesson for her defiance. Her strength of character could be a force of nature.

McDonald looked her up and down, then glanced briefly at Guy. Even though he would have preferred Maddie not to be involved, he wouldn’t undermine her by siding with Mac. Nor was he going to do or say anything that justified Mac’s attitude. The man was known for acting like a Neanderthal throwback at times.

The frosty atmosphere warmed a few degrees. Mac gave a curt nod of acknowledgement. “Consider it reassessed, Miss Scott.”

“Good—and it’s Maddie.”

Guy’s mobile phone vibrated. When he saw who was calling, he put it on speaker and slid it across the table upon which they’d laid out the blueprints of the hotel. “Quinn.”

Ryan’s report was concise. No more hostages had been harmed, but the Russians were growing more nervous. In his opinion, time was running out, and the situation could take a turn for the worse at any moment.

“Thanks for the report, Quinn, but it’s time for you to get out of there. That’s an order,” Mac added. “I don’t want you getting caught in any crossfire.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You need me here. And I don’t take orders from you.”

“I don’t fecking care, Quinn. I want your arse out of there now.”

“No, you don’t. I’ve got an idea…”

>>><<<

An idea that was both inspired, and elegant in its simplicity. Although the gang had used explosives on entering the hotel, they hadn’t rigged any further IEDs. Instead, they’d relied on their firearms to maintain control of the situation by terrorising their remaining hostages.

Ryan continued to observe and report back on all the gang’s movements. His information was critical in enabling Mac and his unit leaders to prepare for mounting a coordinated assault with surgical efficiency.

Mac only just got all his men in position when all hell was let loose with the discovery of the dead Bratva members’ bodies by a roving patrol of their fellow heavies. Tension in the hotel lobby skyrocketed, so Ryan did the only thing he could. The confusion created when he hit the fire alarm gave Mac’s men their cue to storm the building.

Professionals to the core and trained to deal with situations such as this, Mac’s team put a swift end to the crisis. Thankfully, no more hostages had been harmed. Although the man who’d been shot had lost a considerable amount of blood, paramedics reached him in time to ensure his wounds weren’t life-threatening.

The same could not be said for the criminal gang members. While most of them survived relatively unscathed, there were unavoidable fatalities as Mac’s team gained control of the situation.

With a quiet sense of satisfaction at a job well done, Guy watched as the security services rounded up the Russians. Each man was fitted with handcuffs before being herded into an unmarked security services vehicle. He turned to Maddie, and the celebratory comment he was about to make died on his lips. “What’s wrong?”

“Kuznetsov. Where is he?”

“They haven’t already taken him into custody?”

“No, and I haven’t see his body either. He must have got away. What do we do?”

“Notify Mac. Kuznetsov will be a marked man, but for now, that’s all we can do.”

Even with her eyes closed, Guy picked up on his woman’s anger, frustration and fear as he gathered her in his arms. So much for thinking it was over.