Page 24 of Paradise Ties

“I can try.”

“Do it, but don’t die.” Zack was clinical, but the sentiment was genuine. He cared about his men and women at Fortis as if they were family. He looked at Dane. “You good?”

“Perfect, just want this handled.”

Lucy might be more deadly than he was—although he’d never admit that to her—but she was his baby sister and he’d always want to protect her. But more than that, it was also Drew, Jace, Will, and all his friends in danger.

“Zack!” Smithy’s tone said something was going down. He put the mic on speaker so they could hear.

“Princess, you are going to call your brother and tell him that I want twenty million dollars transferred into this account within one hour or I will have every one of my men rape you until you are nothing but a cum slut for my men and post it on social media accounts for all the world to see. I will then slit your throat on live television. If you say anything other than that, I will kill a hostage.”

They heard shuffling and movement and then, “Make the call.”

“I will not,” came the voice of the Princess.

Dane froze, not knowing which hostage had been seized. A gunshot ricochet through the mic and Dane recoiled. He held his breath, waiting to hear more for long seconds. All he heard was shuffling and low weeping.

“Let’s try this again.” There were more sounds and a gasp, loud as if close to the mic.

“Stop.” Dane looked up at Zack as they heard Jack speak. “Take me,” Jack said, and Dane felt his chest tighten. “Leave the woman alone and use me as your hostage.”

Dane heard someone suck in a breath close to the watch’s mic. Jack wanted to swap his life for the hostage they’d pulled out, and his gut told him it was one of their group. If Princess Taamira refused again, they’d have to listen as Jack died.

“You are either very brave or very stupid.” Based on the accent, Dane guessed it was Karol Snopek speaking. “I do not care either way.” More shuffling as people were moved around.

“Make the call.”

They held their breath, silent, and Dane knew his helpless feeling was multiplied tenfold in the room. He glanced at the ever-cool Astrid and even she had an uncharacteristic look of horror on her face.

“I will call.” Dane let out a shuddering breath as relief flowed through his body.

They listened to Princess Taamira make the call, sticking without deviation to the script.

“Well done, Princess. You saved this man’s life—for now.”

Zack ran his hands through his hair, looking frustrated. “I need eyes in that fucking room now.” His tone did not allow for disagreement.

“We need someone to hack into the camera feed.”

“Yeah, but all our hackers are in that room. I can get by, but I’m not an expert,” Smithy said apologetically.

“What about Lopez?” Daniel asked, referring to the NSA analyst that worked for Eidolon.

Zack’s head snapped up. “Yes. Get him on the phone and tell him his boss’s life is at stake.”

Daniel walked away a short distance to make the call.

Astrid looked at Dane and Zack. “You know the only way into that area is from the cliff that faces the sea.”

Dane nodded. “I know, and it’s a sheer drop of over two hundred feet.”

“I can climb it,” she said with a tilt of her head.

Dane assessed her and believed it. She didn’t seem like a woman who would bullshit, not needing to bolster her abilities. “Daniel and I can make it too. If the three of us—” he was cut off by Smithy.

“Four, I can make that climb no problem.”

Dane gave him a chin lift in agreement. “If the four of us go, Zack can run the op from the ground.”