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He noticed it, too. The guys weren’t having any luck getting the door open. “Get on with it, Lunceford.”
“Anxious? Sheriff, you’re one man who is normally calm under pressure.” The bastard’s lips twisted into an evil grin. “The finale of my genius orchestration was this. I wanted the diamonds. I wanted to pay Shane back for what he’d done to me. I wanted to pay all of you back. After my escape, I needed you here to distract Niklaus. He was so paranoid, continually moving the diamonds from one location to another. Timing was critical. Making him think I was working with Shane to get the diamonds was my first move. Niklaus took the bait and sent his men to grab Shane. Besides these cameras, I have an insider in Mitrofanov’s organization that is my eyes and ears.”
“Niklaus’s other son.” Jason was putting all the pieces together in Lunceford’s horrific puzzle. “Anton Mitrofanov.”
“Excellent, Sheriff. You and Shane might be the best opponents I’ve ever faced. My second move was getting you to the house that Brown incorrectly thought was Mitrofanov’s headquarters. It was actually owned by another associate of mine. She left the laptop with the photo of Shane with the gun to his head. Accidentally…on purpose.” The psycho laughed. “Once I had all of you in place, all I had to do was pull the trigger. I sent a message to Niklaus. I was coming to get my friend Shane. I knew he would take him to his main base of operation, the warehouse you are in, and leave the diamonds with Anton. But I needed him to be distracted long enough for me to get the jewels and get away. That’s where all of you came in.” The maniac laughed again and held up his hand, which held a fistful of diamonds. “Check mate.”
They all heard a hissing sound.
“Now, open the damn doors, Lunceford.”
“I’m free. No more prisons for me. Now, I will burn down your town, but I’ll take my time. That’s all part of the joy of the game.” Kip smiled. “I will miss you, Sheriff. I will especially miss Shane. Good-bye, Destonians. It’s been fun.”
The screen went blank and Jason smelled the toxic fumes billowing into the room.
Chapter Sixteen
Jason put his arm around Phoebe. “Get low to the floor, baby.”
“What difference will that make? Lunceford won. It’s over.” She held Shane’s hand.
“We are not giving up. You’re strong, sweetheart.” He kept his tone steady, knowing she needed reassurance. “We will get through this.” We must.
“Yes, Sir. I hope you’re right. But just in case, I need to tell you something.”
He placed his finger on her lips. “I’m the one who needs to tell you something first. I’m sorry, baby. I love you so much. You were always right. I was so wrong. About everything.” The effect of the gas was making him lightheaded.
“I love you, too. I’m sorry. I was just as wrong.” She coughed several times. “Jason, it’s getting hard for me to breathe.”
“We need to get down right now.” He helped her to the floor and held her close.
“It’s hopeless, Jason. Lunceford has won. I know that now. We’re all going to die. I want Mitchell and Lucas with us. Please.”
He looked at his brothers, who were working frantically on one of the keypads. The pride and love he felt for Lucas and Mitchell had never faltered. “They are trying to save us, baby. They won’t give up. You and I both know that.”
“I know. Looks like Corey and Josh are trying, too.” Tears rolled from Phoebe’s eyes as she placed her hand over Shane’s unmoving lips to check on his breathing. “He’s still with us, Jason. Please God, let the doors open.”
“He’s strong, baby. Just like his sister.” I’m sorry, buddy. Shane had been a hero all along and Jason had never known it. But there was no time left to tell Shane how proud he was of him. There would be no more fishing trips. He would never have a chance to ask Shane to be his best man when he, Lucas, and Mitchell married his sister.
“I’m trying to have faith, Jason, but it’s so hard.”
He kissed her, knowing that they’d only just found each other again. But their lives were about to end. There would be no future, no family. These last few moments were the only ones he had left with the woman of his dreams. He didn’t want her to be scared. He was her Dom. It was his job to make her feel safe. I thank God she knows how much I love her. “It might take a miracle, baby, but I know you believe in them.”
“You came back to me. We’re together again. I do believe in miracles, Jason.”
They all heard banging from the other side of both doors.
“Make some noise,” he ordered. “We need to let whoever is out there know we are in here.”
All of them yelled.
Suddenly, both doors burst open, letting in fresh air, a medical team, CIA agents, and a person who he never expected to see again—Agent Black.
Am I hallucinating? I must’ve taken in more gas than I thought.
“Over here,” he called to a couple of the EMTs. They took over, caring for Shane.
“Take these two to the van,” Black commanded, pointing to the two Mitrofanov men still alive. “The rest are friendlies. Get them outside. We need to secure this location and find the source of the gas and shut it down.”
