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“Tell her!” Buckner shouted. The man was quickly losing his grip, and that made Bree work harder to free herself. He was too far away from her to kick him, but she’d try that, too, if he got close enough.
“Because even in my state of my mind, I knew I couldn’t trust you,” Tessa told Buckner. “The recording was my insurance. It still is.”
“Where is it?” Buckner shouted, and he reached out to ram her head into the pole again. He stopped though, and he turned away. “Soon, Tessa, I predict you’ll be very eager to tell me where that recording is.”
Tessa didn’t get a chance to respond because the guy at the door spoke. “Boss, he’s here. Just the Combat Rescue Officer.”
“No,” Bree muttered, and it felt as if a fist had clamped around her heart.
“You were right about him jamming our security,” the thug said, glancing at a handheld monitor.
“Of course, I was right,” Buckner spat out, and he hurried to join his henchman. “You’re sure he’s alone?”
“No one else that I can see,” the man replied.
Buckner continued to watch. “Someone’s probably with him. Someone staying back. Once we have him inside, keep watch.”
“Rafe, no!” Bree yelled.
Buckner’s gaze whipped to her, and if looks could kill, she’d be dead on the spot. But he didn’t shoot her. He shifted back to where Rafe was no doubt coming closer to this nightmare.
A nightmare that would end, for her anyway, in just over twenty-four minutes, according to the timer.
But she rethought that. Would Buckner really blow them up if he didn’t have the recording Tessa made? Maybe. Buckner was clearly desperate, and desperate men did dangerous things.
“Buckner?” Rafe called out.
No, no, no!Bree wanted to shout out to him again. To tell him to stay back. She had at least thought he would try to sneak up on Buckner and his hired killers.
“Well, hell,” Buckner said, chuckling. “He’s coming straight to the front door. The man’s got balls. Watch him like a hawk,” he muttered to his thug, and he opened the door even wider.
“Welcome, Rafe Cross,” Buckner then shouted. “Just an FYI, if you try to gun me down, Tessa and Bree will be blown to bits. No chance of saving them.” He outstretched his arms as if welcoming Rafe. “Hey, I thought you’d go all stealthy for this.”
“Where are Bree and Tessa?” Rafe asked.
And then she saw him.
Wearing enough combat gear to make him look like a warrior from hell, he stepped in, glancing in Tessa’s and her direction. In the same motion, Rafe took hold of the thug who’d been watching the door and punched him in the throat.
Rafe was fast. So fast. And Buckner didn’t have time to react.
The guy made a strangled sound and began to fall. Rafe didn’t let that happen. He dragged the man in front of him to use him as a shield.
“If you kill me, Tessa and Bree die,” Buckner was quick to say. He lifted his left hand to show Rafe a device that Bree figured would override the timers and detonate the bombs. “Of course, they could still die if time runs out. So, this is a standoff. You saw the message I painted for you outside?” He didn’t waitfor Rafe to answer and instead looked at Bree. “It said.Come and get them, hero.You can save just one.”
Sweet heaven. Buckner was torturing them. Not with physical violence. Well, other than what he’d done to Tessa. But this was mental torture, and it had to be giving Rafe the motherlode of PTSD flashbacks.
“So, to catch you up,” Buckner went on, talking to Rafe now. “Eighteen years ago, the fucking bitch Tessa recorded me saying I would bury her sister’s body. As you and your cop girlfriend are aware, that makes me an accessory though there are some things about that Tessa doesn’t know.” He waved that off. “But I’m getting ahead of myself…”
Buckner trailed off when his phone dinged, and he smiled. “Ah, the others have arrived.”
Oh, no. Bree prayed they hadn’t spotted someone, Jericho maybe, that Rafe had brought with him.
They waited with Rafe still holding the groaning, gasping thug. Rafe had a tight chokehold on him. Just as Buckner had a firm grip on the detonator. Bree continued to work to get the rope off her hands.
“Welcome!” Buckner called out.
And Bree stopped tugging at the ropes when the two men walked in.
