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A shudder ran through her.
As much as getting kidnapped sucked, things could’ve been so much worse.
Voices sounded from the hallway outside the room she was in, and her pulse quickened. She lay back down and pretended to be out cold. That seemed like her best option—only option, really—until she was able to get a better understanding of her situation. She’d just rearranged herself on the tarp when the door creaked open and heavy footsteps entered.
“She alive?” one of the arrivals asked. Deep, gritty voice. No accent that she could detect. Male.
The footsteps moved closer, and Hayley forced herself not to hold her breath. She needed these people to think she was unconscious but not dead. Lack of breathing wouldn’t help her cause. A finger poked her shoulder, tipping her from her side to her back. The observer took a deep breath, then placed their hand on her neck, presumably to feel for her heartbeat. “Yeah, she’s still good.”
Another male, based on the gruff tone. This one didn’t sound familiar either.
“I don’t like this,” the first guy said. “He ain’t paying me enough for this.”
“The fact someone’s paying you at all should make you happy, jackass.” The second guy, the one closest to her, said. “Now shut up and get back downstairs for the meeting.”
Guy number one mumbled something Hayley didn’t quite catch and stomped away. Once his footsteps receded, she took a chance and peeked one eye open, glanced sideways, and spotted a medium-sized man sporting burglar black and a shiny bald head. He made a slow perimeter of the room, checking the one window. As if sensing her gaze, he swiveled fast to face her and she did her best to shut her eyes naturally, hoping like hell he hadn’t caught her watching. Seconds ticked by in agonizing slowness as she waited for him to attack.
Finally, he walked out, too, locking the door behind him.
Alone once more, Hayley stared up at the ceiling and did her best to slow her thudding heart. Were these men working for Michelle? She hadn’t recognized the couple of guys she’d seen, but that didn’t mean her boss hadn’t recruited fresh blood from outside the Bureau. Or were they working for someone else, someone like Michael Becks? Her blood ran cold at the idea. From what she’d found in the files on Natalie’s computer, the guy had wiped out his own SEAL team without a second thought. He’d have no qualms at all about ending her if it served his purposes—or even if she just got in the way. He didn’t seem like the type to leave loose ends. Bottom line, there was nothing to be gained by being a good prisoner and cooperating. She’d better think of a way to escape, and fast.
Despite the constant low throb in her temple, Hayley concentrated on the details from her abduction once more.
Scotty had been calling his team leader when she’d been grabbed from behind. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel the cold metal gun barrel pressed to her skin, smell the slight odor of sweat from her attacker, hear his raspy breath in her ear. The way he’d held her immobile indicated some type of combat training. He’d had close-cropped dark hair and bulky muscles, like a body builder. Or private security, maybe? That would match with the gear they were sporting—and with the man’s comment a minute ago about how much he was being paid.
Private security meant that whoever was behind this had deep pockets. Deep reach, too, if he was able to get Michelle to go along with his schemes. But none of that helped her figure out who it was. Or what grudge he might have against Scotty and the rest of SEAL Team Ten. Was it just about finding a convenient scapegoat, or was the grudge more personal? What was the real goal here? The one demand they’d made echoed in her head like a gong.
You want your girlfriend here to walk away from this? Give up your team. Fair trade.
They wanted Scotty’s team, just as Michelle had, but why? It made no sense. Part of the puzzle wasn’t coming clear. But there was one thing shewascertain about. She needed to get the hell out of here and find Scotty.
There was the window, of course, but a quick look outside didn’t show any convenient trees, even if she’d have considered that option other than as a last resort. The two guys that had been in here had mentioned a meeting. Maybe she could get out of the room and sneak downstairs and out the front door before they realized she was gone.
Ear to the door, she strained to hear any noises, conversation, anything. But there was nothing. Okay. She’d have to pick the lock. The skills she’d learned back in Quantico were coming in handy yet again. She kicked off her sneaker and dug into the toe for her Swiss army knife. She’d at least managed to keep that hidden. She flipped open the tiny tools until she came to a thin metal file. Great. Now all she needed was to find a counterbalance to trip the tumblers.
Minutes later, she’d discovered a metal clip binding a stack of floorboards. Not ideal, but if she twisted it just so, it might work. Hayley crouched in front of the lock and inserted the file first, then the clip. The trick was to fool the tumblers into falling into place. It was all about weights and counterweights, checks and balances, give and…
Click-click.
The door eased open a crack. She grinned.
All righty then.
Stuffing her knife and the clip into the back pocket of her jeans, Hayley peered out into the hallway, then eased herself into the empty corridor. Low murmurs drifted upward from the floor below, and she tiptoed to the edge of the upper landing, leaning over the railing slightly to scope out the situation.
Damn. They were in the room right next to the front door. There was no way she’d be able to sneak out that way without them noticing. She didn’t think she’d even be able to make it to the bottom of the stairs to try and find a back door instead, since the stairwell was in clear view of the front room.
But from where she was, she could—barely—hear them talk. If she couldn’t escape, maybe at least she could gather some intel. Keeping her breathing as quiet as possible, she tried to make out what they were saying. Finally, she caught a bit of the conversation. Namely, “snipers set up around the perimeter of the C&O Canal” and “take out as many of those Team Ten bastards as you can.”
Oh, crap.
Hayley crept back into the other room and shut the door again. She needed to get out of here and warn Scotty.
Knowing him, he’d already called in the cavalry to save her. Warmth spread outward from her chest to her extremities despite the situation. If they made it out of this… No. She shook her head.Whenthey made it out of this, she wouldn’t mind getting to know him better. The way he always cracked jokes to make her smile, the protective weight of his hand on her back as he walked with her, the way he’d stuck with her and their agreement to work together when he could’ve blown her off completely. Not to mention the guycooked, for God’s sake.
Then there was the earth-shattering sex…
Yeah, I definitely need to get to know him better. Much, much better.
