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There was no time for jokes, no time for a drink.
Not when Sam’s life hung in the balance.
Charlie’s laptop pinged. “I’ve got it.”
We gathered behind him to look at the screen. He had a map of Macau up, a small, blinking red dot in the upper right corner.
“What is that?” Liam asked.
“Looks like an abandoned construction project. It was supposed to be turned into a casino, but the development company went under five years ago and the building’s been sitting there empty ever since.”
“We’re going in blind,” Kris said. “There’s no telling how many combatants we’re up against. Keep close, protect each other. I want radio silence, just like we did on Project Levi.”
“There were ten of us,” I grumbled, crinkling my nose.
“Then we work twice as hard,” Liam snapped. “Leave no quarter if we have to.”
Kris shook his head. “Our only goal is getting Sam out of there unharmed, copy?”
“Copy,” we said together.
“Move out.”
31
Sam
When I came to, everything was dark. For a second, I seriously thought that I’d been hit in the head so hard that I went blind. It took me a good five minutes before my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. The faintest, almost non-existent light seeped in through the cracks of a distant door, giving me just enough to work with to understand that I was trapped in a room.
Claustrophobia set in quickly after that. The air was thick and muggy. My chest was tight, my discomfort made that much worse when I realized that my hands and feet were bound by duct tape. I was strapped to a metal chair.
My muscles were sore, especially my butt and my legs. Everything was cramping, burning. My head hurt the worst, the pounding inside my skull excruciating. I went through wave after wave of panic only to find a moment of calm. It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. Had I been here for a few minutes? A few hours? A few days?
This is the shittiest Valentine’s Day ever.
I closed my eyes and willed myself to take slow, measured breaths. I thought back to the gala, how well everything had been going. The more I thought about it, the more concerned I became. The explosions, the bombs… The guys had been so careful about checking for threats, so thorough. The fact that our attackers managed to get not one, butthreeexplosives past four highly trained ex-SEALs was mind boggling.
Dread clawed through me, leaving me hollow. I had no idea what happened to the guys after the second explosion. It was all a blur. I prayed they were okay because if they weren’t…
I bit my tongue hard enough that I tasted copper. No, theyhadto be okay.
They had to be.
Suddenly, I heard fast footsteps approaching. The door I’d been struggling to stare at from across the room burst open. Someone flicked on a light, flooding the whole place in blinding white. It burned my retinas and made my headache that much worse.
“Fuck!” I hissed, the pain debilitating.
“Well, well, well…” came a man’s voice. “That’s not very duchess-like language.”
I stiffened, looking up slowly as his face came into focus. It was alarming how much he looked like Liam. They had the same dark hair, the same dark eyes, the same brooding posture. Except there was no warmth when he looked at me, no familiarity, no hidden softness behind his gruff exterior.
“Terrance,” I spat.
“You’ve heard of me? I’d say I’m honored, but I don’t actually care.” He took a couple of paces forward, looming over me like a panther toying with his dinner. He crouched down, resting his forearms on his knees. “Where’s the duchess, Miss Lindale?”
“How do you know my name?”
“I’ve had my men watching you for quite some time now.” He smiled, but there was nothing friendly about it. If evil walked the Earth, I was convinced that it would take the shape of Terrance Barber. “I know that you’re from New York. I know that you were hired as the duchess’ body double. I know that you’re romantically involved with not just my brother, but the rest of your team. Looks like you’ve got quite the appetite, young lady.”
