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He’d only get one chance.
As Weathers turned his head to issue orders to his guards, Cody fired. Before the man fell, he shoved him toward his companions. Weathers’s shoulder hit the first guy, knocking the man’s gun from his hand.
The closest goon lunged at Cody, meaty fists swinging.
Cody ducked, feeling the whoosh of air as the punch sailed over his head. He came up fast, driving his elbow into the man’s solar plexus. The man wheezed, doubling over.
The second guard was smarter, hanging back and drawing his weapon. Too bad he was half a second too slow. Cody didn’t give him the chance to use it. He grabbed the first guard’s arm, using the man’s bulk as a shield as he charged forward. They collided with the armed man, sending all three crashing into the wall.
The second man’s gun landed at his feet.
Cody felt a fist graze his cheek as he struggled to keep both men at bay. He drove his knee up, hearing a satisfying grunt of pain. A wild elbow caught him in the ribs, forcing the air from his lungs.
Gritting his teeth, he headbutted the guard in front of him. The man’s nose crunched, blood spraying. As he reeled back, Cody seized the opportunity. He snatched the gun from the floor and brought it down hard on both men’s heads in quick succession.
An instant later, he had the three intruders zip tied in the far corner of the room.
Panting, he surveyed the unconscious bodies around him. His own body ached, but there was no time to rest.
He rushed to Paige’s side. Her eyelids were already fluttering. “Come on, come on.” He gently tapped her cheek.
She gasped awake, confusion clouding her eyes before recognition set in. And then fear.
“I’m sorry.” He helped her sit up. “I had to make it look real.”
A groan from across the room signaled Jason’s return to consciousness. Cody moved to help him up, but froze as Jason’s fist came flying towards his face.
“Wait!” he yelped, ducking just in time. “I can explain!”
Jason growled, ready to launch another attack, when a familiar sound cut through the tension. The rhythmic thwack of helicopter blades filled the air, growing louder by the second.
Cody’s blood ran cold. This wasn’t part of the plan. “We’ve got company,” he said, locking eyes with Paige and Jason. “I’m guessing not the good kind.”
44
The world swamback into focus, but it took way longer for Paige to sort nightmare from reality. Cody filled her field of vision. Cody. Not the hard-edged Tanner.
He smiled softly. “Sorry about tranqing you. I had to make this up on the fly.”
She groaned, her hand instinctively moving to her shoulder where the dart had pierced her.
Her fingers probed the tender spot, wincing at the dull, insistent pain that radiated down her arm. The back of her head felt tender and swollen, a souvenir from her ungraceful collapse to the floor. She gingerly touched the lump forming there, hissing through her teeth.
Struggling to her knees with Cody’s help, she blinked hard, trying to clear the fog from her mind. Coherent thought remained frustratingly out of reach as she swayed, bracing herself against the cold floor. Her gaze landed on Cody, and a fresh wave of confusion washed over her.
“You shot me.”
Cody’s face tightened with regret. “Sorry.”
Jason rose, clearly unsteady, and eyed the three unconscious operatives. “That your work?”
Cody grunted. “They’re secure for now. Our problem’s up there.”
The rhythmic thwack of helicopter blades punctuated their exchange, each beat sending vibrations through the building. Paige struggled to her feet, clutching a nearby table for support as the room tilted around her.
“Kate?” she mumbled, her tongue feeling thick and uncooperative. “Or Bridger?” The names of her teammates floated through her mind, a lifeline of hope in the chaos.
Cody’s face swam back into view, concern etched in his features. “Not likely.”
