Page 53 of Fully Loaded

“Be careful.”

He winked at her, and his playful grin made his hazel eyes sparkle. Butterfly wings beat from her belly to her heart. “See you in a few.”

The camera clicked off and she choked back a sob. It took all her focus to remember which tab Ubrigg had left open, return to that page, and put the screen to sleep. She repositioned her arms around the chair and rolled back to where Ubrigg had left her. Relief should have taken hold, but instead unease sunk its fangs into her. Brock will be here and everything will be okay, she told herself. It had to be. Brock had never failed at a heist, and he’d never let her down.

The knots in her neck bound themselves tighter. She lifted her gaze to the clock.

Ten more minutes.

Chapter

Nineteen

For fuck’s sake. Brock hit the button for the parking garage and the elevator headed down, more slowly than he would have liked. He could take a cab to the laboratory, but getting out with Dani would be another story.

The metal door rolled open and he stalked through the second level of the concrete complex. Rows of shiny vehicles filled the garage. It had been damn near a decade since he stole a car, but the delinquencies of his youth were deeply stamped in his memory.

He didn’t have time to be picky. He moved through the columns of vehicles, flicking the driver’s side handle of each car. If he had more time and the correct equipment, he could unlock any one of these vehicles.

He lifted the handle of the tenth car and grunted in frustration. Someone had to have left their car unlocked. He did the same to a large black Ford Explorer and the interior light came on. Satisfaction loosened some tension in his joints. He rolled the seat back, climbed inside, and took out his cell phone. After turning on his flashlight, he removed the plastic cover under the steering wheel that hid the electrical work.

He sought the wires, bit off the plastic tips, and touched the copper together. A tiny spark lit between his fingers and the engine purred to life. He adjusted the seat and started the GPS navigation on his phone. The valet paid him no mind as he drove past.

Pulling into the street, he saw the moon dangling high above the Eiffel Tower. The Iron Lady glowed as if utter devastation hadn’t fallen at her feet hours before. He hadn’t listened to the news yet, and right now the last thing he wanted to know was the body count. He tightened his hands on the steering wheel as he drove along the Seine.

Pressure closed in on his chest. The image of Dani’s sparkling eyes overlooking Paris from the Eiffel Tower danced in his mind. If he lived to be a hundred years old, he’d never forget the awe shining on her perfectly sculpted jawline and the smile that had curved her mouth as he held her.

They’d kill her.

If he didn’t make it to her before Ubrigg realized something was up, they’d put a bullet in her head without a second thought. By now, Ubrigg would be halfway to their meeting point. It wouldn’t take long for him to figure out Brock wasn’t going to show. Once Ubrigg called his guard, they were fucked. Urgency knocked against his ribcage. He followed the next turn and glanced at his phone to see where he’d need to go next.

A small notification at the top-right corner of the screen alerted him to a missed call. How could he have missed a call? His ringer was on. He lifted the device and tapped the notification.

A San Diego area code caught Brock’s eye and he read the contact name: Rhett.

Finally.

According to the time of the missed call, Rhett had phoned while he was on the call with Dani and he’d been too anxious to notice. The GPS chimed out another direction and Brock followed it, tapping Rhett’s number at the same time. He hit the Speaker button and the call rang out in the spacious interior.

A couple more blocks and he’d be at the lab. He had two minutes tops to give Rhett a rundown. He approached an intersection as the light turned red. Brock pressed his foot to the gas and cursed. It was after 1:00 a.m. and the street was deserted. He could probably run the red light without?—

Crash!

Glass pelted Brock’s face. He covered his eyes, but tiny fragments nicked his cheeks and hands. His mind raced as he assessed the threat. Black gloves and a mask-covered face lunged through the driver’s side window. Brock reached for the gun at his back, but a fist barrelled into his jaw.

Rage rushed through him with the force of a flash flood.

“Hello? Brock?” Rhett’s concerned voice barely penetrated Brock’s consciousness.

He pulled the door handle and then threw his weight into the door, sending the attacker flying backward. Another man quickly approached as he got out of the vehicle, but Brock jabbed his fist into the man’s throat. The first attacker trained a gun on him.

“Don’t fucking move!”

Adrenaline heated his veins. Fuck it. He had to get to Dani and he wouldn’t let these bastards get in his way. He jutted out his arm and caught the man’s throat still struggling to catch his breath.

He pulled the gun from the waistband of his pants and pressed it to the cocksucker’s head. “Take another step and I’ll blow his fucking head off.”

He didn’t have time for this shit. He backed away from the door, his gaze trained on the first man. The second man didn’t fight him, but his bulky build slowed Brock’s backward retreat. As soon as he rounded the vehicle, he’d fire off a couple shots and run. He tensed as footsteps scuffled behind him.