Page 162 of Jay Bird

She concentrated on every step, forcing her legs to cooperate as they moved through the unfamiliar house. She noticed doors, windows, and the men positioned between her and freedom. She didn’t know where she was or how far they were from help, and she had no idea whether Lily was truly nearby.

But she knew Chen intended to get her on that plane. And once she was on it, her chances of getting back to Lily disappeared.

So Willow walked quietly beside him, allowing Chen to believe the threat had worked while she fought through the remaining fog in her head and waited for an opportunity.

She didn’t need a perfect one. She only needed one chance.

Because no matter what it cost her, Willow was not getting on that plane.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

By the time they reached the front of the house, Willow’s legs were steadier, although every step reminded her of the fight she had put up earlier. Her ribs hurt, her shoulder ached whenever Chen tightened his grip around her upper arm, and a dull headache continued to throb behind her eyes. The drugs were still making everything feel slightly disconnected, but the fog had lifted enough that she could think clearly, and right now, thinking was the only thing keeping her from panicking.

Two dark SUVs were parked in the circular driveway, and one of Chen’s men was already moving toward the first one. Liu walked several feet ahead of them with his phone pressed to his ear, speaking quietly to someone Willow assumed had something to do with the plane.

She couldn’t get on that plane. She kept repeating that to herself as Chen guided her down the walkway. She had no idea where they were other than somewhere in Virginia, and the property appeared secluded enough that screaming probably wouldn’t bring anyone running.

Trees surrounded most of the house, and she couldn’t see another home nearby, but that didn’t mean she was giving up. There had to be an opportunity somewhere between the front door and that airplane, and Willow intended to find it.

She had survived three years with Chen because she had learned patience. She had learned how to watch him, read his moods, and wait for those rare moments when his confidence made him careless. The difference was that the Willow who had survived Morocco hadn’t known how to fight. But the new Willow did.

“Keep moving,” Chen muttered when her steps slowed.

Willow glared at him but continued forward. They were almost to the first SUV when the entire property suddenly exploded with light.

She cried out and instinctively turned her face away as powerful beams illuminated the front of the house from every direction.

Chen swore and yanked her backward while Liu and the other men immediately reached for their weapons. Before Willow could fully understand what was happening, the unmistakable thunder of helicopter blades filled the air above them, and a powerful spotlight swept across the property before settling directly over the driveway.

Then came the voices. “Drop your weapons! Hands where we can see them!”

Willow’s heart beat wildly as figures emerged from the darkness surrounding the property. There were so many that she couldn’t take everything in at once.

Federal agents and police officers were positioned behind vehicles and trees, while other men wearing tactical gear approached from several directions with their weapons trained on Chen and his men.

Then Willow started recognizing faces. Derek was there, along with Bear and Nails. She spotted Ace and Stitch farther off to one side, and several more men from Alpha and Bravo were positioned throughout the perimeter.

The cavalry had come. A sob rose in Willow’s throat as relief hit her so hard that her knees nearly buckled. Somehow, despite everything Chen had done to hide her and misdirect everyone looking for her, they had found her.

Her gaze moved frantically among the men until she found the only face she desperately needed to see.

Jay Bird stood behind one of the vehicles dressed in tactical gear, his weapon raised and his entire body radiating a kind of controlled fury that Willow could feel even from where she stood. His dark eyes found hers almost immediately, and for the briefest moment, everything else disappeared. She forgot about Chen, the helicopter hovering above them, and the dozens of weapons pointed in their direction because all she could see was Jay Bird.

He had come for her. She didn’t know why that surprised her. He had promised repeatedly that if she ever needed him, he would come, and apparently he had meant every word.

Before Willow could hold on to that relief, Chen’s arm suddenly wrapped around her throat and pulled her hard against his chest.

She gasped as the crook of his elbow tightened beneath her chin. His other hand came up, and the cold press of metal against the side of her head told her exactly what he was holding before she ever saw the gun.

“Don’t come any closer!” Chen shouted.

Every bit of movement around the property seemed to stop at once.

“Chen Pham!” a man near the center of the driveway called out. FBI was clearly visible across his tactical vest. “Put down the weapon and release the woman. You are surrounded, and there is nowhere for you to go.”

Chen laughed beside Willow’s ear, tightening his arm until breathing became more difficult. “You think I’m surrendering? If I go down, she goes with me.”

Fear crawled through Willow as she stared across the driveway at Jay Bird. She expected to see panic on his face, especially with a gun pressed against her head, but what she saw instead was absolute concentration.