Page 129 of Elite Metal: Warriors

“We’re almost done,” Natalia said, swinging their arms between them.

“We are.” All that was left was the encoded files, and with Titanium’s men, as well as Gregor’s, working on those, they would crack the code soon.

“And then what?”

He glanced at her. “You’re coming home with me.”

Her smile was brilliant. “What if I discover I hate Texas?”

“Then we will move to Wyoming.”

“And if I hate that?”

“Then I’ll come home with you.” He didn’t think he cared where he lived, as long was she was there. How crazy was that?

But it was true.

“Can you see yourself living in Siberia?”

He made a face. “Sure. But you’ll have to promise to keep me warm.”

“Oh, I promise.” There was a promise in her eyes too, one that warmed him from the inside out.

He tugged her closer, to kiss her again, but the screech of tires on the road captured his attention. To his horror, he saw a dark sedan barreling toward them. Without thought, he pushed her out of the way, just as the car clipped him on the hip. Blinded by the pain, deafened by her screams, he went flying and landed in a pile of aching bones on the side of the road.

Unable to move, unable to speak or breathe, he watched as a large man emerged from the sedan, grabbed Natalia by the hair and dragged her—kicking and screaming— toward the car.

Though his vision was blurry, he was able to make out the plates, but just barely. Not that it mattered. His body was in shock and unwilling to move. He couldn’t save her. He was helpless to watch as the car holding his love sped away.

* * *

Damn. Damn, damn, damn.

She should have realized Ming Kow would be searching for her—for revenge if not for anything else—but she had rationalized that since they rarely left the house, it was unlikely the bastard would find them. But his connections in the Hong Kong underworld ran deep. No doubt someone—the car rental clerk, the real estate agent, the owner of the shop where Vasili bought their food—had been on his payroll.

Belatedly, she realized they should have taken the thumb drive and left the country.

But it was too late for regrets now.

As Ming Kow’s sedan made its way through the city, his henchman zip tied her hands and mocked her.

Nat had a thick skin and her training had been excellent. Sophomoric jibes never affected her. So it was easy to maintain an attitude of aplomb—as long as she didn’t think about Cooper and how hard the car had hit him.

She had to believe he was all right.

That it had been but a glancing blow.

She had to believe that Gregor or Vasili had heard the commotion and had helped him. That they were, even now, searching for her. With the access they had to advanced satellite feeds, they should be able to track the car.

She hoped.

When they pulled up next to the warehouse on Lánlǚ de Pier, she breathed a sigh of relief. This was a boon, because both Cooper and Gregor knew this location, and while it might take them a while to figure it out, she knew they would come for her.

She winced as her captor took her by the hair again—God, she hated that—and dragged her inside the cavernous warehouse. She was barely able to keep up as he led her to the back, behind the pallets and crates…to the cages she had seen before.

They’d been empty then, but they were not now.

To her horror, she counted no fewer than five children clustered together in the larger cage. Their hands were tied like hers and there were tears on their faces. The label on the cage made it clear… This was Donovan’s shipment.