Targeted (6 page)

Keep moving, keep moving
. Moving targets were a hell of a lot harder to hit. As a veteran sniper, he had firsthand experience.

He glanced at Sophie as they continued running through the restaurant. “You okay?”

She nodded shakily, her face pale. “Yeah.”

Jack still held on to her arm. And he didn’t plan to let go anytime soon. “I promise we’ll get out of here.”

Jack had been in far worse situations, but always during missions and usually in foreign countries. Everyone he worked with knew the risks associated with their chosen profession. Not Sophie. She was just a civilian and hadn’t asked for this.

He continued through the restaurant, dodging shouting men and women and jerking Sophie along with him. Once they neared the sliding glass doors on the other side of the hotel, he tugged her to the side of the entrance. “Stay here.”

When the doors whooshed open he ducked outside and behind the valet desk. Crouching down, he scanned the wooden board until he saw his keys. In all the chaos, no one was paying attention to him. And if they were, they didn’t care what he was doing.

Seconds later he was back inside. Fear punched through him when he didn’t spot Sophie.

“I’m here.” She jumped up from behind one of the huge potted palm trees against the wall, still clutching her purse like a lifeline.

“Come on.” He kept his hand at the small of her back as they ran toward one of the side exits.

“Where are we going?”

“To get my vehicle.”

“How do you even know where it is?” she asked as he pushed open the exit door into an empty tiled hallway.

“I know where they valet the cars.” Before he went anywhere, he made it a point to memorize the schematics of the building. It always amazed him that people would give up their car keys to strangers without knowing anything about where their property was being taken.

Sophie’s heels clacked along the floor, and even in her restrictive skirt, she almost matched his stride.

“This way.” He motioned to turn left at the next open hallway.

She tripped on the slick floor as they made the sharp turn, but he caught her before she fell. A burst of raw adrenaline and lust surged through him in equal doses when his hand snaked around her waist. Sophie tensed, shoved away from him, and kept running on her own.

“We’re almost there.” When they made it to the last door, he held up a finger to her and pulled out the SIG, which had been nicely tucked into his shoulder holster and hidden by his jacket.

“What the hell?” She stared at the gun with wide eyes, real fear in her gaze.

“Stay close to me, please.” Jack wasn’t sure whether it was the unexpected weapon or the “please,” but Sophie jerkily nodded.

He eased the door open. No one was in this section of the parking garage. He pressed the unlock button. Two rows over, the SUV beeped and the lights flashed.

After one more visual sweep, he reached behind him without turning around. “Come on.”

When he felt Sophie’s delicate hand in his, an invisible vise tightened around his chest. She was trusting him with her life and he’d be damned if he screwed this up.

Crouching low, they slipped out the exit door and ducked behind a four-door sedan. With their backs against the passenger door, Jack motioned with one hand. “My SUV is about two rows over. We’re going to make a run for it.”

“Is there someone in this parking garage after us?” she whispered.

“I don’t know, but I’m not taking a chance.” There were too many variables right now, and Sophie’s possible involvement was a very big one.

He’d considered the fact that someone from one of his previous jobs might have tracked him down—almost an impossibility considering that most people he’d worked with were dead or in prison—but something told him that shooter hadn’t been aiming for him. The potted plant had been a lot closer to Sophie. No, someone had been after her. Which might mean his cover had been compromised, but more likely someone didn’t want her talking. About what? He had no idea. The only thing he knew for sure was that he was getting her out of here and getting some answers.

Fast.

“On the count of two, we go.” Using his fingers, he counted. On two, they sprinted across the concrete, using the other cars as cover. Her shoes smacked loudly, ruining any chance of covertness they had.

Before getting inside the SUV, he lay on the ground to make sure someone hadn’t planted a bomb. Definitely paranoid, but he’d rather be that than dead. Once they were inside his vehicle, he started the ignition, kicked it into drive, and pulled out of the spot before she had a chance to strap in.

He barreled through the first level, keeping his eyes open for anyone suspicious, but the level was clean. Jack paused at the exit, then took a left. His tires squealed loudly as he zoomed away.

“What the hell is going on? And why are you carrying a gun? Who are you?” Sophie’s questions came at him like machine gun fire as she gripped the armrest with a white-knuckled hand.

“Why don’t you tell
me
what’s going on?” he asked.

“Excuse me?” Her voice rose a few octaves.

“Whoever was shooting at us wasn’t aiming at me.” He quickly scanned her. She was rumpled, but he couldn’t see any blood.

“What . . . You think someone was shooting at
me
? You’re insane.” She shook her head and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear before glancing down at herself. Her crisp white button-down blouse was missing a couple of buttons and her jacket was ripped at one of the seams. “Why aren’t we calling the police?”

He glanced in the rearview mirror. No one was behind them, so he took a right onto Ocean Drive. It was Miami’s most famous and most crowded street. They’d be able to blend in and get lost if they needed to. At least until he could secure another vehicle.

“You never told me why you’re carrying a gun.”

He ignored her and switched lanes while keeping his eyes on the rearview mirror. If someone was tailing them, they were good because Jack didn’t see anyone.

“Okay, are you just ignoring everything I’m saying?” Her voice rose again, that temper he remembered so well flaring brightly.

It shouldn’t turn him on, but damn if he didn’t love and miss that fire in her. “I’m trying to get us away from here in one piece. I’ll answer your questions once we’re safe.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her dig into her purse. Before he realized what she was doing, she was on the phone.

“What the hell are you doing?” He risked a glance at her as they came to a red light.

“Calling Ronald.”

“Damn it, woman—” He lunged for the phone, but she jerked away from him lightning fast at the same time a horn blasted from behind.

He accelerated and gritted his teeth. Technically, he could forcibly take the phone from her, but he wasn’t sure if that was necessary yet. The thought of hurting her, even inadvertently, sliced up his insides.

“Hi, Mandy. It’s Sophie. I need to talk to Ronald. . . .
Homeland Security
 . . . They want to talk to
me.
 . . . Are you sure? . . . I don’t understand—”

Screw it. Jack grabbed her phone and pulled the battery out in a few short moves. She squawked and reached for it, but he shoved both pieces into the side of the door.

He was surprised by her silence, but considering he had a gun, he knew he shouldn’t be. She had to be scared out of her mind. But after a few long beats she started cursing at him in rapid-fire Spanish—and he inwardly smiled. Back when they were teenagers and she got pissed, she’d always had the same reaction. It was probably messed up, but he liked the sound of her cursing at him like this. It meant she was angry, and that was an emotion he could always deal with.

When she finally caught her breath and seemed to calm down a fraction, she said, “Where are you taking me,
cabron
?”

Okay, she wasn’t that calm if she was cursing at him. “I have a backup car stashed not far from here. We’re going to retrieve it; then I’m going to get you somewhere safe.”

“Safe? You think I’m going to trust you?” She snorted, the sound irreverent, but he didn’t miss the way she nervously wrapped her arms around herself.

Winding his way through Miami, he was watchful of anyone that might be following them. Sophie was fidgety as he drove but didn’t ask any more questions, probably because she was now terrified of him. Or
more
terrified than she had been already.

When they finally neared their destination, he didn’t let his guard down but allowed a sliver of relief to slide through him. The expansive parking lot was nearly empty as he drove across it toward a bundle of empty warehouses perched on Biscayne Bay. He’d parked another vehicle roughly a mile away in a grocery store parking lot, but just in case they were being tracked, he didn’t want to lead anyone directly to his backup.

“What is this place?” Sophie finally said as she slowly pulled out the pepper spray from her pocket.

He’d parked in between two unused warehouses he’d scouted out earlier. Bayside Marketplace wasn’t that far from where they were—hell, he could actually see Port Boulevard Bridge jutting over Biscayne Bay—but for how quiet and desolate the area seemed, they might as well be a thousand miles away. He glanced at her hand and shook his head.

“You can keep that if it makes you feel better, but you don’t need it against me. In fact . . .” Jack reached down and lifted up his pant leg. He handed her a simple revolver. “Take this. There’s no safety and you don’t have to pull back the hammer. It’ll make for a smoother shot if you do, but it’s not necessary. All you have to do is pull the trigger.”

Swallowing hard, she eyed him with surprise. But she didn’t hesitate to take the weapon. “Why are you giving this to me?”

“Because I don’t like that fucking fear I see in your eyes when I’d
never
hurt you,” he snapped, losing his tight control for a moment.

Her eyes widened, but she still held the weapon in her lap. At least it was turned away from him. “You still haven’t told me where we are.”

“Just somewhere to ditch this vehicle.” He pulled out another weapon from under his seat. Jack was all about backups. He needed to call Wesley to have someone pick up the SUV and sanitize it, but now his only priority was getting Sophie to safety.

After popping the locks he gave a cursory glance over his shoulder, then froze. There was a black Humvee gunning right for them. With a warehouse on either side, they had nowhere to go. Making a split-second decision, he pressed the button to open the sunroof. He’d been in worse circumstances, but having Sophie with him now made his heart beat just a little faster.

Sophie looked back at him. Her mouth dropped open, but before she could ask any questions, he pointed up. “These guys are going to ram us and there’s nothing we can do. As soon as we hit the water, you’re going to clear the sunroof.”

“What? What about you?” Panic laced her voice as she tucked the revolver into the waist of her skirt.

“Sophie!” he shouted, needing her to listen, needing to get through her adrenaline-jagged brain. They only had seconds now. In his periphery vision he could see the black vehicle closing in on them. Instinctively he tensed, bracing for the impact. This was gonna hurt like hell. He prayed Sophie wouldn’t be injured too badly to escape. He’d disabled the airbags—as he always did—in the SUV so at least they wouldn’t suffer under that impact. “Promise you’ll climb out the sunroof. I’ll be behind you, but I can’t worry about you while trying to save myself.”

Eyes wide, she nodded and slipped her heels off the moment before the impact. She still had her purse slung across her body like a satchel. He wanted to tell her to lose it, but there was no time.

A jarring crunch wrenched through the vehicle. Sophie let out a little scream as her body slammed forward, but she held on tight as they were propelled toward the water.

“Why aren’t you shooting at them?” she shouted as the Humvee driver gunned the engine once more, shoving them inexorably toward the small pillars that wouldn’t stand a chance under the force of the two vehicles. She quickly jerked the purse off, but snagged her wallet from it as she tossed it to the floorboards. Shoving the thin wallet down her shirt, she looked over her shoulder again, fear clouding her eyes.

He ignored her question. “We’re going to go over in a second. Through the sunroof, then swim east. Swim as hard as you can until you find cover! Don’t surface until you’re safe!” There was a lip that curved over where the string of warehouses sat. They had to reach it.

The SUV jerked forward again and the scent of burning rubber filled the air as they teetered and plunged over the edge.

Grabbing her waist, he unceremoniously shoved her upward as they hit the water. She’d have seconds before the water rushed through the opening. Then they’d be trapped until the water pressure had equalized enough for them to swim out. Jack wasn’t waiting.

Sophie let out a yelp as he kept pushing at her, but eventually her feet cleared the opening. Frigid water gushed over him in a powerful torrent, so he clutched the armrest and held his breath as the vehicle filled and the coolness submerged his body. He could hold his breath for five minutes, and he knew it wouldn’t take that long.

In the back of his mind, fear clawed at him at the thought of whoever had rammed them into the water hurting Sophie while he was trapped here, but he could only focus on one problem at a time. He’d gotten her clear of the immediate danger. The SUV rapidly filled up and he hit the bottom of the bay floor—he guessed it was maybe nine or ten feet down. Finally the interior water pressure stabilized. Weapon in hand, he blinked a few times as he swam through the sunroof. The salty water stung his eyes, but the visibility was decent. At least it was murky enough that he couldn’t see the surface clearly, which meant whoever had rammed them couldn’t see him either.