The Maze (ATCOM)
Authors: Jennifer Lowery
The Maze
By Jennifer Lowery
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Table
of Contents
Other Books by Jennifer Lowery
The Maze
By Jennifer Lowery
Copyright
©2014 by Jennifer Lowery
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of
the copyright owner of this book.
This is a work of
fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either
the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely
coincidental.
License
Notes
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work.
Cover
design by The Killion Group, Inc.
Editing by Piper Denna
Author photograph by Trent Anderson of GreatScotMan Photography
https://www.facebook.com/GreatScotManPhotography
This
book is dedicated to my friends and co-workers at MCGH. Especially the
Cardiopulmonary staff who supported me while I pursued my dream. This is the
book I was working on during all those long night shifts, gang! You finally get
to read it.
There
are many people who helped me finish The Maze. For me, I never would have
reached the end without the loving support of my family. My hubby, Mike, I owe
for taking on the burden of supporting the family while I followed my dream. I
love you, honey! And my children, Hunter and Jenna for helping keep the house
clean so I could write! My sisters, Abby and Melissa, for their support and
humor and fun times when we got together for coffee and great conversation. My
mom for always being my biggest fan. My dad for being my biggest supporter. I
still have the cards and kind notes, Dad! Thanks, guys, for being there for me.
Love ya!
To
the fabulous Rom-Critters and Inkslingers out there, you guys ROCK! I value
your friendships beyond words. Humbly, I thank you.
A
special thank you goes out to my critique partner and dear friend, D’Ann
Lindun. She served as beta reader, CP, sounding board, brainstorming partner
and so much more. Whenever I needed her she was there with a good word, ear to
listen and solid advice. Without her I don’t think I would have made it through
the revision and publishing process! You rock, lady!
To
the most fabulous editor in the world, Piper Denna, who makes me a better
writer! Thank you, Piper, for your humor and encouragement, and guidance. My
books wouldn’t be complete without you! And for the tweet that made my day:
Anaconda!!! LOL!
And,
to anyone I may have accidentally overlooked please know you are not forgotten.
I appreciate each and every one of you who helped me get through the writing of
this book.
Last,
but not least, I just want to send out a big THANK YOU to all my readers out
there! Without you I wouldn’t be here. My wish is to one day meet each and
every one of you so I can personally thank you for your generosity and
support!
All
my best,
Jennifer
Noah
heard the sounds before he reached the barn. From inside the open doors there
came a series of thumps followed by a solid thud. The sequence changed and
escalated. It had been a long time since he’d seen Attie, and the last hadn’t
been pleasant. He didn’t like the situation that brought him here. Attie was
going to hate it even more.
Girding
himself for the task ahead, Noah stepped into the barn and leaned a shoulder
against the door, silently watching the woman attacking an old, worn leather
punching bag hanging by chains from the rafters a few feet away.
Her
back toward him, she focused on the bag. To her credit she was precise and
agile, not once missing the bag, and landing a solid blow with fist or foot
every time.
The
sight of her stirred forbidden desires. Attie’s beauty had caused plenty of
upheaval in the academy. A spark came from inside and made her glow with life.
She was stubborn and damned irritating when she set her mind to something, but
that was Attie. Her inner strength impressed even the hardest of men. No one
could deny that, not after what she’d endured in South America.
Not
when she blamed him for the death of a fellow agent.
Watching
her, he could see well-honed muscle in each movement. She had healed
completely, but Noah could see the surgery scar on her leg below the black
barely-cover-your-ass workout shorts she wore. A sleek, red ponytail hung to
her waist and swayed with each movement. The underlying sensuality in her
movements wasn’t lost on him. Hell, it had drawn him to her. Her sharp
intellect made her a woman unlike any other.
Envisioning
this slender, athletic woman undercover as arm candy wasn’t a far stretch of
the imagination.
Attie
spun around to face him. Her emerald green eyes met his. Her chest heaved from
exertion, stretching the fabric of her tank top taut across her breasts. He forced
his eyes back up to hers.
“What
the hell are you doing here, Kincaid?” she demanded, her voice wavering
slightly.
“I
need to talk to you.”
Her
eyes grew wary. Guarded. “We have nothing to say to each other.”
Noah
let her militant tone roll off him. “It’s about Brendan.”
Her
head snapped up. “What about him?”
There
was no way to soften the blow, so he didn’t try. Attie wouldn’t appreciate it
if he did. He’d never been anything but straight with her.
“He’s
been kidnapped.”
Attie
backed up a step. She turned her attention to the punching bag. Her first punch
missed and she let out a sound of frustration.
“Attie?”
Her
pace increased, her movements more intense.
“That
isn’t all.”
Still
she refused to look at him.
“Santiago
has him and he wants you.”
A
strangled cry escaped her throat and she whipped around to face him. “How can
you mention that name to me?”
“I
have no choice.”
She
shook her head. Backing up, she faced him from behind the bag and started
jabbing.
Noah
straightened from the doorframe, stripped down to his t-shirt and walked over
to the swinging bag to stop it with his hands.
Attie
continued to abuse it, glaring at him. “Get out of my way, Kincaid.”
He
ignored her and held the bag steady.
She
swung, her fist grazing his forearm. Not by accident.
“Give
me a minute, will you?” she ground out, hitting with more force.
“We
don’t have a minute.”
She
ducked around the bag. “Damn you.” She kicked the bag hard, then threw a jab at
him.
Noah
allowed the first blow, but not the next.
She
hit him with a series of punches and kicks.
He
sparred with her until she was exhausted, letting her work the demons out of
her system so she could think rationally. She had always needed an outlet,
unable to keep things bottled up. Mostly it came in the form of temper, but
ATCOM had trained her to control it. He understood her need to lash out against
the fate being delivered to her. If he could change it, he would. He would do
anything to save Attie the pain she suffered.
Finally,
he swept her legs out from under her. She landed on her back in a cloud of
dust. He moved in fast, dropping down to straddle her thighs. He locked her
hands above her head to still her movements, feeling her tremble beneath him.
When
he looked down in the depths of Attie’s cat eyes, he saw pain shimmering so
deep it seemed bottomless. Below that lay fear she wouldn’t admit to, but
couldn’t hide. Silently, he cursed Santiago and vowed to complete the mission
ATCOM was sending him in to do. Hell, he welcomed it.
This
wasn’t the Attie he knew. The woman who’d become the first female agent in the
history of ATCOM was fearless, determined, confident, headstrong. Nothing
stopped her from getting what she wanted. She would go over, around or through
to accomplish a goal.
“Finished?”
he asked, knowing he couldn’t ask about her fears or offer protection against
them because she’d never allow it. Holding her ground was one of Attie’s vices
and something she did very well. Too well. She had yet to realize leaning on
someone wasn’t a sign of weakness.
“Move
so I can get up.” Her voice caught and his gaze dropped to her mouth. How many
times had he thought about kissing those beautiful, stubborn lips? How close
had they come to finding out if the chemistry sizzling between them was real?
How close had he come to losing his career for just one kiss?
Too
damn close.
“Noah…”
she murmured and he knew. Knew no matter what wall sat between them, she still
felt it. “What? No, get off me.”
Noah
rolled to his feet and held out a hand. She accepted and he pulled her to her
feet. Immediately she withdrew, brushing off her backside. She picked up her
sweatshirt off the floor and slipped it over her head, keeping her face
averted. He retrieved his shirt and shrugged it on.
“Tell
me,” she said, facing him, all traces of intimacy gone. Her eyes still carried
that haunted look, but she was ready to listen now.
“Brendan
pretended to be talking to you while he delivered Santiago’s message to me.”
“What?”
“Santiago
won’t release Brendan until you show up at his specific coordinates. He’ll kill
him if you don’t show. He gave you seventy-two hours.”
Noah
watched her reaction, seeing the impact his words had on her. To her credit,
she remained standing on legs he knew were threatening to collapse.
“Give
me the coordinates.” Her voice didn’t betray her emotions. Only her eyes did.
He
knew better than that. She would try and go without him. His next words weren’t
going to settle well.
“No.
We go as a team.”
* * * *
A
team? Was he crazy?
Attie
shook her head. That option had been eliminated the day she retired. Did he
really think she would follow a man who’d caused the death of an agent and
ruined any chance of putting Carlos Santiago in prison for the rest of his
miserable life? Noah Kincaid’s decision had destroyed everything she’d worked
for, suffered for, and all because he didn’t trust her.
“I’m
going alone. That’s what Carlos expects, and that’s what he’ll get.”
As
she said it, something cold and familiar spiraled through her. Carlos Santiago
was the cause of her nightmares. He hadn’t only tortured her in that cell for
three days. He’d made her life a living hell for months prior. But no one knew
that except her and Carlos. That was the way it was going to stay. What had
happened to her had no bearing on the here and now.
Old
memories surfaced and Attie had to tamp them down before speaking again. ATCOM
had taught her restraint, and she did her best to exercise it right now. For
Brendan’s sake she would do this, even if it meant facing Carlos again.
Attie
shuddered.
“We’re
going together. I need Santiago to have eyes on you so I can get Brendan out of
there.”
Attie
shook her head. “This isn’t your problem, it’s mine.”
Something
flickered across his face but he masked it too quickly for her to read. “Take
it or leave it.” Noah turned and walked away.
She
glared at Noah’s back. She remembered a time when she would have followed him
into the trenches of Hell if he’d asked. He’d been strong, steady, and
reliable. A man she respected. He hadn’t singled her out or treated her any
different from the men in the academy. He demanded as much out of her as the
others and she’d given it one hundred percent. The road hadn’t been easy, but
becoming an agent was all she’d ever wanted to do. And she’d done it on her own
steam, not because her brother and uncle were there before her.
Pain
knifed through her chest as she watched his retreating back. She’d trusted him
once. Until that fateful day in a steamy South American jungle when he’d
stopped trusting her and made a decision that changed the course of their lives
forever.
Noah
Kincaid had started the chain reaction that got Seth killed, and she wasn’t
about to let him get her brother killed too. Teamwork required trust and that
was something they’d lost.
Furious
with him for withholding, she stormed after him.
“I
retired from ATCOM. You can’t do this to me. I am
not
one of your agents
anymore,” she shouted. Damn it. Seeing him again brought old feelings to the
surface.
He
turned to face her. “No, you’re not an agent anymore,” he said, “and for the
record I don’t want you to come along. I didn’t even want you involved, but
Santiago won’t have it any other way. He wants you, Attie, and that should
scare the hell out of you. We either work together on this or you let me take
my chances with Santiago alone.”
She
stopped short, her anger abating. He was right. She was scared. She knew what
Santiago was capable of, but Noah wasn’t going to give her Brendan’s location
and she couldn’t go without it. Time was running out.
She
hadn’t been able to save Seth, but she could damn well save her brother. If it
meant teaming up with a man who’d betrayed her, then so be it.
“For
the record,” she said, repeating his earlier statement, “I don’t trust you
either. I won’t take orders from you and I won’t rely on you for anything. What
we had in the past is over. We’ll go together, but only because there is no
other choice.”
Noah
stared at her for a moment before nodding. “Any way you want it, as long as we
get moving. I’d like to be en route to Colorado within the hour. The chopper is
on standby.”
Attie
sent him one last, angry look before brushing past him. “I’ll be ready in
fifteen.”