Page 89 of Silk Shadow

No reply.

An icy dread gripped him as he raced into the bedroom. It was empty. So was the spare room, and her study. Where the fuck was she?

They'd taken her somewhere. That wasn't good. But if she was in transit, at least it meant she was still alive. There was still time to get to her. If they'd killed her, they would have left her body here. He felt sick to the stomach. He had to find her.

Ten minutes, Lewis had said. That wasn't long. They might still be in the building.

The parking garage!

That's where they'd have parked their vehicle. Out of sight of the road. Somewhere you could lead a struggling woman without anyone seeing you.

He charged back down the stairs, jumping the last few on every landing, before pushing open the door to the underground parking garage.

The concrete flooring and open sides let in the cold, dark air, but it was well lit. He stopped and listened for any signs of activity.

Footsteps. A car door.

Then a muffled scream.

Izzy!

He followed the sound to the far corner of the parking garage. A black SUV stood with its doors open, and two men leaning into the back.

"Izzy!" he shouted.

The men glanced up.

“Viper, help!”

He launched into a sprint.

One of the men opened fire. The bullet whizzed past his head. He heard it embed itself into the concrete pillar beside him, but he didn't slow down.

"Let's go!" shouted a male voice.

Doors slammed and the car growled to life. The tires screeched as the SUV pulled out of the parking space. The window rolled down and Viper saw the barrel of a rifle.

More shots were fired, but they were erratic, the shooter not having time to aim.

Viper figured the odds were in his favor. He sprinted after the vehicle, knowing that he had to get to Izzy before they took off with her. There was no doubt in his mind that they planned to kill her and dump her body where it would leave no trace.

"Izzy!" he yelled.

Then he gasped and flew backward as the wind was knocked out of him. It was hard to breathe. He looked down and realized he'd been shot.

CHAPTER 37

Viper lay on the ground, groaning, gun still in his hand.

He was still alive! And amazingly, there was no blood. He felt under his shirt and saw the Kevlar vest had taken the bullet.

Thank God!

It had just winded him.

The SUV was hurtling toward the ramp leading out of the parking garage. Rolling onto his side, he fired at the wheels. The back one exploded and the car tilted onto its side before it rolled over and smashed into a pillar. The hood crumpled like an accordion and steam hissed out.

Izzy.

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