Page 107 of Shadow Undercover

“Trace, three o’clock,” Joe said.

He let go of Bridget’s hand. As he turned to face the new threat, a linebacker-size guard tackled Trace and knocked him to the ground. The clown landed a blow to Trace’s gut with a meaty fist that seemed to be made of concrete rather than flesh and bone. Another blow to the side of his head rang his bell for a second, long enough for the thug to wrap his paws around Trace’s throat and squeeze.

As he fought to break Linebacker’s grip, a woman’s scream ripped through the night. Bridget! Trace brought his fisted hands inside the cradle of Linebacker’s arms and snapped his fists against the inside of the thug’s elbows, loosening the hold enough for him to breathe. He yanked Linebacker’s head down toward him as he head butted the man. Trace flipped the man onto his back, following him over. One punch, two, a third, and the guard was out.

He jumped up to assist Bridget to see her hunched over as she raced for the SUV at Nico’s order, the man who tackled her unconscious on the ground. Trace sprinted the last twenty feet to the vehicle and dived into the backseat beside Bridget.

Bridget’s arms were wrapped around her middle. He frowned. Was she hurt? They couldn’t stop to evaluate her and Sam was in another part of the grounds. The best thing he could do for Bridget was get her to the jet as fast as possible. Unfortunately, the ride would be fast and bumpy. He just hoped the journey didn’t exacerbate any new injuries.

“Ben, go,” Nico said. “We’re right behind you. Adam scooped up Hugo and is already headed toward the airfield with Veronica. Everyone else, pull out as soon as Ben is clear. Get to the jet. We’ll have company on our tail. Move fast.”

Trace acknowledged the orders as Ben steered the SUV toward the front gate. “Ruth, Bridget, drop to the floor. Lay as flat as you can. It’s going to be noisy in here.” Worse, this ride wasn’t reinforced. Bullets would penetrate the metal. He climbed over the seat into the cargo hold as Ruth and Bridget slid to the floor.

He grabbed his rifle. Spinning around, he kicked out the back window and prepared to engage the enemy.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Trace scanned the area as Ben raced toward the airfield. For a few minutes, he saw nothing. Maybe they escaped notice in all the chaos.

He snorted. Sure. That only happened in the movies. In real life, something always went wrong. When the SUV hit a pothole, Bridget groaned. Chancing a glance over his shoulder, he said, “Are you okay, Bridget?”

“Ribs. I’ll survive.”

Had the thug who tackled her caused more injuries? Trace’s gut tightened at the thought. “Have Sam check once we’re airborne.”

Ruth raised up from the floor and peered around the seat. “What happened to your ribs?”

“Down,” Ben ordered. “This chariot isn’t reinforced. When Hugo’s buddies catch up, the bullets will penetrate this vehicle with ease.”

She glared at him, then huffed out a breath as she complied. “What’s wrong with your ribs?” she called to her sister.

“Four of Pedro Torino’s men took exception to me asking questions about you and Hugo. I have a few cracked ribs.”

“I’m sorry, Bridget.” Her voice sounded thick. “You warned me he was too slick to be real. I should have listened.”

“I’ll remind you of that when I’m losing our next argument.”

Ruth laughed. “Deal.”

On a straight stretch, Ben floored the gas pedal and the SUV leaped forward. “Anything, Trace?”

“Nope. I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I. These clowns aren’t going to let us take Ruth and their boss without a fight.” He pointed at his cell phone screen which was filled with text messages from the other operatives. “The rest of our team has been checking in. No one is facing resistance.”

Alarm roared through Trace. Hugo must have laid a trap in case a problem developed. He scowled. Was this what the unspoken threats were about? “Hugo set up a trap.”

A quick glance in the rearview mirror from Ben. “How do you know?”

“He said he knew more than I thought. He hinted at dire consequences if I crossed him. Plus, his next job for me was to kill Bridget.”

Ruth gasped. “No!”

“He said she was leverage to use against you until you married him. After that, she’d be a liability he wanted to eliminate.”

“Ugly plan considering I gave him the best massage of his life,” Bridget said. She smiled at him.

He winked at her and turned back to his vigil. Yeah, Bridget Monihan was a definite keeper. All he had to do was convince the lady that he was worth taking a chance on.

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