Page 117 of Caught in the Crossfire

The two men climbed into the vehicle. “Let’s do this,” Linc said.

“Dawn’s smart and tough.”

Linc drove toward the campground, jaw clenched. With two minutes to spare, he parked in front of the largest building in the compound.

“Slow and easy,” Alex murmured.

Easy for him to say. His woman wasn’t in the hands of abusers. Mason exited of the vehicle and rounded to the front of the hood where Linc joined him.

The front door of the lodge opened and Nicole stumbled out, arms restrained behind her back, head down. Fisher’s hand gripped her upper arm as he propelled her across the porch and down the steps.

Several burly men moved from the shadows with their guns aimed at Linc and Mason.

“Twenty bogies,” Linc murmured.

“Four or five in the lodge,” Liam whispered.

“Five confirmed,” Ethan said. “Two more in the cabin to the west of the lodge.”

“Right on time,” Fisher said. “Too bad. I hoped you’d be late, Kincaid.” He jerked Nicole to a halt. “Want to see my handiwork?” He grinned. “Show him, Nicole.”

She shook her head.

“Steady, Mase,” Rio whispered in his ear. “He’ll pay.”

Fisher scowled, wrapped her hair around his free hand, and yanked her head up.

Fury ripped through Mason with the force of a tornado. Fisher’s handiwork had left Nicole bruised and battered. One eye was swollen, the other bruised. The careful way she moved indicated she’d received body blows as well. He took an involuntary step toward Nicole, desperate to free her from Fisher’s clutches.

Linc threw out his arm to block his forward progress, then shifted away from Mason to give them room to maneuver. “Where’s Dawn?”

“Spending quality time with Patton.”

“If he hurts Dawn, he’s a dead man.”

Nicole stared at Linc until the operative looked at her. She looked to her left, back at him, then to her left again.

Linc gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Nicole might be injured, but she wasn’t broken. She still fought to give them information while acting the part of a defeated woman.

Fisher snorted. “Big talk for a man outnumbered and outgunned. You’re no threat to him.”

Mason dragged his gaze from Nicole to Fisher whose eyes glittered. “You wanted us here. We came. Let Nicole and Dawn go, and we’ll do whatever you want.”

“Toss your weapons on the ground.” He pressed the barrel of a gun to Nicole’s temple. “Two of my friends will frisk you when you’re done. If they find weapons on you, Nicole will receive another beating with you as witnesses. You first, Creed.”

“Move closer to Nicole, Mase,” Josh murmured.

As Mason closed more of the gap between himself and Nicole, Linc shifted further to the left and removed weapons, laying them on the ground near his feet. By the time he finished, a nice pile had formed.

Fisher’s buddies stared at the weapons stash, then exchanged glances with each other. One of them whistled.

“Now you, Kincaid.”

Mason slowly reached for the knife at the back of his waist. He shifted closer to Nicole and laid the knife on the ground.

Fisher’s eyes narrowed. “That’s it? One lousy knife?”

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