As it rang, all the men focused on the sound.
Cash dashed forward and hit one of them on the back of the head with the gun. He went down, but when Cash struck at the other guy, he had already moved.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Sophia lash out at Luntz, her foot catching him square in the crotch. He doubled over, groaning.
But Cash had his own problems. The other guard was trying to pull his gun out of the holster on his belt so he could get off a shot.
They were all in close quarters. Cash chopped at the guard’s gun hand, and the man cried out. But that didn’t stop him from springing forward.
Sophia backed up a step and swung her purse by the strap, hitting him on the back of the neck. It was enough of a distraction for Cash to come up with a fist to the man’s chin.
He went down, joining his partner on the floor.
It had all happened in a matter of seconds. The uniformed men both lay unconscious at his feet. Luntz was still doubled over.
Cash ripped the cord off a lamp, pushed Luntz into the chair and handed Sophia the gun.
“Cover him,” he said as he tied the man’s hands behind his back.
When he’d secured the colonel, he gave him a narrow-eyed look. “What the hell is going on?”
“You won’t get that information from me.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“If I were you, I’d get out of here. Reinforcements are on the way.”
“Why am I the key to your Afghanistan plot?”
The colonel lifted his chin. “Who says there’s a plot, and who says you’re the key? You’re giving yourself too much credit.”
“Oh, come on. You had me locked up in an underground bunker—trying to get information out of me.”
“Not me. Montgomery.”
“So, you know him.”
Realizing he’d made a mistake, the man paled. But his voice remained firm. “I repeat, you’d better get out while the getting is good.”
One of the guards groaned and started to roll over. Cash gave him a kick in the head with his boot, and the guy went quiet again.
Sophia winced. “We should leave.”
“She’s right,” Luntz confirmed.
Sophia put a hand on Cash’s arm. “I think we’d better split. He’s not going to tell us anything.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it.”
As Luntz had done to Sophia, Cash swung back his arm and delivered a flat-hand blow to the man’s mouth.
He gasped, and when he opened his mouth again, it was bloody. He glared at Cash. “How dare you.”
Cash felt his blood surge. He had been angry and frustrated for a long time, and finally he had an outlet for that anger. “There’s a lot more where that came from. Who’s running the show? You or Montgomery?”
The colonel pressed his lips together.
“I can find out who was authorized to use that bunker,” he said, wondering if that was really true.