Page 76 of Explosive Vengeance

He went through the hatch, clearing the space as she came through after him. She barely caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eyes, then Heath fired. A grunt sounded, then the clatter of a weapon falling. Heath advanced toward the suspect while Chloe spun around, bit back a curse as her left leg threatened to give out, watching their other side.

“Ne tire pas,” a voice called out beyond Heath.Don’t shoot.

“Sortir,” Chloe ordered, still watching their backs. “Les mains en l’air.”Come out. Hands in the air.

“Got him,” Heath said. “Twenty yards ahead.”

“Clear behind us,” she answered, moving with him.

“Tell him to get on the ground and put his hands behind his head.”

“Monte sur le sol, et mets tes mains derrière la tête,” she snapped. Then to Heath, “Any sign of the women?”

“Not yet.” He quickly moved in on the prisoner, zip tying the man’s hands behind his back and checking him for weapons before straightening and pulling out a flashlight, giving them a decent amount of illumination. “Ask him if there’s anyone else down here.”

She asked him that, and where the women were. “Just him and the other guy. He says the women are on the other side of this bulkhead.” She nodded to their right.

“Watch him. I’ll check it out.”

Chloe divided her attention between the man on the floor and Heath as he checked the door for any sign of booby traps, then drew his weapon and entered the hatch.

A blast of hot, muggy air escaped, carrying the stench of human waste. Chloe held her breath, heart beating fast.

“They’re here,” Heath said.

Chloe limped over to peer inside the open doorway. Twenty-seven faces looked back at her, and the sight of them huddled on the floor in terror broke her heart. They sat frozen, too afraid to move, staring at her and Heath with wide eyes.

Forcing aside her anger, Chloe lowered her weapon and gave them a reassuring smile. “C'est bon. Vous êtes en sécurité maintenant.”It’s all right.You’re safe now.

She tapped her earpiece. “Hold secured, cargo accounted for.”

“Copy,” Megan replied. “We’re clear up here, and our cavalry’s just arrived on shore.”

About ten minutes too late, and now there was gonna be a lot of red tape and paperwork to deal with because their team wasn’t supposed to have been solely involved with taking down the ship. “Are they Rycroft’s?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not leaving until I know these women are safe,” Chloe replied.

“That’s what I told her you’d say. So she said to head to the RV point as soon as you can, while she and Rycroft deal with the aftermath.”

Perfect.

Bless him, Heath was already moving around the room, checking on the women. They cowered when he got close, until Chloe explained he was checking them for injuries. “See anything?” Chloe asked, scanning the women. Christ, some of them couldn’t be more than fourteen.

“No visible serious injuries, but they all need fluids. It’s gotta be a hundred-and-ten in here, and that’s with the door open.” Anger vibrated in his voice and she decided she more than liked and admired him. She might even be falling for him.

The cops finally arrived. The head of the unit came down with Trinity to take over.

Heath walked over and stood in front of Chloe, those impossibly blue eyes burning with too many emotions to decipher. “You’re leaving now, whether willingly or over my shoulder. Which is it gonna be?”

She loved this take control side of him, and she was hurting enough to let the order slide. “How about option three, with my arm around your shoulders?”

He immediately stepped close, wrapped an arm around her waist while she reached up to lock hers across his broad shoulders. The pain and stiffness in her hip and arm were way worse now. A groan escaped her gritted teeth as they hit the stairs.

Without a word, Heath bent and scooped her up into his arms. She winced but didn’t fight. “I think it was just a ricochet,” she managed as he climbed toward the top deck.

“They still leave holes,” he growled.

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