Page 104 of The Wanted One

“Hell no,” I shot out, trying to stand and go after him, but two agents grabbed hold of my arms, pulling me back. “Don’t you see he’s crooked,” I hissed, hoping that unlike their prick boss who’d been bought and paid for by the Luthers, they were on the right damn side in this.

“The police have orders not to let you follow us,” the agent tossed out, eyes on Gray. “Let’s see how long your father takes to make the call.” He checked his watch. “My guess is we’ll have a pretty good head start.”

“You fucking traitor.” Gray charged him and the agent who’d been rough with Charley deployed his taser. My stomach wrenched at the sight of my best friend being taken down like an animal in the wild.

“Stopppp,” I yelled, my voice breaking.

“Back. The. Fuck. Off.” Carter crouched alongside the agent and Gray on the tarmac. “Or you’ll find out why your boss is too afraid to take me in tonight, too.” No weapon in hand, Carter just stared down the agent that held Gray with the taser to his back. “Your boss is going to die,” Carter seethed as the agent finally relented. “And let’s be clear, if I find out you’re corrupt, too, I’ll be coming for you as well.”

The agent straightened to his full height, stared into Carter’s eyes as if debating whether to challenge him, then he flicked his index finger, motioning to the others to head to the SUVs.

“We’ll be right behind you,” Carter gritted out with a tight nod my way before he reached for Gray’s unmoving body, rolling him over.

“Jack,” Charley cried out, commanding my attention. “I—”

The crooked Fed shoved her into the back of the SUV, robbing her of the chance to finish what she was trying to say to me.

“Everything will be okay. We’ll come for you all,” Mya called out, quickly making her way to Gray and Carter.

But Mya was wrong. Because if Camila’s visions were right, nothing would ever be okay again.

“You know who I am, right?” I barked out, hoping to get the two Feds to speak to me after several unsuccessful attempts within the last ten minutes. We were in a well-lit tunnel, allowing me to see everything, including the fact there was no other traffic. And I had a horrible feeling once we exited the tunnel, we’d find out why we were alone in there.

“Jack London. Green Beret. CIA Ground Branch. Now private security,” the driver finally spoke up, catching my eyes in the rearview mirror. Maybe he had a bad feeling, too?

“Then uncuff me and arm me before it’s too late, and—” I let my words drop at the familiar sound just outside the tunnel. A sound that lodged that dread even deeper in my gut. Because it couldn’t be my guys. Not yet, at least. Carter was good, but no way had he managed to get free from the airport and secured a helo, too. “They’re here.”

“Who is here?” The driver paused as if detecting what I’d just heard. “Is that a helo?”

The agent in the passenger seat turned back to look at me. Maybe searching for answers I’d been trying to give. Answers and intel they’d ignored.

“The men who killed those Feds eleven years ago and framed Charlotte Lennox. The men who hired the cartel to take us out in the jungle yesterday. That’s who’s here.” The powerlessness I was feeling, being away from Charley and Lucy, unable to help them, burned and fueled my hatred for the entire situation. “And since you know who I am, un-fucking-cuff me and let me help you before we all die.”

Static cut through their radio, followed by the unmistakable sound of a gunshot, and the SUV in front of us—the one carrying Charley and Lucy—abruptly stopped.

“What the hell just happened?” the driver asked, slamming on the brakes so we didn’t rear-end them. But the SUV with the two other agents behind us bumped us, sending us forward into Charley’s SUV.

“My guess is your special agent in charge just shot the agent in the Tahoe with him, and men are about to fast-rope down from a helo to come kill us while they take the Lennox sisters away.” I kept my voice as steady as possible despite my pulse pounding in my ears in anticipation of what was to come: Camila’s “prophetic” visions playing out. “Give me a fucking gun,” I demanded, then maneuvered my hands around to find the release on the seat belt, trying to free myself of one obstacle. “I’m going to die if you leave me here. My guess, so will you.”

“What do we do?” the newbie-looking agent in the passenger seat asked the driver.

I twisted back to see the two agents in the vehicle behind us getting out, but then they dropped behind their doors at the sounds of more gunfire.

“Shit, he’s right. Three armed men just entered the tunnel,” the driver said, going for his sidearm. “Uncuff him. Give him a weapon,” he said decisively, rolling down the window and opening fire on the intruders in the tunnel heading for the SUV in front of us.

“Hurry.” I gave him my back so he could uncuff me.

“They’ve got the women,” the driver shared between shots.

I whipped around the second I was free, took the Glock being offered to me, and didn’t hesitate to open the door. Shielding myself behind it, I immediately returned fire.

One asshole went down fast when I double-tapped him in the chest as the agent behind the wheel of our SUV took down the second tango with a headshot.

The crooked agent grabbed Charley, using her as his shield as he walked backward to escape, a gun to her head. The third assailant that’d dropped in from the helo was doing the same with Lucy.

“Shoot and they die,” the special agent in charge yelled.

“Jack!” Charley screamed. I thought she was going to beg me to save her—or let her go—but when something struck my shoulder just before she vanished from my sight, I realized she was trying to warn me.

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