Turga pushed the dead body in at their feet.
She drew back in revulsion.
Carlos leaned close. “Look out the window and breathe through your mouth.”
Turga shoved his rifle out of the way and turned a handgun on them that looked like the one Carlos had carried. Turga’s partner climbed into the pilot’s seat and started the motor.
Two police cruisers and a fire truck raced along the highway, then the lead car skidded into a turn as the helicopter blades hit full spin and caught air.
One cruiser cut through the now open gate, bouncing toward them.
The jet helicopter lifted with a lurch, flying barely over the top of the cruiser, then picking up altitude as they swung in a wide arc and flew over the woods where smoke rose from Gabrielle’s poor Jeep.
An arm circled her shoulders.
She turned to ask Carlos where he thought they were going, but her teeth were chattering so hard she was afraid she’d bite her tongue if she spoke. Shock had set in and cold clothes weren’t helping. Her whole body vibrated.
Carlos was warm, though. Why wasn’t he cold?
Who cared? She soaked up heat and comfort from his imposing body.
Gabrielle couldn’t believe she’d been so naive as to think Durand Anguis was her biggest threat.
Warm breath brushed along the skin of her neck when Carlos leaned his face near her ear and spoke. “Just do what they say. I’ll figure a way out of this.” He rubbed the hand on her shoulder up and down her arm, then brushed a lock of hair off her face with a finger.
Her brain stumbled at the endearing action. How was she supposed to interpret his moves?
“So who is she, Carlos?” Turga raised his voice over the roar of the motor.
“I told you.” Carlos cupped her face and kissed her gently again. Had that been to soothe her or convince their kidnapper? Lifting his gaze to Turga, Carlos pulled her close, possessively. “Just been dating.”
Emotions scurried to find a home, but she couldn’t sort through the rash of reactions his touch and kiss provoked.
Carlos was trying to divert their attention from her so the least she could do for now was play along with his charade. She slipped an arm around his waist and hugged against his chest, her gaze jumping to catch their kidnapper’s assessment.
Turga made no sound or action to indicate his thoughts.
Moving his free hand to the arm she’d wrapped across his chest, Carlos rubbed up and down slowly then kissed her hair.
She was in over her head in this deadly game, but playing along with a man who looked like Carlos was no hardship. She’d sworn off hot men for relationships, which hadn’t been difficult since her lifestyle made dating unrealistic. Pretending with Carlos was safe. But marrying a male icon ten years ago who was just last year listed as one of the world’s top fifty most desirable men had been emotional suicide.
To-die-for faces and ripped bodies hadn’t appealed to her since divorcing that jerk Roberto.
But she did feel an odd pull toward Carlos that she could only attribute to the situation she was in. His very presence screamed strength and confidence.
Now that was attractive and tempting.
She believed he just might get them out of this.
Indecision camped out in Turga’s gaze. “You don’t keep women for more than one night.”
“Got comfortable.” Carlos leaned down and kissed her cheek, so tenderly her insides turned mushy. His arms tightened around her and her heart skipped a beat. She’d never felt protected or cared for. Not the way she did at this minute.
Even though Carlos was pretending, he was doing a better job than her miserable ex-husband had on their wedding night.
But Carlos was not with law enforcement.
Like that really mattered right now given their dire situation?
“We shall see.” Turga didn’t say another word until they landed fifteen minutes later in the parking lot at the rear of a building with a FOR LEASE sign on several doors. The pilot left the rotors spinning slowly and climbed out.
Turga jumped down from his seat, his rifle slung over his shoulder and the handgun pointed at her. This whole scene was too bizarre to comprehend. Guns, grenade launchers, jet helicopters. Deaths.
She couldn’t think about that and function.
Gabrielle waited on Carlos to climb down first, then he turned to help her. When he lowered her to the ground in front of him, he pulled her into a quick hug and whispered, “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Rather than risk losing a grip on her emotions, she nodded. She didn’t know this man, didn’t know why he had come for her or whom he worked with, but he was diverting all danger from her.
“Enough. Walk,” Turga ordered.
As they backed away from the helicopter, the pilot peeled black vinyl off the tail section that had covered the aircraft registration numbers. Carlos kept his arm around her waist and guided them both to the closest doorway.
Gabrielle wanted to assure him she was ready to fight with him. She kept her voice low. “I’m okay. I can do this.”
“Open the door,” Turga ordered.
Carlos squeezed her waist in reply and gave her a look of admiration that warmed her. He released her to extend his hand and turn the knob, then held the door for her to enter. She stepped out of his grasp and walked boldly through the doorway.
The first thing that hit her was an overpowering metallic smell that gagged her.
The second was the image of a bloody body hanging thirty yards away against a wall.
Her knees buckled.
FIVE
CARLOS CAUGHT GABRIELLE-if that really was her name-under her arms before she sank to the floor.
He’d found Lee.
Gabrielle was making those gut-wrenching noises.
She’d been doing so good, holding up far better than he’d have expected from any civilian. He turned her to face him and held her against his chest. “Breathe through your mouth.”
Carlos felt the cold barrel of his own 9 mm poke his neck.
“Keep moving,” Turga said.
Carlos held her arm as she stepped along with him, slowly, not a drop of color in her face. “Don’t look at him,” he told her, wishing he could vanish the image of Lee strapped to the wall spread eagle.
Lee’s head rolled to one side. He was alive.
Classic Turga location. This would be one of no less than three spots in the area his men would have scouted out for this night.
His men must have found Lee with Baby Face while Carlos had been out in the lake with Gabrielle and assumed Lee had shot Baby Face and knew what the electronics felon was after.
At least Turga and his men weren’t a professional snatch team that would have known to cover his and Gabrielle’s heads with pillowcases, then separate them. Turga was the equivalent of a vulture and he hired bottom- feeders.
Carlos had met him a few months ago when Turga tried to hire Carlos for an operation he declined. If he’d accepted the first time, Turga would have been suspicious, so Carlos had expected a second meeting. Just not this way.
When the chopper pilot entered the building, Turga waved his weapon, indicating a spot where he wanted Carlos and Gabrielle, over to the side. Once Turga was satisfied with their position, he spoke quietly to his
