'I'm so sorry,' she cried. 'I didn't mean to drag you into this.'
When she was free, Diego pulled her to him. With the woman he loved cradled safe in his arms, he knew what it felt like to be a drowning man thrown a lifeline.
'No more regrets, Rebecca. It's time to move on with our lives . . . with our future. Cavanaugh has taken too much from both of us. I refuse to give him any more.' He cupped her face with a hand and kissed the tears from her cheeks. 'And you have your second chance with Danielle now. An unbelievable gift.'
At the mention of her sister's name, Rebecca searched the floor for her sister. She peered through the shadows, but found nothing. She pulled from his arms, desperation etched deep on her face.
'Where is she? Oh my God, she was right here? Dani's gone,' she cried.
'Maybe she was taken with the rest,' he speculated. But even as he said the words, he didn't believe it.
'Come on. I've got to find her.' Rebecca grabbed his hand and turned. But when he didn't follow, she stopped. 'What's wrong?'
'You find Danielle. She's probably safe and sound already.'
'You're going after him, aren't you?' She squeezed his hand, horrified expectation on her face. 'Let Draper handle this. Please. Come help me find Dani.'
Diego wanted nothing more. But if Danielle wasn't with the other girls, Cavanaugh had her. And he wouldn't rob Rebecca of hope or put her through the torture of watching her sister be threatened again. He had no time left. He had to move now.
With his eyes fixed on Rebecca, Diego shook his head and let go of her hand.
'I gotta do this.' He winced and swallowed, putting on a show of certainty he didn't feel. 'Go, find your sister. And know you've been blessed with a second chance.'
Diego turned and walked into the shadows. When he was sure she could no longer see him, he looked back. Rebecca hadn't left. She stood at the crossroad of indecision, still watching him go. Even as a feeling of dread crept into his heart, he wanted to remember how she looked, standing under the light.
But most of all, he prayed he wasn't right about Danielle.
CHAPTER18
Brogan knew that Cavanaugh blamed him. The man had grabbed the flashlight and walked up front in silence, not caring if he and his men kept up. Boss man's behavior made him look bad in front of McPhee and Ellis. Who was the one installed the coded hatch at the lowest level of the damned garage, a sure way out if things got hairy? Not many people knew about the old tunnel system, some historical piece of crap forgotten a long time ago. A little bribe money to a city engineer, and he had hit pay dirt. All he needed to do was remove a section of wall in this garage to connect to it and he looked like a genius . . . except to Cavanaugh right now.
But grabbing a hostage would be his ace in the hole . . . especially the cop's sister.
For such a skinny little thing, the blond chick squirmed in his arms and weighed a ton. He still had his hand over her mouth, but after the brawl with the Mex, his muscles ached, and he felt a sharp pang in his side, maybe a broken rib. It hurt like a mother. But did the little bitch appreciate his aches and pains?
'You're gonna fuckin' walk now,' he hissed in her ear. 'But if I hear a whine or snivel, I'll slit your throat and make a ashtray outta your head. You understand me?'
She whimpered, but stopped struggling.
'I said, do you understand, bitch?' he spat. 'I ain't no mind reader.'
The girl nodded, a fierce shake of her head. The fear in her eyes told him she believed what he said. Dumb broad! Sure he'd slit her throat, but a damned ashtray?
Brogan stood her on her feet and grabbed her by the hair, keeping her close. From the corner of his eye, he caught McPhee mocking him. The asshole pretended to puff on an invisible cigarette and flicked ashes on top of the girl's head when she wasn't looking. Ellis grinned. The bastards! Brogan glared at his men, but they only shrugged and scrunched their faces in silence.
'Up here to the right, boss. That far wall.' Brogan pointed with his free hand, but Cavanaugh never turned around. Boy, was he pissed!
'The key code. I presume you have it, or will this be another pathetic hunt for the Holy Grail?'
The code. Boss man wanted the key code for the passageway. Brogan was sure he heard that part right. But with the echo in this dump, the rest sounded garbled. Cavanaugh said something about a hunt for quail. Fine time to be thinking of birds and such. These educated types never made sense to him. Most of the time, he ignored the hell out of them. A good policy . . . like now. He gave Cavanaugh the code. But if the man wanted to go hunting, he'd be doing it on his own.
'And have you thought of transportation away from here? Or will we be thumbing it?' Cavanaugh laid on the sarcasm.
'No, I got us a car. It's locked, but the key is in a magnetic box fixed inside the left back wheel well. It's parked inside the other buildin'. An old tunnel connects to it. Pretty good, huh?'
'Yes. I see you've thought of absolutely everything. How could I have ever doubted you?'
Okay, Brogan knew that tone. He stopped and shoved the girl into Ellis's chest. 'Look, we're gonna . . .'
'Sshh. I thought I heard something,' McPhee whispered, pointing a finger behind them.
Quiet like this, the hollow sound played tricks on your head. Four men and a scrawny girl made their share of noise, but when they stopped, McPhee heard something. It could be just another echo or . . .
Brogan felt a presence more than heard one. He grabbed the light from Cavanaugh's hand and doused it. And he wrestled the girl from Ellis and clamped a hand over her mouth.
'No sounds unless I tell you to ... or I kill whoever is out there, then you next,' he whispered to the girl. And to his men, 'We're goin' fishin', boys. Spread out. And watch your cross fire. If I end up with a ricochet bullet in my head, I'm gonna be real pissed. Now move!'
Brogan pulled the handgun from his belt and yanked the girl tight to his chest.
Diego had made up some ground, but the sounds of footsteps he followed suddenly stopped. Had they gotten to their destination? And where the hell was that, exactly? This section of the old garage was a maze. Going deeper into it made no sense.
He didn't have a flashlight, fearing it would only act as a beacon to give his location. Diego relied on his night vision and the noise he trailed, but now the footsteps had stopped. He was dead in the water. Should he move and risk making a sound or stay put until they got going again?
'Aarghh. Aahhh.' The shriek of a girl rebounded up the ramp. 'Please . . . ummphh.' The last part faded into a hiss like a whisper in a well.
Diego's heart clenched in his chest. He pressed his back to a wall and moved toward the sound, using a hand to guide him in the dark. His other held the gun. As he made his way, he assessed the situation in his mind.
For starters, he'd pay big bucks for running shoes and toss these custom-made Italian loafers.
His fingers felt a corner. He stopped and edged closer for a look. But before he got near enough, a faint light shone from below. He ducked and held his breath. The light cast a dim glow into the section of ramp where he crouched. The beam shifted, jerky then steady, manipulating the elongated shadows like ebony marionettes. Diego would have stayed put, but hearing a crying woman played havoc on his protective instincts.
It had to be Danielle. Even if it wasn't, he had no choice but to check it out. He inched his way to the corner and cocked his head left for a look.
Danielle stared up the ramp, catching his movement. A flashlight lay on the cement near her feet, the source of the light. It rocked in place like she'd kicked it. Her hands were tied to a section of pipe, the rest of her body sprawled on the floor. A gag stuffed in her mouth. When she saw him, she yanked at the pipe in a panic. She pulled at the bindings on her hands and let out a muffled scream. Maybe the poor girl thought he was one of them and would hurt her.
