Hard Hands gripped her arm and pulled her from the vehicle. A moment later, a second man grasped her other arm. The two of them escorted her over rough terrain and up a few stairs.
Somewhere ahead, she heard a door open and Rowan was rushed inside a building. As soon as the door closed behind her, the blindfold was removed.
She blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden infusion of light. Rowan glanced around. She was surrounded by five men, all dressed in black. The three who had taken her from the cemetery removed their ski masks. The other two hadn’t covered their faces.
Couldn’t be good, she decided. No way she’d forget what these five looked like. Maybe they weren’t worried about her identifying them. That convinced her that Brent was right. The kidnappers didn’t plan to let her or Alexa go. Once they got what they wanted, Rowan and her niece would disappear, permanently.
“Where are the records that idiot, Maxwell, kept?” ground out the tall, broad-shouldered man with black hair and steel-gray eyes, his gaze cold and filled with anger and impatience.
“Who are you?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“I have the right to know who’s holding me against my will. What is your name?”
He scowled. “You’re a curious woman, aren’t you? Curious people don’t survive long. I want those records, Ms. Scott.”
“Let me guess. Invisible Man?” Had Brent been right? Was this Keith Phillips? She didn’t really care what his name was. “I want my niece.”
A calculating look filled his gaze. “Very well.” He tipped his chin to Hard Hands. “Get the brat.”
No one said a word while Hard Hands was gone. Within minutes, heavy footsteps heralded his return. Accompanying his steps were light ones running to keep up with him.
Rowan spun toward the hall. Hard Hands appeared, yanking Alexa along behind him. “Alexa!”
“Aunt Rowan!” The girl broke away from the man and raced into Rowan’s arms. “You came.”
“I told you I would.” She wrapped her arms around her niece and held her close. “Are you okay, Lex?”
The girl nodded even as she glared at the men surrounding them. “They didn’t hurt me. I want to go home now. I miss Mommy.”
Oh, man. Rowan didn’t want to have this conversation with an audience. “I know. Soon, okay?”
The boss man said, “All right. You got what you wanted. Now, I want those records, Ms. Scott.”
“You’re out of luck, buddy.”
He stilled. “You don’t have them? I told you what would happen to the brat if you didn’t bring them.”
Rowan tightened her grip on Alexa. “Talk to your goons. They took me before I could tell them my boyfriend has the records. The plan was for him to come with me and give you the records in exchange for Alexa. Your boys screwed everything up.”
“What do we do, boss?” Hard Hands asked.
The boss turned back to Rowan. “Your boyfriend got a name, Ms. Scott?”
“Brent Maddox.”
Hard Hands groaned. “Oh, man.”
“You know him?” Invisible Man asked.
“By reputation only and that’s bad enough.”
“Who is he?”
“The founder of Fortress Security.”
Invisible Man scowled and a vile curse spilled from his mouth. “Marshall, get the plane ready.”
“Yes, sir.” He left in a hurry.
Plane? Rowan eyed the boss who turned toward her. What did that mean for her and Alexa?
“Looks like you and your family are causing me no end of trouble, Ms. Scott.”
“Let us go. I can’t tell anyone who you are or where your hideout is because I don’t know either of those things.”
Invisible Man gave a mirthless laugh. “Doesn’t matter now. Fortress has a reputation of being relentless. I don’t have enough people and fire power to handle them.”
“So what does that mean for us?”
His lips curved. “I’m taking you to someone who can handle Fortress. You and your bratty niece will be the bait.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Brent woke to a male voice calling his name and calloused fingers tapping his cheek. He drew in a deep breath and wished he hadn’t. Gritting his teeth, he opened his eyes to Jake Davenport’s worried gaze. The worry morphed into relief.
“About time you woke up, Maddox. You had me worried.”
“What happened?”
“Sniper shot you in the chest. Hit your vest. The impact of the bullet threw you against the mausoleum and knocked you out for several minutes. Thought I might have to transport you to the hospital to have your hard head examined.”
He grunted, winced. Crap. He’d forgotten how much cracked ribs hurt. Though the vest did its job, he’d feel the bullet’s impact for a while. Brent turned his head, looking for Rowan. Didn’t see her. He frowned. Had his operatives hustled Rowan into the SUV to protect her? “Where’s Rowan?”
Jon Smith crouched beside him, his expression grim. “I’m sorry, Brent. After they shot you, three men grabbed her, stuffed her in an SUV, and took off with her. We have Zane hacking into the traffic cams, but he’s not having much luck. There were several black SUVs in the area. He’s having to track each one.”
“Let me up,” he snapped at Jake.
“Might not want to do that,” Jake warned. “You probably have a concussion.”
Brent stared at his medic, eyes narrowed. “If the woman you planned to marry had been kidnapped, would you be taking it easy while unknown thugs took her further away from you?”
Jake’s eyes locked on his. “Like that, is it?” He sighed. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He leaned down and helped Brent sit up.
Brent broke into a sweat as the world tilted and swayed, his ribs protesting every breath and body movement. A moment later, Jake laid a cold pack on the back of his neck.
“If you puke, aim at Eli.”
“Hey!” the SEAL protested. “What did I ever do to you?”
“Both of you shut up,” Brent muttered. “Your yammering is making my head hurt worse.”
Eli grabbed another cold pack, activated it, and pressed it to the back of Brent’s head. “I don’t suppose you put a tracker on your woman, did you?”
Brent slanted him a look. “What
