Hot Ice (A Hostile Operations Team Novel - Book 7) Read online

  He turned her toward him and squeezed her shoulders. “I’m proud of you, Grace. More proud than you’ll ever know.”

  “Thanks, Daddy,” she said past the tightness in her throat. He nodded once and then walked out the door. She pulled in deep breaths to stop herself from crying. She wasn’t much of a crier under ordinary circumstances, but since she’d watched those men confront the man she loved with guns, she’d been a wreck.

  The colonel went with her father, but he was back a few minutes later, looking solemn and serious.

  “I’m John Mendez, Dr. Campbell,” he said to her.

  She held out her hand and he took it, shaking it firmly but lightly. She appreciated that since some men gripped hard no matter whose hand they shook.

  “Is there any word on Garrett? Do you know who has him or where he is?” She tried to be cool, but the quaver in her voice betrayed her.

  If the colonel noticed, he didn’t remark on it. “We don’t know any of those things. But we have reason to believe he’s alive.”

  He didn’t offer anything more, and she wanted to shake him. “Will you find him in time?”

  “It’s my intention, Doctor.”

  She pulled in a breath. “I have to destroy the virus.”

  Colonel Mendez didn’t even blink. “I know that, Dr. Campbell.”

  “Did Garrett tell you?”

  He shook his head. “He didn’t have to. If you hadn’t come to that conclusion yourself, it would have been my job to convince you.”

  He had a confidence bordering on arrogance—and yet he somehow managed not to be offensive.

  “I need to get to the lab.”

  “We’ll get you there, Doctor. But we need to do a few things first, so I’m going to have to ask you to relax until we’re ready.”

  Relax? She didn’t think that was possible, but she nodded anyway.

  Colonel Mendez smiled, and the gesture transformed his face. “This isn’t our first rodeo. It’ll be okay. Trust me.”

  She wanted to, more than anything. But until Garrett was safe, she couldn’t believe in anything.

  A tall female soldier with red hair arrived then and escorted her to the living quarters housed in the facility. It was only a single room with a large bed, a television, a table and chairs, and a couple of armchairs.

  Grace turned around in the space, feeling bereft and unsettled. She wanted to be doing something, wanted to be out searching for Garrett right this minute—but what could she do? She’d told them about the white Tahoe, and the men—what she could remember—and that was the best she had.

  There was a knock at the door a few minutes later, and the soldier with her—Victoria, she’d said?—opened it to reveal four other women standing there.

  One was tall and dark-haired and bore a casserole dish that smelled divine. The others had drinks, plates, utensils, and cups. They marched into the room in a cloud of feminine chatter and quiet laughter.

  The one with the casserole dish set it down and extended a hand. “Hi, I’m Evie, and I’ve brought dinner.”

  *

  Grace was surprised at how much she’d relaxed with these women. She’d thought they were all soldiers, though none of them were in uniform, and she’d wondered at their easy friendship. It made her wish Brooke was here.

  But they weren’t all soldiers. Only two of them were—Lucky and Victoria. The others—Evie, Georgie, and Olivia—were not. It took her a little while to work out that these women were the significant others to the men on Garrett’s team. Though apparently Lucky and Victoria were also part of the team.

  She wasn’t sure why they’d come, but she found herself glad that they had. They fed her something amazingly delicious—Evie was a chef, it turned out—plied her with a glass of wine, and talked about everything and nothing.

  After a second glass, she was feeling a bit bolder than usual, so she set it down and cleared her throat. The women all looked at her.

  “Please don’t think I’m ungrateful for the food and companionship—but why are you here? You don’t know me from Adam, and you must have given up your evenings at home just to come out for me.”

  They all smiled at her. Georgie reached out and put a hand over hers, squeezing. “Oh honey, it didn’t take long to realize you were one of us. Victoria figured it out first. She called the rest of us—well, not Lucky, who was already here.”

  Victoria shrugged. “It wasn’t too hard. Ice told her about his kid, right? He’s not precisely known for being an open book. And then there was what Nick said about how she behaved when the guys went to get her. Frantic was the word he used.”

  Grace shook her head, confused but warm inside nonetheless. Yes, she had been frantic. Still was, but their presence helped. “One of you?”

  Victoria smiled. “You’ve had the singular luck to fall in love with a member of Alpha Squad. You’re one of us.”

  “I…” Grace didn’t know what to say. She’d only just realized she loved Garrett a few hours ago, and already these women knew? Because he’d told her about his kid and she’d been frantic? “My relationship with Garrett isn’t, uh, certain or anything…”

  And if he didn’t come back, it wasn’t certain at all. Fresh tears pressed the backs of her eyes.

  “Honey,” Georgie said, squeezing again. “It’ll be okay. Have faith.”

  “I’m trying,” she whispered. “But they took him, and…”

  Evie put her arm around Grace’s shoulders. “We know, sweetie. And we know how hard that is, because we’ve all been through it before. We aren’t giving up hope, because we’ve walked in your shoes and despaired.”

  She sniffed. “I do love him. But he doesn’t love me. All I want is for him to come back, but I know this isn’t going anywhere when he does.” She shrugged, embarrassed that she’d admitted her feelings to these women who were strangers to her. “He’s been through too much, and he’s not ready.”

  She wouldn’t tell them what Garrett’s problems were, but she also wouldn’t pretend she was really one of them when there was every chance she wouldn’t be.

  “If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that,” Georgie said. “Sam would still be lashing out at the world and telling himself he wasn’t good enough for me if I hadn’t forced the issue.”

  Grace blinked. “What did you do?”

  Georgie took a sip of wine and giggled. “I screwed his brains out, of course. And I made sure he knew that everything we did, everything we felt between us, was because we were made for each other. I’ve been in love with him since I was a kid—and I wasn’t letting him forget it.”

  Just then, there was a knock at the door and Grace gasped. The other women exchanged telling looks before Victoria got up and went to open it.

  It was Matt Girard, the man who’d talked to her on the phone today and then found her and brought her here.

  “We’ve had a message about Iceman.”

  It took Grace a second to remember that was Garrett. She shot to her feet. “A message about Garrett? What is it?”

  Matt’s gaze wasn’t encouraging, and her heart throbbed painfully.

  “They want to do an exchange.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  GARRETT PROWLED THE CONFINES of the cage for hours. He strained to pick up any noise outside the warehouse, but he couldn’t hear a thing—no traffic, no people. He thought he heard a plane once, but he wasn’t sure. It was too distant to tell.

  He raked a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. The lights had gone out shortly after the men left, plunging him into darkness. They were clearly on a timer, and he didn’t know when they might come back on again.

  He found the chair and sank down on it. He’d explored the cage, but it was made of rebar. There were no weak points he could find.

  Looking on the bright side, at least he was alive. They hadn’t killed him, and they weren’t done with him yet. That was a good thing.

  He knew Grace had to be with HOT by now. If these men
had found her, they wouldn’t need him anymore. And if Grace was with HOT, she was safe. That knowledge ought to make the tightness in his chest go away, but it didn’t.

  All he could think of was her face, of the way she looked when she was pissed at him, when she was coming, when she was asleep. He thought of her with those nerdy glasses, and then he thought of her without. He liked her face both ways.

  There was the sudden squeal of brakes as a vehicle pulled up and stopped. Then doors banged shut and Garrett stood, rocking back into a fighting stance though it did him no good at all. They could shoot him through the bars of the cage and leave him.

  But the fact they were here rather than just leaving him to rot was a good sign they needed him for something.

  The outer door banged then, and the lights came on, blinding him. He blinked, turning his head from the glare, and waited.

  He heard many footsteps… and a scuffling noise punctuated by muffled crying. He squinted against the light, his heart thudding in his throat.

  What if they had Grace? What would he do?

  But the woman’s hair was golden, not dark, and she was considerably shorter than Grace was. She was trembling, her chin bowed. There was a blindfold over her eyes.

  But he recognized her. It was Grace’s friend. The cute little blonde he’d nearly assaulted when she’d come in the back door and he’d thought her an intruder.

  Brooke.

  “Are you ready to accompany us on a journey, Mr. Spencer?”

  Garrett’s head whipped to the side, seeking the one who’d spoken. It was a different man… a man he recognized. He felt as if he’d been sucker punched as he took in that dark hair and tall form. Garrett wouldn’t let Ian Black know that he recognized him, but it was the mercenary as sure as he was still breathing.

  “I’d be fucking delighted,” he drawled. “But why do you need the girl?”

  “To make sure you behave, of course.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To make an exchange. You and Miss Sullivan are valuable currency.”

  Garrett’s heart thumped. They were only valuable currency to Grace, though how Ian Black knew that he was important to Grace, he didn’t know. Though maybe the act they’d played at her father’s benefit had been too good. Of course Black knew that Garrett was her bodyguard—but he also believed there was something between them, whether he knew it for certain or not.

  The door to the cage rattled open as one of the men unlocked it. Garrett stood very still, assessing his chances. There were four of them and only one of him. Black was spec-ops trained, he was certain. And then there was Brooke Sullivan, an innocent civilian who could be killed if Garrett made a move.

  He put his hands on top of his head, noting the flicker of uncomfortable reaction the American from earlier had as he realized Garrett had broken the zip ties. Garrett gave him a lopsided smile as he stood there and waited for instructions.

  “Use the handcuffs this time,” Black said in disgust.

  The man took cuffs from his pocket and hesitated in the door.

  Black rolled his eyes. “Be a good boy, won’t you, Spencer? If you try anything, I’ll have to have Miss Sullivan shot.”

  Brooke Sullivan sobbed, and Garrett’s jaw tightened. He wouldn’t try to escape, not with them holding an innocent woman hostage. He didn’t doubt that Black would shoot her.

  Evil, rotten, traitorous bastard. Why he hadn’t kept the smallpox virus for himself when he’d had it in Qu’rim was an utter mystery.

  The American entered the cage and came over to Garrett. He put his hands in front of him, hoping the man would just cuff him that way. Cuffing him behind his back would be more effective—but the man did as Garrett hoped and snapped the cuffs into place.

  Black didn’t say a word, though Garrett was pretty certain Black knew that leaving his hands in front of him was dangerous. Then again, the asshole knew he had Brooke to keep Garrett in line.

  Garrett marched out of the cage, jerking his arm out of his captor’s grip when he was outside the metal confines. He didn’t move another muscle, and the guy raised a fist as if to hit him.

  “Leave it,” Black said tightly, and the guy’s hand dropped.

  Black took up the rear as the others formed around Garrett. They took him outside into the cool night air and shoved him into a van. Brooke was tossed in beside him. He raised his hands to break her fall. She flinched from his touch, and fresh anger washed over him.

  “Hey, Brooke. It’s Garrett. From Grace’s house.” He didn’t know if that would help or not, considering how he’d jumped her when he’d thought her an intruder.

  She sucked in a breath. “The bodyguard?”

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  Her entire body stiffened. He thought it was fear of him, but then she spoke and he realized it was fear for her friend.

  “Where’s Grace? Is she okay? What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know,” he told her quietly. “But I think she must be fine if they’ve got us. But they want her… and we’re the bait.”

  “You have to do something.” She sounded desperate and panicked, and he knew it was for Grace as much as for herself.

  He let his gaze rove over the men in the van. They hadn’t seemed to care if he saw their faces, though they’d left her eyes covered. That couldn’t be a good sign for him.

  “I know,” he said softly. He reached for her hand and squeezed. “I know.”

  *

  The exchange was to take place on the Arlington Memorial Bridge. Grace and Colonel Mendez were supposed to walk to the middle from the DC side. The men who had Garrett were supposed to cross from the Virginia side. It all seemed surreal, like a spy-movie plot. The colonel had told her that a public exchange might be dramatic, but it was actually safer. There would, presumably, be no shots fired.

  Grace chewed her lower lip and didn’t say anything as they drove through the city. It was just the two of them, as had been arranged. But she knew the others—Alpha Squad, Victoria had said—weren’t far away. Garrett’s team. She’d learned their names during the past couple of hours, though she was still working on connecting code names with people.

  Matt was the team leader. Then there was Kevin—who was Lucky’s husband—Billy, Chase, Dex, Nick, Ryan, and Sam. Victoria was also part of the team, as was Lucky.

  A lot of intense, highly trained people who wanted Garrett back almost as much as she did. It gave her hope, though the fear was still there and still strong. Especially since these other men wanted her in the exchange. The colonel had assured her that wouldn’t happen, but she didn’t know how he was going to prevent it.

  It was nearly eleven at night now. The bridge would be busy, but not as busy as during the day. There would be tourists walking the span, people shuffling between the Lincoln Memorial in DC and Arlington in Virginia. Not that they could get into the cemetery right now, but they’d still walk it just for the night view of the city from the other side.

  “You still sure you want to do this?”

  She turned to the colonel. She’d had to fight to be here. At first, they’d planned to have Victoria impersonate her. They’d reasoned that in the dark, with her hair covered and a pair of glasses, the bad guys wouldn’t know it wasn’t Grace.

  But she’d argued that they would. They’d known enough to come after her at her home, and they surely knew what she looked like. Victoria wasn’t tall enough, and she was a bit too beautiful. Glasses wouldn’t hide that.

  And then there was the chance someone would test her knowledge. Did bad guys travel with a scientist? She doubted it, but could any of them really say for certain?

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  He didn’t say anything for a moment. His hands flexed on the wheel. “You’re very determined for someone who’s only known Garrett Spencer for a few days.”

  Grace swallowed. She knew this was the man who’d ordered Garrett not to get involved with her. And she knew he had his reasons for it. S
he also knew Garrett wouldn’t appreciate her letting the colonel know that he hadn’t followed orders after all.

  “He took care of me, Colonel. He kept those men from getting me. How could I do any less for him?”

  He didn’t say anything, and she turned her head to look at the city lights passing by. Everyone went about their lives as usual, but her life perched on the precipice of disaster. How could the world be so ordinary when yours was crumbling apart?

  A phone rang in the silence, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “Mendez,” the colonel said as he brought the phone to his ear. He didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Copy that. Good work. Everyone in place? … Excellent. See you there.”

  He laid the phone down again.

  “Change of plan,” he told her. “We’re going to the Jefferson Memorial instead.”

  “What? Why?”

  He glanced at her. “Some sort of obstruction on the bridge. Too many cops.”

  She thought about what he’d said about everyone being in place. How could they be in place if the location was changing?

  “I don’t understand.”

  “It’s okay, Dr. Campbell. It’s what we wanted in the first place.”

  She turned in her seat. “You arranged the obstruction? But why?”

  “Jefferson is better. Trust me.”

  He wouldn’t say anything else about it, and she lapsed into silence as they cut through the city and headed for the monument on the edge of the Tidal Basin. The Jefferson Memorial was a beautiful building set off from the rest of the Mall by a body of water. From the memorial, you could see the Washington Monument. There would still be tourists, just like on the bridge.

  The colonel didn’t use the parking lot near the memorial. Instead, he parked a couple of streets away and they walked toward their destination. The evening was cool, and her breath frosted in the air. She was wearing a hoodie at the colonel’s insistence, and she’d covered her hair and cinched the hood tight.