In Enemy Hands (29 page)

Using the smaller, quieter trolling motor, Nadia pulled to the dock. She tied her boat next to Vandergriff’s boats. It looked much the same and she hoped it wouldn’t attract any attention if it was docked next to the other ones.

Deep breath, girl
, she told herself.
Here we go
.

Even though she went through the motions of a mental pep talk, Nadia felt calm. In control.

Love conquers all. Good triumphs over evil. Karma.

Nadia wasn’t sure if she believed in any of those things, or all of them. All she knew was that she was through letting Gary Vandergriff dictate her life.

One way or another, it ended tonight.

She pulled the mask over her face and reached into the bag strapped around her waist to extract a gun and a small black object that looked like a walkie talkie. Moving in a crouch, she climbed the snaking wooden steps. When she was near the top, she turned the receiver on.

The red LCD light glowed strong and solid. A camera was nearby.

But what she held was no walkie talkie. With one touch, Nadia used the video blocker to scramble every camera within 800 square yards.

She moved quickly through the night, keeping an eye out for the guards who monitored the perimeter. She wouldn’t have a lot of time.

The grounds were quiet. Nadia didn’t see the first guard until she had nearly reached the house. His back was to her. He stood motionlessly on the front deck, staring out at the water.

A sudden clatter sounded inside the house, followed by a muffled shout. Nadia scrambled underneath the deck an instant before the front door banged open.

“What’s going on?” the guard asked.

“Cameras are down. Secure the premises.”

Crouching low, Nadia took off, darting around the side of the house. It took her a moment to find what she was looking for in the darkness. Using both hands, she yanked the electric meter off the side of the house and tossed it as far as she could. She hadn’t expected it to be so lightweight.

The house plunged into darkness and the amber security lights winked out. It took Nadia’s eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden blackness. Inky, rolling clouds obscured the full moon above while Nadia moved stealthily around the house, trying to find the best entry point.

An orange glow in front of the garage stopped her in her tracks.

A cigarette.

The light moved back and forth as the man paced.

Dante wasn’t in the house. He was in this building and this man was guarding him. Even as that dawned on her, Nadia realized how much her hesitation had cost her. Voices came around the side of the house.

She could barely make out the bulky outline of a gazebo ahead. Nadia’s hand flew to her chest, seeking the outline of Dante’s medallion through her jacket before she darted inside the structure. She crouched beneath the low wooden bench and watched the yellow flashlight beams approach.

One of the men was close now. So close that she was afraid he would hear her ragged breathing.

If I get out of this mess
, she thought,
I swear I’ll never touch another damn cigarette
.

Nadia held her breath when he took a hesitant step inside the gazebo.

I’m going to have to shoot him
, she realized grimly.

But he casually played his beam over the surface and stepped back outside, obviously expecting bigger quarry. Once again, her small stature had saved the day.

The wait was excruciating. A cramp twisted Nadia’s calf while she craned to hear the men’s muffled conversation. Wincing, she shifted position, trying to exert enough pressure to straighten the aching muscle.

Finally, the men moved back around the side of the house and Nadia crept out of the gazebo. She hugged the side of it, watching the telltale glow of the guard’s cigarette drift back and forth.

Honeysuckle grew rampant on the grounds and the sweet smell was making her queasy. When she backed away from the gazebo, her foot caught on one of the cobblestones surrounding it. She caught herself and stared down at it, grasping an idea.

She hefted the smooth rock in her hand and eased closer to the garage. With one fluid motion, she sent the rock crashing against the side of the gazebo.

The cigarette dropped to the ground and the man bellowed, “Who is that? Show yourself!”

He hurried to the gazebo with his gun drawn, and moved right past her. Nadia slipped up behind him and pressed the barrel of her gun against his back.

“On your knees,” she said.

He hesitated and she poked him with the gun. “I said, on your knees. Now!”

He dropped to his knees and she crashed the butt of the gun against his base of his skull. He crumpled noiselessly to the ground.

Nadia moved stealthily toward the garage, terrified of what she would find waiting for her inside.

She eased open the door, unsure if Dante was alone. Slipping inside, she shut it behind her and edged along the wall, unable to see anything. She stood in the pitch black, listening for any movement.

The garage was utterly quiet.

Her heart thumped painfully against her ribcage. Was Dante dead? Was he even here, or was this simply another of Vandergriff’s traps?

Reaching into her pocket, Nadia extracted a flashlight and hesitantly flipped it on. She scanned the light around the room, and her hand jerked when the beam landed on Dante’s crumpled form.

Her lungs emptied at the sight of his battered face. She snatched off her mask and ran to him. Dropping to her knees, she pressed her hand to his throat.

“Please, please …” she whispered. Tears stung her eyes when she caught the faint thread of his pulse beneath her fingertips.

“Dante, can you hear me? Talk to me.”

Dante frowned, watching the rain stream off Nadia’s face and beat against the dry desert floor. Her lips were moving, but what was she saying?

Her voice sounded anxious. Desperate. “Baby, you have to help me. We’ve got to get out of here now.”

Someone was shaking him. The desert scenery around him faded away as Nadia’s voice grew more urgent.

“What has he done to you?” she whispered, and he heard the catch in her voice.

Nadia was crying.

The realization was like a slap in the face and Dante tried to open his eyes. He squinted at the beautiful woman hovering over him and his heartbeat quickened.

She was really here. Oh God, what did she think she was doing?

“Nadia?” he asked, his voice rising in panic. “You have to get out of here before they find you.”

Suddenly, the door crashed open. They were bathed in brilliant white light.

“Well, well. What do we have here?” Vandergriff asked, astonishment plain in his voice. “The little birdie got free, then came home to roost!”

Dante felt Nadia stiffen beside him. She shoved her hand in her pocket and slowly stood.

Don’t draw down on them, Nadia
, Dante tried to say, but he couldn’t push out the words.

“I was expecting company, but I wasn’t expecting you to come alone. How delightful! What’s the matter, Daddy Nick wouldn’t help you?”

“I can take care of you on my own,” Nadia said.

Dante looked at her in surprise. Her voice was calm. Cold. He could still see the tracks of her tears on her face, but her eyes sparkled like green ice.

Vandergriff dropped the spotlight from their faces and set it on the floor. Its circular base rolled in a small arc, making a funny scraping sound on the cement floor as the light danced.

Vandergriff’s shadow loomed high and black against the rafters like some sort of demon’s as he advanced toward them.

He clapped his hands together and said, “Peterson! What did I tell you? This must be my lucky day.”

Nadia smiled.

She held up her hand and Dante saw she wasn’t holding a gun. It wasn’t a gun at all. His heart froze as he stared at the little black box.

“See, now that’s funny,” Nadia said, waggling the remote. “Because I was thinking just the opposite. Today isn’t your day.”

She slowly unzipped her jacket to reveal the belt of explosives fastened around her waist. “Today just ain’t your day at all.”

For a long moment, no one said a word. No one moved and maybe no one even breathed. Then Vandergriff broke the silence.

“You’re bluffing,” he sputtered.

“Try me,” Nadia said with more confidence than she felt. “What have I got to lose?”

Vandergriff managed a laugh. “You won’t blow us up. You’d kill yourself and your boyfriend too.”

She pretended to mull it over. “But, golly gee, I would be taking you with us. It might just be worth it. Besides, look at my alternative. I will never be your slave. I would rather die than let you touch me. And Dante … Dante would die anyway.”

“She’s bluffing,” Vandergriff turned and told his men, but he wasn’t looking too sure of himself anymore.

With her other hand, Nadia tugged her ski mask the rest of the way off and tossed it on the floor. Shaking her hair free, she said, “You know, there was some truth in all those lies you told Dante. You might not be my father, but you’re the one who made me. You stole my childhood. You’ve made my parents live in fear behind iron gates. And if you don’t think I can be as cold and ruthless as you are, why don’t you just step up and see? I’ve got enough explosives here to blow this whole place off the map.”

“What do you want?”

“What I want and what I’m demanding are two different things. I want you dead, but I’m demanding safe passage out of here, with Dante. Cut him loose, Vandergriff.”

No one moved. Vandergriff’s men looked at him uncertainly.

“Do it,” Nadia said. Her thumb poised over the red button. “Or so help me, I will.”

Vandergriff stared at her for a long moment. Then he nodded. One of the men stepped forward, but Nadia held up her hand and shook her head. Pointing at Vandergriff, she said, “No, I told you, I want
you
to do it.”

Glaring at her, Vandergriff advanced toward Dante. He unsheathed the knife on his belt and squatted to cut the rope around Dante’s wrists.

Nadia was afraid to look directly at them, afraid one of Vandergriff’s men would try something. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Dante struggle to stand. His legs wouldn’t support him.

“Nadia,” Dante said, and the frustration in his voice broke her heart. “I can’t do this. I can’t walk. Leave me and get out of here.”

“Not a chance, babe,” she said breezily. “We’re a team now. Butch and Sundance. Bonnie and Clyde—”

“Slick and princess,” Dante supplied. She heard the smile in his voice and wanted to look at him, but she didn’t dare turn her back on Vandergriff’s men.

“There ya go,” Nadia said, and nodded at the five men. “All of you, hands against the wall. Spread your feet. We’re going to do this slow, one man at a time. You—” She pointed at Peterson. “Empty the clip on your gun and walk slowly toward me.”

Peterson glanced at Vandergriff, and Vandergriff nodded. Peterson ejected the clip and walked toward Nadia with his hands raised above his head.

“Are you packing another piece?”

He nodded. “Ankle holster.”

“Take it off. Slow.” He did as she instructed and she made a show of patting him down, her eyes never leaving Vandergriff’s face. He stood braced against the wall, his icy blue eyes tracking her like a snake.

“Take off your shirt,” she told Peterson. “I want you to go around and collect all the ammunition in it. Lay the guns beside it.”

“No way, that’s not happening,” Vandergriff said immediately. “My men aren’t going to disarm. That would be suicide. You have my word, no one will take a shot at you.”

“Your word?” Nadia said, and rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah, like that means anything to me. Come here, Vandergriff.”

“No.”

Nadia felt a twisted sense of pleasure at the fear in his voice. It was about time he had a taste of his own medicine.

“I told you, all I want is safe passage to my boat, so you’re going to be my shield, should one of your boys here get any ideas.”

“That’s not necessary—”

“Shut up. That’s not negotiable.” Nadia glanced at Peterson. “You’re going to help Dante. The rest of you, lead the way. I’m a little jumpy, so don’t try anything funny unless you want to be a headline in tomorrow’s paper.”