A chime sounded and he glanced at his laptop. His eyes went wide and a string of curses slipped from him. He darted to her, pulling the trigger on the spray bottle. Sarah had no time to duck, just turn her face at the last second. The liquid hit her in the cheek. She gasped, then realized that was the worst thing she could have done. Dizziness hit her and her legs gave out. Hands from behind caught her and lowered her to the floor.

“We don’t have long, Marshall.” Donna had come back. “The pilot’s waiting.”

Sarah tried to break loose from the hard grip that held her, but she was so weak and the darkness was demanding.

“I can’t leave without her,” he said. “And I need that guy she’s so crazy about. She’ll sign the papers eventually.”

“What about her father?”

“We don’t need him anymore. Kill him.”

Noooooo . . .

Sarah lost the fight and let the blackness claim her.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-FIVE

Gavin jumped when the door flew open. He’d untied the general, but left the ropes arranged in such a way as to disguise their looseness. He kept his own hands behind him.

A man entered, carrying Sarah draped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Marshall McClain, the man who’d betrayed the general. McClain set Sarah on the floor, then motioned to the woman hovering behind him. “Do it.”

“Sarah!” The general stood, the untied ropes falling around his feet.

A woman stepped forward—Nurse Donna?—syringe in hand and aimed at Sarah’s arm. Gavin came off the floor and tackled the nurse. She screamed and buckled beneath his weight.

“I’m going to kill you!” The general went after McClain.

A gunshot sounded and Gavin spun to see the general slump midstep to the floor.

“Don’t move!” McClain’s yell froze him.

Donna scurried from underneath him, panting and clutching her side. He’d hit her hard enough to break something, but the pain didn’t hold her back and she darted to Sarah’s side searching for the syringe. Gavin went after her one more time, only to halt when the man aimed his weapon at Sarah.

“Move and she dies, right here, right now,” the man said.

Gavin stayed put, but his gaze darted to Donna, who’d found the syringe, needle once again aimed at Sarah’s arm.

“Get away from her,” the general said. “Don’t do it. Please.” His eyes closed and Gavin prayed he’d only passed out and wasn’t dead.

Donna glanced at McClain, who nodded.