“On it.” Dodge slipped away into the darkness.

Colt crept closer to the hangar, Ranger behind him.

“There have to be some security people here,” Ranger said.

“That’s a great idea,” Colt said. “Maybe we can have a standoff with a couple of the peashooters they carry. If we’re lucky, he’ll only shoot Tae in the head.”

“Did you see a gun?”

“I saw him hit her, he doesn’t need a gun. Maybe just a shot in the head with a wrench.”

Ranger put his hand on his shoulder. “Colt, you’re in no condition—”

He shrugged him off. “Sorry, Range, I’m not made like you. I can’t just sit on my hands.”

“I hardly— Wait.”

His word made Colt turn. Tae was up. On her feet. Her arms free.

Run! Colt nearly shouted it.

But instead of heading toward the door, she ran toward the back.

“What is she doing?” Ranger said.

On the hangar floor, the drones hummed to life, their propellers whirring.

The door started rolling down.

And then, just like that, the lights cut off.

No—no!

Ranger might have shouted, but Colt had nothing but instinct.

He dove and rolled inside the hangar just as the doors came down.

They barely missed him.

Night collapsed around him.

Pitch-dark, no NVGs, no weapon, and a hundred drones between himself and Tae.

I’m coming, honey.

Because yeah, he got it.

Love said I got you. Love said whatever it takes. Love said you’re worth it.

And wow, did he love Tae.

He scrambled to his hands and knees, crawled along the floor, mapping out what he remembered.

“I will find you, Taylor.”

Colt stilled as the voice echoed through the hangar, angry, sharp, and Russian.

Stay quiet, Tae.

A shot sounded. Tae screamed.

It reverberated through the hangar and echoed right into the chambers of Colt’s heart.

And everything inside Colt simply stopped hurting.

Hang on, Tae. I’m coming.

FIFTEEN

Now what?

Tae wasn’t sure just how she had ended up crouched in the darkness, huddled next to a workbench, becoming as small as she could, her hands over her ears as the world exploded around her.

No, wait, she knew exactly how . . .

Colt had been in her head just minutes ago when she had lain on the floor, tied up, helpless, panic causing her gorge to rise.

Focus.

Just because pain seemed to encase her entire face, her jaw out of whack, didn’t mean she had to unravel.

“Just tune out everything else . . .”

Those words. Spoken to her as she’d hung over a cliff, staring at the impossible.

“Focus on the next step.”

Colt’s voice in her ear had jerked her back to herself as she lay, crumpled. Overwhelmed.

Terrified.

Helpless.

No, not helpless. Because she wasn’t the same woman who’d been duped and fallen for a man who only wanted to hurt her. Only wanted to use her.