A woman screams in terror nearby, and some men shout to call the police. Before I can plant my hand onto the concrete to push myself up, I watch with dismay as Ladd disappears into the van, the men pile in after him, and the vehicle takes off in a blast of burning rubber before the door is even pulled shut.
I’m not surprised they took Ladd, but I’m stunned they didn’t take me. What in the hell?
And then it dawns.
They didn’t recognize who I am. They didn’t attempt to kidnap me, and there was no sign of recognition when the man knocked me to the ground.
Someone grabs my arm, and I’m hauled upward.
“Thank you,” I murmur distractedly, staring off down the road to where the van disappears from sight.
The grip to my arm tightens, and I whirl toward the person who helped me up, trying to pull free.
I’m stunned to see Kynan McGrath there, his expression icy. “Had you let us come as a team, that wouldn’t have happened,” he accuses.
Jerking my arm away, I glance back down the street, but it’s desolately free of the van. My mind races with the implications of what happened and how I’m going to get Ladd back.
“Let’s go,” Kynan says, and I look back at him, except it’s not just him standing there. Cruce is behind him. And Cage. And two other men I don’t recognize.
“Go where?” I demand, because if it’s anywhere other than to a vehicle that will take us to Mejia, I’ll pass.
“We’re at the same hotel you’re staying at,” Kynan replies. “Bebe and Dozer are there. We need to come up with a plan.”
“That’s a waste of time,” I mutter, and then the reality that they are actually here hits me hard. “What in the hell are you doing here?”
“Let’s just say I didn’t accept your rejection of my offer to help,” Kynan replies dryly. “We’re here with the manpower and resources to get Ladd back and take Mejia down. You should have let us come with you from the get-go as this wouldn’t have happened. But we’re in the game now, so let’s finish it.”
I’m ashamed that he’s probably right that my stubborn refusal of their help has led to Ladd’s kidnapping. It was two people against a gun lord and his army of soldiers and gang members. It wasn’t stupid to think we could do this on our own, because that’s what Ladd and I did in the CIA. We operated individually or in partnerships of two, highly trained at being so clandestine, our targets never saw us coming.
But Kynan is right… we need the strength of their numbers now.
I nod my assent, and we head to the hotel. In the elevator, Kynan presses the button for the top floor. The ride up is silent.
Turns out, Kynan has a suite with two rooms and a large living area. Inside I find Bebe and Dozer sitting at a dining table with five laptops opened. The two of them appear to be working on all of them.
A handful of other men and women stand about, none who I recognize from my short time spent inside Jameson’s headquarters, but I assume they’re Jameson.
“Introductions first,” Kynan says as he moves to the middle of the room. He points at certain people, calling out their names. “You already know Cruce and Cage. That’s Malik, Jackson, Saint, and August… they’re from the Pittsburgh office. From the Vegas office, Rachel, Bodie, Kara, Benji, Cash, Locke, and Hannah.”
With my CIA training, I would ordinarily have no problem focusing in on the details and remembering all of their names. But I’m so discombobulated about Ladd, I doubt I’ll remember any of them. I nod at each one in greeting while my head calculates numbers and not names. Bebe and Dozer aren’t field agents and will most likely stay here in the hotel, so including me, there are fifteen people willing to ride into battle to save Ladd. I couldn’t be more grateful.
Kynan fills the group in on what just happened.
“What’s the plan?” I say, moving to the table to pull out a chair beside Bebe. She glances up from one of the laptops, smiles, and pulls another laptop closer to her before going back to work.
“That depends on what Mejia is up to,” Kynan replies. “Why weren’t you taken?”
His tone is suspicious, and I don’t like it. “Sounds like you think I have something to do with Ladd’s kidnapping?”
“Not ruling it out,” Kynan growls. “How do I know you didn’t sell Ladd out to Mejia as the one who killed his son in exchange for leaving you alone?”
I stand up so suddenly, my thighs catch the edge of the table and it rocks hard enough to cause Bebe to reach a steadying hand to one of the computers.