Chapter Twelve
Cosette fidgeted, shifting her weight from foot to foot as she clung to Isaac’s hand. They were on the edge of Pier 32, right next to the water. It smelled like wet cement, mold, and garbage. It was ten p.m., and there was no sign of Vance or his men yet. Her stomach was tied in knots, and even though it was a crisp February night with that bay breeze slicing right through her, she had sweat dripping between her breasts. She hoped her perfume was holding up, then scolded herself for such a silly thought. She should be hoping she wasn’t interfering with the tracking device in her bra by sweating so profusely. What did sweat and moisture do to tracking devices? Who knew? Maybe Isaac knew. She didn’t know if she should ask him right now. He seemed pretty intense and focused—more the Military Isaac than the Loving Cosette Isaac.
The FBI had met with them after lunch and got them outfitted with tracking devices, one hidden in the waistband of their pants, one hidden in her bra, and one inside Isaac’s jacket. The FBI was also crawling around this pier. As soon as Vance showed up with her dad, they would pounce, and as long as nobody got shot, they’d all walk away from here soon. It had been a miserable day worrying about her dad. Even though he annoyed her sometimes with his overprotectiveness, and she agreed with Mar that he should trust her more, he really was all the family she had left, and she loved him.
Luckily, Isaac was strong and unafraid. Cosette had to trust that he would take care of her and rescue her dad. His gaze was darting around, and she could tell he was listening intently. He glanced down at her. “You okay?”
She nodded, hoping that the jerky movement came across as serious rather than nervous.
Isaac squeezed her hand, but his eyes were on the shadows of the warehouse next to them, on the walkways, and even down in the water.
“What are you looking for?” Cosette whispered.
Isaac took a slow breath. “Anything.” He edged toward the water and peered more closely at it.
Cosette looked down too. The water looked a freezing dark gray, and she shivered. Then she saw what Isaac was staring at with a furrowed brow. There were bubbles coming up. What could be making those bubbles? Her stomach rolled with an irrational fear. Was someone down there? She backed instinctively away.
Suddenly, the warehouse door behind them burst open and footsteps pounded their way. Cosette whirled to see who was coming. Isaac dodged in front of her, shielding her. The men were black dots in the night. As they came out of the shadows, she saw why: they were wearing black wetsuits with tight black hoods over their heads.
She clung to Isaac’s back, peering around his shoulder.
The men’s faces showed no expression as they ran straight at them. Isaac grabbed the first one and shoved him off the dock and into the water. The man let out a surprised yelp. The second guy was right behind, but Isaac threw solid punches at him and drove him back.
As the third guy joined the fray, Isaac was a wonder with fists and kicks, fighting both of them at once. She’d never been so impressed, nor had she appreciated violence so thoroughly.
The fourth man dodged around the brawl, grabbed Cosette, and threw her and himself off the dock.
“Ike!” Cosette screamed in horror as she hit the icy cold water. Her skin felt like it had been submerged in an ice bath. The water felt heavy and so cold she couldn’t even breathe, which she realized was a good thing. She closed her mouth but wondered how quickly she’d drown, as the man had a hold of her arm and was pulling her farther under. Even with her eyes open, she couldn’t see anything but bodies plunging around her in the water. Was Isaac being drowned too? Why would Vance go to such elaborate lengths to kill them? Who cared? She was going to suffocate or freeze to death.
A man in full scuba gear approached and shoved a regulator into her mouth. She clamped down on it and sucked in a breath, but there was salt water in it too. Sputtering and coughing, she was even more certain she was going to drown. She tried to expel the water, blowing out hard. Her next breath was blessedly free of water and filled her lungs.
Frozen clear through, she tried to see through the dark, murky water. The man had an iron grip on her arm, and suddenly they shot forward through the water. She had no clue what was pulling them forward. Her feet and hands were so numb, they felt like they would break off as she was dragged away from any hope of rescue.
Squeezing her eyes shut, all she could do was keep taking breaths in and out, and pray.
* * *
Cosette heard voices around her and could smell metal, sweaty men, dust, and Isaac. He was close. Her eyelids were so heavy, but she tried to pry them open. It didn’t work. She remembered being propelled through the cold water and then being yanked onto a boat, wrapped up in a blanket, and someone coming at her with a needle. Considering how cloudy her brain felt, they must’ve drugged her. Her clothes weren’t even damp, and she was only slightly chilled. How much time had passed? How had they gotten … wherever they were?
“Cozy?” Isaac’s voice was right at her ear.
She tried harder to open her eyes, squinting at him. He gave her a reassuring smile but didn’t touch her. She tried to move to touch him but realized her hands were tied behind her back—maybe by zip ties, as they felt like plastic and dug into her wrists. They were both sitting against a wall. She was leaning heavily into Isaac.
“Where are we?” she whispered.
“They’re awake!” a man yelled, and Cosette startled.
Yanking her gaze from Isaac’s handsome face, she looked around at a large warehouse, the sides of the open main room stacked with shipping containers. It was dimly lit with the exterior doors closed. She could see another body across the open space. Was that? It couldn’t be … “Dad!” she screamed, struggling to her feet.
Isaac helped her up and then pushed off the wall and stood next to her. She started toward her dad, but several men walked out of a hallway and she shuffled backward, not wanting to be anywhere near the man in the middle. She pressed against Isaac’s chest. He was a steadying influence, even though he couldn’t hold her.
“Cosette.” Vance spread his hands, grinning broadly. That face she’d once thought was appealing now looked cruel and too thin. “My mad scientist. So glad you came to see me.”
Three more men came down the hallway and flanked him. There were six so far, including Vance. Could Isaac really fight so many? Not with his hands behind his back. Her stomach rolled, and she could only pray that their tracking devices hadn’t been ruined in that cold water.
Cosette glared at him but had to ask, “My dad?”
“Oh, he’s fine. We’ve had him pretty sleepy.”