Fast Burn

Lost in his thoughts, Brand glanced up and caught his friend’s frown. “What?”

“Take a breath. If you’re going to do this, you need to get a little control.”

“I am controlled.” Hell, that was one of the major ways that he and Sahara clashed. She wanted all the control, always, in every situation, but then so did he.

“You look ready to erupt.”

Shaking his head, Brand shoved the rage deep inside and locked it down. He’d get Sahara back, then he’d destroy the bastards who’d taken her. “I’m fine.”

“It can’t be you,” Leese said from the front seat, “because you don’t know what you’re stepping in to.”

“Like you do?” Brand didn’t get annoyed. It didn’t matter what reasoning Leese used, he wouldn’t change his mind. “You can’t tell me that rescuing your boss from kidnappers is part of your normal workweek.”

“No, but each one of us has dealt with similar situations.”

“We’re tried and tested,” Justice said. “You’re not. God only knows the number of ways you could fuck it up, and Sahara will be the one hurt.”

Miles was the only one not giving him shit. “Fact is,” he pointed out, “Sahara called Brand, and she made it clear that the goons who have her would recognize us. Even if we can trace her, who’s to say they won’t spot us and kill her for it?”

“No,” Justice insisted.

“She called me.” Brand drank in a deep breath of humid air. “Plus you’re all married—”

“Not me,” said Justice.

“You will be soon enough.”

Justice couldn’t deny that, and it had him growling again. Maybe, like Brand, the lack of ability to fix this problem ASAP left Justice frustrated.

But Justice didn’t have the knowledge that he’d parted ways with Sahara under less than ideal circumstances. That was all on Brand and it was fucking well eating him up, adding to the need to do something. “Tell me the plan and I’ll see that it happens. But understand this—I’m going after her and that’s it.”

“Let’s get to Body Armor and see what we’re dealing with.” Leese drove aggressively despite the rain. “After that, we’ll make some quick decisions.”

Along the way the men called their significant others. Their low voices were intimate, except for Leese, who spoke via the speaker through the car’s Bluetooth.

“Dear God,” Catalina said, her worry plain. “Poor Sahara. She has to be frantic.”

Logical assumption, yet Brand couldn’t picture her being anything other than her usual cool, in-charge self. That, too, could be a problem. He reminded himself that Sahara was intelligent. Surely, she wouldn’t provoke her kidnappers.

“Please be careful, Leese,” Catalina whispered, “and please bring her back safe.”

“You know I will.”

Each of the women knew and cared about Sahara, so Brand had no doubt they’d all shared those sentiments.

Enoch was in the lobby waiting for them when they arrived. He’d already assigned extra guards on the building, not only on the ground floor but also as lookouts on the upper floors. “If there’s surveillance on the building, we’ll know.”

“Smart move.” Leese led the way to the elevator and they all rode up to Enoch’s office. He had his computer on and immediately showed them what he’d found. “She’s not far from her house, only about forty-five minutes.”

They each stood behind Enoch, leaning forward to see the screen. “They’re not driving anymore?” Miles asked.

“Don’t appear to be. The GPS has her stationary for about five minutes or so.”

“Looks like she’s in the slums,” Justice complained.

“The program can’t show me exactly where,” Enoch explained. “But if you get near the area you should be able to pick up her signal on this cell phone.” He handed it to Leese.

Brand took it from him.

No one said anything about it.

“I have access to some funds,” Enoch explained. “But I doubt it’ll be enough to pay off kidnappers.”

“Let’s wait and find out how much ransom they demand, then we’ll decide what to do.”

The waiting went against the grain for all of them, but until they got that call, it was all they could do.

“If Sahara was here,” Enoch stated, “she’d ask me to get coffee, so that’s what I’m going to do. All of you, make yourselves comfortable and I’ll be right back.”

* * *

THE VAN BUMPED over rough ground, taking her farther and farther away. No one spoke to her, but the four men riding in the cargo area continually watched her.

She pretended not to care and merely looked back, making note of what she could. Even sitting, their height was discernible, and under the dark sweatshirts and jeans, she could guess their weight.

One man had pushed up his sleeves and she saw that he was freckled. Another had darker hands, as if he spent a lot of time in the sun.

The man who appeared to be in charge was the only one not eyeballing her. He spent his time on his phone, not speaking but definitely perusing something.

When the van stopped, he pocketed the phone and moved to crouch in front of her.

“Give me your hands.”

Sahara glared into faded blue eyes. “Why?”

His answer was to roughly grab her, jerk her arms forward, then hold her wrists while another masked man wrapped them in rough rope.

Clearly, they’d never done this before because with a little wiggling, she’d be able to pull free. What good that would do her, she didn’t yet know. If she remained in the van with six men, two up front and four guarding her, she may as well be hog-tied.

For now, though, she held still and merely muttered, “I scare you that much?” She tsked. “And here I’m so much smaller.”

His hand came up to clasp her throat, not tightly but in clear warning. “You have quite a mouth on you.”

“Quite a brain as well.” Defiant, she stared at him. I will not let them cow me. “What do you know about Scott?”

Disgusted, he let her go with a slight shove and sat back against the metal wall of the van.

Sahara said, “You know something, obviously. I want to know what.”