In Enemy Hands (26 page)

“Okay, Peterson. You continue to impress. I like a man who can think quickly on his feet.” Vandergriff grinned at Dante. “Secure his hands and load him on the helicopter.”

“Hands behind your back,” the other man commanded.

Dante complied. When the plastic tie tightened around his wrist, he remembered the GPS.

The man yanked him to his feet and Dante fumbled at the bracelet on his wrist. He couldn’t get the snap open. His pulse thudded in his ears. He had to get it off. The only thought more horrifying than Vandergriff getting his hands on Nadia was the thought of his leaving her in the desert to starve to death.

At least if she had the bracelet, her father could still track her. He snagged the snap and surreptitiously shook it loose, letting it fall to the ground. Dante hurriedly stepped away from it, toward the helicopter. He hoped Nadia would find it and not wander off on her own.

Dante glanced back at the ghost town as the aircraft lifted off, searching for some sign of her. He saw no movement, no evidence of life. Squeezing his eyes shut, he silently began reciting his mother’s prayer.

Praying Nadia home.

Nadia waited until she could no longer hear the helicopter before she stepped out of her hiding place. Hugging herself, she walked back to the hoist house and stared up at the inky sky.

She had never felt so completely, utterly alone.

Peterson was a mystery. He had saved her and had saved Dante too. At least for the time being.

Your father’s coming
.

Had he really said that?

Nadia could no longer be sure. All her brain could process was the fact that Gary Vandergriff had Dante. She sank to her knees in the dirt next to the spot where they’d made love and tried not to cry.

Stop it
, she commanded herself.

It could be worse. It could be much worse. And Peterson got him to take Dante to Tennessee. That was better than California.

It was home turf.

Her father would find her. Her father would know what to do.

A bolt of pure, blind panic shot through her.

How
would her father find her? They were miles from the landing spot, miles from anything. She didn’t even know if Vandergriff had left the backpack.

A coyote howled in the distance, its forlorn cry sounding as bleak as she felt. Nadia scrambled to her feet and was running toward the hoist house when she saw it. The moonlight glinted off the piece of silver.

The tracking device.

She choked back the sob rising in her throat. Even when his own life was being decided, Dante had been thinking of her.

“I’ll get you back,” she said aloud, turning her face up to the sky. “I won’t let you die, I swear it.”

She crawled back into the shelter. The blanket was still there, but Dante’s backpack was not. Nadia lay on the blanket and pressed her face to it, trying to catch a hint of Dante’s scent.

“Hurry, Daddy,” she whispered. “Find me. We have to save him. I can’t let Vandergriff kill him.”

Somehow she must’ve dozed off, although she didn’t know how. Nadia jerked upright, her heart thumping wildly in her chest until she figured out what had jarred her from her sleep.

Four-wheelers. She heard four-wheelers.

Her father!

Her father had come for her.

Nadia started out of the shelter, then hesitated.

What if it was a trick? What if it was more of Vandergriff’s men?

“Nadia! Nadia, are you here?” Nick Branson’s voice shattered the silence around her.

Scrambling out of the shelter, Nadia waved her arms as the bright headlights approached. She saw her father. She saw Ronnie and Waynie. Their faces lit when they saw her running toward them.

“Daddy! Daddy, I’m here.”

Her father bounded off the four-wheeler and seized her in his arms. “Nadia, my darling. I was so afraid I’d never see you again. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Nadia was so relieved to see him that she couldn’t say anything. She clutched him tighter.

There was still time. Time to find Dante.

“Daddy, they have him. We’ve got to get back to Tennessee. Vandergriff took Dante with him, but he didn’t find me.”

Nadia knew she was babbling, but she couldn’t help it. She was nearly weak with relief at seeing her father and Ronnie. There was still time. “We’ve got time to figure out a plan, go in there and get him—”

“Nadia-”

“One of his men helped me. Peterson. Maybe he’ll help us again.”

“Honey-”

Nadia turned away from him, already formulating her plan. Ronnie and Waynie stood beside their four-wheelers, strangely silent.

“Ronnie, do you still have those surveillance scramblers? We can knock out his cameras—”

“Nadia!”

Her father’s voice was sharp this time and Nadia spun to look at him. His handsome face was grim.

“What?”

“We’re not going after him. This time, there will be no rescue.”

W
hat? What are you saying?” Nadia asked, rubbing her forehead. Her father reached for her, but she backed away from him, confused by the resignation she saw on his face.

“We can’t go after Dante. Vandergriff will be waiting on us. He’ll slaughter us all.”

“No! I won’t accept that. Dante saved my life. Doesn’t that count for something?”

“Dante’s also the one who put your life in jeopardy in the first place. Let’s not forget that.”

“It was a mistake. He thought he was protecting me.”

“Nadia, I can’t risk anyone else’s life.” Nick paused. “Eddie Franks is dead. So is Hal Jacobi.”

“What?” Nadia blanched, then hugged her arms across her chest. Eddie Franks wasn’t that much older than her. He’d been employed by her father two or three months before Dante arrived on the scene. Hal Jacobi had been there almost a year. He was a quiet, friendly bear of a man with two small children.

“That’s what took us so long to get to you. We had a spy in our midst. Dan Underwood. He sabotaged our vehicles, stole supplies, then he led us into an ambush.”

“Dan Underwood … are you sure?” Although Nadia didn’t know him as well as some of the other guards, she had never seen anything that would make her suspicious of the man. Then she recalled Vandergriff saying that name back at the house. She’d been too shaken to notice at the time.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Nick Branson’s voice was bitter. He glanced at his watch. “Come on. If we leave now, we can make it back to the plane before daybreak. Your mother is in hiding, but I won’t rest until I’m sure the both of you safe again. Maybe we’ll leave the country, go back to Greece—”

“No! Can’t you see? If you let Vandergriff kill Dante, he wins again. We’ll never be free of him. We’ll never be able to stop looking over our shoulders.”

“We’ll talk about it on the plane.”

She planted her feet and glared at him. “We’ll talk about it now.”

“Nadia, we really need to get moving.”

“He’s right,” Ronnie said softly.

“Fine,” she said, clenching her teeth.

Nick climbed on his four-wheeler and scooted up to give her room on the back. Nadia ignored him, climbing on back of Ronnie’s instead. Not another word was said until they reached the plane.

With a smirk, Vandergriff leaned back in his seat and studied Dante while the plane lifted off the runway.

“I thought you were a professional, Giovanni. Don’t tell me you let yourself get distracted over a piece of tail.”

Dante said nothing. He sat still, mentally gauging the distance between them.

“She’s a hot little thing, don’t get me wrong. I just can’t see risking your life for a girl like that. Especially when you aren’t even sleeping with her.”

Vandergriff watched Dante’s face for a reaction, then he smiled.

“You
are
sleeping with her! Wow, our little Miss Andreakos moves fast. A whore like her mother. Probably puts out for all her bodyguards, though. What’s that dark-haired fellow’s name? Reggie, Ronnie?” He waved his hand dismissively. “I always had a notion about those two. Tell me, Dante, is she good in the sack? Her mother sure was. Wait—” He held up a hand as if to ward off Dante’s comment and grinned. “Never mind, don’t spoil my surprise. I can hardly wait to find out for myself.”

Even though his hands were tied, Dante lunged at him. Vandergriff wasn’t expecting the attack. Apparently, neither were his bodyguards because they made no move to block it.

Dante heard a satisfying crack when the top of his skull met Vandergriff’s nose. While Vandergriff howled and clutched at his spurting nose, Dante smiled and sat back in his seat.

Vandergriff grabbed Peterson’s gun and rammed it under Dante’s chin.

“I should blow your brains all over this cabin,” he raged.

“Go ahead. Then I won’t have to listen to any more of this adolescent bull—”

“Hey!” Peterson interjected, handing Vandergriff a wad of paper towels. “Don’t let him get to you, Mr. Vandergriff. Stay focused on the big picture. Don’t let some two-bit bounty hunter mess up your plans.”

Somewhat mollified, Vandergriff handed Peterson the gun. Dante saw the fist coming, but he couldn’t do anything to stop it. Vandergriff’s blow caught him square in the jaw, sending a bolt of pain racing to his brain.

“It’s going to be a pleasure killing you, Giovanni. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even get to see Nadia again. With me. Maybe I’ll let you watch.”

Her mother must’ve been watching for their approach, because before Nadia could climb off the four-wheeler, she heard a commotion. Her mother vaulted out of the plane and raced down the steps so rapidly that Nadia feared she’d fall and break her neck.

“Nadia!” she shouted.

She pushed though the wall of guards spread across the tarmac and seized Nadia in her arms. Maria hugged her so tightly she nearly lifted her off her feet, then pulled back to clutch Nadia’s face with both hands.

Tears streaked her mother’s cheeks and fear darkened the eyes that scanned Nadia’s face. “Did he hurt you?” Maria demanded. “Did that monster touch you?”

“No, Mama,” Nadia choked out.

Maria’s eyes were wide and glassy. “The truth, Nadia,” she said sharply. “Don’t try to protect me. I need to know.”

“He didn’t touch me, Mama. He didn’t have time. Dante busted in there—” Nadia covered her face with her hand. “He … he …” she squeaked, and sobbed on her mother’s shoulder.

Maria’s hand smoothed Nadia’s hair. “What about Dante, honey?” When Nadia couldn’t answer, she said, “Nick, where’s Dante?”

“Vandergriff,” her father replied heavily. “Vandergriff has him.”

“Oh, baby,” Maria whispered into her hair. “Let’s get on the plane, and you can tell me what happened.”

“No!” Nadia pulled away. “I’m not leaving here until we figure out how to rescue Dante.”

Nick stepped forward. “Darling, be reasonable. You said yourself that Dante’s headed back to Tennessee. We’re accomplishing nothing by standing around here. Get on the plane and we’ll talk.”

Nadia glared at him, then ran up the steps to board the plane. She took a seat and stared out the window, tears of anger and frustration stinging her eyes.

Her father wasn’t going to help her. He was really going to let Dante die.