Special Forces Savior (9 page)

There was nothing Derek could do but hold on to Molly and pray that Jon’s skills as a pilot could get them out of this. A few moments later he felt the plane leave the ground at a much steeper rate than normal, and make a sharp turn that threw them back against the side of the aircraft.

But then it evened out and they began a more normal ascent to a higher altitude.

Derek heard a loud woot and laugh from the cockpit. Jon called out, “We hope you enjoy your flight on Save Your Ass airline. Now just sit back and relax.”

Chapter Thirteen

Once they were safely in the air Derek got Molly up into a seat. Her color was still pale—in the places of her face he could actually see not covered by bruises—but her breathing was pretty even. She’d be waking up soon.

Derek and Liam put headsets on so they could talk to Jon without having to yell.

“Molly okay?” Jon asked.

“She’s waking up,” Derek told him. “The eight miles was a lot for her in the shape she was in. Although she was a hell of a trouper.”

“Looks like someone pounded on her pretty good.” Liam winced.

Derek reached over to stroke a stray wisp of hair off her forehead. She moved just the slightest bit at his touch.

“Well, she’s alive.” Derek looked over at his friend. “And the worst didn’t happen, so we’ll call this a win.”

Liam knew what he meant. “Thank God. I couldn’t have stood the thought of that for her.”

Derek’s jaw tightened just thinking about it.

Molly shifted again and her eyes began to flutter open. Derek positioned himself in the seat next to Liam, across from Molly, so she could have a little space as she awoke.

“Hey, kiddo,” Liam said. “Don’t be scared by this ghoulish monster sitting next to me. It’s just Derek. But he often scares small children.”

Derek heard Jon chuckle over the headset.

He watched as Molly became more aware of what was going on. She sat up a little straighter in her seat and looked out the window, then across at them.

“We made it to the plane,” she said.

“Yep.”

“What is she saying?” Jon was demanding. “Give her some headphones.”

Derek got up and grabbed a set, then handed them to her, smiling. “Jon wants to be able to talk to you, too.”

She put them on. “Hey, Jon.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice, Molly.”

“Well, you have no idea how happy I am that you guys figured out where I was and came to get me.”

“Are you okay?” Jon asked.

“Nothing that won’t heal. No broken bones.”

“I still want to take you to the hospital when we get back to Colorado,” Derek told her. “Whatever drug they pumped you full of, we need to make sure there are no residual effects.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” She nodded at him.

They both noticed Liam was looking kind of strangely at Molly.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing.” Liam shook his head, smiling. “That’s just the first sentence I’ve heard you say to Derek without stuttering in years.”

Molly looked away for a minute and Derek thought he might have to punch Liam for bringing it back to her attention, but then she regrouped.

“I guess my life being threatened by a real ghoulish monster like Pablo Belisario taught me there are much bigger and badder things to be nervous about than Derek.”

“Atta girl,” Jon murmured over the headsets.

“Molly, what did Belisario want with you?” Derek asked her.

“I still don’t know, exactly. But it definitely had to do with the explosion at the lab. He wanted confirmation that everything had been destroyed.”

“Did you have evidence dealing with Belisario in the lab?”

“No.” She sat up straighter. “That’s just it. It wasn’t about him. It was about someone he called his ‘partner’ and the evidence you guys brought into the lab yesterday.”

This was getting even weirder. “Who is his partner?” Derek asked her.

Molly closed her eyes, obviously concentrating on her memory of the conversation. “He didn’t say. He just said someone who couldn’t allow me to be found on US soil.”

Derek met eyes with Liam. Common criminals wouldn’t care about Molly’s questioning and/or murder happening on US soil. But a politician sure as hell would.

“That Secret Service vehicle,” Liam murmured.

“Exactly.” Derek nodded.

“Evidently this partner had a very bad day and needed to absolutely confirm that all evidence had been destroyed in the lab,” Molly continued. “I was supposed to have died there. And the partner wanted the names of you guys, too, the ones who brought in the evidence.”

“Whoa,” Jon said from the headset. “Sounds like someone was going a little overboard in making sure he cleaned up his mess. We’d better watch our six.”

“Don’t worry.” Molly was quick to jump in. “I didn’t give them your names. They wanted names, but I told them the agents were Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner.”

“Who are they?” Liam asked.

“Superheroes from
The Avengers
,” Derek answered. His eyes met Molly’s. Did she remember that was the movie that was playing in the background that night he’d shown up at her house? Derek hadn’t been able to think of the film since without thinking of Molly.

Molly flushed and looked away, fiddling with the headset. Yes, she remembered.

“That was good thinking,” Jon told her. “I’m sure you were under a lot of pressure. We appreciate you trying to look out for us.”

“I’m sorry I don’t have any more useful information.”

Derek wanted to take her hand, but forced himself not to. He needed to keep his distance from her now more than ever. “Don’t be sorry. You confirmed some important details we’ve been working on with Director Drackett.”

Her look said she didn’t believe him.

“Seriously. Even before the explosion in the lab we were considering that it might be someone high in the US Government—someone who Drackett’s been reporting to—who has ties to the Chicago bombing,” Derek explained.

“Oh, no.”

“It’s how they’ve kept ahead of us on all our leads, knew when we had critical evidence and knew to take you to find out more details,” Liam continued. “Belisario wouldn’t be able to get that information on his own. It’s highly unlikely that he has any clout or inside knowledge when it comes to Omega, without his ‘partner’ feeding it to him.”

Molly nodded. Derek could tell she was exhausted again. “Why don’t you rest? We have to stop in Miami to refuel, but then we’ll be going straight to Colorado.”

She wanted to argue, but couldn’t find the strength. Her eyes were closed within moments.

“She still has too much of that damn drug in her system,” Derek muttered. He slid a pillow under her head where it rested against the plane.

“Not to mention the trauma of all those miles getting out of the jungle,” Liam said. “She’s a lot tougher than you would think, just by looking at her. I know I’ll never call her mousy again.”

Derek heard Jon’s quiet, “Amen to that.”

Derek remembered the horror that filled her eyes when that man had fallen dead at her feet. The man Derek had killed with his own two hands right in front of her.

He looked at her sleeping form. “She’s strong, definitely.”

But Liam was wrong, Molly wasn’t tough. Nor was she hard or cold. She didn’t belong in their world. She needed to be back at a lab where she could be safe. Protected from people like Belisario.

Hell, protected from people like Derek.

“Doctors will get her situated, Derek. She’s made it through the worst part,” Jon said.

Derek hoped so. He tucked another strand away from her sleeping face, but quickly moved his hand back when she turned toward him.

He hoped she’d made it through the worst part. But somehow he knew she probably hadn’t. And that the worst part for her, was him.

* * *

S
IX
HOURS
LATER
, after a brief stop in Miami for refueling, which Molly slept through, they landed in Colorado. Even though she was feeling better, Derek wanted to get her straight to a hospital. Jon and Liam would take care of the plane and report back to Steve Drackett at Omega HQ.

Everyone agreed that they all needed to watch their backs. Outside of the four of them, and Drackett, no one was trustworthy.

Molly was now hooked up to an IV and had been seen by two different doctors. Derek hadn’t left her side the entire time. He’d told the doctors as much as he could without giving away any important details of the case. The cover story was that she’d been carjacked.

“Overall, I’d say you’re very lucky. Neither your nose nor your jaw is broken. I imagine the swelling will go down in the next twenty-four hours and there shouldn’t be any lasting effects from the blows to your face,” Dr. Martin, a kind woman in her midfifties had told Molly.

She flipped through some charts. “The drug in your system is Ketamine. That’s a medication mainly used when someone is having surgery, for starting and maintaining anesthesia, although it is used recreationally, also.”

“Will she have any lasting effects from that?” Derek asked.

“No.” Dr. Martin put the chart down and turned to Molly. “But honestly, given the amount still in your system after nearly thirty-six hours and your size and weight, you’re very fortunate that you didn’t go into cardiac arrest.”

“Well, I’ve been pretty out of it since they gave it to me. Hard to stay awake,” Molly told her.

“I’m sure. It’s almost out of your system now, and the IV will help flush out the rest.”

“How long will she need to stay here?” Derek asked.

“I’d like to keep her overnight, just for observation.”

“Do I have to?” Molly sounded like a child, even to herself. But she didn’t want to stay in the hospital.

Of course, Belisario’s men had taken her from her home, so going back there wasn’t safe. Molly didn’t know where she would go after the hospital. Maybe to a hotel.

“Just for one night.” The doctor had shaken hands with both Molly and Derek, then left.

Derek sat down on the chair across from her bed. “Don’t worry, I or someone I trust will be here with you the entire time.”

“I don’t think I said thank-you for coming to get me. Belisario...” She paused then restarted. “I would’ve been in real trouble if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”

Molly shuddered. She didn’t even want to think about what would’ve been happening to her right now if she was still back in Colombia. “I thought it might be days before anyone even realized I was gone.”

“I started looking for you as soon as I realized you weren’t at your condo when I came to pick you up yesterday morning.”

“Well, I wasn’t counting on that.”

Derek’s eyes narrowed just the slightest bit and he tilted his head to the side as if the thought of not picking her up had never even occurred to him. “Why? I told you I would come get you.”

Molly shrugged. “It’s just, we kissed the night before. Then you left pretty abruptly.”

“And because we kissed you thought I wouldn’t pick you up the next morning like I said I would.”

He was offended, she could tell.

Molly struggled with what to say. She wasn’t trying to insult him. But he had a pattern when it came to the two of them and their interactions.

“I’m not trying to say you wouldn’t keep your word, Derek.” Molly tried to look him in the eye, but it was hard. She looked at the top of his forehead instead, at his thick dark hair. “It’s just that after...something happens between the two of us physically, you tend to withdraw. Completely. You don’t really talk to me, definitely don’t touch me. You just withdraw. For months, even years.”

She cleared her throat. “You’re still friendly, nothing overt, mind you. But I always felt your total withdrawal from me. Maybe to protect yourself. Or maybe I just wasn’t what you wanted.”

She glanced down at his eyes and saw surprise. “Not that I’ve ever expected any commitment from you,” she was quick to continue. “You never made any promises, so I’m not trying to say you did anything wrong. I’m just saying that I figured you’d send someone else to get me yesterday morning or something, because of our kiss. Because you wouldn’t really want to see me. I figured I wouldn’t really talk to you again until sometime next year. If the pattern held.”

Derek was completely still in the chair across from her hospital bed, staring at her. Molly began to get uncomfortable. What if he didn’t even know what she was talking about? He had never once brought up the things that had happened between them in the past. What if he really didn’t remember?

She looked away toward the door, hoping some doctor or nurse or even one of Belisario’s men would come bursting through. Oh, to go back to the good old days where she couldn’t get a complete sentence out around Derek. Stuttering and stammering was much better than the hole she was digging for herself.

She glanced back at him to find him still in that frozen position. “You know what? Forget I even said anything. I must still have more of the drug in my system than they thought.”

Then Molly did what any adult scientist with a PhD and two advanced master’s degrees would do under the same situation: pulled the blanket up over her head.

Chapter Fourteen

Derek was pretty sure this sort of situation had never come up in his Omega tactical team training. It probably would’ve been in the
How to Diffuse a Bomb Using Acupuncture and Other Impossible Situations You’ll Never Get Out of Unscathed
class. Derek had obviously missed that one.

The damnedest thing was, Molly was right. He did withdraw. But he thought he had been all slick about it. That she hadn’t really noticed.

Evidently, not only had she noticed, but she’d recognized a
pattern
, he did it so often. But even worse, she thought it was for his own good that he tried to stay away from her. That he didn’t want her.

The exact opposite from the truth.

And now she was hiding under a blanket, which Derek found adorable but also proved his point. Molly was soft, gentle, kind.

Entrenching himself in her life would be the most selfish move he could make. Derek could almost live with himself despite some of the choices he’d made in the past, lives he’d taken, darkness he’d embraced. But choosing to surround someone like Molly with his darkness?

Unforgivable.

Still, the thought that she wasn’t what he wanted? That she somehow wasn’t good enough for him? It burned like acid in his gut.

He stood and reached for Molly where she hid under the covers, but then stopped. Maybe it was better this way. Derek honestly didn’t know.

His phone buzzed. It was Jon.

Derek turned and walked to the other side of the room, answering it. “What’s up?”

“Derek, you’ve got to get Molly out of there immediately.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Evidently some new ‘evidence’ has come to light that makes it seem like Molly was the one who purposely caused the explosion in the lab.”

“What?”

“There’s a warrant out for her arrest.”

Derek muttered a curse.

“What?” Molly had pulled her head out from under the covers. “What’s going on?”

“Jon, I’m putting you on Speaker so Molly can hear.”

He put the phone on the bedside tray and went to get Molly’s clothes out of the drawer of the small dresser in the hospital room. No matter what Jon explained, they were still going to need to get Molly out of there.

“Evidently someone went over Drackett’s head with the warrant. Steve is pretty furious.”

“What evidence, Jon?” Molly asked. “I know I didn’t do it, so I’d like to know what evidence it is someone could have against me.”

“No one seems to actually know, Molls, that’s the thing. All I’m sure of is that they were waiting for us when we got back here,” Jon told her.

“Like someone knew we had gotten her out and was making sure they could catch her on this side?” Derek asked, bringing Molly’s clothes over and setting them on the bed.

“Exactly like that, I’d say. If she’d been with us, she’d already be in custody.”

Derek shook his head. “But
whose
custody, is what I want to know. Not local law enforcement’s, I bet.”

“Is Molly checked in to the hospital under her real name?”

“Yeah.” A misstep on Derek’s part, thinking that they were too far for Belisario to reach. But they weren’t too far for his partner to reach.

“If this goes as high as we think it might, it won’t be long before they’ve got men at the hospital,” Jon said. “Liam is running interference as much as he can, but that will only stall for so long.”

Molly had already sat completely up. Derek winced as she pulled the IV out of her arm and pressed down on the bleeding spot with a tissue. She reached for her clothes and Derek turned his back to give her privacy. He picked up the phone.

“I’m getting her out right now. We’re going to ground. I will call you in exactly twenty-four hours at a pay phone.” Derek gave Jon an address of a gas station not far from Omega HQ that he knew had a pay phone. He’d used it before. “We need to get burner phones. I’ll be dumping this one.”

“On it. Be safe.”

“You, too, brother. And thanks for the warning.”

Molly was reaching down to tie her shoes as Derek disconnected the call. He reached down to help her.

“I’m sorry that you don’t get to rest yet,” he told her as he tied first one shoe, then the other.

“I’ll be okay. At least we’re not running through the jungle.”

She stood and Derek took his phone and jammed it down into the cushion of the chair he’d been sitting in.

“They may be trying to track us through that. Might as well make it as difficult as possible for them to find it,” he explained. “Are you ready?”

She nodded. He offered her his hand and she took it. “I’m going to go out to the nurses’ station to distract them so you can get out without them realizing you’re gone. I’ll meet you down at the end of the hall.”

“Okay.”

“As soon as they’re looking the other way, you go.”

He waited for her nod, then walked out of her room and down to the nurses. Distracting them wasn’t that hard, Derek did know how to use his smile when he wanted to. And he only needed them to look away for a few seconds.

He met back up with Molly at the hallway right where she was supposed to be.

“Any problems?”

“Nope. Just had to be friendly.”

“I’m sure.” Her look was decidedly sour. Derek chuckled.

“Nobody else around here should know you or question why we’re leaving. But your bruised face makes you pretty memorable, so I’m going to keep you tucked next to me as much as possible.”

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her body close to his. Molly kept her head down and let him guide her every time they passed any people. Most would just think she was grieving.

They were coming out the front doors when Derek saw them pull up. Two nondescript sedans, each carrying two men in suits. Derek wrapped Molly more tightly to his side and swung them in a sharp left.

“Head down,” he whispered. He hunched his own shoulders so they both would just look like exhausted family members. He forced himself not to speed up the pace to draw any attention to themselves. But he did reach for the Glock in the side holster he wore. When Jon had slipped it to him before they left for the hospital, neither of them had thought it might need to be pointed at federal agents.

Derek hoped there wouldn’t be a showdown with people who were just doing their jobs. They probably had no idea they were being used for nefarious purposes.

If Derek and Molly had been fifteen seconds later they would’ve been caught. But since the agents obviously thought they were arresting people sitting up in a hospital room, they weren’t carefully watching the people who were leaving.

As soon as possible, Derek cut them into the shadows. It was a careful balance between not doing anything that would draw attention and getting them out of there as soon as possible. He felt Molly slip her arm around his waist and huddle closer.

“Did they see us?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

“I don’t think so. They continued on their path inside the building. They probably saw us, but it didn’t register who we were.”

They stayed in the shadows just a few more moments. Once the agents made it to Molly’s hospital room and discovered them missing, the first place they would start looking would be the exits and the parking lot.

They kept a tight hold of each other as they went into the parking lot. Derek ushered her into the car as soon as they found it.

“Stay as low as you can.”

He didn’t speed out of the parking lot or draw any attention to their vehicle—a black SUV. But as soon as they were clear of the main red light, Derek sped up, keeping his speed just over the limit. When he glanced in the rearview mirror he saw the blue of flashing police lights.

That was fast. Someone had made sure there was backup pretty close by in case those agents needed help. Derek smiled wryly to himself.

“I think you’re safe to sit up,” he told her.

“Is anybody following us?”

Derek shook his head and glanced at the police lights in the rearview mirror again, now getting farther away. “No, but it was much closer than I would’ve liked.”

“None of this really makes sense. Why would anyone think I started the fire in the lab? And I find it very hard to believe that they had enough evidence to arrest me.”

“Trust me, this has nothing to do with the lab fire and everything to do with getting you isolated. Away from the people in Omega who can protect you. Once you were alone, you’d be in trouble.”

“But police officers wouldn’t hurt me, would they?”

He shook his head, glancing at her for a moment before looking back at the road. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be long until whatever real officers arrested you were given paperwork to ‘transfer’ you somewhere. And that would be it, you’d never be seen again.”

“Why would Belisario send someone to kill me here? I already told him that I didn’t know anything.”

“Not Belisario, whoever his partner is stateside. A partner who is high enough in the US Government to get things done. As evidenced by us almost getting caught in the hospital.”

“Someone in
our
government is responsible for all this? Had a part in the Chicago bombing?” Dismay colored her tone.

Derek explained about the Secret Service vehicle that had been spotted at the house in West Philadelphia.

“International terrorists attacking us is bad enough. But the thought that some high-ranking official in the government, someone people trust, having a hand in it? That just makes me sick to my stomach. Why would someone do that?” She turned and looked out the window.

Derek reached over and took her hand gently before he could help himself. “Why? Because some people are just terrible human beings who do terrible things. If you’re racking your brain trying to understand it, it just means you’re not one of those terrible people.”

“It’s still pretty inconceivable.”

For her he was sure it was.

“Don’t you think it’s horrible?” she asked.

“Yes, absolutely. I’m just not surprised by anything anybody does anymore. Betrayal, dishonesty, greed, killing, happens everywhere.”

Derek was sure she’d be just as horrified by things he’d done, choices he’d made, if she knew. He let go of her hand and put it back on the steering wheel. Right now he needed to focus on getting them to the safe house.

“We need to purchase a temporary cell phone that can’t be traced. I’ll use that to contact Jon tomorrow.”

“Where are we going?”

“To a cabin an old friend of mine owned that he’s given to me, near a lake about an hour and a half from here. Nothing about it is in my name and I haven’t ever told anyone, at Omega or otherwise, about it.” It was from one of the ranch hands who had worked for his uncle. Gary had been more of a father figure to Derek than his uncle had ever been.

Molly nodded and gave a tired sigh.

She needed rest. She needed nourishment. She needed a chance for her body to heal, or at least stop running off pure adrenaline. Hell, twenty minutes ago she’d still been on an IV. The fact that she was even halfway functional was amazing.

“At the very least the cabin will be somewhere that you can rest and be safe for however long you need. To catch your breath.”

“And for us to come up with a plan,” she responded, resting her head back against the seat.

“Yes, come up with a plan.” He smiled at her, glad for the cover of darkness, so she couldn’t see that the smile wasn’t anywhere near real.

Because damned if Derek, the tactical team specialist, had any earthly idea what their next move would be.