TRACELESS (15 page)

Chapter Seventeen

Holt called in and said he was on the way in with Drake. They’d tracked the men who held Jana through the canyon then lost the trail. Not a surprise. The weather and the attackers’ training made finding any evidence in that direction a longshot. But since they were turning over everything and Drake’s tracking skills qualified as the best Connor had even known, Connor gave it a try.

With everyone checking in, he stood by the charity’s front door and did a visual sweep of the area. A few cars littered the driveway, including an extra one Jana said Marcel kept at the office for the workers’ use. The heat swirled around them, more intense than usual for this time of year, and blurred the air.

The vast openness stretched out in front of them. After a few seconds, Holt and Drake appeared in the distance. They walked across a boulder and through a patch of pure sand. Their strides matched and both had that lethal “don’t mess with me” look.

Jana shaded her eyes with her hand as she watched. “That’s Drake?”

“Yes.” Seeing his former colleague usually worked to ease some of Connor’s anxiety. Not this time.

He didn’t understand the lapse of surveillance or possible missteps that let Marcel get away with whatever he was doing. Having the charity cheat and steal was bad enough but this time Jana got sucked in.

After all those years working outside the country and sleeping in a series of rotating safe houses, it was possible the nomadic, no-commitments life had taken its toll. Connor couldn’t believe Drake stayed in this long. Could be it was time for him to get out.

“You haven’t met him?” Cam called out the question from behind them inside the office.

She shook her head as the men moved closer. “Never.”

They drew within fifteen feet when Drake turned around. Connor followed his gaze to the sedan driving down the dirt road. They went hours in this area without seeing a car. Now someone headed their way right as they were meeting up. He didn’t like coincidences and this struck him as a serious one.

“It’s Marcel,” Jana said, for once not sounding too excited about his arrival.

The time in Utah basically sucked. But if getting Jana out and home and clear of Marcel happened, it would all be worth it. Connor just wanted the job done. He wouldn’t be able to relax until he put the pieces together and figured out who wanted him and Jana, and why.

“I did tell him to get here.” Connor tried to make out who was inside and cursed his decision to leave the binoculars back in the room. “Cam, call Shane and see if he’s with Marcel.”

“Will do.”

They all watched the approaching car. When a roaring sound echoed off to Connor’s left it took him a second to realize it was an engine. It revved and thundered, but this didn’t come from the approaching car. Wrong direction and wrong noise.

No, this came from the vehicle parked in front of them. The one without a driver.

Before Connor could blink it came barreling right toward them. Jana screamed but her body seemed frozen. He heard banging and smelled something hot and metallic. None of the sights and sounds made sense.

Instinct took over. The car careened and he lunged for Jana. He pulled her toward him and momentum took them flying off to the side. They dove and took flight before slamming into the ground.

Rolling, he heard a ground-shaking crash. With her body tucked under his, they both looked up. Drake and Holt fired on the racing vehicle but it was too late. It crashed into the front of the office.

The roof caved and rafters fell. The bangs rang out over the gunfire. It took a few seconds before the crunch of the wheels against the gravel and debris finally stopped. The building creaked and moaned then a boom knocked Connor down.

The sound, the force of the air and wall of heat rocked him. He tucked Jana’s head under his and ignored her squirming. Chunks of the building and parts of the car rained down on them. When one piece got close enough to burn his pants, he rolled them farther out of the way.

The shower of debris finally stopped. The heat and thick air remained. He looked up again to see flames shooting into the sky as they devoured the office’s roof. A bomb, an explosion... None of it made sense.

The boom knocked out his hearing. The world came to him muffled now. He heard Holt shouting but couldn’t make out the words. He was forgetting something.

“Cam!” Jana screamed the name as she clawed to get out from under Connor.

Until that moment Connor thought they’d all gotten out. Now he conducted a quick mental roll call and scanned the area. They were one down. Smoke started to billow and Holt ran toward the consuming fire.

Somehow in the fall of rafters and spray of sparks, Marcel’s car registered. It pulled close and stopped. Connor expected to see Shane in the driver’s seat but it wasn’t him. There was no urgency or frantic run into the building. Just two men, neither of them Corcoran men.

“That’s the leader.” Jana tugged on Connor’s arm as she said the words. She scooted back, dragging her butt in the dirt and trying to take Connor with her.

This was the guy who wanted him but Connor still had no idea who he was. That only heightened the danger. He caught her right as a shot pinged into the ground by his foot.

“Move!” Drake yelled from off to Connor’s right.

Through the haze and the smoke, Connor got her up. The fuzz cleared from his mind as he dragged her around to the side of the burning building. The two newcomers came onto the scene firing while ducking behind the car. Neither was Marcel.

The open area had turned into a shooting gallery. He and Jana could only run so far before dodging flames. The rapidly spreading fire pinned Holt down by the front door. There was nowhere for him to hide and the fire licked the beams behind him.

Connor tried to focus as he took in every danger. They all needed his help. Cam was down, he had no idea where Shane had disappeared to and Holt was ten seconds away from catching on fire.

Save his men. Cover his woman. The mantra rang in Connor’s head as the adrenaline built.

Drake ran over, sliding in beside them and kicking up pebbles as he did. He motioned for Connor to make a dash to grab Holt or at least get close enough to draw the gunfire. Drake would provide cover. They’d done this a hundred times—scatter the attackers’ resources and have them trying to handle too many directions at once. As far as diversions went, it was effective. Most times it worked. Connor hoped this would be one.

“Cover her, too.” Connor couldn’t tell if he yelled the command or whispered it, but Drake nodded.

With a last look at Jana and at the smudges of dirt and sand on her face, he raced toward Holt. He cut in close and the gunfire closed in on him. The break let Holt pull out of the circle of flames dancing around his back. Closer to Connor now, Holt returned fire, never stopping long enough to provide an easy target.

But they were not in the clear. Fire roared behind them and the blinding heat felt as if it was eating away at Connor’s clothes. They pivoted until they stood back to back. They kept moving and firing. Spinning and shifting, careful to lead the attackers away from Jana’s hiding place.

Connor decided he’d rather take his chances with the bullets than the flames. He at least stood a chance of dodging those. On a silent count of three he moved Holt toward the car, closer to the guns aimed in their direction. At the last second, Holt bolted and landed with his back against the front of the car.

That left the easy shot and Connor took it. Dropping to his stomach he ignored the sound of crashing windows and the thumping of bullets against steel. He shifted until he got the clear sight then shot the attacker right in the leg.

There was a yell and the man went down. Connor nailed him again, this time in the side. The guy’s weapon stayed just out of reach but if he lunged for it, he’d grab it. Connor couldn’t have that. He heard the scuffle of footsteps as Holt moved but Connor concentrated on the panicked eyes he could see at the other end of the car.

Up and on his feet. Connor reached the attacker’s gun as the man’s fingers skimmed it. Stepping on his wrist, he pushed down until he heard a crunch and the guy wailed in pain. Sensing he was not alone, Connor glanced up, bringing his gun with him, and looked into the face of the man who supposedly wanted him dead.

“I don’t care what the boss wants. You’re dead.”

The guy took too much time talking. Just enough for Holt to come up behind him and crack him in the head. The guy stumbled but his finger moved to the trigger. Losing consciousness and going down, he still looked ready to fire.

Connor put a bullet in his forehead and made sure that didn’t happen.

“Tie up the wounded one,” Connor said. “I don’t want him crawling out of here.”

Holt was already on his knees, getting the job done. “Right.”

Cam.
No sooner did he think it than Holt turned around and looked at the burning building. They had to go in. At least try to drag their man out. First, Connor’s gaze went to Jana. He wanted to do a visual check and make sure she hadn’t been injured in their jump away from the car. She wasn’t there.

He stared at the spot in the dirt where they fell. He could see the imprints from their bodies and footprints leading away. “What the hell?”

“We need to get...” Holt’s gaze followed Connor’s. “What?”

“Where did she go?”

“She’s still with Drake.” The hoarse voice came from the opposite side of the building. Cam made the comment then doubled over in a coughing fit. His clothes were singed and small pieces of burning debris littered his hair.

“Cam?” Holt rushed over and helped out with a few slaps to the back that might have made a weaker man drop to the ground.

Connor was so relieved, so grateful to have Cam standing in front of him. The breath hiccupped right out of him. “How did you get out?”

Cam stood up and inhaled a deep gulp of air. The move set the coughing off again. When he finally wound down he shook his head. “Good thing I was headed for the back door to give us some support from the rear when the car came barreling in.”

“It’s a really good thing you run fast.” Holt gave his friend another cuff on the shoulder.

Relief gave way to dread. Fear and anxiety balled inside Connor. Something wasn’t right. The pieces didn’t make sense to him and those drag marks had his brain misfiring. Add in the delays and the not moving and he was on edge.

“Where exactly is Jana right now?” Maybe that would explain her reluctance to go there.

Cam eyed his boss. “I thought Drake took her out of the danger zone on your orders.”

“No.” Maybe he’d said something like that but Connor knew this was something else. That neck ache came back in full force.

The Drake he knew, or thought he knew, wouldn’t walk away without warning, even if he meant to protect her. And the drag marks from the one set of tracks suggested Jana didn’t go willingly.

Connor tried to concentrate and force the pieces together in his head. The inventory mistakes at the charity. The case all those years ago with similar issues. Then it was about vaccines being sold on the open market as part of the money-making scheme. Now...what?

He didn’t know what was in those extra crates but he knew who should be watching over the distribution. And who had a hand in the charity then and now. Marcel and Jana, but there was one other.

Connor added it up and the answer nearly doubled him over.

Holt frowned. “Connor, what’s going on?”

“I’m not sure.” But he knew. He sensed it. The man he brought in to help, the man he always trusted, was at the bottom of this somehow.

Another car approached. This one a truck Connor recognized and from the yelling over the satphone, he knew they had a new problem. Tires squealed and the truck came in too hot. The erratic driving meant one thing—Shane.

He jumped down and out of the vehicle before he put it in Park. “I have a gift for you, but I warn you, it’s pretty crappy.”

Shane went around to the passenger side and dragged Marcel out of the seat and across the dirt to stand in front of them. The man’s knees buckled but Shane held him up.

Marcel had bruises on his face and blood at the corner of his mouth. With the ripped shirt he didn’t look like his usual poseur self.

Connor had to fight from tearing the man apart. “What’s this?”

“He and his friend shot me in the back.” Shane said it so matter-of-factly, as if he’d been expecting it and disappointed to be right.

Holt’s eyebrow rose. “The vest trick worked?”

Connor knew his mind wandered and he wanted to get moving, but he’d lost the conversation and this could matter, so he tried to tune back in. “What?”

“I knew this was coming. This one wanted me dead and out of the way for whatever they were hatching over here. I see it had some firepower to it.” Shane shoved Marcel and the man went down hard on his knees in the dirt. “I had an extra vest and made a show of walking around the yard without the one they expected me to wear. Kept my head down and waited for the cowards to shoot me in the back, and they did.”

“At least you had the extra vest.” Holt scowled at Marcel. “They tried to set me on fire.”

Cam brushed the ashes out of his hair. “I almost got wiped out by a car.”

They could celebrate their victories later. Right now, Connor wanted answers and some intel before he went racing after his wife.

He turned on Marcel, lifting the guy’s head up and forcing him to look at his captors. “You ready to talk now?”

“It was all Drake.” The words bubbled out of Marcel now. Gone was the sneer and condescension. He’d been broken and if the state of him was any indication, Shane actually made a run at literally making that happen. “The weapons. We used the shipments to smuggle weapons. Sold them on the black market.”

Holt stepped in real close. “We should kill you.”

“Not yet.” Not ever, but Marcel didn’t need to know that. He could wet himself with fear for all Connor cared. “You were both in on it last time—you and Drake—weren’t you? Jana figured it out then, too, only you were really bad at covering your tracks back then. This time you kept the shipments small to make them harder to track.”