His to Take (Wicked Lovers #9)(132)
Author: Shayla Black

As he hit send, he grinned and walked off. Sean’s life was looking up in every way. Joaquin didn’t know if he even gave a shit that he had one after today.

Forcing himself to swallow the bar and water, he made sure his gun carried the fresh clip Hunter had given him and tucked it away. The troops started gathering near the door. The FBI had overrun this little sheriff’s office. That was about the only thing that gave Joaquin hope. They damn sure wanted whatever was on that flash disk. He hoped to fuck if they recovered it today, they would destroy it.

Sean motioned to him, and he joined the group as they filed out the door. A cluster of black SUVs waited in front. Joaquin didn’t know where they’d come from and he didn’t care. Hunter kissed his wife, and they shared a quiet moment. He assured her he’d be back and smoothed an affectionate hand over her belly. Joaquin wondered what would happen if his sister’s husband didn’t make it home. She would be devastated, kind of like Joaquin himself felt right now. She’d turn in to herself in grief and maybe never come out. Joaquin wouldn’t blame her. Yet she smiled and kissed her husband as she took the terrible risk. He didn’t understand.

The short ride south covered some remote prairie land. Joaquin tried to divorce his mind from the wretched fear eating him alive.

After what seemed like an interminable trip, the agent driving exited the main road and turned onto a bumpy dirt one. “Here’s where I leave you. We’ll be back to get you as soon as possible. Don’t walk to the compound. Don’t interfere.” He looked at Sean. “We’re only allowing this as a favor to you, so don’t make us regret it.”

“Understood. Thanks,” Sean answered, climbing out of the front seat of the vehicle.

Hunter followed, opening the right rear door. His father scooted over and eased out next as Joaquin opened the back door on the left and stepped out into the stiff breeze. As evening approached, the four of them turned and began trekking into a wide open, grassy field. He had a feeling it was going to be a long, miserable night. Putting one foot in front of the other was a challenge. Even breathing felt like a chore. He had to keep going for Bailey.

Sean waved off the fed, who drove away in a cloud of dust.

“What are we allowed to do?” Joaquin asked. The restrictions chafed.

“We scout around a bit,” Sean offered. “Stone just texted me information about some abandoned limestone quarry not far from here. I’m going to bet LOSS has made use of those tunnels and dug a way out, aboveground. Paranoid paramilitary loons usually have an escape route.”

“Absolutely,” Hunter agreed. “If they have any idea you’re coming, they’ll use it, too. Do the feds know about the tunnels?”

“I’m sure they do. Now, whether they’ve put two and two together and decided that LOSS is making use of them . . .” Sean shrugged.

“If we find that opening and surround it, we’ll be prepared in the event the separatists send their soldiers out to wage war on the FBI.”

“I hope that’s exactly what they do. Stone also did a little research today and told me that over the past year they’ve purchased enough explosives to rig this entire compound to blow into a million pieces. Let’s hope they don’t take the nuclear option.”

Joaquin’s blood froze over as they began walking in the direction of the coordinates Stone had sent Sean earlier. The walk dragged on as the sun inched down. The feds should have arrived by now. He listened for sounds of gunshots, but heard only eerie silence. Somehow, that grated on him even more. Were they too late? Had LOSS already abandoned the compound in the dead of night? Had McKeevy secreted Bailey somewhere else entirely so he could take her apart at his leisure?

A million scenarios all zipped through this head, each uglier than the last. He swallowed down the panic threatening to rise again. How the fuck had he let his guard down and fallen so deeply in love with this woman in just a handful of days? A damn stupid move—especially since he’d thought he knew better.

As the sun began to dip lower, Sean and Caleb both extracted flashlights from packs they must have grabbed at the sheriff’s station. They paired up, Hunter veering off with his dad over a rise. Joaquin followed Sean as they scouted the area around Stone’s coordinates.

Grass and shrubs coming back to life from the winter dotted the gentle hillside. Behind a cluster of foliage, they found the SUV that McKeevy had most recently stolen and abandoned. Every door was wide open, as was the hatch in back. The FBI had been through it with everything but a microscope and planned to tow it off shortly, so Joaquin knew he wouldn’t find Bailey or any sign of her here. But knowing she’d come this far in the vehicle helped him feel closer to finding her. Of course, the K-9 unit couldn’t tell him whether she had still been alive when she’d left her scent in this car. But he refused to think that she hadn’t.