Chapter 16

DOWNTOWN, ABU DHABI, UAE

Driving down Corniche Street late at night was like being hit upside the head by déjà vu.

Hollyn closed her eyes, fighting back memories of that night. Would this one forever change her life too? She clutched the straps of her Kevlar vest and prayed for everyone's safety—especially Davis's. City lights of downtown Abu Dhabi splashed over her face through the rear passenger window. How different her life was compared to a week ago.

Then? Mum and Dad had still been alive. She'd been happy, celebrating a victory . . . Tears pooled in her eyes as she remembered taking Dad's arm at the gala. The way he and Mum had laughed at each other. Neither of them had let slip even an ounce of worry over what had been going on. For a moment, Hollyn wondered if her mum had known about any of it or if Dad had chosen to keep her as blissfully unaware as Hollyn.

Maybe if they'd all known, they could have?—

Don't do it. It's impossible to know and will only drive you crazy.

Benn whipped around a slower car. Accelerated slightly to avoid a red light. He kept glancing at the rearview mirror, and for a moment, Hollyn wondered if someone was following them.

No, no. He'd be acting differently . . . right?

"Right up here." Glace directed him from the front passenger seat.

They were just a block away from the hospital now. Rows of palms lined the street with cityscape on one side and the dark expanse of ocean on the other. Lamp posts in the center divider held illuminated butterfly sculptures she'd always loved. A touch of whimsy in the heart of the hustle and bustle.

Hollyn watched the people walking down the sidewalks. Some laughing together, others on their phones. Still others were out for an evening jog, their lives going on as if nothing had happened. As if her parents—the only people who'd believed in her, loved her, chosen her, adopted her—weren't gone. She'd told herself before . . . everyone leaves. Eighteen years with a permanent family had almost convinced her it was forever. Her parents were amazing, and while this loneliness wasn't the same as what she'd experienced as a little girl . . . it was still loneliness. Emptiness.

She spotted the skyscrapers and felt a hollow sense of desperation, knowing once this . . . adventure was over, she'd be back in Minlan, TN. With Mum and Dad gone, she would leave this incredible city. Alone. There might be gorgeous mountains in Tennessee, but there certainly weren't any skyscrapers that looked akin to futuristic space towers like the Etihad Towers or grand leaning buildings like the Capital Gate. But like this ever-changing city, which had a lot in common with the States, she was once again smacked with change. Heartrending change.

They turned onto Al Ladeem Street heading toward their destination. She'd never been inside LLH Hospital, but Bongani had driven them past it several times, and she was familiar with the area. As Benn maneuvered their vehicle through the more populated part of the city, Hollyn was struck by the seriousness of why they were here in the first place.

Benn stopped at a red light, and she stared out her window.

Davis and the team seemed sure that the palace was the location for the demonstration . . . but if they were wrong? Countless lives could be lost if they didn't stop Archie in time. And whoever he was working for or with. Her stomach twisted just thinking about his betrayal. He?—

Wait.

Hollyn sat up straighter. Squinted at the darkness competing against the city lights. She peered through the window toward the hospital. Was that—him!

"It's Archie!"

"What?" Glace jerked to her. "Where?"

"Right—" She lost sight of him as a thick mob pressed in front of him, blocking her line of sight.

"Where?" Glace demanded.

"There—he was right there! Green shirt, crossing the . . . " Even as she tapped the glass, he was again lost amid the sea of people on the street. She grunted. "Well, he was."

"I . . . don't see him," Glace said.

Hollyn strained to see around the intrusive group.

Benn let off the brake just as Archie came back into view. Definitely him. As he hurried along, he kept casting glances over his shoulder. Seeing if he was being followed, maybe?

"There!" Her hand was on her seatbelt buckle before she knew it.

Benn braked again. Cursed. "Can't just park in the street. I'll?—" He gunned the engine just as Archie turned and jogged down an alley between the hospital and an apartment high-rise.

"No!" He was not getting away! Without another thought, Hollyn threw the door open and launched out. A car in the next lane slammed on its brakes, tires screeching on the pavement. A loud horn blared around the driver's angry slew of Arabic curses as Hollyn palmed the hood, heart lodged in her throat. "Sorry!" Momentum from jumping away spun her, but she quickly rebounded and took off in the direction Archie had disappeared. She heard more car horns and yelling behind her—she was sure the team was mad at her for bailing without warning—but didn't hesitate.

This is dumb. They're going to be ticked when they catch up. Forget that—what if you get lost? Or in trouble.

She had her phone. No, wait—trying not to slow down, she patted her pants pockets. Drat! She'd left it on the Jeep seat next to her hat. So much for triangulating her if they lost sight.

Hollyn pumped her arms as she raced. Not much she could do now. But she could handle their anger as long as they caught Archie and stopped whatever was about to happen tonight.

She desperately wished Davis weren't across town right now.

"Intabehe!" yelled a man she nearly plowed into.

"Sorry!" Hollyn vaulted forward, shoes slapping the concrete. She struggled to keep Archie in view. Saw him duck around a corner. She really wished she'd been a long-distance runner. But no. She'd spent most of her time at a desk in the lab, and trying to haul in a decent breath burned. Her lungs and calves ached, but she wasn't quitting, because he was not going to get away.

Even this late at night, the air was still very warm. It coiled around her and tightened her chest. Made it even harder to breathe. Beads of perspiration formed on her brow. She gasped a breath as Archie vanished around a four-way junction. "No!" she rasped. Shoved herself onward. Tripped over a curb but caught herself and vaulted forward. Banked hard right around the corner of the high-rise.

And slowed. Where . . . where had he gone? No no no. He couldn't?—

There! He disappeared through a back door of the apartment building, and Hollyn didn't have time to wonder why he hadn't gone into the hospital. She pitched herself after him. Dove through the opening seconds before the door closed. Stumbling to a stop, her eyes roved the interior. The scuffed cream-and-speckled laminate had seen better days. Two old-school fluorescent lights struggled to fight off the shadows. But the hallway was empty. No Archie in sight.

Fear cuffed her throat as the lights tinkled and blinked out. Back on. Yeah, not helping . . . She was alone, armed only with a knife she had no idea how to use except sharp-side-out . . . Right. And here she was charging after someone she should have never trusted. Doubling down, she threw herself around the corner of the empty hallway.

Right into a blur of black. Thudded hard against a chest. Hands grabbed her.

Hollyn screamed as she was thrown to the hard ground. Though her tactical vest buffered her fall, it also impeded flexibility. Pain flared up her arm as she rolled.

"What are you doing?" Archie gritted out.

"Get off!" Fear alive and chugging through her veins, she clawed away from him and shoved off the ground. "Me? How about you?" she demanded. Gulped oxygen amid the heavy doses of adrenaline.

"You shouldn't be here!" His good hand fisted. "Run," he hissed at her.

"What?" She must've misheard him. Hollyn peered over his shoulder, praying Glace or Benn would catch up any second.

Aaany second . . .

Of course they aren't coming. When will you get it that you're alone?

Davis. She needed Davis.

Archie's eyes widened and he went rigid.

The sudden change in his demeanor concerned her. She frowned. "Wh?—"

"Didn't expect to see you here." A voice intruded from behind.

Hollyn pulled in a sharp breath as chills skidded down her spine. She knew that voice well, but nothing could have prepared her to hear it. Not now. Not here. When she gathered the courage to slowly turn, she felt the world tilt on its axis.

"No," she whispered.

There, in the middle of the dim hallway . . . was Leila.

* * *

"Negative confirmation," Blank comm'd, bringing the team up to date on the situation. Davis shook his head as he and Fury continued their search of the hotel exterior.

Where was the twerp? He veered from the group. Decided to search a wider perimeter. In alcoves. Around trees. Under tables. Fury drew in deep breath after deep breath but never alerted.

They were missing something.

One of the perimeter guards walking the other direction nodded to him. "Nothing like babysitting billionaires," the man said in Arabic. The sneer on his face deepened.

Davis huffed like he thought the same, surprised the guy had even acknowledged him, unlike the rest of the security staff. "Least it pays the bills, right?" he replied back in the language he'd been forced to master in Special Forces.

The burly guy hesitated.

Flip . . . had he said it wrong?

The guard barked a laugh. "Barely."

Expelling a breath he'd held, Davis noted Fury sniffing the air around the newcomer. Davis scanned the guy and didn't like the way he tensed. Was he trouble? He prayed not. But then Fury moved on, giving Davis a glance that said Negative, let's keep searching.

With a nod, Davis excused himself. After a glance back, he let Fury lead them inside the hotel through a back door. The interior matched the exterior. Everything from the luxury marble floors to the gold accents and fifteen-foot stone walls screamed extravagance.

Fury sniffed around to a point.

Davis reached for his mic, but the shepherd lifted his head and moved on, panting happily.

No alert.

Frustration streaked over Davis's shoulders. "Seek-seek." He refocused his working dog.

Fury trotted down the hallway.

"Alpha Seven." Chapel's voice in his ear rattled.

"This is Seven, go ahead," Davis replied, watching Fury move past every door without so much as a tail wag. C'mon, dude. . .

"Einstein is MIA," Chapel stated. "Two and Three are unable to locate the objective but are Charlie Mike."

Davis paused. So Bennion and Glace hadn't found Hollyn. Anger rattled through him. How the blazes had she gone missing?

"Einstein sighted our target but Two and Three could not confirm."

He knew Chapel paused for him to give the expected "good copy," but that was not anything good, and he didn't trust himself to speak.

"Take Fury and haul it over there and put that force multiplier to work."

Now that . . . "Good copy." Davis stalked farther from the party. "Fuss." Fury threw him an annoyed look but snapped into place. They hustled for the Jeep. It would take at least fifteen to twenty minutes to get across town. Minutes they didn't have.

Never should have left her side.

* * *

"Leila?" Hollyn couldn't believe her eyes. "I saw you die!" Yet here she was. Standing in the hallway. Very much alive.

But this woman before her wasn't the same one Hollyn had come to call best friend over the last year. Gone was the kindness that had always been one of her most admirable traits and made her approachable. Instead, this version of Leila was a roiling ball of anger and distance. Something dark—sinister, even—hung in the air and made Hollyn take a step back. Right into Archie.

"Surprise." Leila grinned like the Cheshire cat. The nefarious vibe radiating off the woman was almost palpable.

Get out of here. Run. Now!

Even as she took a step back, Hollyn registered two giant men standing behind Leila like club bouncers on steroids. Dressed in solid black, they matched Leila. Death squad.

Not good. When the flight part of her instincts finally seized her, Hollyn spun and tried to dart around Archie.

In a flash, he had her. Restrained her.

She kicked. Tried to yank free. "Let me go!"

Powerful hands wrapped around her flailing arms in a vise grip. Halted her efforts to get away. One of the bouncers crushed her back against his granitelike chest.

Leila sauntered forward, eying the tablet in her hands. "Seems your entourage lost track of you." Brown eyes lifting, she clicked her tongue, then cocked her head to the side. "I have to hand it to you guys, though—didn't think the team would split up. It would have been my preference that you all remain at the hotel. Fewer loose ends to tie up separately."

Hollyn swallowed. "So sorry to disappoint you."

"Your boyfriend sure thinks he's on the right track." Leila turned the device around, revealing a live feed of Davis and Fury moving down an Emirates Palace hallway.

Davis, get out of there!

This couldn't be happening.

"What's this all about?" Hollyn demanded. She wished more than anything that she'd never gotten out of the vehicle to chase Archie. That she'd listened to Benn. Until the team found her, she'd have to bluff her way through this. Delay them . . . talk. They would find her . . . right?

"Oh, come," Leila said, wrinkling her nose. "You're a smart cookie. You tell me."

Anger pulsed through Hollyn's veins. The last thing she wanted to do was entertain or comply with anything this woman said. But each word bought her time. "The lab, the missiles. . . my parents." She choked out the last word.

Leila didn't even have the decency to look regretful. Instead, she shrugged. "Collateral damage. I gave your dad the chance to hand over what I wanted before anyone got hurt." She ambled forward. "I know you aren't biologically related to Ansel, but you sure have his thick head." She sniffed. "Do you know what he did with my offer? He refused. Refused!" Another shrug, this time with pursed lips. "What happened next was on him. Not me."

"You can't be serious!" How had she ever been fooled about who Leila really was? "Does that logic really work in your twisted brain? You're psychotic, killing innocent people."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Oh please. I did what I had to do." She tapped the screen in her hands. "And I'll keep doing what I have to do. You should keep that in mind."

The threat was far from empty. After a few more taps on the device, Leila nodded to Bouncers One and Two, and they forced Hollyn down the hallway.

Digging her heels in, she fought their manhandling, afraid she wouldn't come back from wherever they were taking her. "Where are we going?" If she was going to die, she didn't want to do it being a doormat. "Tell me!"

"I hardly think I answer to you."

It was strange that she didn't seem to have an issue with divulging anything. Eerily so. And if she kept Leila talking and distracted, it might delay . . . whatever was coming. At least long enough for Benn and Glace to find her. Please, find me. Please, be that good.

Bouncer Two punched open a door to a flight of stairs, and Bouncer One wrangled her toward the concrete fire well.

Hollyn stuck her boot against the jamb and shoved backward.

Bouncer One stumbled, but it was more like the leaning tower of Pisa—he wasn't going down. Not easily, anyway.

Bouncer Two was there and grabbed her legs. Secured them. Together, the bouncers moved into the fire well.

Hollyn let out a screech that echoed up and down the concrete jungle of wrought iron and mildew. Desperately hoped someone heard it. Anyone. She hauled in a breath to scream again.

A hand clamped over her mouth. It was smelly and clammy. The thought of where his hand had been made her squirm. Struggling to breathe, she bit his palm. He nearly dropped her, and Hollyn realized that hadn't been nearly as smart of a move as she'd thought. If she'd fallen . . . she could've cracked her skull.

Something cold and hard pressed against her temple. Still captive in Bouncer Ones's arms, she stilled. Peered to the side, sickened when she saw the fire in Leila's eyes . . . just past the gun.

"Be a good girl now?"

Bouncers One and Two set her down almost like they were waiting for her to make a move and get herself killed.

Hollyn wanted to rail, argue. But . . . this was a delay. She gave a faint nod. Hoped this gave Benn and Glace time to get closer. And Fury . . . if they got him here, he could track her, right? She needed to leave a scent. How could she make it really clear for him?

An idea struck and she pretended to trip. Quietly spat on the ground.

"Get moving!" Bouncer Two gruffed, yanking her up the stairs.

Gathering every gram of strength she could muster, Hollyn walked compliantly. Decided to use the time to her benefit. "Why did you fake your death?"

Leila didn't answer. Just kept taking step after step.

"The night of the gala"—Hollyn wanted answers—"why did you get me out of the car? Why not kill me too?"

"On the off chance my people could not figure out how to modify the program, I had to keep someone alive who could."

She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't that.

Leila didn't look back as she climbed the stairs. "After I brought Archie into line, he was only successful in obtaining the first half of your code. So I had to keep you around as insurance." She went silent for a moment before continuing. "Did you tell her about how you contacted me to sell the program, Arch?"

Shocked, Hollyn faltered. Her stomach churned. "What?" She looked to Archie, who did have the decency to look remorseful. "Is that true?"

The look in his eyes was answer enough.

"He bragged"—Leila really dragged out that word, the resonance echoing in the stairwell—"about having access to a groundbreaking program and offered it up to the highest bidder. Lucky for me, I convinced him to give me a great deal."

"Great for you," Archie muttered from behind. "More like blackmail."

More like, but not completely? That meant . . . "I can't believe I ever trusted you," she bit out. Tried to jerk free of Bouncer One, but it only resulted in him clamping her arm even tighter. "I defended you at every turn. How could you do this?"

Forehead creased, he swung a hand out. "I?—"

"Do you know how many more people will die now?" Was she the only one of her so-called friends with a moral compass? Compassion? "The fallout could be catastrophic. You of all people knew how adamantly I rejected the military's bid to buy the program because of what they could've turned it into. Why my dad and I insisted we not go public. Then you . . . you . . . do this?"

With that, his mouth drew into a firm line. He looked away. "I have my reasons."

Hollyn couldn't stop her jaw from falling open. "What reason could convince you that killing my parents was okay? We welcomed you into our lives, and you destroyed everything!"

Head lowered as he climbed the stairs, Archie was decidedly silent.

Anger shot through her veins, burning hotter and hotter. He was responsible for her parents' murders and . . . he wouldn't say anything other than he had reasons?

Then again . . . there wasn't a defense in the world she'd accept! Her parents would still be alive today if not for him.

On the landing, with that thought lingering, Hollyn reconsidered the whole "good girl" thing. A distinctive poke in the back—not a finger, but likely another weapon—nudged her through the door and down a hallway to the right.

Leila stopped at a door, and Bouncer Two opened it.

They stepped into a large apartment. Four marble columns added a touch of over-the-top luxury to the main space, though with a long table and about a dozen chairs, it reminded her more of the command room back at the safe house than the living room it was meant to be. The far side of the room was just a wall of windows.

On another wall, five screens were mounted in a row. Each featured a video feed, different angles around the high rise—no sign of Benn or Glace on the streets below. There was one camera that showed the hospital across from their location and one of the Emirates Palace across town, but both views were highly zoomed out to the point that the whole building could be seen. That likely wasn't a good sign.

Bouncer One shoved her away from the screens toward a pillar near the windows that looked out over the busy street below.

As he bound her hands around the pillar with zip ties, she could feel defeat rising. She didn't bother trying to fight him off. Between the bouncers and the gun holstered at Leila's hip, Hollyn wouldn't get far anyway.

But before the brute blocked her view, Hollyn saw a familiar Jeep parked halfway onto the curb.

Hope welled anew. Maybe the team would find her before it was too late. She needed to stall.

Hollyn's mind raced. "It wasn't you who attacked me, and it wasn't Archie that the team captured before, so who was that back at my home?"

Leila didn't take her eyes off the screen. "Someone who'll be dining with Nemo from now on."

Unsettled at the ominous answer, Hollyn faltered. "What's your end goal here, Leila? If that's even your name."

"My name makes no difference," the woman who was now a stranger answered. In one of the screens on the wall, Benn and Glace slid into view. They were searching the perimeter of the apartment high-rise.

Hollyn desperately wished there was a way to warn them what was happening.

Leila typed something into the system, then spoke into a radio. "They're around the east corner."

Near the wall of windows, Archie stared out into the darkness.

Hollyn dropped her gaze to the table, unable to stomach the sight of him. "You're not going to get away with this."

"I already have."

"Davis and Fury will find me." Hollyn's heart raced in her chest. "And when they do?—"

"You'll be dead." Leila shook her head. "I just wish I'd be around to see his face." She indicated to the screen where a couple other men similar to Bouncers One and Two stalked along the side of the building. "I'd start saying your prayers now. Once I finish this, I won't need you."

The sickening realization that Leila never intended for Hollyn to make it out alive hit her like a brick wall. No wonder she hadn't held back details.

What did you do? No matter where you go, people die around you.

Tears welling, Hollyn trembled. Her bound hands strained against the zip ties, and bile rose in her throat.

"If we're done with the dramatics, I'd like to get on with business. The buyers are waiting, and there's a lot of money poised to fall into my account." Leila glared at Archie. "Watch her. She escapes, you die." With an unaffected sigh, she turned to Hollyn. "I'd say it's been nice knowing you, but who has time for lies? But really, I do owe you thanks. Without that brain of yours, none of this would be possible."

"Don't do this."

Leila grinned as she and the bouncers trudged out of the room. "I'll leave the live feeds up so you have a front-row seat to the deaths of your friends."

"Leila!" Hollyn yelled. "Stop!"

The only response to her demand was the sound of the door lock clicking into place.