Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The truck slowed, and Remi braced for whatever was to come. Howler had obviously scoped out where he was going before today, because he didn’t hesitate to turn down a series of roads that got smaller and smaller. First asphalt, then gravel, then dirt, and now they were driving on two-tracks in the grass that couldn’t even be described as a road. He stopped the truck at the edge of a huge forest.

He turned around and said, “Now the fun starts.”

“Asshole,” she mumbled from behind Blink’s hand. The other SEAL hadn’t taken his hand from her mouth during the entire voyage. It was annoying, and she’d tried to bite him several times, but Blink had merely pressed down on her mouth until she stilled, then loosened his hold once more. He hadn’t hurt her. It was still confusing as hell. What was the point of being gentle with her if Howler was just going to kill her anyway?

Blink finally took his hand off her mouth after Howler exited the truck. He opened the door, slid across the seat and stood, all the while holding Remi as if she was nothing more than a toddler. Which was actually pretty impressive, considering her height and weight. But Blink maneuvered her seemingly without any effort…which kind of pissed Remi off again. Her emotions were on a roller coaster, and the adrenaline in her veins was making her feel kind of sick, but she had to stay alert. Ready for anything.

“Come on,” Howler said. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

Remi noticed he had her phone, and she desperately wanted to get her hands on it. To call 9-1-1, Vincent, Wolf, anyone. Of course, she had no idea if there was any cell service out here, but she’d walk however far it took for her to be able to get through to someone, if only she could escape.

“Walk,” Blink ordered, gripping her upper arm in his left hand and wrapping his right arm around her waist, holding her against his side.

Remi wiggled, trying to see if she could possibly get away, but of course Blink had a firm hold, and she didn’t see how she could get him to let go of her. He was stronger and taller.

She tried to scream, but Blink quickly covered her mouth with his hand, even has he forced her to walk. Not that it mattered; there wasn’t anyone around. It was just her, Howler, and Blink. The only sound was the leaves blowing in the breeze. Wherever Howler had taken her, it was certainly deserted.

It was crazy, but she was actually glad for Blink’s physical support as they walked into the trees, as it didn’t seem as if her legs wanted to hold her up. She almost cried at the thought. Remi needed her muscles to work if she was going to get away from these assholes.

“Please let me go, Howler. I promise I’ll leave. Move away from Riverton. Whatever you want me to do.”

But the SEAL leading the way to whatever destination he had in mind just shrugged. “Sorry, but that won’t work. I need Kevlar broken. Need him unable to function so I can take his place. Prove that I can do a better job at leading our team than he does. And the only way to do that is to hit him right where it hurts most.”

“He and I, we…it’s not serious.” The lie felt wrong on her lips, but Remi would literally disown her entire family right now if she thought it would get her out of this situation.

“That’s not what he says,” Howler informed her.

Remi’s heart nearly stopped, it ached so badly. She didn’t need to ask what Vincent might’ve said about her, because Howler seemed happy enough to keep talking.

“All he talks about is you. Remi did this, Remi said that…barf. You should hear him go on and on about that ridiculous cartoon you draw. He acts as if it’s the funniest thing ever when it’s just fuckin’ stupid. Shit, he actually claimed you were the best thing that ever happened to him. That being stranded in the water in Hawaii with you was actually kind of fun. Fun!” Howler yelled, suddenly spinning to face her and Blink.

“He was supposed to fucking die! And he thought it was fun!” He stomped forward so he was right in front of her, and Remi could feel Blink tensing against her side. She didn’t dare move. Didn’t dare say anything. It was obvious Howler was losing it, and her cheek still hurt where he’d hit her before. She didn’t want to antagonize him further.

“With you gone, he won’t be having any more fun. He’ll be crying over your coffin, doing everything he can to figure out who killed you and why, and I’ll be with my team in Chad, kicking ass and taking names. His plans are ridiculous, too conservative. The only way to deal with terrorists is to go in hard and fast. All the planning and contingencies and twelve-hour days are just fucking stupid. We need to get over there and do what we’ve been trained to do—kick some ass. I’ll show the commander and everyone else how a real SEAL leads a team. Your death will break Kevlar. I’ll finally get my shot. We’ll see what kind of fun he’s having then!”

Remi was appalled. But she did her best to keep the horror from showing on her face. That’s what Howler wanted, for her to be scared. To beg. But it wouldn’t do any good; it would just make him more satisfied.

“You’ll get caught,” she said after a moment, with only a small tremor in her voice.

“No, I won’t. My phone is on and transmitting my location back at my apartment. I went home to eat lunch, and by the time Kevlar raises the alarm that you’re missing, I’ll be rushing back to base to help along with everyone else. Blink will be my alibi. My truck is old enough that it doesn’t have a GPS. There are no tolls on the roads to get here, and I’ve got another set of clothes in my truck, just in case things get…messy.”

Remi had to admit that it sounded as if he’d thought this through—to a point. But her fingerprints would be in his truck. Possibly even her DNA. And he’d called her. There would be a record of that as well.

Howler thought he’d planned everything perfectly…but he’d still messed up.

Then she had a thought. “My phone,” she whispered.

“Yep. Your phone,” Howler said, glancing at the device he was still holding. “It’s probably transmitting even now. Although the cops will still have a large area to search because the pings aren’t precise. By the time they even think to trace it, even if fucking Tex steps in to help, Blink and I will be long gone. And I want the authorities to find you, Remi. I need you to be found so Kevlar can fall apart. Oh, I’ll smash it before we leave. All the police will find is plastic bits. No tire tracks, no footprints. Just your poor dead body.

“You’ll end up in the cold case files and no one will ever know who killed you or why. They’ll be forced to assume it was a random abduction. Maybe you opened your door to someone who kidnapped you. But…time’s a tickin’. No more time to stand here and chatter with you. I have a mission to Africa to plan. Bring her,” Howler said, nodding at Blink.

This time when he urged her forward, Remi’s legs refused to work.

No, she wasn’t going any farther into this forest of death. She wasn’t going to let Howler get away with his plans. He was acting like a jealous kid, stomping his feet and crying because he wanted to be in charge of a SEAL team. It was insane. He was insane.

But her refusal to walk didn’t faze Blink. He simply lifted her off her feet and strode into the trees after Howler.

“Please, Blink—don’t do this! You don’t have to do this!” she babbled. “You’re a good man, a good SEAL. What happened wasn’t your fault. You can still stop this. Please don’t let him hurt me!”

Blink didn’t respond. His lips were pressed tightly together and she could see a muscle tic in his jaw as he carried her. She kicked and writhed, tried frantically to get out of his hold, but he only tightened his grip and said, “Stop it, Remi.”

“No! Let me go! Blink, this is crazy! You can’t kill me! Help! Someone help!” She resorted to screaming because she was out of ideas.

Howler spun and before she could react, he punched her again. Blood dripped from her lip down her chin, but she barely noticed. His fist reared back and he tried to punch her again, but this time he only got her shoulder because Blink had turned with her in his grip.

Remi grunted at the pain that shot down her arm.

“I got her,” Blink huffed, before putting his hand back over her mouth.

No! She had to be able to speak! To talk her way out of this. To beg! But Blink’s hand was immovable. She tried to twist her head but his arm was wrapped around it, holding her cheek against his shoulder.

“Fucking bitch. Keep her quiet and come on. I’m behind schedule,” Howler complained. “It’s not far now.”

Remi was kind of straddling Blink’s hip as he carried her and kept her quiet at the same time. She dug her fingers into his arm, trying to dislodge him, with no luck. She prayed she was getting some of his DNA under her nails. Anything that would help the cops figure out who kidnapped her.

Then Howler stopped walking—and if she was scared before, it was nothing compared to how she felt looking down at the hole in the ground that Howler had obviously pre-dug.

There was what looked like a footlocker sitting in the hole, with a padlock hanging open in the latch.

“No!” she screamed behind Blink’s hand.

“Put her in,” Howler ordered.

Remi struggled as hard as she could against Blink. If he got her in that box, she was as good as dead. She supposed she could be grateful that he hadn’t simply pulled out a gun and shot her in the head, or stabbed her twenty times before locking her in…but then again, was being buried alive any better?

It was almost pathetic how easy it was for Blink to subdue her and shove her into the metal box. She tried to get up on her knees, not wanting to make it easy for these men to kill her, but Howler came over and added his weight to Blink’s as they pushed on her shoulders, forcing her to fold into the box. She was screaming at the top of her lungs and flailing as she did her best to escape. It was no use.

The sound of the box slamming shut seemed loud in the tiny space. But it was the sound of the lock engaging that had every muscle in her body freezing in terror.

This was it. She was going to die. Right here and now.

She heard Howler say, “Fill it in,” before a loud thud made her locked muscles jerk. There was another thud on top of the box—and that’s when the tears started.

She was being buried alive. By a man Vincent trusted with his life.

Awkwardly, Remi struggled onto her side and curled into a small ball as she sobbed uncontrollably.

She wanted to live. She hadn’t gotten a chance to tell Vincent she loved him. That he was the best thing that had ever happened to her. And it was likely he’d never know one of the men he’d been to hell and back with had been the one who’d killed her.

“Vincent,” she cried. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I tried to fight…I did.” No more words would come out through her sobs as she lay in the metal box that would become her coffin.

“I’ve asked everyone, and no one has seen her,” Caroline said in Kevlar’s ear.

His shoulders sagged. He’d hoped against hope that Remi would be at Aces, even though he knew it was unlikely. “Thanks for looking.”

“What do you need from me? From Wolf?” Caroline asked. “He can call the guys and I can get in touch with the girls. We can start looking. Just tell us what you need.”

This was why Kevlar never regretted becoming a SEAL. The unwavering support. Even from men and women who were no longer active duty. It meant the world to him. He just wished he had something for them to do. At the moment, he had nowhere to start a search for Remi. It was as if she’d disappeared into thin air.

“If you could just call Wolf and let him know that Remi’s missing, I’d appreciate it,” Kevlar told Caroline. “But that’s it for now. I’ll be in touch if I get any intel.”

“All right. We’ll find her, Kevlar.”

Would they? Those were words everyone said when someone went missing, but they sounded so hollow at the moment. “Thanks,” he managed to say before hanging up.

He stared at the table, feeling frustrated and lost. He was a SEAL. He should be doing something. Should have some ideas about where to start looking for Remi. He still held out a small glimmer of hope that she was simply out shopping or something. That’s what any normal person would assume when they couldn’t get a hold of their girlfriend when she was an hour late, but after what happened in Hawaii, and with how new their relationship was, he didn’t think she’d up and leave without telling him where she was going. Hell, she’d barely left his apartment since she’d arrived. She always said she was more than comfortable hanging out in his space, drawing. Occasionally text with him and…

Marley!

Kevlar reached for his phone. Stupid! He needed to call Remi’s best friend. If she’d gone anywhere, surely she would’ve told Marley.

Three minutes later, he’d only managed to freak someone else out, and hadn’t learned anything else about where Remi could be. Marley hadn’t heard from her, and the last she’d known, Remi had been looking forward to seeing Caroline again and having lunch with him.

The door behind him burst open, and Flash and MacGyver were suddenly there.

“What’s happening?”

“Got here as soon as the commander told me Remi was missing.”

Just having his teammates there to have his back made Kevlar feel much better.

Then Preacher, Smiley, and Safe arrived too.

Kevlar stood and faced the best friends he’d ever had…but he had nothing to say. Had no idea what to tell them. His mind was blank. He was supposed to be the team leader, but at the moment, he was lost. Frustrated and pissed off. And had no idea what to do next.

“Where’s Howler?” Smiley asked.

“He didn’t answer when I called him. Left a message,” their commander said.

“I’m sure he’ll be here as soon as he can,” Flash offered.

“Probably went and picked up some Frog Hog to fuck during lunch,” MacGyver muttered.

Kevlar couldn’t argue that point. The closer they got to leaving on a mission, the more Howler felt the need to pick up women. He’d tried to talk to his friend about how fucked up that was, but Howler wouldn’t listen. He was a little disappointed that the man wasn’t there to help find Remi, but since he had no idea where to even start looking for her, he supposed it didn’t really matter.

Safe walked over to Kevlar and put his hand on his shoulder, then turned him and forced him to sit. “Start at the beginning. What’s happening, when did you last hear from Remi?”

Taking a deep breath, and thankful for his friend taking charge, because he wasn’t able to do more than panic at the moment, Kevlar brought his team up to speed. He prayed they’d be able to think clearer than he could. That they’d come up with a logical reason why Remi wasn’t answering her phone and was nowhere to be found.

Blink was hyper-focused. He needed a window so he could act. Just a small one. He was at a disadvantage here. Howler was an asshole, and obviously unhinged, but in hand-to-hand combat, the guy would come out on top. Blink had let his physical shape slide in the last few weeks. Sitting on his ass brooding hadn’t done his body any favors. And Howler would have been working out daily, preparing for the mission to Chad.

If they got into a fight out there in the woods, Blink would lose. And there was too much riding on him overpowering Howler for that outcome.

He’d hated seeing the terror in Remi’s eyes as he’d closed that fucking lid on the footlocker. And while he’d done his best to protect her from Howler’s fists, he’d still gotten in a few licks.

That outraged Blink. Pissed him off so badly that Howler was using his strength against someone physically weaker. Blink had manhandled Remi into the backseat of the truck to keep her out of range of the guy’s fists. She didn’t understand that he was helping her, of course. How could she? He’d had to go along with Howler’s insane plan, not let his horror show over how callously and casually he’d planned another person’s death.

He’d done what was necessary, including complimenting the man’s leadership skills and promising to serve under him. No way in hell was that happening. Blink’s SEAL team had been his family. He would’ve died for them, just as they’d died and been hurt to save his life. No fucking way would he sully their names and character to serve under someone like Howler.

The man was unhinged. Jealous as fuck. Blink had occasionally watched the team in Aces. He’d seen the looks Howler frequently shot Kevlar’s way. No one thought he paid attention to anything when he spent hours at the bar…but he did.

Blink saw everything. Heard everything. He knew how people talked about him. Gossiped. Knew they thought he’d lost the will to live. But he’d simply been…recalibrating. Coming to terms with what happened. Mentally saying goodbye to his friends.

He’d also seen the way Kevlar couldn’t take his gaze from Remi that one afternoon in the bar, and how she looked at him with longing when she thought no one was watching.

He saw how nervous Remi was, how uncomfortable she’d been at Aces, but she still charmed everyone and fit right in with Kevlar’s SEAL family. And when she’d approached him, Blink had braced himself for the intrusive questions. For more insensitivity disguised as well-meaning concern.

But instead, he’d gotten kindness. She didn’t know him, and yet she’d still wanted to make sure he was all right. Thank him. She’d made him almost smile for the first time in weeks.

She’d somehow gotten through to him, when nothing and no one else had.

And how had he repaid her? By scaring the shit out of her and making her think he was as bad as Howler.

She’d never forgive him. Would never be able to see him without remembering the terror she’d felt when she’d been abducted. And he couldn’t do anything about that.

But Blink wasn’t going to let Howler get away with his evil, outrageous plan.

He had no doubt the commander wouldn’t make Howler team leader, regardless of what this stunt did to Kevlar. Even if there was no other SEAL team available to go to Chad, the commander wouldn’t send Kevlar’s team without him. Howler was delusional. He wasn’t going to be leader. Ever. He didn’t have the right mindset or the skills. He only had his own conceit that made him think he could successfully do the job.

“Shit. Faster, Blink! I need to get back to base!” Howler ordered. “We need to get this box covered so she’ll suffocate before anyone finds her.”

His words horrified Blink even further. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Howler was standing behind him, close enough that he could see his progress. More than content to watch as Blink did the physical work of filling in the hole with dirt. Another sign this man could never be a leader. A true leader didn’t just watch others do the work; he’d be right there helping.

Remi was pounding on the locker now. Blink winced, imagining the damage she was doing to her fists as she unsuccessfully tried to get out of the locked box.

It was now or never.

Tightening his hands on the shovel, Blink took a deep breath—and moved.

He swung the shovel like a baseball bat, putting all his strength behind the hit.

It took Howler by surprise, scoring a direct hit to his face. Blink felt the bones in the other man’s face crack as the metal shovel found its mark.

Howler cried out in pain and fell onto his back with a hard thump. “You asshole!” he shouted, rage filling his features as his hand went to his nose. “You were the perfect fucking pawn⁠—”

Without hesitation, Blink was on Howler in a flash. He straddled his waist and attacked.

Over and over, he punched the other SEAL in the face, letting all the grief and rage he’d felt for weeks pour out through his fists. He struck so fast and furious, the man didn’t have a chance to fight back. Pummeling him until his knuckles were covered in blood…and Howler was no longer moving.

Panting, Blink rose on his knees, hyper alert, ready to do whatever it took to make sure Howler couldn’t get up. Wouldn’t get away with his crazy fucking plan to kill Remi. He’d thought it was sheer luck, him standing at his window, seeing Howler pull up at the apartment complex. And after what Howler said about being a pawn, he knew he was right…but it wasn’t lucky for Blink. It was lucky for Howler.

He’d been set up. Howler had obviously heard about his so-called paranoia. The ridiculous rumor that he spent all his time at his apartment windows, watching his neighbors. And he’d obviously hoped to use that to his advantage, letting Blink take the fall for Remi’s death. He’d fallen right into the asshole’s hands.

Even knowing that, Blink was so grateful that he hadn’t hesitated to get in that truck. To put himself in the middle of Howler’s plan.

Remi would hate him, and Kevlar would forever be pissed that he hadn’t done more to prevent things from getting this far. But Blink had done what he could in the situation.

Taking a deep breath, he looked down at Howler—and froze.

Shit.

The man wasn’t moving—at all. Wasn’t moaning, wasn’t trying to get up. He just lay in the grass, limp and bloody.

Moving slowly, Blink reached out a shaky hand and put his fingers on Howler’s neck.

Nothing. No pulse.

Falling to his ass and backing away from the body, Blink swallowed hard. He didn’t regret killing the man, but he knew it would cause problems. He’d be accused of everything. Kidnapping, attempted murder. Remi would recount everything he’d said and done, and he’d be found to be as guilty as the asshole lying dead on the ground.

He didn’t care. He’d accept the ramifications of what happened here today. Because Remi would be alive. That was all that mattered.

As thoughts of Remi entered his brain, Blink realized that he couldn’t hear her pounding on the footlocker anymore. Was she okay? He hadn’t put more than a few shovelfuls of dirt on top of the box. But he had no idea if Howler had done something to make the locker water or airproof. Was she suffocating already?

Blink crawled back over to Howler and frantically dug in the front pocket of his jeans. He had to have the key on him. He had to. But he came up empty.

The asshole had the key to the padlock somewhere, but Blink didn’t have time to find it. He couldn’t go back to the truck or, God forbid, all the way to the man’s apartment to search for it.

He had to get that lock off. Now.

Looking around, Blink spotted the shovel he’d used to bash in Howler’s face. He stood and reached for it, hurrying back to the hole. He used all his strength to bring the shovel down on the lock. It made a clanging noise as it hit the side of the footlocker, but didn’t come off.

“Come on, you asshole. Break!” Blink murmured as he hit it again. And again. He was blind with desperation and fury. He had to get that lock off and get Remi out of that box. He wouldn’t stop until she was free.

His hands were slippery on the handle because of the blood from Howler’s face, but Blink refused to give up. Splinters from the cheap wooden handle dug into his palms, but he didn’t even feel them. All his focus was on breaking that lock. He couldn’t save his teammates, had watched as they’d been shot by the enemy, but he’d be damned if anyone else died on his watch.