Page 41 of Rescuing Erin

We had an issue with Warren. He’d withheld information about the kidnapping of the deputy director of the CIA. His extreme dislike of Zane Lewis had put our mission in jeopardy and had caused my teammate Lincoln Parker to be held hostage longer than he should’ve been. The president had been outraged at Warren’s stupidity. He’d indeed threatened to place him in rendition until he’d cooperate. In the end, he’d caved and given us the intel we needed but still landed himself in a world of shit and Tom had fired him as Director of the CIA.

A red light flashed on the small camera connected to the top of the computer screen, and I could see the angle showed both her and me.

Fuckers!

The image on the screen was replaced by Tom Anderson’s angry face.

“Jesus Christ, Erin! Are you okay?” His voice was unusually gruff.

“I’m fine.” I couldn’t see her face but I knew she was choking back tears. “Don’t do anything they say, Daddy. Don’t—”

“You have twenty-four hours to reinstate Angel or you’ll never see your daughter again.” The man to Erin’s side yanked her head back and she yelped in pain. “The sooner you sign, the less your daughter suffers.”

What the fuck? There was that goddamn program again. What the hell was so important about Angel that the men in this room were willing to die to have it up and running? And how in the fuck did the disgraced ex-director of the CIA get involved in an NSA counter-intelligence program?

“Don’t do it, Dad. They’re going to kill us either way.”

“Erin. Listen to me, sweetheart. You’re going to be okay. I’m going to get you out of there soon.”

“Just kill me!” Erin screamed and spit at the man next to her. “Do it. Dad, don’t sign anything. I’m not walking out of here without Colin.”

I jerked the chains and tried to spit the cloth they’d shoved in my mouth out. She needed to stop antagonizing them. They were not secret service agents she could push around and who would eventually give in. These men would slit her throat without thought or remorse. She was nothing to them, a means to an end. Nothing more.

“You’ll have my signature in less than twenty-four hours. There better not be one more mark on my daughter or so help me God I will burn down this country looking for you.” There was no mistaking the look of rage on the president’s face.

The feed disconnected, and Warren closed the lid to the laptop.

“There. That wasn’t too difficult, was it?”

“Fuck off!”

“Such a filthy mouth. What would your mother think?”

“My mother would be proud. She taught me not to ever give in to bullies.”

Warren untied her hands and yanked her up, face to face with him. “Is that what you think I am, a bully? Princess, I’m your worst fucking nightmare. And if you don’t start behaving, I will slice you up bit by bit while Colin over there is forced to watch. Is that what you want? The last thing he sees before he dies will be the woman he swore to protect mutilated. Because I can arrange that. He knows he failed. He knows he’s going to die. But most of all, he hopes you get out of this alive so there will be some honor in his death.”

Erin’s gaze swung to mine, and she flinched at the sight of me. I pleaded with every fiber of my soul for her to stop taunting them. All I needed was time to figure out how to get us out of this mess. Time I wouldn’t have if she continued to push.

“Fine.”

Thank God!

“Let’s go, princess. Time to get you settled.”

Warren dragged Erin away, her eyes not leaving mine until she disappeared from the room. I wasn’t happy she was out of my sight but pleased she wouldn’t witness the beating I knew was coming. It didn’t take but a second after the door clicked shut behind her for the wailing to start. I swallowed my agony, not wanting her to hear. She was scared enough as it was. Anything I could do to save her anymore fear, I would. I could take anything for her.

Chapter 15

It had been a long time since I’d been shoved into the room and told to sit down and keep my mouth shut. The only reason I’d done what I was told was because I couldn’t miss the look on Colin’s face. I didn’t need to hear his words to know he wanted me to follow directions. It took everything in me not to provoke the men further; I would rather they kill me now. I was trying to be strong, but panic was setting in. This was my worst nightmare come true. My biggest fear. Not only that, I was afraid they were going to kill Colin. I believed the man when he told me he’d slice me up in front of Colin before they killed him. I couldn’t do that to him.

I was sitting on the concrete floor, praying for a quick death when the door was swung open and two men dragged a badly beaten Colin inside. I started to stand but stopped when one of the men told me not to move.

“Here.” A third man set down a bucket and dropped some rags on the floor.

Once Colin’s handcuffs were secured to another chain, the men exited the room, and I crawled over to his prone body.

“Colin? Can you hear me?” I whispered.