Body and Soul (Twist of Fate 3)

Bennett’s entire body snapped to attention at the sound of his husband’s voice and he began struggling against his bindings. Lucky tried to lurch toward Xander, but Zoey managed to hiss at him and lean in to keep him from doing something stupid.

“It’s okay, son,” Xander said, a hitch in his voice. “It’ll be over soon and you and me and your father are going to go home, okay?”

I felt tears escape my eyes and turn cold on their way down my face.

Laughter erupted from Lyle as he straightened from where he’d finished securing Zach’s hands. “Told you the pretty one would cry. Please let me have him before you shoot him. The guy’s too easy to fuck with.” Lyle snagged my arm and forced me out from behind Jake. Jake reached for me, but when Lyle pointed his gun at me and hissed, “Do it, please,” Jake immediately stopped his forward movement and let Lyle pull me away from him.

Lyle forced me several feet farther into the room and turned me so I was facing the man I presumed was Barton. Lyle shoved me to my knees, but surprisingly, he didn’t tie my hands. I didn’t have to wonder why when he suddenly put his gun to my temple. Jake let out a cross between a cry and a whimper but didn’t move even a muscle. His terrified eyes met mine before he forced them back to Barton. Barton lowered the gun he’d been pointing at Bennett.

Barton glanced briefly at Lyle before returning his icy gaze to Jake. “If even one of them moves, shoot him,” Barton said.

I had no doubt he was talking about me.

“With pleasure,” Lyle said almost gleefully.

“I’m here, Barton! Let them go. You have what you want,” Jake said, his voice thick with emotion as he flicked his eyes frantically between Lyle’s gun and my face.

“Now why in the world would I let anyone go? You were right. No one is leaving here alive,” Barton replied. He walked over to Jake and pushed his gun into Jake’s cheek. “Did you really think any of you were going to survive this?”

Jake tightened his jaw against the pain of the gun barrel. “No. I never did. I left you alone for all these fucking years and you still couldn’t get the message I wasn’t going to say anything. I never once thought if you found me, you’d let me live. But if I’m going to die because of you, then you’re not making it out of here either. I’ve told twenty people back in Haven what you did and where to find you. Even if you kill us, this isn’t going away.”

Barton laughed. “If you think one little town full of a bunch of hippies is going to scare me when I’ve been up against goddamned mercenaries and cartel thugs, you’re fucking crazy. Do you have any idea the people I’ve had to kill to keep my drug operation going in Colombia? I even had to take out Diego himself when he decided to try and cut me out. But for the sake of argument, let’s say I actually believed that bullshit, do you really think some unprovable thirdhand storytelling is going to be believed over the word of a decorated agent like myself?”

Barton shoved the muzzle deeper into Jake’s cheek until he hissed in pain.

“No, but they’ll believe whatever’s on that flash drive that Megan snuck into my medical bag.”

I had the satisfaction of seeing Barton pale. I knew there wasn’t a flash drive, since Jake had already confirmed he had no hard evidence against the murderer, but Barton was clearly unsure of whether or not to believe him. “You’re bluffing,” he said.

“Let everyone go, and I’ll take you to it.”

I wanted to yell out my denial, but I managed to hold my tongue. On the one hand, I wished like hell I was wearing a watch so I knew how many minutes had passed since we’d separated from Wade’s group, but on the other, I probably wouldn’t have dared look at it, since Lyle likely would have used the little bit of movement to shoot me.

“Or how about, I just kill your boyfriend here…”

Barton tilted his chin at Lyle who jammed his gun harder against my temple, causing me to cry out both in pain and fear.

“No!” Jake shouted. “No, please, don’t.”

Jake lunged for me, but Barton backhanded him with the gun, then put it to his head. “You’re full of shit, aren’t you?” the man snarled. “There’s no flash drive, is there?”

When Jake didn’t answer, Barton hit him again. The man’s coolness had given way to pure rage. “Is there?”

“No!” Jake shouted.

My body began to shake because I knew we were running out of time. Where the fuck was the signal?

“Thought so,” Barton said in satisfaction as he stepped back.