Brazen (B-Squad 1)

“There’s no time for that.”

They couldn’t fail her again. Not when they were this close. They’d missed her by mere hours at Bisu Manor. Then, about a month later, there’d been the desperate phone call Gidget had made to the B-Squad office. Now they were within running distance.

“We’ll tell the team to get as close as possible to the south beach and then send in the landing craft,” she said, already heading toward the door. “We’ll be out of here before Walsh even knows what’s going on. Then the DEA can have its fun.”

Taz nodded, a grim determination squaring his jaw. “Let’s do this.”

She fired off a quick text to Lexie and then she and Taz hustled out the door. They made fast work of getting out of the staff-only area, jumped into an abandoned golf cart and took off toward Gidget’s location.

Chapter 13

Bianca

Adrenaline zooming through her veins, Bianca braced her feet on the golf cart’s footboard as they careened around a palm tree on the zig-zagging trail leading to the far end of the resort. Lucky for them, the trail was deserted as they approached the area where they’d spotted Gidget. The list of things that could go wrong—already had gone wrong—ran through her head like the opening credits to Star Wars. They were so close though, she had to believe this time would be different. It had to be.

Still, the timing of it all had her on edge. She grabbed her phone.

BIANCA: ANY MOVEMENT ON SURVEILLANCE?

LEXIE: NADA

BIANCA: COULD THEY HAVE GRABBED HER?

LEXIE: ONLY IF THEY DID SO IN THE TEN SECONDS IT TOOK ME TO HOOK INTO THAT FEED AFTER YOU TEXTED ME. THE SIGHT LINES AREN’T PERFECT AND THERE’S NO THERMAL IMAGING BUT VISUALS SHOW NO MOVEMENT.

BIANCA: COPY THAT.

LEXIE: ON OUR WAY TO RENDEZVOUS POINT.

BIANCA: GOT IT.

She shoved her phone back in the chemise’s pocket. What she wouldn’t do right now for a frickin’ pair of jeans and her SIG SAUER. The team was bringing her favorite handgun with them, along with the rest of the portable armory. If they ran into trouble before getting Gidget off the island, they’d be prepared.

Of course, that was then. Right now, she was a mostly naked chick in a souped-up golf cart armed with nothing more than hope and some badass martial arts skills.

“Do you see her?” Taz asked as he took another turn at breakneck speed—for a golf cart, at least.

“Not yet, but that’s the spot.” She pointed to a trio of palm trees near an empty bench where the single path turned into four, each leading off in a different direction.

Taz slowed the golf cart to a stop and they both rushed out into the clearing.

“Gidget,” she whisper-yelled, not wanting to blow her friend’s cover if Walsh was hot on her heels. “It’s Bianca. We’re here to take you home.”

The only sound was the soft breeze coming in from the Pacific as it ruffled the palm tree’s broad leaves. Her stomach fluttered as she searched the dim area around the bench. It was all palm trees with fat trunks, decorative shrubs and brightly painted concrete statues, but no Gidget.

Fuck. They were too late.

She opened her mouth to call out one more time, but movement on the periphery caught her eye. The woman had grass in her hair, dark circles under her eyes and the hyperkinetic trapped-rabbit vibe, but there was no mistaking her identity.

Relief swept through her. “Gidget.”

“Bianca?” she asked, her voice raw, as she hung back near a large shrub. “Is it really you?”

It took a second for the reason behind the question to click. But as soon as it did, Bianca reached up and yanked the blonde wig off, dropping it to the ground and shaking out her shoulder-length brown hair.

“It’s me.”

Gidget’s eyes went wide before a small, disbelieving smile tugged at her lips that accentuated the way her chin trembled.