Deadly Game (Fortress Security #5)(72)

Rowan glanced at her watch. Was the tracker working? Would help arrive in time to keep them from being taken to some faraway place or before they were hurt?

“Call the airfield. See if the plane is ready.” He glared in Rowan and Alexa’s direction.

She maintained steady breathing, hoping her niece wouldn’t wake yet.

A hushed conversation later, the other man said, “Plane’s ready.”

Phillips tipped his chin. “Get my bags.” After his underling left, Phillips glanced at Hard Hands. “Can Walters hold off the cops and anyone else who might try to interfere?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Yes, sir. Why?”

“You’re coming with me.” He swung his hate-filled gaze toward Rowan again though he still spoke to Hard Hands. “Keep them under control until we reach to our destination.”

Oh, no. Rowan rested her chin on her niece’s head. She needed to stall. Surely Brent was the one who called the police. “You don’t want to take us with you.”

He gave a harsh bark of laughter. “On the contrary, Ms. Scott, I don’t have a choice. If I leave you here, I won’t have leverage.”

“If my boyfriend is dead, his employees won’t give you what you want. My niece and I are extra baggage you don’t need unless you want even more trouble.”

“And if I let you go?”

“I don’t want the records. Tell me where to send them or I can burn them. I’ll do either option you choose if you and your men stay away from Alexa.” Would he take the bargain?

Phillips snorted and pulled his gun. “Get up, Ms. Scott.”

Taking as long as she dared, Rowan shifted Alexa’s weight so she could stand. Her niece mumbled something in her sleep and slipped back into steady breathing. Thank goodness. She didn’t want Alexa to be afraid. Rowan was plenty afraid for both of them.

If Phillips flew them out of the country, Rowan didn’t have her passport or Alexa’s. She had the will proving she was Alexa’s legal guardian, but nothing else. If Phillips flew them to another location inside the country, all Rowan had to do was escape and find the nearest phone to call Fortress. Hard Hands or one of his buddies had taken her cell phone.

Rowan rose and, after being prodded in the back with the gun, followed Phillips through the hallway and out the back door where an SUV waited, a driver behind the wheel.

She got into the backseat, Hard Hands climbing in after her.

Alexa stirred. “Aunt Rowan? Where are we going?”

“Shh. I don’t know, sweetheart,” she whispered into Alexa’s ear. “I guess we’re going on an adventure. Go back to sleep. I’ll keep you safe.” Somehow.

The driver raced from the collection of buildings toward the back of the property where a dirt road cut through the forest.

Her heart sank the farther they drove from the house. She prayed Brent found them before the plane left the ground.

Within minutes, the SUV exited the tree cover, turned onto another back road, and sped further away. Rowan studied the terrain, hoping for something to orient her. She didn’t miss the fact the men hadn’t blindfolded her this time, maybe because she had no reference point. More likely, though, they didn’t expect her to escape with a child in her arms and she wouldn’t leave Alexa behind.

More turns led them to an asphalt road. Fifteen minutes later, the driver took a sharp left, throwing Rowan against the passenger-side door. Alexa woke with a start. “We’re okay, Lex.”

“Where are we?”

“Not sure.”

Alexa sat up and looked around. “Look.” She pointed out the windshield. “A plane.”

Rowan’s stomach knotted. A jet waited on the airstrip. No law enforcement in sight or a Fortress SUV. Brent and his operatives would have to find her and Alexa farther away than any of them wanted.

“Are we going for a ride?”

“We’ll see.”

Hard Hands smirked at Alexa. “Yeah, kid, you are. A nice long ride.”

“Shut up.” Phillips scowled at his employee.

The driver stopped at the edge of the airstrip.

“Go back to the compound. We’ll have company soon if they haven’t arrived already.”

“Any orders, sir?”

He shook his head. “Walters knows what to do.”

Rowan studied Phillips’ expression. Something in his tone made her suspicious. Apparently his man didn’t hear the same thing Rowan had. Phillips’ voice indicated he’d planned something. Couldn’t be good. She hoped the plan didn’t hurt or kill law enforcement officers or Brent and his operatives.

Hard Hands opened his door and motioned with his gun for her to follow. Right. Scooting across the seat with her niece in her arms was no picnic.

Once she stood outside the vehicle, Hard Hands and Phillips escorted Rowan and Alexa to the plane. She glanced back before entering the cabin. The SUV was gone and there was still no sign of the police or Brent.

After a sharp jab in the back from Hard Hands’ gun, Rowan entered the cabin. Her eyebrows rose. Wow. Plush interior, leather seats. Looked like a top-of-the-line plane. The drug business must be lucrative for Phillips to afford this type of luxury.

“Strap yourself and the brat in, Ms. Scott. Todd, tell the pilot we’re ready.”