Broken Honor by Tonya Burrows Read Free Book Online Page A

Five
    The problem with deserts was that every move you made kicked up a cloud of dust as good as a neon sign screaming, “Incoming!” Quinn took the truck in as close as he dared, then dumped it and continued on foot at a dead run until he was within sight of the airfield. Only then did he force himself to slow down and flatten out on the ground. Except for a few rocks and some short desert plants, there was little in the way of cover here, but dust already caked mostof his sweat-dampened skin and clothes, offering a bit of camouflage if he stayed low.
    Quinn could be a patient man, but crawling toward that airfield one excruciating inch at a time was one of the most trying tests of self-restraint he’d ever endured. Every fiber in his being screamed that he had to get to Mara now . Make sure she was okay. Protect her. But he hadn’t seen a plane take off or land, so she had to still be at the airfield, and running in like Rambo would only get them both killed.
    Christ, he wished the team were here to back him up.
    He halted in the shrubs alongside the runway and spotted the Explorer parked in front of one of the two metal hangars about 150 meters away from his position. Was she still in the vehicle? He couldn’t tell. And he didn’t have a visual on the fuckhead, either.
    Now what?
    He had no team, minimal gear, and only a handgun. It was a damn fine weapon but still not enough firepower to take on…whoever he was about to take on. The Juarez Syndicate made the most sense, but it didn’t sit right in his gut. The abduction had been too slick, and the Syndicate had too much of a gang mentality to pull off something like this. Their style was more like the sloppy drive-by assassination attempt on Ramon Escareno last July. They didn’t do covert well.
    But who else could it be?
    Quinn rested his head on his forearms and gave himself a moment to breathe, which he hadn’t done properly since he saw Mara snatched. His headache was nearing epic proportions, and he had to face the possibility it could explode into a full-blown migraine. Or, worse, a blackout episode. If he went lights-on-nobody-home right now, he’d lose Mara.
    Possibly forever.
    Yeah, sure, he’d already lost any chance he would have had with her, and he could live with that. Maybe. But losing her completely? Knowing he’d never find out if she’d give him another shot because she was just…gone? His stomach clenched at the thought. No. He wouldn’t let it happen and fought against the headache with everything he had, separating himself from the pain, locking it away. He’d pay for it later, but right now all that mattered was getting to Mara. If he could free her now, before the plane they were undoubtedly waiting for arrived, he’d wouldn’t have to worry so much about the unknowns—how to get on the plane, where they were going, how he’d keep track of her once they landed.
    At least he didn’t also have to deal with scorching heat. Even with the bright afternoon sun, the temperature was struggling to top fifty. A blessing now, but if he was still waiting out here when the sun went down, hypothermia would become a very real problem.
    Which was exactly why he should make his move.
    Quinn sucked in a deep breath and shoved himself upright. He sprinted across the open runway in a low crouch. Nobody tried to gun him down, which he took as a good sign that this was a small-time operation, possibly even a one-man job.
    One man he could take. More than that… Well. He’d do whatever he had to.
    He reached the first hangar, found a side door propped open a half inch, and peeked inside. Dark. The fuckhead wouldn’t be sitting in complete darkness with Mara. They had to be in the other one. He backed away from the door and, staying close to the outside wall, moved around the back side of the building, then ghosted up the alley created by the two hangars. Even before he reached the second hangar’s closed side door, he heard muffled female sobs