Whispers in the Dark - Maya Banks [113]
Donovan motioned for the three men on the floor to stay down while Sam went around behind Phillips and patted him down. He then directed him to put his hands behind his head and leave them up where they could be seen.
Swanny, Joe and Ethan burst into the kitchen just then.
“Rest of the house is clear,” Ethan said.
Sam directed him over to cover Phillips and then Sam stalked toward Resnick.
But Nathan was there first, fury boiling in his veins. Sam stepped in between him and Resnick and shot Nathan a meaningful glance. Yeah, it meant calm his ass down, but it was easy for Sam to think that. If it was Sophie in danger, Sam would be batshit insane.
“What the fuck, Resnick?” Sam thundered when he turned back to the other man. “Nathan wants your ass on his wall and I’m tempted to let him have at you. I’d be very careful what you do and say over the next little while because he wants to kill you. I want to let him.”
“Where’s Shea?” Nathan demanded. “Tell me where she is, and if you’ve hurt her in any way, so help me God, you’re a dead man.”
“She’s not here,” Phillips said from behind them.
Nathan whirled around, his gaze finding the younger man. “Where the hell is she then? It was you who tossed her over your shoulder and made that dumb-ass jump into the helicopter. You could have killed her!”
“If my orders were to kill her, she’d be dead,” Phillips said evenly. “My orders were to deliver her safely. I did that. There was never a question of her safety.”
“Fucking Marines always think they’re such bad-asses,” Ethan muttered.
Garrett raised his eyebrows at his younger brother but let the insult pass.
“Where is she?” Nathan bit out again. “I don’t give a shit what your orders were. I only care about where she is now.”
To Nathan’s surprise, Phillip’s cheeks colored and he fidgeted. Suddenly he didn’t look like the supercomposed, always-follow-orders badass. He looked…embarrassed.
“She escaped.”
Seven mouths fell open. Joe stepped forward and stared at Phillips. Then he smirked. “She kicked your ass, didn’t she?”
“Fuck you,” Phillips muttered.
“Look, she freaked out when she came around,” Resnick interjected. “I thought we had more time. She came to, Phillips was supposed to see to her, and she escaped.”
Sam quirked up his eyebrow as sudden understanding flashed across his face. “Is she what happened to your arm?”
Resnick nodded, his expression still tight with pain. “She shot me when I tried to prevent her escape. Hell, she jumped out of a second-story window. I was worried she was hurt. She basically told me to fuck off and then shot me before she ran like a damn jackrabbit.”
“Fierce!” Garrett crowed. “I knew I loved that girl. You deserved everything you got, Resnick.”
“Did you send someone after her?” Nathan asked in a deadly quiet voice.
Resnick shook his head. “Look, it just happened. I was just sending the men out to find her.”
Nathan moved in close and stroked the barrel of his rifle down the column of Resnick’s neck until Resnick broke into a sweat. “Your next move is to back the fuck off. Then you’re going to tell us what the fuck you were doing in Shea’s parents’ house. You’re also going to tell us why you’re so goddamn interested in Shea and Grace Peterson. And then you’re going to forget you ever knew anything about either of them.”
Resnick shook his head, his eyes determined. “I can’t do that.”
“Why the fuck not?” Nathan snarled.
Resnick’s head dropped and he let out a weary sigh. “Look, Donovan, can you patch me up here? This arm’s hurting like a son of a bitch and I need to be able to use it. I’ll tell you everything I know while you work.”
Nathan shook his head. “Hell no. You don’t get shit from us until you tell us what the fuck is going on. I don’t give a fuck if your arm rots off. Shea is out there scared to death and unable to communicate with me. I’m not leaving her a minute longer than necessary. I’m going after her and you’re going to arm me with everything I need to know about what I’m walking into.”
“Christ. At least give me a