Trial by Fire Read online

  “Excellent work, Abigail,” Liam congratulated as Abbey slowly rose to her feet.

  She looked at Gordon. The pride in his beaming grin was unmistakable. She shook her head. Should he be proud of what she had just done?

  He answered her question without her asking it. “I can’t speak for Liam, but to me, you just proved you can take care of yourself in a fight. As we said before, this is our biggest concern. I’m assured now that Sloan won’t have to worry about you if the two of you are attacked. You can handle yourself.”

  “Aye, lass. I agree,” Liam added.

  Gordon cocked his head toward the unconscious thugs. “Why don’t you go with Liam and get something to eat? We’ll start your firearms training after lunch. I’ll take care of these two.”

  Abbey stared at him warily. “Dad, how are you… I mean, you’re not going…”

  Gordon laughed. “They’ll go back to where we found them with double what we offered. I bet they didn’t think they would get a licking from a woman when they took this job.”

  Abbey couldn’t help but laugh as she followed Liam up the stairs to the supervisor’s room. She was a little surprised to find bowls of beans and rice already steaming on the table. Like the previous days, there were scoopfuls missing from each. “When did you cook this?”

  Liam stared at her, clearly stunned. After a long moment, he started to speak. “When you were fighting, of course. You were a little distracted.”

  She frowned. She could have sworn he had been there the whole time. It just didn’t add up, but he wasn’t going to tell her the truth. Shrugging, she sat in her chair to eat.

  It wasn’t long before Gordon strode into the room, which confused Abbey even more. For supposedly dragging two grown men into the streets of Bangkok by himself, he showed few signs of breaking a sweat, and he had done it in remarkable time. His grin told her not to bother asking how. With a sigh, she continued to eat.

  Once they were all finished, Gordon led them downstairs. Abbey watched as he fetched a table from the corner of the warehouse. Liam disappeared into one of the rooms next to hers, which she could only suspect was his bedroom. When he returned, his arms were loaded with black steel parts. He carefully laid the items on the table.

  “The first task at hand,” Liam announced, “is to assemble your weapon.”

  “I have no idea how,” Abbey protested.

  “Here. I’ll show you.” He held each piece to her before he snapped it on. In minutes he had a assembled rifle. He quickly pulled it apart and handed it to her. “Just try.”

  Abbey gaped at him in disbelief. “A sniper rifle?”

  “I talked to Heidi. She told me that she taught you to shoot. She also told me that as a beginner that you were better than half her men. It’s time you perfect that skill you learned with the right weapon. But first, you need to put it together. And remember—if you get it wrong, your shot could blow you and the gun apart. Good luck.”

  Chuckling, both men walked away to the dock door.

  Abbey watched them, baffled, as they disappeared around the corner of the warehouse. She glanced above her to the tinted windows and then studied the monstrous room. The feeling that she was being watched, being studied, just wouldn’t go away.

  She knew Gordon and Liam would never leave her in danger. But as much as she tried to shake the paranoia from her head, she just couldn’t. What would Sloan say if he knew she had been left alone in this warehouse in the middle of Bangkok? He couldn’t possibly approve. That was, if he still cared. He hadn’t sent one message since they had left Belfast. Not that she was getting messages here from anyone.

  Abbey studied the pieces of the sniper rifle scattered around the table. It was one large, impossible, dangerous puzzle with no directions. Her mind swarmed with thoughts. She couldn’t concentrate. She picked up two parts that seemed to go together. Quickly, she learned they didn’t. With a frustrated sigh, she threw them back down.

  She tried for hours to assemble the gun. Finally, she struggled together what she guessed was the weapon as Gordon and Liam returned.

  Gordon shook his head as he examined her work. “Put it down. It isn’t right.”

  “I thought you were going to make me fire it as a test.”

  “Even though here in the Gauntlet I’m your commanding officer, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m also your stepfather. And what you just assembled will blow up in your hands.”

  Abbey looked down at the rifle and let out a long sigh. She tossed it back on the table in defeat.

  Gordon frowned at her. “What is it, Abigail?”

  “Are we the only ones here? You, Liam, and me?” she countered.

  “Who else would be here?”

  “I don’t know. I keep seeing shadows up there.” Abbey pointed to the supervisor’s room. “And food is missing from our bowls at dinner.”

  “The old, fading tint from those windows gives off what you perceive as a shadow,” Liam explained. “And the food…well, I’m a hungry boy. Can you blame me?”

  “That wasn’t the way it was before,” Abbey objected.

  “Before, I was far more sneaky. I am when your ma cooks. Another reason I need a lass of my own. I was spoiled after all that time being cooked for.” He rubbed her slumped shoulder to comfort her. “Speaking of supper, let’s go make some. You can get back to this tomorrow.”

  Even with their excuses, it still didn’t make sense to Abbey. But she shrugged. “Sure. Let’s eat.”

  Cooking supper with Liam was relaxing. The abrupt change from the gritty, violent life Abbey had been leading was almost therapeutic. Instead of a quiet, tense meal, she, Liam, and Gordon talked and teased each other. It wasn’t mess hall with her commanding officers. It was time well spent with her stepfather and adoptive uncle, two men she greatly admired.

  Lights out came too soon. As she drifted off to sleep, she let go of the paranoia she had felt earlier in the day.

  Abbey didn’t have to be woken up the next morning. In fact, she was almost certain she was awake before the two men. Even though she had slept like a rock, she hadn’t been able to get the puzzle of the gun out of her head. It had haunted her dreams. She had to figure it out.

  Abbey strode out of her room to the table and examined the parts. Her forehead wrinkled as she concentrated. She picked up one piece and studied it. Then she found another that looked like it might fit. Slowly, deliberately, she snapped and screwed each part into place. As the last section was attached, she looked up to find Gordon and Liam standing there watching her.

  “How long have you been there?” she questioned.

  Liam chuckled. “Off and on. Three hours, lass.”

  Abbey looked down at the rifle in her hands. “Do I at least have it right?”

  Gordon smiled. “Would you like to fire it and find out?”

  Abbey returned his grin with one of her own. He wouldn’t let her shoot a gun that would hurt her. That meant everything was in the right place. “Sure. Let’s load this bad boy and fire off a few rounds.”

  Both men roared in laughter. They each clapped her on the shoulder and led her outside to the shipping yard. Gordon loaded a cartridge into the gun as Liam jogged to the far wall to set up a target.

  Gordon gently guided the firearm to Abbey’s shoulder, instructing her as he did so. Her heart raced as Liam scuttled out of the way. Once he was cleared, she pulled the trigger. Her feet stuttered a little at the recoil. As she lowered the rifle, Liam checked the target. Even from the distance, Abbey could tell he nodded as he smiled.

  “Bull’s-eye,” Gordon muttered.

  Abbey spun at him. “Seriously?”

  “Aye, little one,” he answered. “This is why we weren’t concerned with teaching you to fire a gun. Even with your limited experience, you’re by far the best shot on our team. No one holds a candle to you. And we’re in desperate need of a sniper.”

  Team. The thought made her swell with pride. “How many people are on this team?”
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  “Seven. Liam, myself, Sloan, Robert, Bartholomew, Logan, and now you.”

  “Oh. Good to know.”

  “I’m concerned about how you handle the recoil. Keep practicing. Adjust to it. Find a way to steady yourself.”

  “All right.”

  Gordon and Liam wandered back to the dock door of the warehouse, hoisting themselves on the ledge to keep watch. Abbey wedged the butt of the rifle against her shoulder again and peered through the scope. She fired. It knocked her a little off balance. She shuffled her feet and tried again. This time it only nudged her a bit. She wiggled a bit more then shot again. The recoil didn’t move her at all.

  Abbey glanced down as a laugh escaped her lips. She had instinctively dropped into fight stance. She giggled as she lifted the gun to her shoulder again and kept firing.

  It disturbed Abbey a bit that she enjoyed this so much. She had spent her life growing up with a mother who had preached peace. Now, here Abbey was, standing in a foreign country, firing a sniper rifle and liking it. Maybe she was more like Sloan than she thought. Maybe had half her family been killed in front of her, she too would have turned out just like him.

  Abbey didn’t know how long she had been shooting, but her arm felt like a ton of bricks and it ached. She turned as she felt someone brush against her. Liam stood beside her, a ledge made of wooden pallets behind him. “Let’s give your arm a break. You need to learn how to fire it on a mount, anyway.”

  He slid the stand in front of her and handed her the bipod. She set the mount on the ledge and then set the gun on top of it. She breathed a sigh of relief as she started shooting again.

  When lunch came up, Abbey pulled apart the weapon and placed the pieces back into the case Gordon gave her. Once they finished eating, the three of them returned to the mats for more hand-to-hand combat.

  Her next week was occupied with sharpshooting practice along with the hand to hand combat. The days blended together. She didn’t know the day of the week. She just knew it was the morning they started with grappling

  As Abbey wrapped her arms around Gordon’s neck, the piercing shrill of a ringtone filled the air. Gordon tapped on Abbey’s arm. “It’s mine.”

  She released him and watched as he crossed to the weight bench where he had left his phone. He pressed the Talk button and then crossed the warehouse to talk. His deep brogue grew angrier as the conversation continued. Shoving the cell in his shorts pocket, he stormed back to Liam and Abbey.

  “What is it?” Liam pried.

  “Our presence is required back home. Those idiots on the Board of Directors went ahead with the plans for London before we finished Hong Kong,” Gordon snapped.

  “Can’t Sloan handle it?” Abbey questioned.

  “Sloan has been…occupied. He can’t go. It’s up to us,” Gordon answered.

  “Oh.” Abbey’s heart fell. What, or who, could Sloan be occupied with? “So, we’ll come back then to finish my training?”

  Gordon looked at Liam. Their glares held a silent argument. Finally, Gordon spoke. “No, Abigail. We’ll cover the little things as time goes on. But tomorrow, you’ll go through the Gauntlet. You need to get some rest tonight.”

  Liam stood. “I need to get to the market. She’s going to need a heartier dinner than beans and rice.” He strode across the room and out the dock door.

  Gordon smiled at Abbey as he offered her a hand to help her to her feet. He pointed to the punching bag in the corner. “Why don’t you work with the bag? I need to go make arrangements for tomorrow.”

  Abbey nodded silently and then approached the bag. As she threw punches at it, her mind raced. Tomorrow would be the Gauntlet. Tomorrow, she would face seven men in seven situations, all with one mission—to kill her. Was she ready? She took a deep breath and let it go. It didn’t matter. If he wanted her or not, she had to be ready to defend herself and protect Sloan. His life depended on it.

  Liam didn’t disappoint with supper. There was roasted chicken with vegetables and rice. Even though Abbey’s stomach quaked with nerves, she ate as much as she could. For all she knew, it could be her last meal. Once she finished, she kissed each man on the cheek and then headed to her room.

  Abbey tossed and turned for nearly two hours. She thought about her children. She thought about her mother. Most of all, she thought about Sloan. She wanted to talk to him. She wanted to tell him she loved him. She wanted to tell him goodbye in case—

  She sprung off the cot and slipped out to the warehouse. She glanced up to the supervisor’s room and frowned. The light was on. Carefully, she ascended the steps.

  Liam sat at the table, a bottle of whiskey perched next to his hand that was holding a shot glass. It reminded Abbey of the night before they had rescued Sloan in Belfast. He smiled at her. “Can’t sleep, lass?”

  “No. Nervous,” she admitted.

  “Me too.” Liam stood and crossed over to a row of cabinets, opening the door of one. He returned to the table with another shot glass. Setting it on the table, he filled it and offered it to Abbey. “Something to help you sleep.”

  Abbey downed the amber liquid in one smooth motion. She winced as the drink burned her throat. Slumping into the empty chair, she nudged the glass to him. “Another.”

  In silence, they shared a couple of more shots. The room started to spin a little.

  Liam capped the bottle. “Bed, lass.”

  “Yes, sir.” Abbey stood on unsteady legs. She carefully descended the steps, unsure how she got to the bottom in one piece. As soon as she hit her pillow, she was asleep.

  The next morning, Liam led her outside the far end of the warehouse to a rusted metal door. Gordon was nowhere to be found. Liam motioned Abbey inside, closing the door behind her. She found herself in a small room with another door on the opposite side. Near the ceiling was a row of windows, the same as those in the training room of the warehouse. The second floor must run the length of the entire building.

  Abbey slowly approached the bare, splintered door in the concrete wall. Each footstep echoed the thundering in her heart. This was it. The Gauntlet. Seven rooms. Seven men with one order—kill her. She slowly exhaled. What am I thinking?

  Her head snapped up as a noise crackled over the ancient speaker mounted to the corner of the room. The cracking she heard wasn’t the old equipment. It was Gordon’s voice. “Abigail, stop. It’s over. You’re not going in.”

  Abbey paused. “If I walk away from this, if I don’t do it, will Sloan die?”

  “What do you mean, Abigail?”

  Abbey cocked her head toward the disembodied sound. “Will he be safe? Or will he be at risk, defending me because I’m not ready?”

  There was a pause. “He will be at risk.”

  “Then I have to do this.”

  “Why do you have to do this?”

  She exhaled. “Because I love him, Dad. Because Sloan is the center of my universe. He needs to live. He’s my children’s father. I would do anything for him. I would kill for him. I would die for him. I would sacrifice my life for him, willingly, without a question. My life isn’t important. His is. He’s my everything. I’m nothing without him. So, I have to do this.”

  She didn’t say another word. She stormed to the door, opened it, and stepped inside.

  »»•««

  Gordon leaned against the counter of the control room, his head lowered. He clenched his eyes shut. He and Liam had taught Abbey everything they could in a week. But it was nowhere near enough for her to survive this.

  He glanced beside him and sighed. Sloan stood in the same stance he did, but his head was up. The emotion etched in his face teetered between fury and agony.

  Sloan shook his head. “She’s my universe. Her life is the most important, not mine. I’ll never let her give her life up for me. Never. I’ll take the risk. My babes need their mama. I need their mama. I need her more than the air I breathe.” He looked at Gordon, his ice-blue eyes pleading. The pain he was feeling was clear. “Stop this. Get
her out of there. Please.”

  “Don’t you think I want to? The lass is my daughter, Sloan. I want to put her on a plane and send her back to the States. But this is her decision.” Gordon straightened himself. “I’ll take the last room.”

  “No. I’ll do it.”

  “Sloan, you realize what you’ll have to do? You can’t be gentle.”

  “I know.”

  “Kill or be killed.”

  Sloan’s glare was daggers. “I know, Gordon. I have to kill my wife. If she reaches the seventh room, her blood will be on my hands. I’m fully aware what I have to do.” He sighed. “I should have told her I love her. I should have just let her know I was here the whole time she was training.”

  “She couldn’t be distracted.”

  “So, you think I would have been a distraction? I have completed every assignment you have ever given me. You cannot deny that I was your best soldier.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Then, how would I have been a distraction?”

  “As you yourself said, the wee lass brings you to your knees. And don’t forget that I’ve been around you two together. You’re my children. The training wouldn’t have lasted long before the love began.”

  Sloan smirked at him. “I suppose that’s true. I’ve missed her.”

  “Aye. I know.”

  Both men turned their attention to the room below. Abbey ducked a punch from her first attacker and then returned with one of her own. She continued to attack, sending the thin, bald man stumbling. Before he could get back on his feet, she pinned him to the floor with her own body, pummeling him with her elbows. Then, she slid behind him and snaked her arms around his neck. She wrenched them tighter until he slumped lifelessly.

  Abbey struggled to her feet and leaned against the wall to catch her breath.

  “He’s not dead,” Gordon observed.

  “She can’t kill,” Sloan murmured. “She has a good heart. One of us has to have one.”

  Gordon glanced at him. Despite the tension, he smiled. “You have one too, lad.”