UNDERCOVER TO MY HEART

SHADOW'S AND BLADES

Steel flashed in the dark a split second before Roxy lunged for Bella's throat.

Bella dropped her weight instantly, ducking under the deadly arc of the curved hunting knife as the blade whistled through the damp night air. The two women spilled out the narrow side door into the shadowed alley behind the warehouse, their boots sliding across wet pavement.

You are dead, federal rat, Roxy snarled, spinning around with wild eyes and striking downward with a fast reverse grip.

Bella blocked the descending wrist with a sharp fore-arm strike, using her tactical training to absorb the impact. She slammed her left palm hard into Roxy's nose, sending a spray of red across the steel blade. Roxy grunted in pain, but she lunged forward again, tackling Bella hard against the brick wall. The heavy impact knocked the air straight out of Bella's lungs, but she kept her grip tight on Roxy's knife hand.

Drop the blade, Roxy! Bella gasped, wrestling for control of the weapon as their faces pressed close in the dark.

Never! Roxy spat, digging her fingernails directly into the raw cut on Bella's cheek.

Bella drove her knee violently into Roxy's midsection, forcing the biker to double over. With a swift twist of Roxy's wrist, Bella forced her fingers open. The hunting knife clattered loudly onto the asphalt, rolling into a rusty drain grate. Bella kicked Roxy back against a stack of wooden pallets, stepping in to pin her arms.

It is over, Roxy, Bella panted, reaching for her plastic restraints.

I am going to scream, Roxy wheezed, her bloodied lip lifting into a bitter grin. I am going to scream so loud every gun in this compound turns on you.

She opened her mouth to shout, but a thick shadow materialized out of the alley darkness behind her. Jack stepped up silently, swinging a heavy steel wrench in a precise, downward strike that landed flat against the side of Roxy's jaw. Roxy's eyes rolled back instantly, her knees giving out as she collapsed like a sack of stones into Jack's arms.

Jack! Bella gasped, taking a quick step back as he caught the limp woman.

She would have raised the entire base in three seconds, Jack growled in a harsh whisper, hoisting Roxy's body over his broad shoulder. Grab her boots. Help me move her before a patrol walks down this alley.

Where are we taking her? Bella asked, grabbing Roxy's ankles as they moved quickly through the rear service door.

The old tool locker under the staging floor, Jack said, navigating the dark sub-corridor with practiced ease. Nobody opens that room except the master mechanic, and he is working the docks tonight.

They shoved Roxy into the cramped, windowless storage room. Jack pulled a heavy brass padlock from a workbench, snapped it securely through the iron latch, and tossed the key into a nearby barrel of scrap oil.

She will be out cold for an hour, Jack said, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Is the USB drive safe?

I have the access codes, Bella whispered, touching her boot where the drive was hidden. Marcus gave me everything.

I know, Jack said quietly, his dark eyes searching her face in the dim corridor light. Marcus told me you made a deal to spare the garage boys. Thank you, Bella.

I know why you are really here now, Jack, Bella said, her voice dropping into a soft, urgent murmur. I know about your father. I know what Xavier did to him.

We talk about my father when we are outside these walls, Jack interrupted, his hand touching her shoulder with surprising gentleness. Right now, we have five minutes before that transport rig pulls out of the bay.

They crept through the utility access tunnel, emerging high on the catwalk above the main staging area. Below them stood a massive eighteen-wheel international transport rig. The box truck containing the human trafficking victims was already backed up to the rear doors of the trailer, connected by heavy iron ramps and covered by a thick canvas tarp. Cartel guards were busy secures the outer locking bars with air rifles.

That is our target, Bella whispered, pointing toward the back of the trailer. I need to get inside that cargo hold to plant the tracking beacon. If the rig moves without it, my federal team loses the signal completely.

I will draw the floor guards away, Jack said, reaching for a heavy iron pipe resting against the catwalk railing. When I drop this down the ventilation shaft, the main bay lights will short out for sixty seconds. That is your window.

Be careful, Jack, Bella said, her hand reaching out to squeeze his forearm.

See you at the docks, agent, Jack replied, offering a faint, dangerous smile before slipping into the darkness above the rafters.

Ten seconds later, a deafening screech of rending metal echoed through the ceiling vents, followed by a shower of bright yellow sparks. The massive floodlights hanging over the staging area went dead, plunging the entire warehouse into total darkness. Shouts of confusion erupted from the floor guards below as flashlights flickered to life.

Bella did not waste a single heartbeat. She vaulting over the catwalk railing, sliding down a support cable, and landing silently on the wooden roof of the transport truck. She slipped through the side loading hatch, dropping down into the dark, cramped cargo interior.

Rows of terrified, silent people were huddled together in the shadow of the truck walls.

Stay quiet, Bella whispered in a calm, authoritative tone, pulling her federal badge out to show the nearest woman. I am a federal agent. Help is on the way. Keep your heads down and do not make a sound.

Bella reached into her inner pocket and pulled out the primary ATF tracking beacon. She clicked the power switch, watching the tiny red light pulse steady and strong. She wedged the device deep behind the reinforced steel mounting plate near the rear axle, where no superficial search would ever find it. The signal was live, broadcasting straight to her handling team's satellite network.

It is done, Bella murmured, scrambling back toward the upper loading hatch.

Before her hands could grip the frame to pull herself up, a loud, piercing alarm began to blare across the entire compound. Red emergency strobes flashed violently against the corrugated steel walls of the warehouse, washing everything in a bloody light.

Intruder in the main sector! a loud speaker roared over the siren. Lock all exits! I repeat, lock every gate immediately!

A guard's voice echoed from the floor right outside the truck doors. They found Roxy locked in the storage room! Shut down the transport rig now!

Heavy iron security gates slammed shut around the perimeter of the warehouse with thunderous crashes, locking every door, window, and exit in total, impenetrable steel.