“You don’t have to. Open the account.”
They could both see the files sitting there when the USB connected. An e-wallet app and the other files Sam had put there. All were password protected—and Jenna didn’t know any of them. She clicked the app, her heart lodging in her throat. Alice wailed as Aunt Maggie tried to shush her.
The password box came up. Three more tries. That was it, and the ninety million was gone forever. Locked up and encrypted so no one could ever access it again. Not that Jenna felt like it mattered, really. It wasn’t her money, and she wasn’t going to keep it even if possession was all that was needed for Bitcoin. It wasn’t like a traditional bank account that belonged to a specific person. It belonged to the person with the password and the pin. End of story.
“Type,” Fisher grated. “Or the kid goes first. Maybe once I splatter her brains all over granny, you’ll believe I mean business.”
“You’re making me nervous!” Jenna cried. “If my hands shake too much, I’ll get it wrong. Do you want me to get locked out?”
He looked confused for a second. And then he looked murderously angry. He whirled toward the cage.
“No, I’m doing it! I swear! Stop! Please!”
Fisher whirled back, eyes flashing. “Type the fucking password, bitch.”
Jenna lay the key on the chair beside her leg and typed with both hands. It was her third guess, and she’d been thinking about it since the last one failed. She just wanted to get in and buy them a few more seconds. If it worked, she’d still need the pin. She was clueless about what it could be, but she’d worry about that if the prompt came up.
Jenna hit enter and held her breath.
Access Denied. Two Attempts Left.
“What the fuck?” Fisher growled. He grabbed her hair and yanked her head back, and Jenna grasped the key, slotting the edge between her fingers as she clenched it in her fist. She was about to swing it toward Fisher’s groin as hard as she could.
Until the ceiling caved in.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Noah, Mal, Gem, and Zany burst through the ceiling where the office was located. They’d gotten Bliss’s updates from Jenna, and they’d confirmed it was a suspended ceiling on the schematic. They’d scaled to the warehouse roof using the outer stairs and a fire escape ladder, then infiltrated through the windows nearest the office. From there they’d been able to crawl onto the rafters and skirt along to where the office was located directly below. The ceiling tiles were secured using a drop system, which meant they weren’t solid like drywall.
All they had to do was kick the tiles in and drop to the floor. They were counting on the element of surprise to disorient the gunman just long enough to take control of the situation. On Noah’s mark, they collapsed the ceiling.
The rest of the team was coming up the stairs as well as securing the perimeter from any interference, should Fisher have outside help in the complex. Since this was a Flanagan property it was possible, though they’d seen no sign of anyone heading in this direction since they’d arrived.
Noah, who was closest to a shocked Fisher, got off a kick from above. It glanced off Fisher’s shoulder, and his gun skittered away as he fell to the floor. He scrambled for it as the team landed with a mighty thud. Noah took in Jenna’s frightened face as his feet hit the floor. He couldn’t focus on her right now, but he was overjoyed she was alive.
Her chair had turned over when she’d jumped out of it and pressed herself to the wall. Fisher was closest to her as he rolled, coming up with the gun in both hands, ready to fire. Noah launched himself at Fisher as the gun went off, booming in the small space. The bullet went wide, but the next one might not.
Noah didn’t care. He was taking this motherfucker out, or he would die trying. He was almost there when Jenna moved. She was closer than he was, and she screamed as she threw herself at Fisher. Noah yelled, but it was too late.
Jenna landed on the Mafia enforcer’s torso and the gun went flying. He wrapped his hands around her throat and started to squeeze—and then he screamed as Jenna’s hand came up and slashed downward. Noah reached Jenna and jerked her backward, off Fisher.
The Jeep key fell to the floor, covered in blood and tissue.
Fisher kept screaming, his hands over the socket where his eye had been. Blood gushed. Jenna whirled into Noah’s arms as Gem rushed by and secured Fisher’s wrists and ankles with zip ties.
The rest of the guys appeared, and someone got bolt cutters to free Maggie and Alice. Noah felt frozen inside as he watched. His emotions had chilled the instant he got the news from Bliss that Maggie and Alice were in a cage. Like dogs. One of his childhood nightmares had returned, and it made the bile rise in this throat.
Not for himself this time. He was more than capable of stopping anyone who tried to do that to him ever again. He was enraged for the woman and child who’d had to suffer the fear and indignity and helplessness of being caged.
Fucking Owen Fisher. Fucking asshole who cared more about money than about a human life. He’d threatened to kill Alice for crying. If the man wasn’t in agony already, Noah would’ve taken pleasure in breaking a few limbs. It wasn’t necessary, though. He’d never see out of that eye again. Too bad the key hadn’t been longer and sharper. Jenna could have penetrated into the man’s brain and killed him.
Then again, Noah didn’t wish that burden on her. As it was, she’d probably have nightmares about what she’d done.
As soon as the cage door was open, Zany reached in and took Alice, who was sobbing. Gem helped Maggie to her feet. She clung to him as she emerged from the cramped position of sitting inside the cage.
“Thank you, sweet boy,” she said.
“Anytime, Mags,” Gem said gently.
Zany took Alice out of the room and downstairs. As much as Noah might want to hold her, he had Fisher’s blood on him from where Jenna had clung to him with it on her hands. They both needed to clean up before they could hold Alice. Saint and Wolf were there, looking pissed off as the others grabbed Fisher and took him from the room.
“You okay, Jenna?” Saint asked.
She was still clinging to Noah. “Y-yes. I’m okay. Aunt Maggie, I’m so sorry.”
Maggie looked over at them and smiled a little wearily. “You can’t be responsible for evil people, child. Now hush up, tell that man you love him, and I’ll hug you when I’m not so dirty.” She glanced down at her pink tracksuit. “This was my favorite. Stupid jerk.”
Noah thought he might love her for saying she was too dirty to hug Jenna instead of pointing out the blood on her grandniece’s hands.
“We’ll get you another one,” Gem said. “If we have to comb through every store between here and Dunkirk, we’ll find it.”
“Oh honey, it’ll launder. I’m just feeling mighty pissed off about it is all.”
Gem led Maggie from the office and Noah put an arm around Jenna to escort her down the stairs and to the restroom. He hoped the water was still on in the building so she could wash her hands.
She stopped him on the landing. “Are you okay, Noah?”
He blinked. “Me? You’re asking me if I’m okay. Baby, I’m worried about you. How are you?”