She loved this man so much.
With Jace safely in her arms, Owen appeared out of the crowd and grabbed hold of her father, hoisting him up from the floor and holding a gun to his head. “Make a move, old man, and I’d be happy to put a bullet in you. Consider it payback.”
The red drained from her father’s face, but Piper couldn’t have cared less if he felt threatened. He should. Now that the crisis was past, she glanced around the rest of the hangar. The guards were either disabled, lying on the floor clutching their bloody wounds, or also being held at gunpoint by one of the prisoners. Piper scanned the scattered group, looking for Noah. He broke away from menacing a guard and hurried to her side. Jace released her just as her brother arrived, and she hugged him hard.
When she pulled back, she gripped his cheeks in both hands. “Tell me you’re okay,” she demanded, tears threatening to choke her words.
He gave that silly crooked grin he’d always had. “Now that my big sister is here to rescue me, things are looking up.”
Piper shoved him back with both hands. “You are such a pain in my ass, little brother!” She had to struggle to chastise him through the tears, shaking a furious finger at him. “Next time you run off to do something stupid, like volunteer for a dark program, let me know first! Do you know how hard it was to track you down?”
Noah shook his head and glanced at Owen holding his father. “I hate it when you’re right, Piper. I should’ve known better.”
“Damn straight.” She grabbed him and hugged him again.
“But you do always bring the party with you, sis.” He held her tight, and when she pulled back, he had a smile on his face. He slid a look to Jace. “And your boyfriend is a hell of a fighter.” Noah extended his hand, and Jace shook it.
Then Jace paled and braced himself against the gurney, and Piper realized how injured he really was. Blood was weeping from several holes all over his body.
She rushed brace him so he wouldn’t fall. “We need a medic!” she yelled out.
“I am the medic,” he said, weakly. “Just a few holes. Nothing that won’t heal up on its own. Probably.”
“Probably is not good enough.” She couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, but he looked like he was ready to pass out. Before she could do something about that, a group of four camouflage Jeeps rolled in front of the open hangar door. Piper watched, slack-jawed, as Daniel spilled out of the first Jeep, and a dozen armed Army MPs flowed out of the rest. They hustled into the hangar, weapons at the ready, sweeping the area.
Daniel strode toward her, eyes wide, pistol out, but pointed at the ground. “Piper are you all right—” He cut himself off when he saw Noah standing beside her. “Noah!” His voice was disbelieving.
“Hey, bro.” Noah threw side look to the Piper, and she shook her head. She wasn’t at all sure what Daniel was doing, storming in like this.
Daniel motioned to his MPs, and they took up a perimeter stance around all the prisoners and the downed the guards. Then he stared at the shredded straps of the gurneys, and Jace’s blood covered form. “What’s going on here?”
That was when he saw their father being held at gunpoint by Owen. Daniel’s gun came up and pointed at Owen’s head.
“Daniel!” the Colonel exclaimed, holding his throat, which was bloodied from Jace’s fangs. The greasiness in her father’s voice made Piper wish Owen had decided to shoot him after all. “Thank God, you’re here. These criminals had just about beaten us.” Behind her father and Owen, two of the other prisoners had Agent Smith on the ground, their boots pressed into his back, holding him still. It was clear the prisoners were in charge—but it was also obvious that they had maimed a lot of people, namely guards, in the process.
Daniel’s gun wavered. “Piper, are you responsible for this?”
Piper stood taller. “Yes.” And he better not try to undo this escape, or she would find a way to tear out her brother’s throat with her own fangs.
Jace reached for her hand. “She’s responsible for this, all right. If it weren’t for her, there would be a lot more people dead, including your father, who she convinced me not to kill just a minute ago. And probably your brother, Noah, as well, who has been trapped here, tormented by your father and Agent Smith, that asshole on the ground with the boots on his back.” Jace pulled in a ragged breath, and Piper’s heart clenched—she needed to get a healer for him, stat. But they would only be able to do that if Daniel and his MPs were on their side.
“Don’t listen to them,” the Colonel rasped out, his hand still on his throat, playing up his non-injury. “Daniel, son, you know she’s never been anything but trouble. For herself and for everyone else.”