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glanced over his shoulder to Lopez , who technically was in charge. However , even the corporal looked to Rebecca. She clung to Brandt. Her beautiful white dress now streaked in soot.
    Davidson rushed to her side , but all Rebecca could do was shake her head. He felt Brandt ’ s pulse. It seemed to be weakening. The church had fallen eeri ly quiet as the parishioners fled into the street, taking their screams with them. Far away , the distant sound of police sirens wailed. But they would never get here in time.
    None of them could do anything for Brandt in time. Except for the enemy.
    “ They want him alive, ” Davidson said to her, not knowing what else to say. They simply didn ’ t have time for anything else. “ We ’ ve got to trust in that. ”
    Rebecca raised her face as black mascara tear tracks etched her features. “ Give me the harness. ”
    Quickly , they hooked Brandt into the apparatus. Once done, Davidson tugged on the rope. Immediately , Brandt ’ s unconscious body was pulled off the ground. Rebecca hurled herself forward, catching Brandt. Davidson feared he was going to have to pull her off of him, but she kissed the sergeant hard on the lips.
    “ We are right behind you, ” she whispered , then let Brandt go.
    The unconscious sergeant sped upward as the Disciples wasted no time claiming their prize. The helicopter hovering over the church banked away the second Brandt was loaded into the chopper.
    Davidson spun to the other men to find out their next orders , only to find Lopez gone.
    “ Where ’ d he go? ”
    Talli shrugged. “ Where do you think? ”
    With a tight smile, Davidson turned back to Rebecca just in time to catch her as she slumped to her knees.
    “ Are you injured? ” he asked.
    Shaking her head, Rebecca wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. “ Why Brandt? ”
    “ I don ’ t know. ”
    “ Why not me ? ” she asked , choking back a sob.
    Davidson pulled her into his arms , having absolutely no idea of how to comfort her. “ I don ’ t know, Rebecca … I don ’ t know. ”
    * * *
    Brandt jerked his eyes open , then wished he hadn ’ t. The world swam in a sea of reds and oranges. Whatever the fuck they had given him as an antidote, he swore he could see the blood vessels in the back of his eyes. That couldn ’ t be good.
    Despite the terror that spiked in his veins, Brandt couldn ’ t move. Not his arms or his legs. Nothing. Even his eyelids were beginning to drift down. It took every effort to keep them open.
    A man with a shaved head lowered himself to the floor of the helicopter. His face pierced with steel and his skin riddled with tattoos. One especially prominent. The S tar of David with a rod through the center. The sign of the Disciples of Moshe.
    Fuckers.
    “ Where is s he ? ” he asked almost reverently .
    What she ?
    Last Brandt had seen , Rebecca and Bunny were still in the church. Did these ass-bites screw up? Leaving the woman they wanted and taking him instead? But the Disciples were anything but stupid. The capture had been expertly done.
    Then what she ?
    “ Do not worry, ” the man said. “ Y ou will tell us . ”
    Brandt wanted to punch or kick at the guy — hell , he ’ d settle for biting him — but his muscles wouldn ’ t cooperate. It was like his whole body had been injected with Botox. Not a great feeling. Worse , it was keeping him from doing the one task he really needed to get done.
    He tried to get his tongue to work, but there was no way he could even form a curse let alone pop the false crown off his tooth. Nope. He was going to have to get the Disciples to do it for him.
    Brandt was going to have to count on their cruelty.
    Summoning up every ounce of energy he had left, Brandt spit in the man ’ s face.
    For a moment , rage contorted the inked markings , but then his captor ’ s face smoothed back into the mask .
    “ You cannot bait me. I walk the righteous path. ”
    Really? Brandt got the one Disciple slow to