Sudden Recall Read Free Page B

thing was bizarre. And not just the situation she was in now.
    Aunt Karen was like an acquaintance living in her house. Sienna had figured she’d develop familial affection for the older woman at some point, but it hadn’t happened yet. What kind of niece didn’t even love her own aunt? And what had Parker said, about her not even having an aunt, just an uncle? How strange was that?
    It was like everyone knew more about her life than she did. Sienna wanted to grab her hair at the roots. All the tiptoeing around, all the side glances and making sure she hadn’t snapped. It was infuriating. She wanted to just get in her truck—if it actually worked—and drive off into the sunset. But every time she got ready to leave, it was like her aunt got needier.
    Now she was about to get a ride out of town when she really didn’t want to go.
    The gunman shook her arm. “Move. Now.”
    * * *
    Parker was pretty sure his rib was broken. He lay on the ground listening to the men walking Sienna to the van, then rolled over and did a push-up, getting his legs under him. Oh, that hurt. He jogged after them in time to see her struggle against the man holding her, desperate not to be put on the waiting chopper. Good girl.
    She was giving the fight a valiant effort, further proof that what she’d said was true. In fight-or-flight mode no one was good enough to keep up the pretense. She’d have done even better in this situation had she retained all of her previous skills, which meant they likely truly had been forgotten.
    At least these men didn’t seem to want her dead, or she’d have been killed already. No, they only wanted him dead—which was pretty much the story of his life.
    Since the single gunman had his back to him, Parker cracked the door on his truck and grabbed his phone, hoping they wouldn’t see the dome light. He sent a text to the duty phone at the marshal’s office that was manned 24/7, a code that meant, “Get everyone here. I’m in serious trouble,” along with his location. The team wouldn’t thank him given they’d also had a rough day, and were probably all home in bed by now. But they would understand.
    Parker clicked the door as quietly as he could while Sienna kicked and struggled against her captor.
    The helicopter pilot yelled through the open door. “Let’s go!”
    Parker took cover behind the truck, his gun aimed at the man. “US Marshals—let her go!”
    The gunman pointed his weapon and fired. Parker ducked for a second, then lifted up to shoot again—aiming for the far side of the man so there was less chance a miss would hit Sienna.
    She kicked out at the gunman so that the man’s shots went wide and missed Parker. Sienna grabbed the man’s head and ripped the wool balaclava from his face.
    Brown hair fell down across his forehead and surprise flashed on his face, distracting him enough that Sienna was able to slam his head back against the side of the helicopter. He dropped to the concrete, unconscious. Maybe she hasn’t forgotten everything.
    A boot crunched gravel at his back and Parker spun. He sideswiped the rifle with his forearm and punched the man. The fight was nasty, but Parker got him on the ground, arms behind his back. “Who sent you here?”
    The man didn’t answer.
    Sienna sprinted over and took cover behind Parker.
    Parker asked again, “Who sent you?”
    The man on the ground chuckled. The words he spoke were Italian, but Parker understood them nonetheless. He was going to kill himself. Before Parker could flip the man to his back and prevent the suicide, he’d already bitten down on what was likely a cyanide capsule in a fake tooth.
    Parker pulled Sienna away so she didn’t have to see or hear the man’s unpleasant death. The helicopter rotors spun faster and it lifted off the ground, those inside apparently fully prepared to cut their losses and