by Elle Kennedy
“Where is my granddaughter?”
“Hello to you too, Walther.”
Dietrich’s cheeks hollowed, his jaw working hard, as if he were trying to grind his molars into dust. “Where. Is. She.”
“Don’t worry. She’s here with me, safe and sound. No thanks to you,” Morgan said bitterly. “You planted a bomb on my plane, you son of a bitch. She could have been hurt.”
“You have the nerve to lecture me about hurting people?” Dietrich boomed. “After what you did to my daughter yesterday?”
There was a pause, and then, “How about we don’t talk about Ariana? Cate is the one we need to worry ourselves with at the moment.”
“I want her back, Morgan,” Dietrich hissed out. “Catarina belongs with me.”
“I guess we can agree to disagree on that.” Another pause. “Cate’s not going anywhere. She’s staying right here with her father.”
Dietrich let out a stream of violent curses that caught Nik off guard. He’d never seen the man this shaken up before, and he quickly intervened before Dietrich said or did something that jeopardized Cate’s life.
“Let me tell you how it’s going to be, Morgan,” Nik snapped into the phone. “There are twenty mercenaries surrounding your compound at the moment. They’re armed with powerful assault weapons and RPGs, and if you don’t return Cate to us in exactly one hour, these very skilled men will blow your compound to hell.”
“No, they won’t.” Morgan’s confidence rippled over the line. “Do you honestly expect me to believe you’ll launch a military attack on the house that Cate is in? When Ariana was a victim of a similar attack? No, you won’t risk Cate’s life. And just so you know, she doesn’t want to leave. She’s happy right where she is.”
Nik wished Morgan were standing in front of him so he could strangle the life out of him. But the bastard was right. They would never endanger Cate’s life.
Or at least that was what he thought before Dietrich spoke up again.
“You think I’m bluffing,” he said coldly, “but I assure you, I am not. Yes, I want my granddaughter back, but if Catarina chooses to stay with you, then I’m afraid she will have to suffer the consequences. I’d rather see her dead than with you, Morgan. Do you understand me?”
Nik sucked in a shocked breath. He swiveled his head toward Dietrich, but the man was too busy spouting threats.
“You will pay for killing my daughter. I’m going to make sure of it. And if I have to sacrifice Catarina in order to make that happen, I won’t hesitate to do it.”
Nik opened his mouth to interject, but Dietrich cut him off. “One hour,” he spat into the phone. “If my granddaughter doesn’t walk out the front gate in one hour, I’m ordering my men to attack.”
The older man disconnected the call, as Nik stared at him in disbelief.
“You don’t mean that,” he stammered.
Dietrich’s features went harder than granite. “Yes, Nikolaus. I do.”
• • •
Noelle could tell from Jim’s expression that the phone call with Dietrich hadn’t gone the way he’d expected. His blue eyes had darkened with concern, and his face lost some of its color, which was not at all encouraging.
“What did he say?”
Kane was the first one to voice the question they were all thinking. The small group had gathered in what Jim had referred to as the war room, an enormous space belowground consisting of a conference area with a long table, and an entire wall of computer monitors. Ash and Reilly had stayed upstairs, sniper rifles locked and loaded as they kept an eye on the mercenaries surrounding the property, and the two security guards who manned the compound were monitoring every camera for the slightest hint of movement.
Abby was already gone. She’d left the compound through the underground tunnels, after being banished by Kane, who refused to take any risks when it came to his pregnant wife. Abby had checked in twenty minutes ago to report she’d made it to the team’s chopper and was waiting for them to join her.
Noelle stood next to Jim, whose expression was dead serious. Across the room, Jim’s daughter lingered in the doorway, wearing a pair of yoga pants and a loose tank top. Her dark blond braid hung over one shoulder, and she was toying with the end of it, her gaze fixed on her father.
“Why aren’t you answering the question?” she demanded.
Noelle couldn’t help but be impressed by how calm Cate sounded, and she found herself experiencing grudging respect for the girl. Sure, the kid’s expression revealed that she was scared to death, but she was still able to keep her cool, and Noelle appreciated that.
“He says he’s blowing up the house if you don’t come out within the hour,” Jim finally revealed.
Cate’s eyes widened.
“So what are you thinking?” Kane asked, his tone grim.
Jim sighed. “We’ve got twenty mercenaries out there gunning for us. Meanwhile, most of our people are scattered all over the globe. We’re outnumbered.”
“Then we go,” Kane said briskly. “The tunnels are secure, and we can make our way out before those mercs even realize we’re gone.”
“Yeah, I don’t see any other choice,” Jim answered, though he didn’t look thrilled about admitting it. “We can’t risk being here when they attack.” He glanced at his daughter. “And there’s no way in hell I’m letting them get their hands on you.”
“So we run,” Cate said bleakly.
“You run,” he corrected.
Noelle’s spine stiffened. The moment she saw the hard glint in his eyes, she knew exactly what he was planning to do.
So did Kane, who’d worked with Jim long enough to know how the man’s mind worked. “No fucking way, boss. You’re not going all Rambo on us.”
“What is he talking about?” Cate blurted out.
Noelle suppressed a sigh. “Your idiot father is about to take on twenty mercs all by his lonesome, while the rest of us whisk you away to safety.”
Horror flooded the girl’s face. “No.” She spun around to glare at Jim. “No way. You’re not doing that.”
He released a hasty breath. “I’m not taking on twenty men. Only two.”
Noelle couldn’t fight the wave of annoyance that rose in her body. “Do you really think you can get close enough to Dietrich and Bauer to take them out? Without getting your head blown off by all those men with guns pointed at you? Come on, Jim.”
“I’ll have the element of surprise on my side. I’ll leave the compound through the tunnel and backtrack from the jungle. They won’t see me coming.”
“I won’t let you do this,” Kane said curtly.
“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing you’re not calling the shots.” Jim clapped his hands together, his tone brooking no argument. “Gather the necessary supplies. I want everyone in the tunnel in five minutes.” He turned to address Noelle. “Can you stick around and make sure Cate gets to the chopper okay?”
“Dietrich could be watching the airfields,” she pointed out.
“You won’t be going to an airfield. The chopper’s stashed in a clearing about two miles from here. We’ll drive the Humvees out of the tunnel, ditch them in the jungle, and hike to the bird.”
“While you hike back here.” She scowled deeply at him.
“For fuck’s sake, not you too. Seriously, babe, don’t fucking argue with me about this.”
She arched a brow and didn’t say another word. Instead, she stayed at her spot near the table, watching as Jim and Kane stalked to the door.
Jim paused in the doorway to touch his daughter’s cheek. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll be outta here before they even realize we’re gone. I’ll come back and take care of things, and then we’ll see each other again in no time.”
Cate was too stricken to answer. Her blue eyes shone with worry as she stared at her father’s retreatin
g back.
Noelle turned away from the door and focused on the wall of monitors behind her. She found herself looking at the backup feed for every security camera on the property, immediately pinpointing the one that featured the most activity. Two military Jeeps had taken position on the eastern hillside, and she glimpsed several shadowy figures lingering near the tall electric fence.
“You don’t like this plan.”
Cate’s blunt voice had her spinning around in surprise. The girl hadn’t gone after Jim like she’d thought—she remained in the doorway, carefully watching Noelle.
“Doesn’t matter if I do. Jim calls the shots around here,” Noelle said with a shrug.
“But you don’t agree with what he’s doing.”
“No, but like I said, it’s not my call.”
“He’s going to get himself killed, isn’t he?”
Noelle ignored the burst of pain that went off inside her. “Probably.”
“And you don’t care?” Cate marched over and rounded the table so that she was standing directly in front of her. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. “Why didn’t you try to stop him, damn it? Convince him to run with us?”
“Because he’d never do it.” Noelle sighed. “And he knows as well as I do that running is a temporary solution. If you run now, you’ll always be running. Your grandfather will never stop looking for you, Cate. He’ll never stop hunting Jim.”
“You’re right,” the teenager whispered.
“Of course I’m right.”
“So you’re just going to let him get killed?”
“Have you ever tried arguing with that man? It’s like talking to a brick wall.”
Cate’s throat dipped in a swallow. “Okay...what would you do, then? I saw your face when you were looking at those screens. You have an idea, don’t you?”
She shrugged.
“Then why didn’t you suggest it?” Cate demanded.
“Because I knew Jim would never go for it.”
“Why not?”
“Because it involves you.” Breaking the eye contact, Noelle strode toward the door. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, honey. Come on, let’s go.”
The girl stayed rooted in place. “No. I want you to tell me your plan.”
Aggravation clamped around Noelle’s throat. She stared at Jim’s daughter, startled by the fortitude hardening those blue eyes. God, the girl looked so much like Jim right now. But she also reminded Noelle of herself—Cate had the same combination of innocence and grit that Noelle had once possessed. Before she’d become a coldhearted bitch.
“Tell me,” Cate insisted.
Noelle battled a rush of indecision, then let out a weary breath.
And told the girl what she wanted to know.
• • •
Nik stiffened when his phone chimed in his pocket. He’d been watching the house through his binoculars, standing in the shadows as he monitored the situation. Although the hillside was bathed in darkness, lights continued to gleam from inside the compound, and the exterior floodlights affixed to the fence lit up the entire property and offered a perfect view of the front gate.
Cate had yet to walk through that gate, and Nik was growing more and more frightened as each minute ticked by. The look in Dietrich’s eyes had been unmistakable—the man was seriously willing to sacrifice Catarina’s life if she chose to remain with Morgan.
Swallowing his fear, he checked his phone and saw the same words as before flashing on the screen. Private number.
“It’s him.” He gestured to Dietrich, who approached with brisk strides.
“Let’s hope the son of a bitch has decided to see reason,” Dietrich muttered. “Put it on speakerphone.”
As Nik touched the screen, Dietrich promptly leaned closer and said, “Have you reconsidered your stance about my granddaughter’s living arrangements?”
There was a beat, before a familiar female voice wafted out of the speaker.
“Grandpa?”
Dietrich’s shoulders tightened. “Catarina?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Are you all right?” her grandfather demanded. “Are they treating you well?”
“Of course. I’m not a prisoner here.” An edge had crept into her tone, but it quickly softened. “It was my choice to come here.” There was a pause. “And it’s my choice to leave.”
Nik sucked in a breath.
Beside him, Dietrich gave a pleased nod. “I knew you’d see the error of your ways.”
Another wobbly breath shuddered over the line. “But before I do that, I need you to promise me something.”
Dietrich narrowed his dark eyes. “What is it?”
“You have to send those mercenaries away. I mean it, Grandpa. Please don’t attack this house. Promise me you won’t harm anyone in it.”
He looked annoyed. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“Fine. Then go ahead and blow us all up. I’d rather die with Morgan and his team than have their deaths on my conscience.”
Nik didn’t miss the flicker of hesitation that crossed Dietrich’s expression. He held his breath, praying that the other man reconsidered, that he wouldn’t sacrifice his granddaughter as he’d threatened to do.
“Please, Grandpa,” Cate pleaded, sounding so much like Ariana that it broke Nik’s heart. “Send those men away. I’ll come out and get in the car, and we’ll drive to the airport and go home. Morgan has promised not to come after me.”
“He spent years looking for you. Do you honestly expect me to believe he’ll willingly let you go?”
“He doesn’t have a choice,” she said firmly. “He might be my father, but I don’t know him. We don’t have a relationship, or a history, or even all that much in common. I’m choosing to go home with you, Grandpa, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing that my decision to run away got other people killed.”
Dietrich sounded skeptical. “Morgan really agreed to let you go without a fight?”
“He’d rather see me alive than dead, even if it means me going back to you.” When her grandfather hesitated again, Cate stubbornly went on. “I won’t come out until Morgan’s security guard confirms that the soldiers you hired are gone. Once that happens, I’ll walk out on my own two feet and come home.”
Dietrich’s answering silence seemed endless.
Nik’s pulse raced as he waited for the other man to make a decision, but the longer he remained quiet, the more discouraged Nik felt.
And then, to his surprise, Dietrich clucked in agreement. “Fine, we’ll do it your way, Catarina. I’ll call off the men.”
Her relief was unmistakable. “Thank you. I’ll call you back in five minutes to make sure it’s done.”
After she’d disconnected, Dietrich swiftly reached for the radio tucked into the waistband of his black trousers. He clicked it on, and, as Nik stared in amazement, ordered the Serbs to retreat.
“What are you doing?” Nik demanded.
Dietrich held up a finger to silence him as he continued to address the leader of the mercenary team. “But don’t go too far, Ivan,” he finished. “I want you and your men out of sight, far enough that none of the cameras pick you up. The moment I give you the signal, you’re to move in on the compound.”
He shut off the radio with an evil smile.
“You promised Cate you weren’t going to attack,” Nik said slowly.
“Nikolaus, please. Do you truly think I’m about to take orders from a seventeen-year-old girl?” His lips curled in a sneer. “James Morgan is going to die tonight. I’m getting Ariana’s daughter back, and then I’m killing the man who ruined my daughter’s life.”
Despite the guilt he felt about lying to Cate, Nik didn’t challenge his boss. He might not have been on board with the original strategy, the one th
at could have resulted in Cate’s death, but he wholly supported this latest plan.
James Morgan deserved to die for what he’d done to their family.
It was an agonizing five-minute wait before the phone rang again, and when it did, Nik wasted no time answering. This time he didn’t bother with speakerphone; he just brought it to his ear and eagerly welcomed the sound of Cate’s voice.
“Is it done?” she asked.
He had to smile. “You mean you’re not checking the security monitors as we speak?”
She paused. “You got me, Nik. I can see that the men are gone.”
“Good. So you know we’ve held up our end of the bargain. Can you see us on the monitor as well?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” he said again. “We’re driving down to the front gate. You’re going to walk out slowly, and if you’re not there in ten minutes, your grandfather will have no choice but to call the men back. And you’ll walk out alone, Cate. If we see Morgan or any of his soldiers anywhere near you, we’ll be forced to open fire.” He swallowed. “Please don’t make us open fire.”
“I’ll be alone,” she said tersely.
The phone clicked in his ear. She’d hung up on him.
A moment later, Nik got behind the wheel of the covered Jeep, Dietrich slid in beside him, and they were pulling away from the fence.
The four-by-four vehicle easily maneuvered through the hillside, wheels bouncing when they reached the bumpy dirt road that wound around the compound. They followed the narrow road all the way to its end, where it turned into a gravel-littered path that stopped in front of the commanding wrought-iron gate. The first of three gates, in fact, but Nik didn’t attempt to drive any farther. Each gate seemed to require a code, and Cate hadn’t provided it for them.
He put the car in park and hopped out, hurrying toward the front of the gate as he raised his binoculars to his eyes to study the house up ahead.
His heart jumped when he saw the front door open.
A second later Cate stepped onto the porch.
She was three hundred yards away. The binoculars didn’t zoom in that far, but he was still able to get a vague look at her. Her hair was braided, and she wore jeans and a light blue sweatshirt. Her hands were in her pockets, her shoulders slumped as she descended the wide porch steps. He could see the discouragement in her body language.
