by Liliana Hart
“I can shut down his sensors without him knowing before you get into range, but I’m close to being able to reprogram the detonation codes so the ones he has will be inactive. I’ve programmed the route he took into your watches. I’ll follow your progress from here.”
“So we’re basically walking into the lion’s den without knowing how to get through the doors?” Archer asked.
“I’m still working on that part. Just get moving. By my estimation, he’s got a little over an hour before he needs to check in and type in the codes. Make sure you’re wearing your comm units. The sat phone won’t be viable once you cross a certain point.”
“It must be nice to be sitting behind a computer screen a couple thousand miles away right now.”
“I’m not complaining,” Cal said.
“Don’t worry,” Dec cut in. “He’s up in the rotation for the next assignment.”
“It’ll probably be guarding some heiress in a five-star hotel somewhere. Bastard has all the luck.”
“You know how much I hate the cold,” Cal said deadpan. “She’s lucky she got you for this round.”
“I’d say so,” Audrey chimed in. “I would’ve already put a bullet in you by now.”
Archer barked out a laugh and watched the smile tug at Audrey’s lips. “Signing out and turning comm units on. Watch our backs out there. He’s not going to play nice.”
“Roger that.”
Audrey checked her watch as it beeped and coordinates began coming through, and then she took the earpiece Archer handed her and put it in her ear.
“Checking in with control,” Archer said.
“Reading you loud and clear. You guys keep the mushy talk to a minimum. I don’t want to lose my lunch all over Miranda.”
“I’m pretty sure you lost your virginity all over Miranda. I’m sure a little lunch won’t bother her a bit.”
“Fuck you, Archer.”
“That means I won that round,” he whispered to Audrey.
They collected weapons and checked ammo, and put on their heavy jackets and hats for the ride.
“I’m assuming we’re going to commandeer our dead Russian friends’ snowmobiles to make the trek to The End of the World.”
“I think they’d want us to have them,” Archer said, spinning the MR5 around so it hung on his back. “You ready.”
She nodded and followed him outside, ignoring the bodies that still littered the ground. Three of the snowmobiles had been destroyed by Archer’s grenade, but they found two that were in good shape.
Jonah had been out riding quite a bit if the snowmobile tracks were anything to show for it. They used the coordinates on their watches to keep on course, and the watch buzzed as soon as they hit their destination.
“We’ve got a small problem here, Cyph,” Archer said. “We’re at the end of our destination and there is nothing here but snow. A lot of snow. There are snowmobile tracks all across and back again, but there’s nothing else.”
“It’s an underground KGB bunker. You’re standing right on top of it. Now we just have to figure out how to get you in.”
“You don’t know how?” he asked incredulously.
“I’m working on it. You guys always expect the impossible, and nothing is ever that easy.”
“My apologies. Just take your time while we stand here and twiddle our thumbs.”
“I do have good news,” Cal said. “I broke the codes for his antipersonnel explosives so the ones he has are no longer operable. Declan’s making the call to the SEALs so they can locate the ships and remove the devices. He wants you to bring Salt in.”
“What?” Audrey asked, the color draining from her face. “That’s not acceptable. He dies here. Today.”
“I’m just relaying orders. If you can bring him in alive, then do so. The CIA has gotten wind somehow that Salt is alive. We think your Russian intelligence boys tipped them off to complicate things.”
“We’ll deal with it when it comes to that,” Archer said, reaching over to squeeze Audrey’s hand, but she was like a statue and he could see the pain on her face. “Tell me how to get inside and find him.”
“There’s some type of voice activation code, but it’s not anything I recognize. It’s not an actual voice command, but it’s got a high frequency and pitch. Miranda isn’t picking it up yet, but we’re filtering it through the system.”
“You think it’s electronic?”
“That could be a possibility.”
“No,” Audrey said. “It won’t be electronic.” And then she started to whistle the same tune Salt had whistled while shooting at her earlier. It was just another part of his game.
The ground trembled beneath their feet and the snow shifted as stairs that led into the earth seemed to appear from nowhere. Audrey and Archer both reached for their weapons and spread out from each other, trying to keep their balance as the ground continued to shake.
She heard the answering whistle as Salt appeared at the top of the stairs and she raised her gun.
“I wondered if you’d figure it out,” he said, his smile sending chills down her spine. He ignored Archer completely. His eyes were only for her. “You were always a bright student. Damned hard to kill, but very bright.”
“Jonah Salt,” Audrey said. “You’re to be transported to Langley on charges of treason and terrorism.”
“No, I don’t think so. You forget the little matter of the oil tankers that are set to blow. In fact,” he said, checking his watch, “if I don’t type in the codes to disarm them in the next eight minutes they’ll detonate.” He spread his hands in a gesture to indicate an explosion and said, “Boom. It’ll be bad, love. It’s best if you and your friend find a safe place to hide.”
Salt finally looked over at Archer and his smile faded. “Oh, wait. Never mind. I’ve decided to kill you instead. Six feet under is as safe a place as any, I guess.”
Archer let Audrey do the talking. The connection between the two of them was obvious, and he didn’t want to set Salt off by interrupting.
“I’ve got bad news for you, Jonah. Your little devices have been deactivated. It turns out you’re not quite as good at covering your tracks as you think you are.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Audrey. There are less than a handful of people who could decipher those codes to deactivate the entire system.”
“You don’t believe me? Fine. We can stand here for the next six and a half minutes and see what happens when you don’t check in. I’ve got nowhere to be at the moment.”
“Jesus, Sharpe,” Cal hissed through the earpiece. “Don’t antagonize him.”
Salt stared Audrey down, trying to decide if she was bluffing or not, and he finally sent her a knowing smile that had ice forming in Archer’s gut.
“So we’re at an impasse, it seems,” he said. The corners of his mouth quirked and his eyes were stone cold. “I have other projects, though this one has been very lucrative so far. If I’d known how tenacious you were going to be, love, I might have brought you in on it. You did have—” he looked her up and down with a sneer on his face, “Certain attributes that I found very enjoyable.”
It took everything Archer had not to give in to the temptation and unload his weapon into the pompous ass. His arm jerked in reflex, but he kept the gun down by his side. But it was enough movement for Salt to notice.
“Ahh, that bothers you does it, Agent Ryan? Our Audrey likes to spread her favors around, so it seems.”
Archer let the rage rush through him only to be replaced by ice. There was no use for anger in a volatile situation. Jonah was a master at playing games. That’s all he was doing now.
“You might be wondering how I know your name, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out. I know all about Archer Ryan and who you’re working for. I apologize for making you cut your vacation short with your daughter. I’ll make sure to send flowers for your funeral.”
Salt put his hand in his pocket and Archer tensed, bringing up his weapon, but Salt only pulled out a small
silver remote, no bigger than a finger.
“Relax, Agent Ryan. Or should I call you Warlock. I remember you from some years back. You had quite the reputation in the CIA. Though I’d heard rumors you’d died quite horribly.”
“You know what they say about rumors,” Archer said.
“So it seems. Today is just as good a day for that horrible death.”
“And how do you hope to accomplish that?” Audrey asked. “Last I checked there were two of us and one of you.”
“Well, first I am going to put a bullet in you. Right here,” he said, pointing at his forehead. “You won’t be able to walk away from that one, and I think it’s important for Agent Ryan to watch you die. He cares for you, though he’s trying not to show it. Really, it’s very sweet.” Salt’s smile was a cruel slash across his face.
“And I do owe you for the shot you took on me the other day.” He flexed his shoulder where the bullet had penetrated. “It was very clever of you to come at me from the water. I didn’t expect it. And clever is something you’ve always been, Audrey. Which is just another reason it’s important for you to die first.”
“The minute you do he’ll gun you down like the dog you are,” she said coolly. “It’s worth the sacrifice.”
“Ahh, there’s where the problem comes in,” Salt said. “I’ve got nothing to lose here. The second my heart stops beating this whole area will blow. I’ve got this nifty heart monitor.” He pulled back the sleeve of his jacket to expose the flesh colored pad and digital readout of his heartbeat. “And it’s connected wirelessly to enough TNT to take out a good chunk of Alaska the minute my heart stops beating. So either way, the two of you die.”
Archer caught Audrey’s gaze and in it he saw the finality and acceptance of what was going to happen. There was a good chance that neither of them would come out of this alive.
He heard Cal and Declan talking on the other end of the ear bud, while Cal tried to figure out a way to disarm the bomb and get everyone out alive, but he knew they were worried. The calmer Declan’s voice became the more worried he was.
“Audrey,” he said, seeing in her eyes the sacrifice she planned to make. “Trust me.”
She nodded once and looked back at Jonah. “If I’m going to die,” she said, “then I plan to drag you with me kicking and screaming.”
Salt let the gun drop down from his sleeve and into his hand, but Archer was ready for him. He shot him in the chest, just to the left of his heart. It was a killing blow that would have him bleeding out in seconds, but it would hopefully keep his heart pumping long enough for them to get the hell out of there.
Salt squeezed off two rounds as he crumpled to his knees, but they went wild.
“Run,” Archer yelled, sprinting as fast as he could for the snowmobile.
Archer grabbed Audrey by the arm and pulled her with him to the closest one. He straddled it and started the engine as she climbed on behind him. There wasn’t time to look back. His only thought was to go as fast as he could and get as far away as possible. He pressed on the accelerator and it took off, spraying snow up on both sides so it hit them in the face.
The sound of another gunshot seemed unusually loud over the engine, and he heard Audrey whisper, “Oh, God.” Her arms tightened around his waist. “He shot himself in the head.”
Seconds was all it took for the earth to rumble beneath them as the bomb detonated. The earth seemed to cave in on itself, starting as a small hole in the center where Jonah’s body had been and rippling outward, disintegrating everything in its path as it widened.
“Faster, faster,” Audrey chanted in his ear, leaning forward as if that would help with the momentum.
The rumble beneath them became louder and the vibrations made the snowmobile difficult to control. And then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped and the world seemed to go still. Audrey hugged him tight and he could feel her ragged breath against his back.
Archer skidded the snowmobile to a stop and turned to look at the destruction.
“Sweet Christ,” he whispered under his breath. Not twenty feet from where they stood was a crater in the earth at least the size of two football fields. There was nothing there but a gaping hole of darkness. Truly the end of the world.
“I think I need to tell you something important,” Audrey said, still clinging to his waist. He didn’t want her to ever let go. That was much too close of a call.
“Yes, I’ll have sex with you,” he said to lighten the tension. “But give me a couple of minutes for my balls to get out of my throat. Jesus, that was close.”
“Idiot.” She choked out a laugh. “I was going to tell you I love you, but I think I’ve changed my mind.”
He turned to look at her and cocked a brow. “You can’t take it back, sweetheart. We just survived The End of the World.”
“I’m trying not to gag here,” Cal said through the earbud.
“Shut up, Cyph. I’d like to tell the woman I love her without your help.”
“Buddy, you need all the help you can get.”
“I’ve got all the help I need right here in my arms.” He pulled the piece out of his ear and tossed it into the snow, and then he pulled Audrey into his arms and kissed her laughing mouth. The End of the World was a good place to start a future.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Two Months Later…
The sun beat down on her face as she watched the waves crash along the shore. Her toes itched to be in the sand, and she wanted to feel the water lap against her legs.
After Alaska, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be warm again. Then she’d been stuck in Montana for almost six weeks—where it was still cold and snowing—so she could be debriefed by her old CIA handler and fill out paperwork that officially released her to work for MacKenzie Security. She was now gainfully employed, and it felt a little odd considering the life she’d led the past years.
Once all the details had been taken care of, Archer had told Declan that he still owed him vacation days, and he’d whisked her away to his home in Costa Rica. Where she’d finally gotten warm.
His home was beautiful—the roof was orange tile and the walls a pale stucco. It was open and airy with lots of windows to enjoy the view, and it was hidden behind an iron gate and lush trees that hid parrots and the occasional monkey. It was an oasis of complete privacy and seclusion, and the ocean was so close she only had to walk out the back door and down the short flight of stairs to be on the beach and in the water.
As soon as she’d walked inside his home, she’d felt the tension leave her shoulders. It had felt like home. And she felt like she had a purpose again—one that she could be proud of and a partner who would stand beside her always. He stimulated her mind and her body in equal measure.
She watched with pleasure as Archer stretched out on the padded lounger down by the water. They’d spent the last week being as lazy as possible—making love and taking longs naps before making love again. She knew his habits by now—how he woke early and ran up and down the beach for miles and then came back for his first cup of coffee and shower.
And every afternoon, he’d change into his swim trunks and take a book, or nothing at all, and lay out on the cushioned lounger by the water, soaking in the sun and dozing in the tropical heat.
Just seeing him laid out as he was made her mouth water. He was beautiful to look at, his skin browned by the sun and his hard abs and chest glistening from the heat. She patted the object in the pocket of her cover-up and took a deep breath before taking the stairs down to the beach.
His face was slack with sleep and his breathing even. She unzipped the cover-up and then quickly undid the ties of her bathing suit, letting it fall to the sand. She moved quietly beside him, straddling her knees on either side of his leg, and then she worked at the tie holding up his swim trunks.
It didn’t take long to loosen them and spread open the front so his flaccid penis was exposed. It wasn’t often she got to see him like this, completely relaxed and pliable benea
th her touch. He wouldn’t be that way for long.
She took all of him in her mouth, laving him with her tongue as she felt him begin to harden. His moan had her looking up his body to see sleepy eyes staring back at her, and she smiled around the flesh in her mouth.
“I thought I was having a really good dream,” he said, bringing his arms up so his hands grasped the back of the chair.
“A really good reality,” she said between licks, swirling her tongue around the plump head and feeling him jerk in her hand.
“You know what would make it better?”
“If you invited Juan Pablo the pool boy to join us?” she asked cheekily.
He arched a brow at that and gave her a look she knew meant retribution in her favorite form. “No. Not Juan Pablo. I was going to say it would be better if you swiveled around here and put that sweet pussy on my mouth.”
Her hand flexed around the thick stalk of his cock and she gave a last satisfying lick before standing up. “Why didn’t you say so?” She turned and lowered herself over his face, and then moaned as his hands gripped her hips and his tongue licked into her.
His cock waved like a flag in front of her face and she leaned back down to take it into her mouth, swallowing him down until he hit the back of her throat. And then she clamped her lips tightly and made swallowing motions until his hips jerked in short thrusts against her.
His moan vibrated against her clit and Audrey rode against his face and tongue, searching for the magic spot that would bring her complete ecstasy. His fingers skimmed across the open slit and she cried out as they slid smoothly inside her. Her hips moved up and down while her mouth continued to stroke his cock. She tasted the saltiness of his pre-cum and swirled her tongue over the sensitive head, knowing she could make him come without too much effort.
But she froze over him, her muscles going rigid, as he removed the finger from her vagina and trailed it to her back opening, massaging the tight hole before slipping just the tip of his finger inside.
“Relax,” he whispered against her. “Just feel.”
She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, letting her muscles relax and doing as he asked. He pushed in further and she moaned at the incredible sensation as he touched nerve endings that had her pussy creaming.
