The Path to Freedom (Task Force 125)

by Pietsch, Lisa; Gerow, Tina

  As an afterthought, Brian called after her. “Hey, I can be even more honest if it’ll get me some more of that.”

  Sarah was feeling really good about herself now, so she turned her head toward Brian, smiled and then took off her sarong and walked out the door.

  “That’ll work, too.” Brian said as she stepped outside.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Vince listened to the gurgle and drip of the coffee maker. After years of running ops where hot coffee and dry socks were a luxury, he appreciated his job as a paramilitary operations officer with the CIA.

  Sure, there are bad days, but being based out of Las Vegas and running missions in the Mediterranean is pretty sweet duty.

  Vince tapped in the login and password for his Cayman Islands account and checked the balance.

  Hmm. Gun running has its perks.

  The coffee maker went silent.

  Vince logged out and closed the laptop before going to the cupboard for two coffee mugs. He poured fresh coffee into both of them and then reached into the freezer for four ice cubes.

  Who knew she’d take her coffee like I do?

  He dropped two ice cubes into each cup and brought them outside to the patio. Vince stood beside the chaise where Sarah slept and watched her sleep for a moment.

  My God, she’s gorgeous. Everything a man could wantrockin’ bod, great personality, holds her liquor like a guy and tough enough to defend herself against four men. Too bad her being on the team completely eliminates her from the dating pool.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sarah was on a warm beach, in the sun. She heard him breathing next to her.

  “Good morning,” he said in a low, sexy rumble.

  “Mmm…good morning.” She purred as she rolled toward him and stretched.

  Sarah opened her eyes and realized she’d been dreaming. She was lying on a double chaise by Brian’s pool and staring into Vince’s light brown eyes. He grinned back at her.

  Am I still dreaming? Am I dead? That’s the only explanation. I’ve died and gone to heaven.

  “Oh! Good morning,” she said in a less provocative tone once she realized where she was.

  “Make a note. I definitely prefer the first greeting.” He smiled a perfect smile and handed her a big mug of black coffee.

  Sarah took a sip. “Mmm… You bring me a big cup of strong coffee every morning and I’ll keep that in mind.” She returned his smile and scanned the patio. “Where is everybody?”

  “They’re still sleeping. I thought you might enjoy a quiet cup of coffee before the animals wake up and drink it all.”

  “Ah, you remembered. Thanks. That was really thoughtful of you.”

  Vince sat on the other side of the chaise and drank his own coffee.

  She had learned a great deal about each of the guys last night.

  There was Chris with his blond hair, blue eyes and charisma for days. He was so tanned he looked like a typical California boy. He’d blend well on the beaches of Greece. What people outside the team didn’t know was that Chris was a wizard with languages. He spoke Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Farsi, Russian, Kyrgyz and Uzbek. For a guy who described himself as a geek, he sure seemed pretty self-confident.

  Then there was Jason with his short brown hair, hazel eyes and crooked grin that made him always appear to be up to something. Sarah guessed most of the time he probably was. He seemed like the typical boy next door and joked around like nothing else mattered. He never made a big deal about the fact that he had been a prisoner of war in Desert Storm I, and Sarah had a great deal of respect for what he’d gone through.

  Will was very serious about enjoying the finer things in life like silk shirts and Cuban cigars. He had short, black hair with a touch of gray at the temples and dreamy Caribbean-blue eyes. He joined the Navy at seventeen as a corpsman and spent most of his career in the Middle East doing surgery in the sand, patching up soldiers before they were shipped home. Sarah could only imagine what horrors he’d seen there.

  The amazing thing about Will was that he appeared about ten years younger than he was. When Sarah asked him why he hadn’t retired, he said it was because he wanted to keep doing the job as long as he could. He’d seen firsthand what terrorist attacks could accomplish and he remained passionate about being a part of stopping terrorism.

  Brian had brown hair, dark brown eyes and a phenomenal tan. He was lean, long legged and seemed like he belonged on an Italian soccer team. His father served as a Navy SEAL in Vietnam and was still MIA. Brian fought his demons by also becoming a SEAL. When an operation went sour and the other members of his team were killed in action, he was recruited as an original member of Task Force 125 for his expertise in explosives. He lived hard. His motto was “Live fast, die young and leave a good looking corpse.” He was a man who liked hard liquor, lots of women and risky work. When he wasn’t on the job, he was either in or near water. He gave the term “frogman” a whole new meaning.

  The last thing I want to do is let these guys down. How I perform on this mission will define me. I have an obligation to do the best job possible, no matter how difficult it may be.

  Sarah really enjoyed talking to all the guys, but when everybody else had drunk their fill and wandered off to bed, she and Vince stayed awake. They sat in the double chaise by the pool and talked well into the morning. To Sarah, the time spent with Vince was worth every moment of lost sleep.

  Vince was an amazing mass of striated muscle that appeared as though he could crush anyone and would on a bad day. Sarah discovered underneath the rough and gruff exterior he was actually a very sensitive guy. Sensitivity is frowned upon in the military, so he hid it well.

  Everyone in his family had served in some branch of the military, including his sister and two brothers. His sister retired from the Army, one brother was killed in action in Baghdad, and his other brother was currently serving in the Marines at an undisclosed location in Iraq.

  Vince had been Force Recon in the Marines and was then recruited by the CIA to take on some particularly sensitive assignments that were mostly arms deals. When he got wind that Task Force 125 was being created, he’d volunteered immediately. His family had already invested so much in the war on terror that it had become their personal war and Vince wanted to do his part.

  After talking about everyone’s background, Sarah and Vince discussed many other things. She’d hoped getting to know him better would help kill her infatuation with him but it did just the opposite. The more she knew, the more she liked.

  Vince’s wife had been a showgirl. They hadn’t lived together in over a year. She’d wanted diamonds, a Jaguar and the freedom to sleep around with whomever she liked while Vince was out on missions. He gave her the diamonds and the Jag. She took the rest.

  Vince had fallen asleep by the pool at about o-three-hundred. Sarah spent the night on the chaise, enjoying the night air and drinking in all the amazing changes in her life. She must have fallen asleep shortly after Vince did.

  And here you are waking me with that dead sexy voice and a cup of coffee. Add some hot sex and it’s a storybook romance. And there’s the rub. There will be no sex. There’s one rule even a dog won’t break. You don’t shit where you eat.

  Will appeared at the sliding glass door wearing nothing but baggy pajama pants. “Well, isn’t this cozy. Mata Hari and Captain America sipping coffee by the pool.”

  “That’s Major America to you, mop jockey.”

  Sarah smiled at their casual banter. “Good morning, Will.”

  “Morning, gorgeous. Sleep all right out here?”

  “Just great. Thanks anyway for the room.”

  “Any time.” Will winked a dreamy blue eye at her.

  “Morning, jarhead. Brian is cooking this morning. Eggs are up.”

  Vince turned to Sarah. “You’re probably the first woman in history Brian has ever made breakfast for. You don’t want to miss his scrambled eggs.”

  Sarah and Vince crossed the patio to the chaot
ic mess hall that Brian’s kitchen had become.

  Jason stood in front of the coffee maker. His hair hadn’t decided which way it wanted to go so it just stuck out everywhere. The bare chest and ripped abs were an interesting complement to his frazzled hair and flannel pajama pants. Coffee grounds were scattered all over the countertop in front of him.

  “Morning, guys,” Jason mumbled as Sarah and Vince stepped inside. “Coffee’s empty, I’m making another pot.”

  A commanding voice boomed from behind Sarah. “Step away from the coffee pot.”

  Sarah’s feet left the ground and she instantly found herself set down two feet to the right of where she’d been. Will ran into the kitchen and relegated Jason to a seat at the table.

  “What was that about?” Sarah asked Chris, who sat at the table, reading the Wall Street Journal.

  “Jason loves coffee but can’t make a decent pot to save his life. We only let him make a pot when we need gun cleaner.” Chris winced. “Nasty stuff.”

  Brian passed Sarah a plate of scrambled eggs as she sat at the table.

  “Thanks, Brian.” She smiled at him as she set the plate in front of her.

  Jason turned toward Brian. “So, Bri, this would probably make Sarah the first woman you’ve ever let stay for breakfast, huh?”

  “Yep.” Brian winked at Sarah. “If she plays her cards right, she can be the first one I serve breakfast in bed to as well.”

  “Where were you guys two years ago? My ego could have used you back then.”

  “Classified.” Vince replied almost automatically as he set his coffee mug on the table.

  “Same,” Brian and Will said at the same time.

  “Fort Bragg,” Jason said between mouthfuls of scrambled egg.

  “Quantico.” Chris shrugged.

  Sarah smirked and turned her focus back to her breakfast.

  Damn! Real live heroes with humor. I think I’m going to like working with this crew.

  Chapter Nineteen

  As instructed, Tony and Sarah reported to the suite at Caesar’s Palace.

  Young, the team’s handler was waiting inside. “Morning.” He opened the door to let them into the suite.

  Sarah marveled at the main room of the suite. “This place is beautiful.”

  “Glad you like it.” Young sat and poured himself a cup of coffee from the silver service on the coffee table in the parlor area. “You and Tony have to create your cover as a couple, so you’ll be staying here together until you depart for your mission. There are two bedrooms.” He nodded toward both ends of the suite between sips of coffee. “You two will be posing as a couple for Hassan so this will give you a chance to get to know each other and establish your story. Your team will be based out of this suite and receive all further briefings here.”

  Sarah’s mouth dropped in shock. “But this is Caesar’s Palace. Shouldn’t we be concerned about security and bugs? Anybody could get in here and plant something.”

  Young took a big gulp of coffee and set the mug down on the table in front of him. “No. We’ve had this set up with Caesar’s for years now. Nobody else uses this room but us, and we have certain electronic security measures in place that eliminate the threat of bugs. It’s perfectly secure so long as all the windows stay closed. Any questions?”

  Sarah helped herself to a cup of coffee. “Yeah, who pays for room service?”

  Young gave a half laugh, half snort. “I see you’re already playing the part you’ve been assigned. The Agency covers it. You can charge your meals to the room, too. We need you to establish a good cover in case you meet people Hassan knows. Everything you do in public from here on out has to be in character. That means first class. Got it?”

  Sarah beamed. “Not a problem.”

  Sarah and Tony spent their first morning together getting to know one another and going over their back-story. Tony had spent the past several years becoming known as a jet setting party boy. He was in a position now where he was a welcome guest at everybody’s party, vacation house or yacht. To Sarah’s surprise, he spoke of it all as very hard work.

  “It really is quite a pain in the ass,” he explained. “I have a whole staff of people that work full time just to keep me popular. I have a stylist who makes sure I’m wearing all the appropriate clothes, a hairdresser I see every week and a personal secretary who handles my mail and my schedule.

  My secretary answers RSVPs, sends birthday and wedding gifts for me and keeps me up to date on who is having what party and what new club is opening. Thankfully, she’s brilliant with my schedule and always ensures I’m making the most of my time in any given city. Then, of course, I have a public relations firm that works closely with my secretary to schedule my own parties and charity events.”

  “You host charity events?” Sarah couldn’t hide the incredulous tone of her voice.

  “Oh, yes, it is absolutely necessary.” Tony picked a practically invisible bit of thread from his white silk shirt. “It’s all about noblesse oblige. When you have a lot, you’re expected to give a lot. Every year I host a charity polo event in West Palm. It’s great fun.” He gave Sarah a thoughtful glance. “You should come this year. I’ll make sure my secretary sends you an invitation.” He pulled a buzzing Blackberry out of his breast pocket and shut it off before continuing. “Then I generally host at least ten to twenty luncheons, brunches and dinners each year. So, you see, being a free and easy party boy isn’t free or easy.”

  The door opened and Vince strode into the suite wearing a black ribbed sweater and jeans. He carried a briefcase. “Sorry, kids. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I need to use the computer.” He sat at the desk, pulled a laptop from the briefcase and started typing. Without turning around, he asked, “You two getting comfortable?”

  Tony turned in his seat to see Vince. “Hey, you’re welcome for drinks after four, but surfing porn isn’t cool, man.”

  Vince turned around in his chair and faced Tony. He lifted his chin slightly toward Sarah. “Who needs porn when you’re in her company?”

  Sarah noticed he held her gaze just a little longer than was comfortable. Her cheeks warmed.

  Damnit. I’ve never blushed a day in my life then this guy shows up and I’m an apple-faced fool.

  Sarah could have sat there all day and watched Vince, but she was still curious and needed to know more about Tony. After all, they were going to be posing as lovers. After that last comment, watching Vince made her temperature rise anyway. She turned back to Tony. “So, how did you get involved in all of this?”

  Tony chuckled softly. “Oh, this?” He waved his hand nonchalantly. “I wanted to prove to my parents and myself that I could do more than just tap a trust fund, so I joined the Air Force after high school. I completed a bachelor’s degree during my first enlistment and wanted to study international law, so I started out in the Security Police field and then cross-trained over to the Office of Special Investigations.

  After eight years, I decided it was time for law school and more advanced studies, so I got out and went to Harvard. Since I had a large circle of social and political connections, I was asked to occasionally assist the NSA with certain operations that were vital to national security. This is just one of those operations.”

  Vince jumped into the conversation from where he was seated at the desk. “Don’t let him whitewash the story. Tony is laying a lot on the line to get us in. If anything ever got traced back to him, he and his very well-known family would be in serious trouble. Tony opens doors for us that would take forever for agents to get through on their own.” Vince turned back to his computer and began typing.

  Sarah poured herself another cup of coffee. “So, Tony, how do you know Hassan?”

  “Oh, we were roommates at Harvard,” he replied indifferently.

  Sarah nearly choked on her coffee. “Knowing the purpose of our mission, this must be very difficult for you.”

  Tony tilted his head and replied as though to a child. “A great many people attend
good schools together, but that doesn’t make them good people or good friends.”

  Sarah gazed out the window beside her to the strip below and tried to process everything going through her head. This man in the chair across from her had everything money and good breeding could buy, and, yet, he laid it all on the line to fight terrorism.

  Sarah realized what she had wasn’t just a job. This was a real war and too many people depended on her for her to not take it seriously. She wiped her damp palms on her jeans. What she had was a mission and she had to be ready to lay everything, including her life, on the line in order to ensure its success. Sarah’s thoughts were interrupted by the door to the suite opening.

  Chris stepped into the room with someone Sarah hadn’t met yet. “Sarah, Tony, Vince, may I present Hamza Abbas of the Defense Language Institute. Hamza will be tutoring Sarah in Arabic.”

  Sarah stood and shook his hand. “Hello, Mr. Abbas. I’m very happy to be working with you.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” He shook her hand lightly. “The classrooms at DLI get pretty boring. A paid trip to Las Vegas to work with a beautiful woman will be a welcome change.” He pulled a folder out from under his arm. “I’ve taken a look at your DLAB scores from the test you took when you enlisted and I don’t think you’ll have any trouble learning enough Arabic to be effective.”

  Tony stood and shook Hamza’s hand. “It’s very nice to meet you. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other over the next few weeks. If you’ll all excuse me, I have some phone calls to make.” Tony disappeared into the bedroom he’d claimed as his own.

  Sarah spent the next eight hours going over Arabic books with Hamza and getting acquainted with the DLI method of language immersion.

  Preparation for her first mission involved much more than Arabic lessons. They were turning her into two completely different people and it was her job to not only become both, but to find a way to make them come together seamlessly. She had to be a glamorous, sexy socialite and have all the accouterments to go along with that lifestyle. She also needed the skills and accouterments necessary for a spy dealing with dangerous people.