The Path to Freedom (Task Force 125)

by Pietsch, Lisa; Gerow, Tina

  “Whoa, baby!” Brian cat-called. “A good look for you.”

  Suddenly, Sarah was acutely aware of her near nakedness. It hadn’t been a big deal in the water but now it had become inconvenient.

  Crap.

  Brian wore a wetsuit, no help there.

  Vince’s shirt, vest and jacket had been dropped in the water.

  “Jason, give me your shirt?”

  “Sorry, hot stuff, I’d gladly give you the shirt off my back any day, but I’m a little busy looking for floaters right now.” His eyes twinkled as they roamed up and down her body. “Besides, I think you look just fine.”

  Sarah turned pleading eyes on Will.

  The corners of his blue eyes crinkled as he smiled. “I’m with Brian. I think it’s a great look for you.”

  Aw, hell! What’s the use? I’d probably do the same to any of them.

  Sarah sighed, resigned to her fate. “I love you guys.”

  Vince’s deep voice rumbled with laughter. “Yeah, and the more we see of you the more we love you, too.”

  She wished she could control her body’s response to his voice but it was useless. He made her heart flutter and her pulse race. At least she could deny the attraction and blame it on adrenaline.

  Sarah opened her hand to find the flattened bullet, the tiny lead pancake she’d pulled from inside Vince’s shirt. The bullet her lover fired at the man she couldn’t help but love.

  When Hassan pulled that trigger, Sarah changed. There was no going back. She never wanted to go back.

  Killing Kadeem had been self-defense. He’d have killed her if she hadn’t killed him. Hassan would have killed her, too. There was no need to think, no thought necessary in making the decision. He tried to kill Vince and he would have killed Sarah. He simply had to die.

  Sarah stroked the smooth lead with her thumb as she remembered plunging the knife into Hassan’s heart and pulling it up to destroy the organ just as she’d been trained. She recalled how fast the blood seeped through the front of his perfect white shirt.

  Sarah shivered from the horror of her thoughts and tucked the smooth lead coin into her bra.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  She stared straight into Vince’s eyes, which were etched with concern. “Yeah, just a little cold.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Sarah glanced around from the comfort of her chaise. The sun shone brightly and Lake Mead sparkled. Sarah and the guys had all gathered on Brian’s pontoon boat, known as the floating barbecue, for just that.

  They’d returned from several days of detailed debrief at Ramstein Air Base in Germany and were all ready for a little rest and relaxation after their mission.

  While at Ramstein, they were briefed that the British Special Air Service commandos had raided Hassan’s camp at the same time American Swift destroyed his boat. The SAS nabbed six known terrorists and held fourteen more for questioning. They also collected computer records of bank accounts being used by Al Qaeda to support several other terrorist organizations. From their questioning, they’d determined the pirates that tried to board the team’s boat had been associates of Hassan’s and one of them told Hassan about the incident just before his last dinner party. The pirate had positively identified both Vince and Sarah.

  Hassan had Sarah’s luggage checked and the knives confirmed the pirate’s story.

  Sarah inhaled the delicious smell of steak as Brian worked the grill.

  Vince’s dog, Thor, quietly lounged at Vince’s feet and busied himself with a T-bone steak.

  Lucky dog.

  Sarah took a quick look at herself, reclined on the chaise in a brand new bikini.

  Gotta love that expense account.

  In the midst of five well-muscled men, drinking beer and eating steaks beat even the best day on Blue Harem. She trusted these men. They were family. No games to play with these guys. When Chris leaned back and put his feet up on the end of her chaise, Sarah remembered some very important items and pulled her rucksack out from under her chair.

  “This broad’s so gung-ho.” Jason laughed as he pointed to the camouflage rucksack. “Thousand dollar handbags and she chooses a ruck. Can I pick ‘em or what?”

  “Don’t get too excited, Jase. I came completely unarmed today.” Sarah pulled out five small collapsible six-pack coolers and tossed one to each of the guys.

  “Now this is what I’m talking about.” Will grinned. “A hot babe bringin’ me my beer! Hey.” He hefted the bag. “This feels a little light.”

  “Yeah, baby!” Chris waggled his eyebrows at her. “What else you got for Big Daddy? Hey! Did you manage to save the white thing?”

  “Sorry, Chris. I lost everything. I know how much you were looking forward to seeing me in the caftan.” She wrinkled her nose and smiled.

  “Oh, yeah. That was hot! You missed a great scene there, guys. When the sun hit just right…hooah!” Vince stole a look at Sarah and her body tingled.

  “What the hell is this?” Vince had opened the small cooler and found ten tight little bundles of thousand-dollar bills.

  “Consider it our bonus.”

  The rest of the guys opened their coolers and found the same thing.

  “Where the hell did you get this?” Will asked, his voice edged with suspicion.

  “Diamonds and rubies hold no value for me. I sold the pieces Hassan gave me and felt it was only right to split the cash with you guys.”

  “What? Why? Those gems were amazing!” Will looked completely confused.

  Sarah leaned forward and opened her hand palm up. “What’s a diamond? I mean really? You squeeze a piece of coal long enough and you get a diamond.” She closed her hand in a tight fist. “But what’s in it? Nothing.” Sarah opened her hand to emphasize the emptiness.

  “I know they were equipment but I loved the pearls. A pearl, now there’s something special. It all starts with a piece of grit. A tiny grain of sand gets into a mollusk and irritates. So, the mollusk fights back, builds onto the grit and creates something hard and beautiful. You string a bunch of them together and they look so perfect, but every single one of them started with grit.” Sarah leaned against the chaise lounge and took a long pull from her beer. “I’ll take pearls over diamonds any day.”

  Vince crossed the deck to stand by her side. “Well, if anybody knows grit, it’s you, babe. But, no. You deserve this money and we all know it. You should keep it.”

  “Yeah, this is a nice gesture. The best. But we can’t take this,” Brian agreed.

  “No way!” Sarah tossed her empty beer bottle into the trash can. “We’re a team. We all had a part in the operation and we all came through. This is right and it’s how I want it. Discussion over. Now somebody get me another beer…and Brian, I’m still waiting for my tequila.”

  “Damn, girl. All I wanted was a couple cigars.” Will winked as he tossed her a cold Corona from the cooler beside him. “Hey, that reminds me. We got you a little something, too.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Will pulled a package wrapped in plain brown paper out from under his seat and handed it to her.

  “What is this?”

  Vince crossed his arms over his chest with a shrug. “Just open it.”

  Sarah opened the package to find a white silk caftan trimmed with gold embroidery.

  She frowned at Will. “But the boat? Everything was lost.”

  “Vince gave me a detailed description, and I mean de-tailed.” Will smiled as he continued. “I called a few people and found this. Is it similar?”

  “Well,” Vince sat and took a long swig of his beer. His face turned up in a grin. “We won’t really know until she models it.”

  Sarah gave Will a kiss on the cheek. “This is even more beautiful than the original. Thank you so much. All those designer clothes I lost and I missed the damned caftan the most.” Then she turned Vince. “How did you know?”

  He shrugged. “You’re a pearl girl.”

  Chapter Forty-Two


  In the two weeks since Sarah had returned from her first mission with American Swift, she began to pull a little bit of a life together. She’d taken her cut of the cash and purchased a luxury condominium at The Residences at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

  Sometimes at night, she’d wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming about what she’d done to Kadeem and Hassan, but those dreams were becoming fewer and farther between now.

  She also cleaned out the storage unit where she’d stored the remnants of her past life. Since the old Sarah was dead, she donated everything to the Salvation Army.

  Her expense account provided her with enough cash to put together a very stylish wardrobe for the new Sarah. As for the old Jeep Wrangler, she traded that in and paid cash for a new Rubicon loaded with all the bells and whistles.

  If you’re gonna sell your soul to the Devil, make sure you get top dollar.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  “Pardon me, Miss Stevens.”

  Sarah opened her eyes to see the familiar form of the young fitness model who made his living as a waiter at the Margarita Bar. She smiled. “Yes, Troy?”

  Sarah spent every sunny afternoon by the pool and knew each waiter’s voice just as they knew her and her favorite drink.

  He handed her a Margarita on the rocks with no salt, just the way she liked them. “Compliments of the gentleman at the bar over there. He’d like you to join him for a drink.”

  Sarah accepted the drink and glanced over at the handsome, young Val Kilmer look alike who smiled as though he’d already scored. “Some fighter jockey here for a couple weeks of training at Red Flag, no doubt. Quite handsome, though, wouldn’t you say, Troy?”

  “Yeah, but not my type.” Troy rolled his eyes.

  “Troy, will you thank the gentleman for the drink but give him my apologies? Tell him I just came off a bad break-up and was looking forward to a quiet afternoon today.”

  “Of course, Miss Stevens.”

  Sarah loved how the waiters treated her like royalty. Ever since she’d moved into the Residences, she’d been a regular here and a very generous tipper. Even a glass of water would get the waiters a tip and they knew it. Sarah took another drink of the Margarita, nodded thank you to the good looking man at the bar and leaned back with her thoughts as Troy delivered the message.

  “Miss Stevens?”

  “Yes, Troy?” She opened her eyes and smiled again as he looked at her apologetically.

  “The gentleman on the corner chaise asked me to send you a drink.”

  “Oh, thanks, Troy, but please explain to the gentleman I’m not drinking any more this afternoon.” She gave Troy the half glass of Margarita and a ten dollar bill.

  “Of course, Miss Stevens. I won’t interrupt you again.”

  Sarah closed her eyes and relaxed in the sun, hoping to nap.

  “Bring us a pitcher of Margaritas and two glasses with ice, no salt, please.” The unmistakable baritone voice rumbled over her in the most delicious way.

  Troy’s voice sounded less apologetic and quite a bit more stern. “Sir, I’m sorry, but Miss Stevens doesn’t care for any drinks or company this afternoon.”

  An indignant snort. “She’ll drink with me.”

  The familiar ache at the apex of her thighs told her whose voice it was. A week had passed since she’d seen Vince and her heart leapt to know he’d sought her out.

  Troy tried again. “Sir, I don’t think…”

  Sarah opened her eyes. “Thank you, Troy. He’s okay.”

  Troy eyed Vince. “I can call security.”

  “No, that won’t be necessary. Thank you very much though.” Sarah gazed up at Vince, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Hey, Marine.”

  Is he caramel or bronze?

  With the sun behind him, Vince glowed like a bronze statue. Dressed in an Armani tux, black BDU’s or jeans and a white tank top, the man could only be described as stunning.

  “What are you, Queen of the Margarita Bar? These boys are like bodyguards. I thought I was gonna have to rough somebody up.”

  She giggled as she sat up. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.” Sarah sobered as the rest of his words sank in. “You’d do that for me?”

  Vince nodded. “Absolutely. But more importantly, they’d do it for you.”

  They both sat in awkward silence for a moment.

  God, it’s good to see you.

  Vince spoke first. “So, did you miss me?”

  Sarah tried to play nonchalant. “A little. Where were you?”

  “I had to take a little business trip.”

  Her insides quivered. “So soon?”

  “Yeah. I had to lay some groundwork for our next little jaunt. Brush up on your Russian.”

  Troy returned with a pitcher of Margaritas and two glasses without salt.

  “They do treat me like a queen, don’t they?” She smiled at Troy. “Thank you, Troy.”

  Vince tipped him a twenty-dollar bill. “Sorry about that, Troy. Thanks for taking such good care of Miss Stevens.”

  Troy walked away happy and Vince leaned closer to Sarah. “Will that get me King for a day?”

  “You’ll always be a king to me.” Sarah winked.

  Vince sat on the empty chaise near Sarah and poured two Margaritas. “Well, that’s all that matters, my queen.” He handed Sarah a full glass and leaned toward her. “Congratulate me.”

  “What exactly am I congratulating you for? Did you find yourself a new conquest while you were gone?”

  Please say no. I know I can’t have you, but I don’t want to know about other women.

  As though he read her mind, Vince looked into his drink. “No. You know there’s only one woman for me.” He stared into her eyes. “It’s final. I signed the papers at nine. I let her have everything. I took Thor and the truck. Thor never liked her anyway. Next time I hook up, it’s pending Thor’s approval.”

  Sarah tried to be cool while inside her chest, her heart did a happy dance. “So, you’re going to try again, huh?”

  “I think so.”

  “Well, congratulations.” Sarah took a sip. “Good call letting Thor make the decision for you. Dogs are excellent judges of character.” Sarah paused. “But you and Thor are homeless now. Where are you going to live?” Then she added with a coy smile, “I’d let you stay with me but I doubt you could control yourself on naked Mondays.”

  “Well, since I needed a place in Vegas, I bought a nice little studio just a couple floors down from you. I signed those papers at ten. He smiled wide. “Since you brought it up, you and I do have some unfinished business…and today is Monday.”

  Sarah’s heart skipped a beat and she let out a nervous laugh. She still wanted him as much as she ever did. And loved him more than she would ever admit, but things were different now. They were a part of something big. Their last mission saved thousands of lives and very possibly the life of Vince’s brother who served in Iraq. She’d screwed up so many times before by following her heart.

  Don’t wreck a good thing, Stevens. He’s alive and he’s here. Strangely, for now, that is enough.

  She stared deep into Vince’s eyes and realized he knew it, too. “Two floors down, huh? Good. More eye candy for around the pool.”

  She tapped his glass with hers, sat back to enjoy the sun, good tequila and fine company. Yeah, life was good…for now. A great way to end a very difficult year.

  ~~~

  The Special Activities Division (SAD) is a division of the Central Intelligence Agency responsible for covert paramilitary operations and one of the most skilled and lethal forces in the world.

  About The Author

  Lisa Pietsch

  Lisa Pietsch is a USAF veteran, a multi-published novelist, a marketing geek who loves helping authors connect with new readers, the Managing Editor of SAXtreme Magazine, and the mother of two boys. She has a passion for foreign languages, has traveled the world and hopes to do it again, and wishes she had time to go kayaking and biking.

  S
ome of her interests include terrorists and terrorism, the small arms trade, human trafficking and drug trafficking. All of these topics are represented in the Task Force 125 series, which are stories of espionage and paramilitary operations centered around the character of Sarah Stevens who is recruited into the CIA’s Special Activities Division.

  Previously, Lisa was a military cop in the U.S. Air Force. She speaks French, Russian and Spanish, deployed as a U.N. Peacekeeper, was trained as a Hostage Negotiator by the FBI and worked with MI-5 on personal security details.

  Now she lives in Texas and finds her language skills only come to her at certain times: French when she wants to swear, Russian when she drinks vodka, and Spanish whenever she leaves the house.

  For entirely too much information about Lisa, visit her website at www.LisaPietsch.com.

  Enjoy A Sneak Peak Of A Taste of Liberty, Book 2 in the Task Force 125 Series by Lisa Pietsch:

  Chapter One

  Sarah blinked back the sweat that rolled from her forehead and into her eyes. Her hair fell from her ponytail in long locks sticky with perspiration and clung to her cheeks. Her breath was hard and fast as she dodged hits and blocked kicks just to keep up with the man she was fighting.

  My God! He’s a machine.

  He had about thirty pounds on her but he was wiry and fast. He was throwing everything he had into the mix. He started with Muay Thai boxing, but, when he did a Capoeira flip and spun his body in mid air from a standing position, a chill raced up her spine. She'd never seen anyone as fast as this guy. She threw punches at his face, shoulders and stomach and never made contact. He’d dodge, twist, spin and jump just barely avoiding her hits and kicks. His years of training and experience in hand-to-hand combat were obvious.

  Focus, Sarah. Focus.