Crossfire

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  “I can take care of myself,” she whispered defiantly.

  “I’ve seen that,” Seth admitted. He took another step, his eyes darkening as he rested his hands on her shoulders. His voice softened as he added, “But it wouldn’t have stopped me from worrying.”

  Vanessa’s heart picked up speed as she tried to decipher Seth’s expression. He had looked invincible when he’d climbed back onto the balcony, and he had been unshakable when he’d told her what he had accomplished during the night. Now she saw something she hadn’t seen in years, a look of vulnerability. She had done that to him, she realized suddenly. Somehow she was able to make this man who was larger than life become a mere mortal once more. He started to lean down as though he was going to kiss her and then stopped as though he suddenly realized what he was doing.

  Unwilling to let the moment pass, Vanessa leaned forward and slid a hand around the back of his neck. Reaching up, she pressed her lips to his. The kiss was brief, and she felt the muscles in his neck tense under her hand as he pulled away from her. Then he looked at her with uncertainty. “What am I going to do about you? Every time I think I have you figured out, you go and do something unexpected.”

  Vanessa kept her eyes on his, searching for any hint of how he felt about her now. She knew that even if he did still care about her, he didn’t trust her, at least not on a personal level. “I know you may not believe this, but I never stopped loving you.”

  Seth’s head jerked back, and he looked down at her as though he wasn’t sure he had heard her right. Vanessa could almost see his mind processing her words in the way his features softened as the truth seeped through him. Then he leaned forward, and their lips met once more. Unlike the brief kiss Vanessa had given him, this kiss overwhelmed her.

  Vanessa let herself get lost in the kiss. Memories tumbled over one another. The first day Seth dropped her off at her house and met her father, the way he fought back the tears at his uncle’s funeral, and the laughter he held back when he had boosted her through her dorm room window when they had been out past curfew. Even the way Seth always tasted of Gatorade and sweat after every track meet. He changed the angle of the kiss, and she felt herself sigh. Now he tasted of freedom.

  When he finally drew back, he looked dazed. His voice was low, barely a whisper. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “I missed you too.” She touched her hand to his cheek, hope surging through her, hope that Seth still loved her. She blinked back the sudden well of tears. “Do you think you can ever forgive me?”

  Seth’s eyes darkened once more, but he didn’t answer. Instead he simply drew her into his arms and held on.

  * * *

  “It has to be from Seth,” Amy said excitedly as she handed the communications report to Kel.

  “Of course it’s from Seth.” Quinn shifted so he could read the message over Kel’s shoulder.

  Kel turned and stared at him for a full two seconds. And Quinn took a step back.

  Returning his attention to the paper before him, Kel read the message out loud. “Target Arizona power plants.” He looked at Amy for a moment and then spoke to the room in general. “It looks like they know what’s going on.”

  “Is there any more?”

  “April 12, oh-two-hundred, fortress.”

  “April 12th is the day after tomorrow,” Brent noted. “That should give us time to get the rescue mission approved.”

  Before Kel could respond, the telephone rang. Amy picked it up to find her father on the other end.

  “I’m not sure if this is what you’re looking for, but the surveillance grids go online on April 15th,” Jim Whitmore told his daughter.

  “As in five days from now?” Amy asked, a new sense of trepidation shooting through her. “Do you know where the monitoring station is?”

  “Yeah. It’s in Sierra Vista, Arizona.”

  “Isn’t that where Fort Huachuca is located?”

  “It sure is.” Jim paused a minute, and Amy could hear him rustling through some papers. “Information regarding personnel working on the project is classified, but if you need any more information, you can call Hank Rodriguez. He’s in charge of the border patrol down there.”

  “If this information is need-to-know, why would the border patrol know that this system is coming online?” Amy asked, suddenly feeling like something was out of place.

  “Only Hank and his assistant, Gordon McAllister, know about it. They were brought in since they have the most information about the weaknesses along the Arizona border,” Jim told her. His voice took on a serious tone when he asked, “Should I even ask what you’re working on right now?”

  “Probably not, but if you wanted to have the military run a training operation down there, maybe before the 15th, it might be a good idea,” Amy suggested.

  “With Apaches,” Kel interrupted her conversation, apparently approving of her suggestion.

  “Kel really likes it when the Apache helicopters are involved.”

  “I see,” Jim said solemnly. “Well, I guess it’s about time we find a squad that needs some extra time on training exercises.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Amy, you stay safe,” Jim told her, his voice filled with concern. “That goes for the rest of your squad too.”

  “We will,” Amy promised. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  As soon as she hung up, she turned to see everyone staring at her. She knew she probably didn’t need to repeat the information her father had given her, but she relayed it anyway.

  “With the operational date of the surveillance grid coinciding with when we think the terrorist strike is going to take place, we have to assume the two are related,” Brent commented.

  “Brent and Quinn, I want you to start working on the mission plan to go in after Seth,” Kel said, then nodded at Tristan. “Go see if the rest of SEAL Team Eight has arrived. Tell them the mission briefing is at oh-eight-hundred tomorrow. I’m going to go brief the captain.”

  “What about me?” Amy asked as Kel moved for the door.

  “Give Ellison over at CIA a call. Let him know that we’ve identified the potential targets.”

  Amy nodded and reached for the phone once more. Ignoring the activity of the rest of the squad, she placed the call and managed to reach Ellison on the first try. She relayed the first part of Seth’s message and was surprised when she met some resistance.

  “Your information doesn’t make any sense,” Ellison insisted. “The reactors at the nuclear plant in Arizona are designed to withstand the kind of attack you’re talking about. Even a direct hit from a missile isn’t going to break through all of the layers of reinforced concrete.”

  “All I know is that the message received identified power plants in Arizona as the target,” Amy told him. “I think we need to proceed as though the nuclear plant is one of the power plants being targeted.”

  “You said power plants. Plural,” Ellison said as though suddenly catching up with her. “So you think that there is more than one target.”

  “That’s exactly what we think,” Amy agreed. “I don’t know where Fort Huachuca gets its power, but I would definitely look at giving that plant extra security as well.”

  “What else do you know?” Ellison asked now.

  “We think that this strike is going to happen on or before April 15th.”

  Ellison’s voice became solemn. “I see.”

  “I thought you might,” Amy told him. “I’m sure you are aware that all of this is need-to-know. There’s no way to be sure if we’ve plugged up all of the leaks.”

  “I can’t believe that Ramir has more than one source.”

  “Perhaps not, but our source thought there could be,” Amy reminded him. “And it pays to be cautious.”

  “Believe me, this experience has given me a new appreciation for the term ‘need-to-know.’”

  24

  Seth spent all afternoon watching, waiting, and remembering. Vanessa’s words played over and over in h
is mind, and he wished he had the luxury of reveling in those memories and taking time with Vanessa to make new ones. Instead, he had banished her to the interior of her suite for the rest of the day to make sure she wasn’t seen by Morenta as he prepared to leave. He also needed some distance from her so he could concentrate on what he had to do to get her out of the fortress safely.

  He didn’t know if he could afford the feelings she was stirring up in him. Logically he couldn’t imagine how he and Vanessa could possibly build a future together, but logic wasn’t winning over his dreams of being with her after they escaped from this prison. He knew that he was starting to believe in miracles because he knew it was going to take a miracle to get out of the fortress safely. He would need another miracle to find a way to keep Vanessa in his life permanently this time.

  Letting out a sigh, he tried to shift his thoughts back to work. He studied the movement of the guards on the ground, worried that there wasn’t much preparation taking place on the airfield. As he tried to analyze what the lack of activity meant, he struggled against the thoughts of Vanessa that were invading his mind once more.

  He was finally realizing that he hadn’t been the only one who was hurt when she refused his offer of marriage. Could it really be that Vanessa had also been unable to move past that moment that had shattered their plans together?

  She had asked him to forgive her, and Seth was now realizing that it was no longer necessary. Understanding why she had made her decision and the fact that she hadn’t intended to deceive him about their future together had erased whatever grudge he had been holding. He was also faced with the reality that the biggest obstacles between them now were the men outside holding guns.

  When darkness began to fall, Seth finally gave up his post on the balcony. Not only had he not seen Morenta leave, but he also hadn’t seen any indication that he was going to. The airfield had been uncommonly quiet throughout the entire day.

  He walked into the living area where Vanessa was sitting on the couch, impatiently flipping through the same magazine she’d been holding when he had last seen her. He fought back a grin. “Must be a good magazine.”

  Vanessa gave him a tormented look. “I am going crazy being cooped up in here. Hasn’t Morenta left yet?”

  “Not yet.” Seth shook his head. “I’ll go down and get us some dinner and see if I can figure out what’s going on.”

  He pushed the button for the elevator and was surprised when the doors slid open to reveal Halim standing inside.

  “I was about to come look for you,” Seth told him. He moved back so Halim could step off of the elevator. Seth glanced over at Vanessa. “We thought Morenta was leaving today.”

  “So did I.” Halim’s voice was tense. He stared at Vanessa for a moment before looking back at Seth, animosity showing on his face.

  As though marking his territory, Seth sat down next to Vanessa and motioned to the seat across from him. The muscle in Halim’s jaw twitched, but he lowered himself into the chair.

  Seth asked, “What happened?”

  “His paranoia is surfacing again.” Halim shook his head. “He is convinced that one of his men is spying on him.”

  “How much longer do we have to deal with him?”

  “It looks like he will be staying until tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be glad to see him go.” Vanessa spoke up now. “I can’t wait to get out of this room.”

  Halim stood, looking from Vanessa to Seth. “I’ll have some dinner sent up.”

  “You know, considering that these elevators aren’t locked off, don’t you think it’s about time you gave me my weapons back?” Seth suggested. “Morenta has a reputation for being unstable. I’d like to be ready for him if he decides to pay us a visit.”

  Halim clenched his teeth and seemed to consider whether he should trust the man who had shown up so unexpectedly. Finally he said, “I’ll talk to Akil.”

  Seth nodded and watched him disappear into the elevator.

  As soon as the doors closed, Vanessa let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t believe he hasn’t left yet.”

  “Just a little longer,” Seth assured her. He just hoped he was telling her the truth.

  * * *

  “Are you sure this is going to work?” Tristan asked skeptically. “The last time we planned on going into the fortress, they didn’t have a bunch of attack helicopters parked there.”

  “Yeah, but last time we were trying to take someone out by force,” Kel reminded him. “This time we’re picking up people who actually want to come with us. Big difference.”

  “I still don’t like the approach here.” Tristan pointed at the beach where they would insert.

  “We don’t have a whole lot of options.” Brent shifted so that he had a better view of the satellite photo on the table in front of them. He tapped a finger on the photo, considering Tristan’s reservation about inserting on the open beach. “Although it might be better if we angled in on this side.”

  “I say we take out those Z-10s while we’re there too,” Quinn commented now. “Why try to figure out where they’re going to be next week? We can get rid of that part of the threat when we go in and get Seth.”

  “I agree with you, but we don’t have any authority in Nicaragua.” Kel shook his head in frustration. “The powers that be won’t let us do anything but go in and retrieve our people.”

  “If they won’t let us take out the helicopters, maybe we can track them instead, especially since we’ll have everyone from SEAL Team Eight on board,” Brent suggested. “We can hand that task over to one of the other squads.”

  “That’s not a bad idea.” Kel turned to Amy. “See what you can do to get us the equipment we need. Convince whoever needs to be convinced that we have to be able to track these choppers.”

  “I love how I always get handed the easy jobs.” Amy shook her head and moved toward the door. “All you guys have to do is go shoot at people.”

  “Yeah, well don’t go slugging anyone to get your way.” Kel fought back a grin and jerked a thumb toward Quinn and Brent. “That’s what we have these guys here for.”

  Amy laughed and shook her head again as she left the room. As soon as she was gone, Quinn looked over at Brent and Kel. “Do you think Amy will get permission?”

  “You know, that’s one of the great things about her dad being a U.S. senator.” Brent grinned. “Half of the people on board are afraid to tell her no.”

  “And the other half know that she’s on a first-name basis with the president,” Tristan added, only half exaggerating.

  Kel gave a curt nod. “She’ll get us what we need one way or another. We need to proceed as though tagging the Z-10s will be part of the mission. We only have a few more hours until our final mission briefing.”

  “I sure hope Seth is ready for us.”

  “Don’t we all.”

  * * *

  “What’s the story?” Seth spoke quietly as he slipped into the seat beside Halim in the dining room. Once again, he had waited and watched patiently all morning for any sign of Morenta leaving and so far hadn’t seen any. A handful of his men had apparently finished their lunch and were now headed for the elevator.

  Halim watched the men file out of the room before answering Seth. “Akil is supposed to have dinner with Morenta to finalize their plans one last time before he leaves.”

  Seth blew out a breath. “He’s going to be here all day?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Lina is going stir-crazy. I’ve got to find some way to get her out of our suite for a while.”

  Halim immediately shook his head. “No. She cannot be seen.”

  “Do you at least know what time he’s is supposed to be leaving?”

  Now frustration sounded in Halim’s voice. “How would I know? I thought he was leaving yesterday morning.”

  Seth nodded sympathetically. “I don’t envy your job right now. I wouldn’t want to deal with Morenta or any of his men.”

  “Yo
u won’t have to.” Halim stood and pulled a handgun out of his waistband. For a moment he held it pointed at Seth.

  Seth kept his eyes on Halim, refusing to look at the weapon he held. If Halim chose to take his life right now, the chances of Vanessa getting out of the fortress alive were slim. He also knew that if he made a defensive move, he might as well admit that he wasn’t who he claimed to be.

  Thirty long seconds ticked by before Halim finally turned the weapon and offered the butt of the gun to Seth along with a reluctant thread of trust. “Akil agreed that you should be ready in case something unexpected happens.”

  “Tell him thank you.” Seth gave him a brief nod. He watched Halim leave the room and then blew out a long breath. In approximately twelve hours his team would be arriving, and at this point, he couldn’t be sure if he would even be able to get Vanessa out of her suite. He was running out of time, and he knew it.

  * * *

  Vanessa could feel the waves of tension coming from Seth. Outwardly he looked completely relaxed sitting on the balcony, but she knew better. Something was definitely bothering him, and it wasn’t simply the stress of being stuck in the fortress.

  Even though she knew Seth wanted her to stay out of sight, she stepped to the side of the doors leading from the living area to the balcony. Through the sheer curtains, she could see the airfield and the lack of activity there. She pulled open the door and slipped out onto the balcony.

  Seth turned to face her, his face filled with concern. “What are you doing out here?”

  Vanessa sat down in a chair and nodded at the airfield. “No one is even out there, and when I’m sitting down no one can see me anyway.”

  Seth scanned the airfield and the ground below before reluctantly nodding in agreement.

  “Tell me what’s going on.” Vanessa looked out at the water. “Why hasn’t Morenta left yet?”

  “He’s supposed to be meeting with Akil one last time tonight.”

  “Then tomorrow hopefully I can find out what’s really going on.”

  “We aren’t going to be here tomorrow.”