by Lea Griffith
“Yes,” she whispered, her voice husky from sleep.
“Dresden knows about the caves. You stay right on me, Ella. Step where I step, and do what I say when I say do it,” he commanded.
She didn’t bristle, and that more than anything told Jude she understood the precariousness of their situation.
“He’s not getting you,” Jude bit out.
She threw back her head. Ella had her game face on as she pushed her comm device into her ear.
Jude took a moment to trace the curve of her brows before he leaned down and kissed her lips. “Let’s handle business.”
They made their way out of the cave cautiously. Jude’s neck wasn’t prickling, but that didn’t mean Dresden wasn’t close. They hit the trees, and Jude forced a hard pace as they scaled the mountain. The path was rocky, and the forest began to thin out, their cover disappearing too rapidly. Jude motioned her to take cover behind a big cedar, and then he sank to the snow and pulled out his ocular scope.
He scanned the vista below him. In the distance, he could make out tendrils of smoke from his still-burning house. He didn’t hear any signs of big earthmovers, although he’d expected Dresden to be searching the crater he’d created when he blew the explosives.
But the mountain was silent.
“He’s here,” Ella’s voice whispered across the ear mic.
Jude nodded. Dresden’s strike team had arrived. The air quivered with their presence. “Stay where you are. I’m going hunting.”
“I’ve got your six.”
“Safe, El.”
Jude belly-crawled through the trees. He’d pinpointed two areas where Dresden could funnel men through the trees. He pulled two claymores from his go bag and set them in those places. He could hear a low drone now, the sound of snowmobiles echoing up the mountain.
Dresden was coming. Those claymores would slow them, but he and Ella had no choice but to run now.
“Get up, Ella,” he called out. “Run southwest. Hit the tree line.”
She was up and running, Jude on her heels, when the first claymore exploded behind them.
BOOM!
BOOM!
The second one followed the first. Screams of the men who’d been taken out by the explosives echoed in the mountains. Dresden was hitting them from both points.
Ella sprinted to the trees, feet sure in the snow. She hit the edge of the forest before Jude.
A bullet gouged out a slice of snow to his right. Jude turned, went to a knee, lifted his rifle, aimed in the direction the shot had come from, and fired.
A shout rose as the shooter fell. Jude eyeballed the scope and got off two more shots, two more kills, before he slung his weapon over his back and took off after Ella.
More shots peppered his path.
“Run, Ella. Keep running,” he called out.
Then he heard a sound that froze his heart. Ella cried out, the sound cut off as fast as it had split the air.
Jude pumped his legs, chasing that cry. Behind him, Dresden and his men fired at will on Jude’s location. In front of him loomed a small drop-off that Jude feared Ella had gone over.
He slid to the edge and peered down. Ella had landed on a tree trunk about three feet below him. She was sprawled over the trunk, her weapon and bag falling off her back. Her eyes were closed, and she was squeezing the trunk with her arms and legs.
“Let the bag and weapon go, Ella,” he said.
“I don’t want to drop Chica,” Ella called back.
“Ella, do you trust me?” he asked.
Behind him, hell was being unleashed. Dresden had indeed come prepared for a war.
“Yes,” she replied instantly.
“Drop the damn bag. Do it now.”
She dropped the bag with a soft cry.
“Now slither off that trunk and get on the ground, woman,” Jude demanded.
She did as he asked and looked up at him in confusion. She’d only fallen about a foot to the ground.
“Run, Ella,” he told her. “Run and don’t stop until King gets here.”
“Where are you going?” she asked, fear a tremor in her voice as she grabbed her pack and gun. No way was his woman going to leave that damn cat.
“Talk later, baby,” he said as he ducked the shots coming through the trees. “Run!”
He didn’t look to see if she’d done as he asked. He rose, turned, and began firing, reloading, and firing again.
“Don’t die,” she pleaded over the ear mic.
He couldn’t respond. He ducked behind a rock and prayed that King got there soon.
Just then, the night exploded, the sounds of men crying out in pain echoing in the air around Jude. Another explosion, and the trees in front of Jude toppled, fire ripping through the night.
Jude didn’t question it. He just slithered down the small rise and followed Ella’s path. He ran until he reached Ella and then they both ran, down the mountain, through the creek, and through the trees.
In the distance the whump-whump-whump of helicopter blades broke the silence of the lightening sky. Jude pushed Ella down behind some boulders and pulled out his satellite phone.
It was ringing.
“Goddamn it, Keeper. Where the hell are you?” King demanded.
“Heading south, down the mountain. I’m heading toward a shed that’s about five miles from my current location. Head southwest of the coordinates I gave you, and you’ll find the shed. Is that you in the chopper?”
“No, that’s Black. I just blew Dresden’s men to kingdom come. No sign of Dresden yet. There’s no sign of any more men, Jude.”
“We’ll be at the shed,” Jude said and disconnected.
“Let’s go, Ella,” he called. “Follow me, baby. The cavalry’s arrived.”
“Thank you, God,” she breathed out as she stood.
It took them about an hour to reach the shed. Ella didn’t falter, and Jude was so proud of her resilience. The shed rose out of the foggy morning, a silent emissary offering safety. He urged her to the back of the shed and put a finger to his mouth, shaking his head.
She nodded. She wouldn’t move.
Then he stepped around the side of the shed and whistled.
An answering whistle rent the air. King stepped out of the trees. Jude almost went to his knees.
Instead, he reached deep, adrenaline close to failing him, and went back to Ella.
He pressed her body against the shed. “You’re safe, baby.”
She gazed up at him, the low light of a snowbanked morning kissing her features. “I never doubted it, Jude.”
“King’s here. He’s going to get you home,” Jude whispered at her ear.
She grabbed his shoulders. “Where are you going?”
“Hunting.”
He looked to his left and saw King approaching. He didn’t look at Ella again, afraid he’d go with her. He knew now, more than ever, that he had to eliminate Dresden. Ella wouldn’t be safe until that bastard was ashes in the wind.
“Don’t leave me.” She whispered the plea.
Jude didn’t respond, just pulled away and stepped to King, who reached out. Jude clasped the man’s forearm.
“Don’t be brave,” King commanded.
“Be accurate,” Jude responded immediately.
“Hooyah.” King stepped around Jude and walked to Ella.
“Damn it, Jude!” Ella cried out behind him.
“Let him go, Ella,” King said softly.
Jude began walking, shedding her pleas, shedding most of his humanity. He was about to hunt down a man and do his best to kill him. That required a level of animal Jude couldn’t affect if he didn’t drown out Ella’s voice.
“Dresden is mine,” she demanded on a shout. And then, “Come back to me.”
Jude walked aw
ay into the trees, blending seamlessly. He’d track Dresden, but he had a feeling the man was running even now. Jude didn’t care how far he had to travel or how long. Ella would be safe with King.
And contrary to what Ella thought, Dresden was all Jude’s.
Chapter 19
“It’s good to see you again, Ella.”
Ella glanced at the hand held out in front of her face and reached for it. She was encased in ice, but she could do this—look at the woman she’d helped Dresden and Savidge go after. She could do it and act like she wasn’t ashamed to have confirmed the other woman’s identity to a monster. An act of desperation, it still left a bitter taste in Ella’s mouth.
The danger she’d put this innocent woman in! Even though she’d done it to keep Jude safe.
“How you doing, Allie?” Ella was proud her voice didn’t break.
The petite woman with white-blond hair shrugged and leaned back into her man. King McNally wrapped a hard arm around his woman’s midsection and pressed a kiss to that sunlit hair. They fit. Like pieces of a puzzle. Ella had seen the hint of it in Spain. It was even more apparent now.
Deep inside Ella, anger burned. She wanted her puzzle piece, but Jude had been gone for a day and a half with zero contact. Ella had begged Vivi to help her find him. Vivi had refused, and Ella knew why.
Her team didn’t trust her.
Ella didn’t give a shit. Her man was out there hunting a madman, and he was doing it alone. Dresden was dangerous. When he was cornered, hunted, he was insanely crafty. Ella didn’t doubt Jude’s ability, but Dresden was a monster. If he caught Jude before Jude caught him… Well, he’d make Jude suffer. And that would destroy Ella. Everybody had a reason—for living, breathing, putting one foot in front of the other. Jude was Ella’s.
She had to get to Dresden before Jude. That was proving impossible because her teammates, including Brody, were with her every single minute. Nobody called it guard duty, but that’s exactly what it was.
“I’m good,” Allie Redding said with a grin, pulling Ella back to the conversation.
Ella decided she had to take a new tack if she wanted to evade her team and get to Ukraine. She’d gone over every scenario she thought Dresden would engage in. He’d suffered losses in New Mexico. But men were a dime a dozen for Dresden. He seemed to have an unlimited supply. He’d hole up in Ukraine because he had oil to sell.
Allie cleared her throat. “Don’t know that I ever thanked you for the help in Spain.”
Ella snorted. “Considering I helped put you in the hot seat, it’s the least I could do.”
“You talked to Vivi yet?” King asked.
Ella narrowed her gaze on him. “Why?”
“Well, I think it’s time you gave us a debriefing, right? I mean, it’s been a year, Ella.” His voice communicated a vein of distrust, but Ella knew he wouldn’t let Allie anywhere near her if he thought she was a danger to the team.
She nodded, but her words belied the action. “Maybe.”
“Maybe, hell,” Rook said from the doorway. “Time is now.”
“Still pissed about Russia, Granger?” Ella asked, keeping her voice low.
Rook grinned. “Damn straight, Ella-Bella. Ain’t no chick gonna take me down and not suffer for it.”
Speaking of chicks, her cat, Chica, strolled into the room, jumping into Ella’s lap and nudging her nose against Ella’s chin. “Hey, baby,” she whispered, burying her hands in the cat’s soft fur.
The cat had taken to Endgame Ops like a cat to, well, milk. The team complained. Sometimes King fake sneezed, but for the most part, they’d accepted Ella’s surprise animal like they did everything else involved with the team—easily. Besides, Vivi had a cat too. Knight liked to feed him Twizzlers.
“It’s time, Ella,” Vivi said from the door, alarm in her voice.
Ella’s head snapped up, her gaze pinning Vivi.
“It’s not good,” Vivi responded. “I’ve got everything set up in the war room.”
Ella was up that quickly, following Vivi to the house’s former ballroom. It had been converted into a large communications room, similar in feel to Jude’s in New Mexico. His old one anyway. The entire house had been fortified with steel, the windows bulletproofed. It was a mini Fort Knox, each member having donated their specific skill set to ensuring it was as safe as any building could possibly be.
Ella had spent the last thirty-six hours searching for clues to where Jude had gone. She’d also searched for clues that Dresden was back in Ukraine. She’d researched Noah Caine and his daughters, along with Gabrielle Moeller, to the nth degree. And she’d begged Vivi for help. Ella wasn’t eating, was barely sleeping—because how could she sleep without Jude surrounding her? She was close to breaking.
King must have realized it and demanded they do this right now.
Ella walked into the room, noticing nothing had changed since she’d been here last. It would have felt like home if Jude had been there with her.
But he wasn’t, and it was time to go to work.
King, Allie, and Brody sat on the left side of the war table. Rook and Ella sat on the right side. Vivi stood at the head.
“Where are Black and Knight?” Ella asked no one in particular.
“Looking for Chase and Dr. Gabrielle Moeller in Burundi. Apparently, Abrafo Nadege took a liking to the lovely Dr. Moeller, and Chase has had a bitch of a time keeping her safe,” Brody informed her.
Gabrielle Moeller is just another pawn on the chessboard, Ella thought. She wondered what the woman’s role would be in the game. Her gaze sought the big, white boards behind Vivi. On one board were pictures of Moeller, Anna Beth, and Cameron Markov, and of course, their father, Noah Caine, the Piper. On a second board were pics of Dresden, the prime minister of Russia, and Anton Segorski. A map of Crimea was highlighted in yellow between Dresden and the prime minister, and a line went from one board to another, delineating the connection between Dresden and Anna Beth Caine. On the third board was a picture of the White House, several lines coming off it with a picture of Noah Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, in the middle. Ella wondered who the other lines were for.
Vivi cleared her throat, and it was so quintessentially Vivi that Ella felt a smile almost curve her lips. Then Endgame’s chief analyst started talking, and the potential for a smile lessened significantly.
“Let’s start with Africa, shall we? Burundi is a hotbed of unrest, along with most of Africa. Dresden has cemented his foot right in the middle of it, and from everything I have been able to dredge up, he’s aligned himself with Abrafo Nadege in an attempt to secure weapons and, get this, diamonds.” Vivi tapped her lips with her marker as she moved to the second board and pasted a grainy photo of Abrafo Nadege on the board beneath Dresden.
She consulted some notes on her iPad and said, “Nadege was born in Rwanda forty-three years ago, but his parents escaped the political and social unrest, fleeing to London where Nadege was raised among the elite of London society. Schooled at King’s College of London, he graduated cum laude with a PhD in political science. He’s traveled extensively his entire adult life—moving back and forth between Africa, London, and the United States. He began as a professor and somehow insinuated himself into London politics for a time. Long enough to forge political ties in his home of Rwanda anyway. He falls off the face of the earth about seven years ago, leaving a wife and three small children in London, not showing up on my radar until Ella gave Brody his name a month or so ago.”
Ella speared Brody with a look. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. He cleared his throat, and Ella knew the action hurt him. “You were in trouble. Shit was speeding up. I needed Vivi. Hell, you needed Vivi.”
She couldn’t be mad at him. “Thank you.”
He nodded and turned his gaze back on Vivi.
Vivi and the rest of the team looked at Ella.
&nbs
p; “Nadege came on the scene with Dresden shortly after I entered his tender, loving care. Nadege is well spoken, attractive, a big man with big aspirations. He has no conscience, which Dresden adores in his subjects. He’s also a master strategist, and he’s formed solid bonds with tribal leaders all over Africa. When you speak with him, he comes across as sane. When you see him deal with his people, he’s a despot. He controls his people with fear and rage. He’s made a fortune in his own right through diamond mining and running guns for Dresden.
“Diamonds are the trade in Africa. Diamonds and people. Money doesn’t mean much, but diamonds mean power. And to reach the upper echelon of that power scale, you must go through Dresden. Nadege is intelligent enough to realize that he’ll get further with Dresden than without him, and he’s effected a change in the scenery of terrorism in Africa. He owns a lot of land as well. Possession is everything. His hands are on it; it’s his. Rumors are that terrorists are setting up shop to train all over Africa.”
Ella drew in a rough breath. She remembered a time when she’d made a pickup for Dresden in Burundi from Nadege. His courier had been missing four fingers from his left hand and his right ear. He’d handed Ella the bag full of diamonds and fallen to his knees pleading for mercy. Nadege had laughed and laughed and laughed. “Tell your Boko Haram leader I let you live because I’m gracious, but if he interrupts my supply line by invading any more villages, I’ll kill you all. Tell him, and I’ll continue to let you live.” She shuddered.
“Nadege controls all terrorism in Africa, and if Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, or anyone else thinks to step on what he considers his, he destroys them. They don’t move unless they’ve approved it through Nadege. That’s the kind of control we’re speaking of. Yes, they’re training all over the continent. Because he allows it. There are rumors of other activities going on in Africa as well. Always there are rumors.”
“You’re telling me he’s stronger than Al-Qaeda?” King asked in disbelief.
Ella glanced at King. “He’s not as diversified or as zealot-driven, but yes, he’s stronger—in Africa at least—than Al-Qaeda. Might is right in that area of the world. And right now, Nadege, with Dresden’s backing, has the might.
