He gripped his temples, his stomach growing queasy by the minute.
“Swap her life for the code, then follow him to the safe, like we’ve wanted to do from day one. She asked that if the opportunity arose for her to get taken by Malik—”
“No!” He roared out the word and then blew past her and into the bathroom.
He’d never thrown up on a mission before, but he’d never had feelings like this, and shit . . . His palms bore down on the bathroom counter, and he splashed water on his face, trying to get a grip.
What’s happening to me?
“You okay?” she asked from behind.
“What the hell do you think?” He caught her eyes in the mirror before patting his face dry. “How could you go behind my back like this?”
“We knew you wouldn’t go for it. Besides, we had no idea if the situation would present itself.”
“Are you trying to tell me we lucked out with her being taken tonight?” He pounded his fist onto the granite counter. “Malik doesn’t even want the safe, apparently,” he said, fighting to control the anger inside of him. “So, what in the hell is it he wants?”
“I don’t know, but he hinted that we’ve misunderstood everything.”
“We’re in the dark. Fucking perfect.” He shoved past his sister. “I’m going after her.”
“Not yet. If he doesn’t leave a message with the hotel in two hours, then yeah, we go in for an extract. I have an armed team on standby.”
“Why would she risk her life like this?” His expression softened when he looked at her. “She’s a civilian.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Give her more credit than that. She deserves it.”
“Yeah, and if she dies? What the hell happens then?”
Two hours had dragged by, the minutes on the hotel clock moving excruciatingly slow.
When Luke had checked with the front desk there’d been no message.
Malik had been one minute late. That one minute had felt longer than the two hours.
“I’m in position. I have five heat signatures in total. Two at the exterior of the structure,” Owen reported. “Both men outside are armed. Small handguns. No AKs or M-17s that I can see.”
“He had three men with him. Malik plus Eva makes a total of five,” Knox said.
“It could be the terrorists who were after Odem that are inside, and Malik is handing us over to them on a silver platter,” Luke said as they stopped a block away from the address Malik had provided.
“It matches Eva’s tracker, though,” Knox reminded him. “Unless, of course, Malik made her lose the jewelry, anticipating our move.”
“Thanks for that.” Jessica shifted in the front passenger seat to look at Luke, sitting next to Knox.
“Keeping it real; what can I say?” Knox rested the Sig Sauer P226 on his lap and shrugged.
“If something happens to her, I will kill you.” Luke glared at Knox.
“Sure you will.” He held his palms in the air. “But, we’ll get her out. Relax.”
“Relax?” He leaned in closer, his chin jutting forward. “Tell me to relax when this is all over, and I’m sucking down gin on the beach. Don’t even think about saying that to me now. Got it?”
Knox’s attention swept to Jessica. “Damn. Have you ever seen him like this before?”
“I swear to God . . .” Luke tightened his hand around his own Sig.
“You’re up, Asher,” Jessica announced through her comm.
“Roger that,” Asher said.
“And don’t get killed,” she added.
“You worried about me, Peaches?” Asher was on his way to Malik’s home to make first contact.
Luke had wanted to do it, but if things went sideways and Malik opened fire right away, he wouldn’t be able to save Eva if he wound up with a bullet in his head.
He didn’t want that to happen to Asher, of course, but someone had to do it, and Asher had insisted, probably as his way of apologizing for pulling him off Eva earlier.
Luke’s trigger finger itched, and he sealed his eyes as he prepared himself to face Malik—praying that Eva would be unharmed when he walked into the house.
She had to be okay. He couldn’t handle any other outcome.
“Just do your job,” Jessica shot back.
“Will do, Peaches.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Coffee or tea while we wait?” Malik checked his watch.
“Sure, so you can lace it with arsenic?” Her hands tightened on her lap, nervous energy causing her limbs to tingle.
“This isn’t Hollywood.”
“Are you sure you don’t know who I am?”
He ignored her and asked, “Are you comfortable?”
“For a kidnapping.”
“You volunteered to come.” He took a seat next to her, and she scooted to the other end of the couch, her gaze catching the armed man standing close to the front door, twenty feet away.
“Like I had a choice?”
A long sigh fell from his lips as his eyes cut over to hers. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Her heart squeezed. “I’m supposed to believe a terrorist?”
With a pinch to his brows, he shifted on the couch and smoothed a palm over his stubbly cheek. “I told you I’m not a terrorist. My brother and nephew may have been criminals, but I’m not one.”
“So, I can have the location to the safe and be on my way then?” She stood, but the guard strode across the room, his finger slipping to the trigger of his weapon. She dropped back onto the couch. “That’s what I thought.”
“You don’t seem frightened. Why is that?”
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me, right? I’m just super damn trusting.”
He pointed a finger at her, his eyes drawing closer together. “You’re one of those women who shield their true feelings with quips and sarcasm, aren’t you?”
She looked away from him and toward the front door again, her heart kicking into her throat as she prayed Luke would arrive soon, and she hadn’t made a huge mistake.
What if he never forgave her for tonight? Or worse—what if her plan got Luke killed?
She’d been surprised Jessica had agreed to her idea; and then, her stomach had done somersaults the entire time at the bar when she’d been talking to Luke. Guilt had carved away pieces of her, and she’d come close to telling him the truth. But . . . she’d known Luke would yank her back up to the hotel room.
“You know nothing about me,” she said softly.
“Mm. I don’t know. You remind me a lot of my daughter.”
Before she had a chance to gather a response, a hard knock at the door had her core fluttering, and goose bumps covered her skin.
“It’s not him,” the guard said while peeking out the window.
“Open it.” Malik stood but motioned for her to remain seated.
Asher was on the other side of the door, and he found her eyes right away.
“Where’s your friend?” Malik asked.
Asher touched his ear. “You’re good to move in,” he said, and she assumed he was talking to Luke.
Her fingers threaded together as she fought to maintain her composure.
The guard motioned for Asher to lift his hands. “Easy with the pat down. Don’t get too touchy-feely. I don’t swing that way. No offense,” he said and winked at Eva from over his shoulder when he faced the hall wall.
Another guard came in from outside a minute later with Luke and Knox. “They’re clean. No weapons,” the man announced.
And then, it was as if everything were happening in slow motion as he stepped inside and diverted his gaze to her, relief in his eyes.
She leaped off the couch, meeting him halfway, and flung her arms around him, burying her face against his chest as he held her tight.
“Are you okay?” He pulled back and brushed his thumb over her cheek as if assessing for damage.
She nodded and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
He grabbed
her and fastened his arms around her again. He cupped the back of her head, and his heartbeat raced like a lullaby.
“She’s okay, as you can see. Not a hair out of place,” Malik said.
Luke stepped out of their embrace and faced Malik, but he wrapped his arm around her, holding her tight at his side.
She scanned the room, observing everyone. Jessica, Owen, and a few other of Luke’s men she knew weren’t present. She assumed they were outside and would, of course, have a plan.
“I don’t have much time.” Malik pointed to the TV on the wall, and one of his guards holding an iPad cast something onto the screen.
“What am I watching?” Luke stared at the TV, but she could still feel his racing pulse in the palm curved around her hip.
“That’s the security feed inside the home I was hiding out in.” Malik pointed to the TV now and added in a shaky voice, “Those men work for Ender, and they kidnapped my wife and daughter ten days ago.”
“Ender did this?” Luke asked, disbelief etched in his voice. “Why?”
“For my code and the location of the safe.” Malik wiped at the sweat on his brow with a handkerchief he’d taken from his pocket. “My brother couldn’t convince Ender to turn himself into the U.S. with him. He wanted to protect him, but Ender saw him as a traitor.”
“I’m listening,” Luke said, but he tightened his hold on Eva.
Eva couldn’t stop staring at the replay of the security footage that continued: a girl with dark hair, probably sixteen, screaming as two men dragged her out of a bedroom.
She sank her teeth into her lip, trying to control tears for a man who may or may not be a terrorist.
“Odem contacted me six weeks ago, asking me to meet him here. He’d been shot and was on the run from al Jawali, a criminal organization from Pakistan responsible for most of the illegal poppy sales that—”
“I’m familiar with them,” Luke interrupted.
“I convinced Odem to turn himself into the U.S. in exchange for protection. I’ve never been privy to what he’s done over the years because ignorance is bliss. Of course, I knew he wasn’t a good man, but he was my brother.” He swallowed. “But, when he showed me everything he’d compiled—a trove of blackmail—I knew the information could be dangerous in the wrong hands.”
“So, you’re trying to tell me you’re the reason he cut a deal?” Luke asked. “Why the theatrics with the codes and safe?”
“He would only agree as long as I’d help him. He was worried if he handed over the code and safe the U.S. wouldn’t stick to their end of the bargain.”
“You were his backup plan in case things went south,” Luke said. “Did Ender arrange for his father to be killed by the CIA agent?”
Malik’s hands went into prayer pose beneath his chin. “No. He watched the failed exchange and followed the man to Berlin to try and get his father’s code.”
“But I showed up.”
The guard finally paused the security video, and Eva clutched her stomach, her nerves tightening into a hard knot.
“My brother must’ve been scared and said my name in an attempt to save his life, but now there’s a target on my family.” He took a moment to breathe as if to gather his thoughts. If the man was acting, he’d win an Oscar. “Ender called to inform me my brother had been murdered and to tell me to hide because people would be coming after me.”
Luke edged closer to Malik, and two of his guards skirted Luke’s sides. “What are you asking of me?”
He kept hold of Eva when he moved, but part of her wanted to fade away into the dark at that moment.
“You can have the safe. I don’t want it. I never did. I just want my wife and daughter,” he said, a rattle to his voice.
“Why should I believe you? Ender’s in a coma. How do I know you’re not fabricating all of this?” Luke asked.
Malik opened his palms. “Ender didn’t just kidnap my wife and daughter.” His guard changed the TV screen to another video feed, one that showed Malik being forced to the ground, with his hands tied behind his back. “Ender brought me to a different location; he was prepared to torture me for the code and safe. I gave him the code to try and save their lives.”
“Not the safe?”
He shook his head. “It was my way of trying to keep my family alive longer. I knew he needed Odem’s code, which you had, before it’d matter, anyway. I promised him the safe once he released my daughter and wife.”
“Why was he in Istanbul a week ago?”
“That is when he saw you, yes?”
Luke nodded.
“I believe he was meeting with a member of al Jawali—making a deal. I can’t be certain, though, because I only heard bits and pieces of his conversation while I was being held.”
“Ender was never taking me to you in New York?” he asked. “So, you want me to find your family?”
“Yes, and I also want you to take down al Jawali and find the men responsible for killing my brother. I have to assume the CIA agent was not working alone.”
“A tall order.” Luke released a deep breath.
Eva’s heart skipped into her throat as Malik pointed to her.
“You care about this woman more than whatever is in that safe, which says to me you’re an honest man.”
Luke was quiet for a moment. “And where’s the safe?”
“My family first. I am sorry, but with Ender not awake to tell the location, who knows what his men have done with my wife and daughter?”
“How’d you escape, and why’d you come here?” Luke asked, mirroring Eva’s own questions.
“These men were loyal to my brother, not Ender. They helped me get away when Ender never returned the night he went after you. Unfortunately, Ender never disclosed my family’s location to them,” he said as if his spirit had dried up inside him. “I decided the best chance to save my family was to find the man who had the code . . .” He tipped his head toward Luke.
“Big gamble,” Luke said dryly. “You’re lucky it’s us who saw your face outside the French Embassy and not someone else.”
“Worth the risk. Wouldn’t you do the same for the ones you loved?” he responded.
“We’ll need those videos, and I need to head back to the hotel. I’m keeping two men here to babysit while I’m gone.”
“How will you find them?” Malik asked, his voice breaking as he moved in closer to him.
“We have the best facial recognition software in the world. If you’re telling the truth, we’ll find them.” He reached for Eva’s hand. “Asher. Knox. You stay.”
Eva couldn’t help but wonder if he was punishing them for what had happened back at the casino. She’d seen the look in Luke’s eyes when Asher and Knox had pulled him away from her. She hoped he’d forgive them. It was her fault, after all.
Luke started for the door, tightening his grasp on her hand as they moved. “One thing.” He paused and pivoted to face Malik. “You saw the contents of the safe, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did your brother have anything in there other than intel to blackmail criminals and terrorists?”
Malik’s brows drew tight. “Yes, blackmail on some Americans.”
Jessica tightened her ponytail before her hands landed on the desk, and she dropped her head. “Are we really believing this guy?”
They were in the room Eva had been staying in instead of the suite with the rest of the SEALs.
Eva’s attention flitted to Luke. With his back against the window and his arms crossed, he looked . . . well, irritated, to put it mildly.
“I think I believe him. It makes sense, actually,” Luke said.
Jessica continued his line of thought. “It’s why Odem didn’t give Ender his code. Plus, we assumed Ender worked for Malik because the CIA made it look like Malik was Odem’s partner. The CIA led us to believe Ender and Malik had Odem murdered.”
“There has to be something in the safe about someone in the CIA, something they don’t want anyone to k
now,” he noted.
“It could’ve just been Reggie. Maybe he’d crossed paths with Odem before, and when he heard of the exchange, he finagled his way into the mission to—”
“Reggie would’ve ended his career by killing Odem, anyway,” Luke said, cutting off his sister. “He had to have killed him for more than that.” He heaved out a breath. “Not to mention, he’s dead. And I’m betting whoever’s feeding us intel was working with him.”
“That’s easy to figure out then, right?” Eva asked. “Who’s giving you your intel?”
“I wish I knew. We don’t work directly with the agency,” Jessica said softly and turned to face them both. “Do you think Will would tell us?”
“What if he accidentally tips whoever it is off?” Luke shook his head. “We can’t risk letting Will know what happened tonight, not until we have more to go on. You didn’t brief him on what went down with Malik, did you?”
“You asked me not to, and I may not like the idea, but I’m trying to make amends for pissing you off.” She held up an index finger. “I’m giving you until sunrise, though.”
“That’s not a lot of time.” He squeezed his eyes tight. “Will’s not going to like the deal we cut with Malik.”
“Once he knows the truth, he’ll change his tune. He’s not as bad as you always paint him out to be.”
“Do you think you can find Malik’s family by sunrise?” Eva asked softly.
“I’ve already uploaded the kidnappers’ images into my program. One guy’s in the morgue; he was with Ender when he took you two. So, hopefully, we can get a match on the other man and see where he’s been recently.” Jessica looked at her brother, his eyes still closed. “Why don’t I give you guys a moment to talk? Come join us when you’re done.”
This must’ve gotten his attention, because Luke dragged a palm down his face and opened his eyes as Jessica strode past him, leaving the room.
“So.” Eva released a quick breath.
He arched a brow. “So.”
She tensed. “Are you angry at me?”
Finding His Mark (Stealth Ops Book 1) Page 16
