She glanced out the windows at the snipers who remained in position. “You shouldn’t have done this for me.” She shook her head as the wheels screeched, the smell of burning rubber flitting to her nose as he made a quick U-turn.
“You wanted to stay with that asshole?”
“The safe, though. The intel . . .”
“It’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”
“You always get your guy, huh?” She swiped at her tears, a touch of relief settling inside her with the snipers out of sight.
“I already got him,” he said in a calm voice. “He just doesn’t know it yet.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“You were right. It’s Davies and his men: former Delta guys turned hired mercenaries. They’ve been working out of France, mostly,” Jessica said over the speaker as Luke raced down the road along the Riviera. “Five men in total, right?”
“Yeah,” Luke said. “Did you confirm payment?”
“It took some digging, but I tracked it to an offshore account. I had no idea Will had that kind of money stashed away.”
“Saving for a rainy fucking day,” Luke rasped.
“Yeah, like needing a team in a hurry to get to Harper and Eva,” Jessica replied. “Well, we’re tracking them. Echo Team is waiting for our command to take them out.”
“I’m almost to Malik’s now. I’ll call and give you the word soon.”
“Okay, be careful.”
“Always.” Luke ended the call and peered at Eva.
“Echo Team? Delta? What’s going on?” Her fingers fused in her lap, a tight band of nervousness stretching her thin.
“You’re familiar with the Bravo guys—Owen, Asher, Knox, Liam, and myself. Echo is the other group.”
“Oh. And the Delta mercenary people? Who are they?”
“The man who took you is former Special Forces. When he got out, he became a private contractor for hire. He started taking jobs for anyone, regardless of their side of the law, a couple years back. He was probably a convenient choice since he and his guys live nearby.”
“And your team is going to get the intel back?” Her hand touched her chest, waiting for the moment when he said yes, so she could breathe again.
“Sort of. Only the top twenty or so documents were legit. The rest of the pages were a bunch of Wikipedia documents we printed out. We assumed they wouldn’t take the time to look at everything.”
“Thank God.” She rubbed her palms over her face, trying to rid her body of the rest of her tension.
She was alive.
Luke was alive.
The bad guys would lose.
“That CIA guy, Reggie, is dead. So, who hired them?” she asked as Luke parked outside Malik’s home.
“You’re about to meet him.”
Luke stroked his stubbly jaw and leaned against the Roman-like post in the middle of Malik’s living room.
Malik wasn’t in sight, and Eva had no clue where he was. Luke had motioned for her to sit on the couch between Asher and Knox, and she felt tiny between the men.
Where was Liam, though? She glanced around the room, nervously rubbing her hands up and down her thighs as she tried to figure out what was about to happen.
Owen sat at the bar counter with his palm resting atop his sidearm, his eyes drilling straight at the mystery man standing before Luke.
“You look nervous, Will.” Luke pushed away from the column and crossed his arms before the man.
Will? Didn’t Jessica mention his name on the phone in the car?
“Yeah, of course, I am. I have to call POTUS and tell him we lost the intel.” He slipped his hand in his jeans pocket.
“No, you don’t,” Luke said.
“What do you mean?”
Luke tipped his chin toward the hallway. “The intel’s still in the safe. It hasn’t been removed.”
Will’s head jerked back as if he’d been slapped. “Are you shitting me? Why didn’t you let me know you gave those men false documents? Wasn’t that a bit risky with her life on the line?”
“Why do you seem so upset?” The muscle in Luke’s jaw squeezed.
“I’m not. This is good news.”
Luke’s hand went behind his back, and Eva’s eyes widened when he curled it around the butt of his gun. “The guys who made the swap for Eva—it’s crazy how easily they believed us, don’t you think? I mean, sure, they had the show of the snipers, but it’s almost like someone told them to trust the intel was good. You know, someone who would think the boxes truly had the right content in them.” Luke took one long stride closer to Will.
“What are you trying to say?”
“How could you do it, man?” A touch of anger sliced through Luke’s words.
“Do what?” Will’s gaze tightened, suspicion crossing over his face.
“For starters, why have those assholes try and kill Harper and take Eva?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Will snapped.
“How long has Yilmaz been blackmailing you? Since the day he sent you the images of you and Reggie murdering innocent people in Afghanistan? Or, did he stumble upon those photos later and only begin to blackmail you recently?”
Will’s mouth fell ajar, and before Eva had a chance to react, Will stretched his arm out, aiming a gun straight at Luke.
Luke’s weapon was pointed right back at him, his shoulders squared, the tension evident in the pinch of his muscles.
Asher, Knox, and Owen were on their feet, their fingers resting on the triggers of their sidearms.
“So, you did look at the intel,” Will said through gritted teeth.
The fact that Luke brought Eva there meant he knew what he was doing, and so she attempted to allow that detail to comfort her, despite the fact there were five drawn weapons in the room.
“Why’d you kill that woman and child? Why spend fifteen years trying to cover it up?” Luke’s voice dipped lower with a rasp of betrayal.
“It was an accident,” Will said, eying Owen from over his shoulder. “Put your guns down. We don’t need to do this.”
“Put your piece down first,” Luke said as if he knew Will would never do it. “Denise had just died. Your wife was killed overseas by some asshole radical insurgent, and I’m guessing you unleashed hell for revenge.”
Eva’s stomach tightened as she listened to the exchange; images of what Luke said filled her mind.
“It was a mistake,” Will said.
“And it would’ve ended your career. But, I’m betting you didn’t know anyone had seen what you’d done—we were in the middle of war,” Luke said, dragging out his words slowly as if stretching them through the muck.
“I’m not going to let some photos destroy everything I’ve worked for,” he yelled.
“When you learned Yilmaz was turning himself in, you made sure it was Reggie on the op. He probably didn’t even know about the blackmail photos until then—you were the big fish for Yilmaz. The main guy worth blackmailing. How’d you get Reggie to do it? Either way, he was screwed, so . . .”
Will remained quiet, and she spotted a slight tremble in his hand.
“You promised him safety and money if he did it, right?” Luke continued. “But Reggie had no idea you were going to have us show up for the USB in Berlin. He thought he was meeting with you.” Luke kept his gun steady but turned his head enough to catch sight of Eva out of his peripheral view. “You were there to take the shot after we left, but with Ender showing up, I took care of your dirty work for you.”
Owen stepped closer, his green eyes tightening as he stared at Will. “You always planned to use us, didn’t you? We’d get the safe, you’d grab what you need, then turn it over to POTUS and become a hero. But with Harper poking around, you got worried we’d connect the dots between you and Reggie and look at what was in the safe.”
“Harper’s going to live, by the way,” Asher spoke up. “And clearly, your contingency plan to take Eva failed.” A puff of anger filled out his muscular chest
. “How many fucking missions have we been on to clean up your messes? I sure as hell know you don’t have enough money to pay off Yilmaz, so what deals did you make with him?”
“Answer him,” Luke snapped, anger curling around his words like a tight ribbon squeezing out the life.
“Fuck you.” Will tipped up his chin. “I’m a good man. I’ve done what’s best for this country; I never assigned you to anything that didn’t merit it. That pig has been getting away with crimes for years. It was time he was brought down.”
“You don’t hold the scales of justice, man. We’re servants to justice,” Luke said.
Nausea overcame her as she digested everything happening, hating that Luke and his team were facing such betrayal. Her palm rested flat on her abdomen as she tugged her lip between her teeth, desperate to shut her eyes and wake up tomorrow.
“I won’t go down for this,” Will said, his voice settling somewhere on the frequency of somberness—acceptance of death.
“I know what you’re trying to do, but it won’t work. I won’t kill you.” Luke’s words cut through the air, and she tensed as trepidation filled her.
“I’ll put a bullet in you. I won’t hesitate.” Will’s hand trembled slightly.
“Put the gun down,” Luke said slowly, a plea to his voice.
The blood pumping from her heart went to her ears as Will slowly pivoted, pointing the gun at her. “Can you take the risk with her?”
“You won’t do it,” Luke said, his shoulder blades pinching back.
“Guess we’ll find out.”
She instinctively covered her face, and a gunshot popped in the air a second later.
“Asshole.” Asher’s voice sang in her ears.
She slowly dropped her hands.
“You fucking shot me in the arm!” Will lay curled on the floor, clutching his bleeding arm, the liquid soaking the carpet.
“Better than your face,” Luke said dryly, but she could still hear the cut of pain threading his words. “You’re gonna rot in prison for what you’ve done.” He tucked his gun into the back of his pants and kicked Will’s weapon away from his reach.
She covered her mouth, blinking rapidly as she assessed what had gone down.
“Are you okay?” Luke grabbed her hand and helped her stand, as Knox created a tourniquet around Will’s arm.
“I think so,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry you had to see that, but I didn’t have time to bring you anywhere else first.” He pulled her in for an embrace, tucking her safely in his arms, and she sniffled against his shirt, trying to keep herself together.
Only thirty minutes had passed since he’d saved her from the masked man, but that felt like an eternity ago.
He stepped back and held her cheeks. “Do you want to get out of here?”
She nodded.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, and they started for the door. “I’ll meet you guys back at the hotel after you’re finished with him.” His hand draped over the knob when he peered back over his shoulder. “And don’t fuck him up, Asher. I know what you’re thinking.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Is it all finally over?” Eva asked, her fingers fisting the blanket to her chest.
“Almost,” Jessica answered for Luke because he couldn’t get his mouth to move.
He couldn’t believe everything that had happened today—everything that could have happened to Eva.
Her life had been in jeopardy because of him. It solidified why he couldn’t ever be with someone. It was too damn dangerous.
But, with Will’s betrayal, did he even have a job anymore?
“We, uh,”—he coughed into his closed hand—“still need to wrap up a few loose ends with the bad guys who were after the safe in the first place.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders lifted and fell with a sobering breath. “What does that mean for me?”
“We’ll take you back to the States,” Jessica said and sat next to her on the bed. She wrapped a hand over her shoulder as if she were trying to be sisterly, but on Jessica it looked awkward and forced.
Eva’s long lashes lifted as she viewed Jessica.
Jessica cleared her throat. “We should keep an eye on her until it’s clear. If Ender mentioned anything to al Jawali about her in the truck before the accident . . .”
Luke’s arms tightened across his chest as he leaned against the wall opposite them, digesting the situation. “I doubt he said anything, but it’s not a chance I’m willing to take.” He wouldn’t be able to watch her again though. The commander in chief was expecting his arrival and a briefing tomorrow at Camp David.
“My work starts in ten days. Will I be back in time?” she softly asked.
Luke looked to Jessica for a brief moment. “I hope so. We won’t be sent in to take out al Jawali, but—”
“Why not?” Eva’s brows raised, a flicker of relief in her hazel irises.
“That kind of stuff will be handled by DEVGRU, or a combination of spec ops guys. We do the stuff that’s more behind the scenes,” he explained.
“And never get credit for it.” She wet her lips, a slight tremble there. “But you don’t do this for credit,” she noted before he had to say it.
“Ender’s been handed over to the Feds. I doubt he’ll ever wake, but he’s not our responsibility anymore.” Jessica stood and wrapped a hand around the back of her neck.
“What will happen to Malik and his family?” Eva asked, allowing the blanket to fall to her lap. Traces of goose bumps scattered across her forearms.
“He has diplomatic immunity, which if POTUS wanted to he could probably get around, but I made the case this morning for his return to Turkey. I think it’s best for him and his family to stay low-key for a while,” Jessica answered.
It was Luke’s first time hearing the news, but he was in agreement.
He should’ve listened to his gut from the beginning about the case, but then again, he’d never have suspected his superior to be involved in twisting all of the intel up to mask the true mark: himself.
“I’m going to go wrap things up with the guys in the other suite. We head to the airport in an hour, if you want to freshen up first,” Jessica said.
Luke waited for them to be alone, and then he sat on the bed and found her hand. “If you hadn’t shown up at the cabin, none of this would’ve happened.”
Her lips twitched at the edges. “I know.”
“No, I mean we would’ve handed over Malik and Ender as traitors, and Will would’ve gotten away with everything.” He tensed at the thought.
How many ops had he been sent on to do Will’s personal bidding? He was only supposed to be the point of contact, so hopefully, this had been the first time. He couldn’t think any other way, or guilt would rip him apart.
“So, my almost dying a few times wound up being a good thing.” She smiled as he shifted to better face her and guided his hand up, brushing the pad of his thumb beneath her mascara-streaked eye.
“No,” he finally said. “But what happened to you proves how dangerous knowing me is.” His chest constricted as he stood.
“You could’ve died because of me,” she said, catching him by surprise as he braced the back of his neck with both hands. “You might have sacrificed your mission and turned over the safe to save me.” She shoved the blanket to the side and stood.
He held his breath as he waited for her words, wondering if she’d be the one to sever the—well, whatever it was—between them. Maybe she’d save him from having to do it himself?
“I get why you don’t want your men to be married and have kids. I know SEALs have families, but what you do is different, I guess.” Her gaze dropped to the floor, and her hands knotted at her sides. “And I assume you lost someone from your team, and he was married, right? So, there’s that, too.”
Memories of his best friend with a hood over his head two years ago came to mind. “So, you agree with me?”
She reached for his forearms and
stepped in closer to him, lifting her chin to meet his gaze. “We’re a danger for each other,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
“We are,” he rasped.
“And it’s scary. It’s terrifying, actually.” She closed her eyes, and the first few drops of liquid rolled down her cheeks. “But fear is what keeps us going. Fear isn’t the enemy, right?”
Shit. He stepped away from her and out of reach. “Don’t do this, please. This isn’t one of your movies where we get to write the ending and everything works out. This is real life.” He dragged a palm down his jaw, his body tight with the pull of indecision, even if he knew what needed to be done in his head—his heart was trying to guide him another way.
“Don’t talk to me like I’m some child. Some lover of fantasy with no grasp on reality. I deserve more than that.” She opened her eyes, the color deepening as if she’d been wounded. She brushed past him and headed toward the en-suite bathroom.
“Eva, wait. I didn’t mean—” He cut himself off when she slammed the bathroom door in his face. He rattled the knob, but it was locked. The sound of running water had him pressing his palms to the door. “Everly,” he said this time, hoping to catch her attention.
“Go away. It’s what you want, right? We’ll go back to the States and back to our lives of living in the shadows.”
“Open the door,” he commanded, his voice dropping as frustration gnawed at him. He didn’t want to hurt her; it was the last thing he wanted—but that’s what would happen if they tried to see where their relationship could go. After losing her twice within twenty-four hours, he couldn’t risk a third time in the future. A third time could kill her.
“Leave. I’m naked now, and I have nothing left to say.”
“Open the door,” he said, softer this time. “And I’ve seen you naked before.”
“Clearly, that won’t be happening again.”
“Don’t do this. I don’t want it to end like this.” He curled his hands into fists and pressed them against the wood, his knuckles whitening.
“As long as it ends, what does it matter?”
Finding His Mark (Stealth Ops Book 1) Page 20
