True Peril

by Veronica Forand

  “Cassie, if you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’m going to—”

  “Threats never work on me. I know you’re a pussy cat under that lion exterior.”

  “You’re hiding something from me. I’ll be unable to do my job if you have me focused on a cloud of questions. What’s the matter?”

  Silence loitered like a wayward teenager about to cause chaos.

  He scanned the computer screen to locate his men. They were a mile away, returning at a steady pace. He needed her answers. “You have one second to talk, or I’m flying home.”

  “I’ve started bleeding. Just a little, but the doctor wants to make sure everything is fine.”

  His concentration completely fled his brain. He couldn’t lose his child. He needed to be with Cassie. And yet Dane needed him as well. Her crisp, businesslike attitude in the face of a potential disaster gutted him more than if she’d begged him to come home. Did she realize that everything in his life revolved around her and Junior?

  “Go straight to the hospital. Call Henry and Alex to meet you there. You need support. I’m on my way. Dane can handle the rest of the operation, the team is already in place, and I’ll only be in the way worrying about you.” Dane would rise or fall on his own, and maybe that needed to happen for him to earn respect from the other men. It didn’t matter—Cassie was Simon’s priority.

  “Stay and help Dane. I don’t want this to cause any harm.”

  “Dane’s more than capable of handling this alone. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I love you, and I love Junior as well. Take care of her.”

  “Him.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “Okay. Be careful. He or she needs you home in one piece, and so do I.” She hung up, and Simon immediately called Joe to arrange for the quickest transportation possible to London.

  A half hour later, Toby arrived, covered in mud and slugging down some water. Liam and Dane followed behind. Gunther would remain near the Red Hawks’ compound to install cameras and observe the comings and goings of the fighters.

  “Well?” Simon asked on the drive back to camp.

  Dane downed a large amount of water and then leaned back in his seat. “It looks as though Jenny is in the main house. They have some visitors inside, two guys in suits. I saw his wife Liliana as well. Only two guards outside, carrying assault rifles, but not super alert.”

  Liam rinsed his head and face with water. “Their surveillance system has three motion detectors we avoided and several cameras that are probably linked into a security system. Our best move is to raid the house tonight. They’ll pick up our movements with their motion detectors, but there’ll be less overall visibility for their men. A cake walk.”

  “I disagree.” Dane shook his head. “This needs to be a daytime operation. We can go in quicker, and there’ll be less room for mistakes. They’ll pick up our entry either way, and several of their soldiers are in the fields with the poppies now. That would mean less men to contend with.”

  “They’ll be more fatigued at night. I’ve done this before. An easy in and out operation. We won’t give them time to wake up.”

  “Those men are waiting for us. They’ll have a full time security detail covering every aspect of the base overnight, expecting a night infiltration.”

  Simon watched Dane and Liam debate the two plans. Although he often deferred to Liam in these situations, Dane had better instincts. Yet, he’d never led a team. He was a loner. At some point, however, Simon had to hand the reins to him. With Cassie beckoning him home, the time was now.

  The secrecy necessary to run a team of renegades who would rather quit than be linked to specific government agencies was extreme. The majority of the team were outliers and wanted nothing to do with politics of any sort. They worked better as soldiers of fortune, not puppets of their respective governments. Dane could make the big calls when needed, the ones that would scupper an operation for the general good. Liam, on the other hand, hated to lose and would never let an operation fail on purpose, whether for patriotism or otherwise. And now Liam would have to follow Dane’s orders as though it was Simon giving the commands.

  “I’m leaving as soon as I get back to camp.” He turned to Liam with a warning in his tone, hopefully one that would be heeded. “Dane’s in charge. Don’t fuck him over.”

  The order went as well as Simon anticipated. Liam punched the back of his seat and dropped his expression to that of a rabid dog. “Are you kidding me? He has no idea about the logistics of our team and how to run this operation. He’s more likely to kill his own sister than rescue her.”

  Dane, his own testosterone boiling over, swung at Liam’s face. Simon reached back from the front seat and used his huge arm span to separate them both. The blood dripping from Liam’s nose meant he was a second too late. They didn’t continue their fight, perhaps because Simon’s stress over Cassie and his agitation over Liam’s rebellion was drawn all over his face, and if it wasn’t, his own fist across someone’s jaw would be forthcoming to push these two into the new world order.

  “If anything happens to my sister, I will fucking destroy you,” Dane said, his arm pulled back and ready for another round.

  Liam wiped his nose with the back of his hand and leaned toward Dane with a scowl. “Go ahead and try, pretty boy. I’m not convinced you’re anything special.”

  Bugger them both. This wouldn’t work if Liam took matters into his own hands and if Dane became violent instead of taking firm control.

  “Dane’s in charge. He’s not my second, he’s my partner.” Simon spun around in his seat so both Dane and Liam had a clear view of his expression. “If you want off this operation, Liam, tell me now. Not a problem. You forfeit your profits and can walk off this mountain.”

  He’d been planning to hand Dane half his operation. Dane hated working for anyone, and Simon could push him in the directions he wanted him to go no matter what title Dane held. A win-win.

  Liam mumbled a few obscenities, but otherwise kept his mouth shut. Tense silence floated through the Hummer until they arrived at base camp. Liam hopped out and disappeared. Toby, the youngest member of the team at twenty-three, followed him. They’d been together two years now. Liam was his man, and Dane was the outsider in their eyes. And Simon couldn’t stay and help make this any smoother. Cassie was his priority.

  Dane met Simon in his tent after checking on Eve, who was still sleeping.

  “Where the hell are you going?” Dane, still muddy from their trip, sat on a chair and placed his elbows on his knees, dragging in a heavy breath. “These guys won’t listen to me. I tripped over a branch in the jungle, and you would have thought I’d sprayed them with bullets. If I can’t get Liam on board with me, we’ll lose the entire team.”

  “Cassie needs me. I’d be no help to you with my mind at the hospital with her and the baby.”

  Dane leaned back in the chair and tapped his thigh with his hand. “I’m sorry. What’s going on?”

  “Not to worry. I’m sure she’ll be fine, but I prefer seeing her with my own eyes. Just get Jenny out, and keep Liam happy.”

  “I’ll make it happen.” Dane rose and crossed to the entrance, paused, and walked back to Simon. “And since we’re partners now, I want you to know that if you ever drug my wife again, Cassie will be a widow before she’s a mother.”

  “She needed to rest after seeing the village burned down and so many people she knew dead. Maybe I should have given you warning.”

  “Nope. You shouldn’t have done it at all. Eve is hard to control, and her inability to fear death like a normal human makes her do things even I question at times, but she’s capable of more than you’ve given her credit for. She’s not just a good shot with a fantastic grasp of Spanish. She’s handled more than a few life and death incidents since meeting us and always comes out alive. Remember how we both thought of Cassie as incapable of working in the field and then she outguns the North Korean Army? I trust Eve to do the right thing. Druggi
ng her, however, made both of us the enemy. She needs to be working with us, not against us. And if she feels like she’s no longer part of our team, she’ll be free to enact revenge on her own terms.”

  Simon curled his fingers in and out of a fist. He looked out the window toward Eve’s tent. “Sorry. Old habits die hard. And you’re right. I’d rather have her on our side than lining up against us. What if I take her with me to London? I can tell her Cassie requested her to help at the hospital.”

  “Good idea. I doubt she’ll want to leave, but I’ll ask her when she wakes up.”

  “Perfect. And Dane?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Watch your back. Liam wants your ass, and he may resort to killing you, despite my warnings. He tends to think his way is the only way.”

  “Why keep him around?”

  “Like you, he’s the best.”

  “I’ll determine that in the next day or so. If you and I are partners, let’s talk money.” Dane stood across from him like an American cowboy at a poker table about to reveal his full house.

  Simon was expecting this and was more than prepared. “60 percent net proceeds of the transactions you’re attached to. The rest goes into our operation.”

  “Plus?” Dane asked.

  Simon smirked, finally confident Dane would be in his pocket. He would have given Dane 80 percent of net if he’d asked. Pity for him.

  “Fifteen million placed in a secure account in your name.”

  “In Eve’s name, and she takes an additional 10 percent net, so combined we have 70 percent.”

  “Deal.”

  …

  Eve woke with a jack hammer style headache. What the hell had Simon given her? Something powerful dressed up in vodka. Enough to give her a hangover and a drug fog. She rolled to her side and let the waves of dizziness stop undulating around her before she attempted to stand. The bottom of her backpack contained a huge bottle of water. She pulled the bag toward her and chugged down the contents to flush her body of the crap still in her system.

  She had to join up with everyone. If she worked with them without revealing the pain tearing her apart, they might give her a more active role.

  She put on her camouflage uniform and prepared to join the group.

  She exited the tent on not so steady feet. She should speak with Dane about having a more important role in this operation. She could help them if they’d let her. Otherwise, she’d end up sitting around in camp fulfilling everyone’s expectations of her—a useless person taking up space.

  The afternoon sun was at the top of the sky. Jenny had been gone for days and could be dead for all they knew. Simon’s team would head into the compound at dusk to locate Jenny. And Eve could help them. Now was her chance to convince them she could handle any task, no matter how difficult, no matter how deadly.

  Joe had just left the main tent and was headed to an adjacent area behind her. She smiled and waved and watched him stroll into the woods, no doubt to relieve himself. The others should be working together on the main plan for rescuing Jenny.

  When she arrived at the door, she paused, more out of habit than intuition. Through the thin walls of their headquarters, Eve could hear Liam complaining about Dane taking over the group.

  “That son of a bitch is not telling me how to do my job. If he wants to head into the enemy territory in broad daylight, he should go in alone. I’m sure all his elite training will more than make up for our back up and support.” Liam’s venomous tone brought goose bumps to Eve’s skin and warned her to keep her presence hidden.

  “Did you see him fall on his ass? Shit. I’m surprised he didn’t wake up the whole mountain.” The voice spewing toxic words sounded younger than Liam. Maybe Toby? “What the hell was Simon thinking bringing him and his wife up here? She’s a friggin’ disaster. Isn’t she the reason the Red Hawks torched the village to begin with? We should do a trade, Eve for Jenny.”

  Liam laughed. “Not likely. Besides, she won’t be here long. Simon’s taking her with him when he leaves.”

  “Proof she was only here to service O’Brien. Maybe she’s doing Simon as well. The camp whore.” Liam, his voice lower and more direct than a high powered rifle, shot out words that pierced her indecision and buffeted her resolve.

  She let the icy chill of their title for her stiffen her backbone. Simon may be kicking her off the team, but he was not taking her out of there. Not as long as Jenny’s life was on the line. If she had a head start, she’d be in place to ensure Jenny’s survival. Hopefully.

  She backed away and returned to her tent to collect her belongings. She decided against the camouflage now that she’d be going alone, and instead dressed in clothes that would allow her to blend into the environment as a local. Jeans, a dark blue oversize Oxford shirt to hide the Kevlar, and hiking boots. Her hair fell in wisps that framed her face and made her skin appear a shade darker and more native than her natural coloring.

  Dane didn’t have much in their tent, except a backup handgun, fully loaded. The Glock never left him, but this Ruger would be perfect for what she needed to do. She grabbed an extra magazine with more ammunition, a knife, and a thin wire that would work as a garrote if needed. Dane had access to Simon’s massive arsenal, so she didn’t worry about leaving him with a few less weapons. She slipped into the jungle. A team of one.

  …

  Thirty scenarios shot through Dane’s head when he saw Eve’s empty sleeping bag. Twenty-seven of them included logical and rational reasons why she wasn’t there. The last three involved rescue, revenge, and murder. Since her backpack was gone, he had to assume the worst of the options.

  “Eve?” he called out. His shout would get the other men’s attention and their scorn as well, but he couldn’t worry about making himself and Eve look incompetent anymore. She needed his support and then a jet plane back to London. A mechanism to bypass his heart as he made critical decisions to keep her from a suicide mission would be useful, too. And they both needed a whole hell of a lot of luck.

  Toby and Liam strode up to him. Toby stood a few inches shorter than Liam and couldn’t be older than twenty-five—a fresh faced kid looking for more money than the Marines were willing to pay him, and completely enamored with Liam.

  “Lost the little woman? She needs a leash.” Liam rolled his head back in disgust.

  No time for punching him in the face again and hoping for some permanent structural damage to the cartilage. Dane tried to appear calmer and more composed than he felt, but the wrong word from one of these guys and they’d be sucking air into a collapsed lung. “Have either of you seen Eve since we returned from the mission?”

  Joe strolled up to the group and pointed to the main tent. “She was headed to headquarters. I didn’t stick around to see if she entered.”

  Liam’s expression dropped. “When?”

  “About fifteen minutes ago.”

  “Shit.” Liam blew out his breath with a shake of his head. “She must have overheard us talking. I mentioned that Simon was taking her with him when he left. Maybe she’s all upset about the village and returned to help with the clean up. We can drive over and pick her up.”

  The chill streaming into camp from the jungle wrapped vines of control around Dane’s emotions. He wouldn’t strike out, he needed these idiots, and yet he had no respect for them. They didn’t have a clue how tough Eve could be when confronted with life’s sucker-punches. She didn’t turn and run or brace herself for the hit. She fought back. Hard.

  Dane stepped up to Liam, nose to nose. “You have the wrong impression of my wife. We weren’t sending her away, we were giving her the option of leaving. Seeing the village burned to the ground didn’t break her down, it revved her up. Simon didn’t drug her to keep her from falling apart. He did it to keep her from stealing a car and heading straight into the Red Hawks’ compound, you stupid piece of shit. She’s headed to destroy Juan Carlos in retaliation for the deaths of the village children. She’s fearless and won’t stop until
she’s completed the task. And now, you gave her a reason to begin her personal vendetta early, and without backup.”

  Simon trotted over with a duffel bag. “Where’s Eve? I need to go.”

  “She’s not coming. Someone”—Dane glanced at Liam—“alerted her to her imminent departure, and she bolted.”

  Simon slammed his bag onto the ground and faced Liam. “You need to learn to keep your mouth shut. Bloody hell. I bet she’s halfway up to the compound by now.”

  Mitch sat in the Hummer, waiting to transport Simon and Eve back to the helicopter landing area. Simon glanced toward his ride out of there. His scowl darkened his features.

  “Go. I’ll fix this.” Dane nodded in the direction of the Hummer. “If this team is as good as you’ve said, they’ll be able to follow directions, finish the job, and I’ll be having a cigar with you in two days.”

  “I’ll stay until we find Eve and bring her back here. My plane back to London is on standby. It’ll wait. At the same time, let Liam and the boys have a go at picking up Jenny with minimal casualties. In and out. If they fail—”

  “Fail? What the hell?” Liam lifted his hands in a defensive posture as though he didn’t just screw up the mission by telling Eve their plans.

  “Shut up, Liam.” Simon faced Dane again. “If they fail, go in and clean it up.”

  Dane ignored the men’s grumbling beside him. “If they fail, and Jenny or Eve is harmed, they’ll be remaining in the compound permanently as part of a mass grave.”

  “Agreed.” Simon scowled at the men. “I’ll go up to the village with Mitch and look for her. If she’s already gone, we’ll see if Gunther can intercept her before she gets to the base.”

  Dane faced the team. His team. “Joe. You remain here on communications. Monitor the cameras we set up, to see if Eve enters the woods around the camp. Contact Gunther as well, so he’ll know to watch out for her, and tell him to keep her with him until we arrive. Liam, Toby. You two head to the compound in an hour and find Jenny. Same plan as before. The shadows of dusk are your friend, so move quickly. Trust me. The minute the sun sets, you’ll have twice the security around the camp.”