“I’m proud of you,” Jessica said once they were on the street.
The rain was still falling, but Asher didn’t seem to notice. He kept his jacket clenched between his palms as he stared at the sidewalk in a daze.
“Asher?” She crossed her arms and stood before him, trying to fight the chill from the mix of cold air and rain. “Let’s get in my car. I’ll take you to your hotel.”
He didn’t say anything, so she reached out for him. He caught her wrist and seized her eyes, the water gliding down his face as he stared at her. “I should go back in there.”
“No. You don’t belong in there.”
“Sarah doesn’t belong in there. She’s not supposed to be mixed up with a guy like him.” He dropped his hold and looked up into the night sky as if suddenly noticing it was raining. “You’ll freeze.” He directed her toward her car at the curb.
In the passenger seat, he swiped his hands over his face.
She turned on the heated seats and jacked up the temperature, trying to prevent her teeth from clattering together. “Maybe he’s changed.” Although throwing illegal fights didn’t exactly paint a rosy picture. She gripped the wheel but didn’t drive. “His father is the one who got into trouble with your dad?”
Angelo Moretti. She remembered the name from Asher’s file now.
His hands fell to his lap atop his coat, resting on his thighs. “Yeah.”
“How many more years does your dad have?”
He shook his head. “No idea, and I don’t care. He’s a murderer, so . . .” He looked out the tinted window and back at the old factory building.
“Sarah can handle herself.” She forced herself to drive, afraid he’d hop out of the car and head back inside for his sister otherwise.
“My mom’s brother should have never introduced my dad to the life. Dad’s not even Italian.” He faked a laugh and gripped the bridge of his nose. “Dad tried to protect Sarah, to keep her from knowing about all of the illegal shit he was into. He kept her safe and in the Upper East Side with Mom.”
His admission arrested her attention. Her gaze darted to him as they stopped at a red light. “But he didn’t protect you,” she whispered.
Asher pressed back into the seat and closed his eyes.
Their open line of communication was officially closed. She could feel the door slamming in her face. He had a door, though; whereas, she was fairly certain her walls lacked any entranceway.
“What time’s your flight?” he asked as they neared his hotel after a ten-minute bone-chilling silence.
“Early.”
“I’m not a fan of you traveling there alone.”
“It’s Berlin, not Baghdad. And it’s for four days. We need a break from each other.” She pulled up in front of the hotel.
He lifted his shoulders, a smile in his eyes. “I don’t know. Who else will call me on my bullshit while you’re gone?”
“Liam’s pretty good at that.” She looked over at the valet approaching. “Do I need to worry you’ll do something stupid while I’m gone?” Like go back to that fight club?
He unbuckled. “When have you ever not worried about me?”
“True,” she said as the valet opened his door. “But, if you feel the urge to do anything crazy, call me first?” Her heart leaped into her throat when he reached across the gears and touched her thigh.
He lifted his brown eyes to her face. “Define crazy.” He waggled his brows, and like that, the Asher she knew was back. Mask in place.
And that’s what she wanted. To get back to the way things were before Luke went on paternity leave, and she and Asher had become way too damn close. So close she’d worried she’d break her rules and sleep with him. It’d nearly happened around Christmas, too. All because of a carriage ride and some mistletoe.
“Get out of my car,” she said and couldn’t resist the smile stretching her lips.
“You know you love me.” He winked and then stepped out of her car, clutching his coat. “And, Jessica?” He braced a hand atop the Maserati and leaned down to find her eyes as the valet held an umbrella over his head.
“Yeah?” she mouthed, a tight knot forming in her stomach.
“Be safe over there. I, uh, the team needs you.”
Chapter Four
“Hey, Nahla, it’s . . .” Jessica’s eyes dropped closed; she nearly sputtered her real identity over the voicemail, exhaustion settling in. “It’s Stephanie.” She cleared her throat. “Just checking to see where you are. Hope everything’s okay.”
Nahla had been a no-show at the airport, which wasn’t like her. The last-minute text to meet at Jessica’s hotel bar instead officially had her on edge.
Her gaze drifted out the window overlooking the city center of Berlin. Her eyes captured the sliver of the moon making its debut in the dark blue sky as the night ate up the rest of the day.
She was looking forward to seeing the girls tomorrow. Lately, her online teaching sessions had become far too infrequent, with her work schedule exploding from the seams. Apparently, bad guys didn’t take time off, so neither could she.
Jessica owed the girls a visit, though. It shouldn’t have taken an email from Nahla to get her to come, either.
Guilt. Five letters heavier than boulders weighing down on her shoulders.
She’d been teaching the girls for nearly six years. Some had already gone off to college. She couldn’t believe how much time had passed since she’d first met them in Aleppo—the same time she’d met Asher.
Asher. God, she hoped he wouldn’t go to the fight club tonight. She’d given Knox and Liam a heads-up to keep an eye on him since Owen and Echo Team had left the city around the same time she had this morning.
The last thing she needed to worry about was Asher getting arrested for knocking the shit out of his sister’s new boyfriend.
She blinked away her thoughts, nearly missing the vibration from a text on her phone.
A change of plans. Again.
After reading the instructions, she grabbed enough euros from her purse to cover the wine and then slipped on her brown leather gloves, wrapped her pink scarf around her neck, and tightened her coat before heading out into the freeze-your-ass-off cold. It wasn’t snowing, at least.
A taxi delivered her to Pariser Platz. She strode toward the gate where tourists were snapping photos. Brandenburg Gate had once divided the country, but now it served as a beacon of unity and peace.
Another vibration from her purse had her shoulders sagging. Was Nahla canceling again?
Jessica retrieved her phone and eyed the text.
Asher: Checking on you.
She removed a glove to type back, a smile skirting her lips. A smile a text shouldn’t be able to provoke so easily.
Jessica: I should be the one checking on you. You good?
Asher: If you’re wondering if I’ve damaged anyone’s face today, that’d be a negative.
Asher: . . . Unfortunately.
Her smile broadened, and she lifted her chin to observe the crowd, checking to see if Nahla had arrived. No sign of her yet.
Jessica: Good. Do you think you can stay out of trouble until I’m home?
Asher: This is me we’re talking about.
Jessica: Exactly.
Asher: Where are you right now?
She looked at the neoclassical monument before directing her focus back to the screen.
Jessica: In front of the Goddess of Victory.
She’d see how good his German history was.
He didn’t answer, and she figured he was busy Googling to determine her location. Of course, he could ping her cell and triangulate her position if he wanted to get tactical on her.
Jessica: You enjoying your break from me?
Three little dots popped then disappeared.
When the dots appeared again, her mind drifted back to the Christmas party last month, to the kiss with Asher that night. A mistletoe-inspired one, but still.
In the weeks that follo
wed, Asher had tried to raise the topic of that night, but she’d always brought down the hammer and killed the conversation not even five words in.
“Stephanie!” Nahla’s voice stole her attention as she moved toward her through the crowd.
Jessica quickly stowed her phone and slipped on her glove before slinging her arms around her friend, pulling her in for a hug.
“It’s so good to see you.” Jessica edged back to catch her friend’s eyes.
Nahla looked left and then right, and her hand settled on Jessica’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I had to change the plans, but . . . someone was following me.”
Her words had Jessica’s hand sweeping over Nahla’s arm. “What are you talking about?”
“I think I lost them on my way here,” she said, her voice breathy as if she’d been running.
Jessica scanned the plaza now. “We need to get you out of here so we can talk.”
“No, we should stay in a public place. The more people, the better.” Nahla’s hand fell to her side, and she clenched the strap of her purse tight to her body.
“What’s going on?” Her heart raced as she blew through a dozen potential scenarios. “Who would be following you?”
A blast of frigid wind picked up and whipped her long, dark hair in front of her. “I-I made a mistake. Someone figured out who I am.” Nahla’s eyes closed and then opened. “The real me.”
“Oh, God.” She scrolled through contingency plans in her head. “We’ve got to get you out of here. I’ll arrange a safe house until I can figure out what’s going on.” She hated being without her team if shit were about to hit the fan. It felt like being naked in the cold.
“I’m so sorry.” Her teeth clicked together like a chill of fear had blustered up her spine. “I lied to you. I asked you to come for the girls, but—”
“No, don’t be sorry.” Jessica shook her head as she tucked her gloved hand in her purse and grabbed her cell. “If your cover is blown, it was smart not to say anything over an unsecured line.” She’d taught Nahla how to send encrypted messages, but even then, someone with enough cyber skills could crack them. “Let’s go.” She pointed toward the road where taxis were assembled.
They’d barely taken a few steps when a crack burst through the air, followed by a snap—a bullet breaking the sound barrier as it zinged past them.
The crowd scattered.
Another slug soared so close to Jessica she could practically feel the sting of the bullet. She crouched, the phone clattering to the ground in the process. She forced Nahla down next to her.
Nahla gasped, her eyes flaring.
Jessica didn’t think the bullets had been meant as kill shots. No, they were intended to disseminate the crowd. To try and get to . . . shit.
“Stay by my side,” she ordered.
Nahla peered at her. Fear darkened her eyes, but she nodded. “Okay.”
“I’ll keep you safe,” Jessica tried to assure her once they were on their feet, even though she wasn’t strapped.
She considered their options. If they stayed with the fleeing crowd, she’d put more lives at risk. But if they didn’t have the cover of others, they’d be putting a bull’s-eye on their heads.
“Let’s move.” She held onto Nahla’s elbow and raced in a zigzag pattern in the direction of the Goddess of Victory, keeping her head low.
A shot whooshed over her shoulder a moment later, and it had her instinctively pulling Nahla down and to her side. She cupped Nahla’s head to her chest, offering the best protection she could.
“Stay there!” a hard voice broke through the surrounding screams.
Jessica remained in a squatted position but looked back over her shoulder to observe the gunman on approach.
Tall. All black from head to toe. A mask with eyes visible through slits.
A duffel bag clutched in his right hand.
A bomb?
In front of them, he discharged his weapon again, but the bullet didn’t come close.
Jessica looked back to see a Polizei officer take a hit.
“What do you want?” she demanded, facing him again, her defiance a soft echo.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
But they’d never make it in time.
Her heart stuttered as she stared at the masked shooter.
Nahla pivoted out of Jessica’s reach and rose, standing her ground before the man. “Please, don’t do this.”
“Get behind me!” Jessica lurched to her feet to grab hold of Nahla’s wrist, but her heart leaped into her throat as the man squeezed the trigger. “Nooooo!”
She immediately sank to her knees, falling to Nahla’s side and pressed her gloved hands over the chest wound, blood smearing the leather.
Jessica’s throat contracted as she cried, a broken sob releasing from deep within her chest.
“I-I . . .” Gasping breaths left Nahla as her eyes pinned to Jessica before the life drifted free of her in a split second.
“No,” she whispered in grief. “No. No. No!” She added pressure to the wound. She had to save her. It couldn’t end like this.
“Come. Now,” the man said from over her shoulder, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Nahla.
She growled the words, “I won’t go any—” But agony bloomed on the side of her head and everything went black.
Chapter Five
“At least the freak storm hit once Jessica was safe over the Atlantic,” Liam said, walking alongside Knox and Asher down the sidewalk.
The snow was tapering off, drifting lazily as if it was exhausted of blanketing the city.
Asher’s boots sunk into the white powder, the sidewalk not yet cleared, as the guys made their way to Asher’s mom’s home.
“Jessica would’ve told Mother Nature to go to hell before canceling her trip.” Asher reached into his jeans pocket for his phone, checking to see if Jessica had returned the text he’d sent earlier, even though he hadn’t received an alert. It’d been hours since he’d sent his message: I miss you.
She always replied to his texts, even when he sent dumbass messages to her when he was shit-faced. But this text was different. Something she wouldn’t expect from him without his words being swaddled in sarcasm.
“You still waiting for your sister to return your calls?” Knox interrupted his thoughts.
“Jessica talked, huh?”
“Barely,” Knox replied. “Only enough details so we can keep you out of trouble.”
No one other than Jessica and Luke knew about Asher’s past, about the man he’d been before joining the SEALs.
They knew he’d been a fighter, but that was it. Of course, he’d come close to going pro, and then he’d found himself staring at jail bars instead.
“Who is this guy your sister is with you hate so much?” Liam asked as they crossed the street.
“Not someone you’d ever want near your sister; that’s all that matters.” A burn of betrayal singed Asher’s words.
His once-upon-a-time-ago best friend was now hooking up with his little sis. What world was he living in? And how could he ever leave New York now? He had to keep Sarah safe.
“Thank God I don’t have a sister.” Knox shook his head. “You have any?” he asked Liam once they were outside Asher’s mom’s building.
They rarely talked about family. Asher had his reasons, as did Knox, but he didn’t know why Liam always remained tight-lipped about his.
“No, but I have three annoying-as-fuck brothers back in Sydney.”
“What’s wrong with them?” Knox asked, smiling.
“That’s a story for another day.” Liam rubbed his palms together once Asher used his key fob to enter the building.
“Man, I could use some home cooking,” Knox said once they’d entered the elevator. He lifted his chin and closed his eyes, taking a whiff of the air. “Especially since she’s a legit Italian.”
“Legit?” Liam laughed.
“You know, actually born and raised there,” Knox answere
d as they began to ascend.
“She’ll be happy to have the company,” Asher said once they exited and made their way to his mom’s place.
“What does your stepdad do, anyway?” Knox asked.
“Defense attorney.” He left out the part about how Bill had been his dad’s defense attorney.
“Good man to have if you ever get yourself in trouble.” Knox slapped him on the back.
“Yeah. He’s the reason I joined the Navy.” He hadn’t meant for the words to slip from his lips, but shit, there they went. He’d been hell-bent over the years to keep his past to himself, like a dirty secret.
Outside the front door, Liam’s gaze veered to Knox and then cut back to Asher. “I’m thinking we’ll need to hear more about this later.”
“Sure, you can read all about it when they print my obituary,” Asher said while he rang the bell, deciding not to use his key. He’d learned his lesson the hard way after walking in on his mom and Bill rolling around on the floor half-naked.
He cringed at the memory, but then his stomach folded in at the sight of his sister in the now-open doorway. “Sarah.” His brows slanted in. “Mom didn’t say you’d be here.”
She looked at Knox and Liam before stepping back to allow them entrance. “Yeah, she, uh, didn’t mention you’d be showing up either. Intervention, I guess?”
Asher didn’t budge. “Angelo’s not here, is he?”
Her mouth rounded, and she slipped out into the hall, a hand to Asher’s chest to try and push him back. She pulled the door closed behind her and folded her arms. “Mom and Bill don’t know about him. Please—”
“Do they know you and Greg split?” Anger flared inside of him at the idea of her getting mixed up with a modern-day gangbanger. No way had Angelo become a new man.
“Yeah, and it took all of my energy to prevent Bill from going to his safe for his gun.” She sidestepped Asher and extended her hand to Knox. “I’m Sarah. You must work with my brother based on all those muscles.”
Knox smiled and shook her hand. “Yeah, I’m Charlie, but you can call me Knox.”
“And I’m Liam.” He took her hand next and flipped it over to kiss the top. “Pleasure to meet you, darlin’.”
Stealth Ops Series Box Set Page 53
