“It’s amazing that all of this is underground, but it’s not dark or dreary like a basement or underground bunker.”
“We’ve worked hard to make it that way. Our people spend many long, sometimes grueling, hours here. Working in a bright, sunny atmosphere, even if it’s all illusion, makes the job a lot more pleasant.”
Serena stopped at a door and pressed a keypad on the wall. The door slid open, revealing a large area filled not only with computers and giant monitors, but also a half-dozen people.
“Here’s where we gather the majority of our intel.”
“Incredibly impressive.” Since she wasn’t one to beat around the bush, she asked, “Why are you allowing me to see these things?”
“You’ve answered all our questions. You’ve been vetted by both Ash and Kate. Besides, Jazz and I are good judges of character. We put in a good word for you. Come on.” Serena grabbed her arm and led her toward the exit. “Let’s grab some dinner. I think it’s Eve and Gideon’s turn in the kitchen, and they usually make something incredible. Then you can have the night to yourself to absorb everything.”
As they walked back down the corridor, Aubrey couldn’t resist a glance at the training area where she’d seen Liam Stryker. Her heart inexplicably dropped when she saw that the room was empty.
Jazz was waiting for them at the entrance to the main house. Aubrey followed the two operatives down a long hallway. The enticing scent of something spicy twitched at her nose, and her stomach growled in response. With her stomach still tied up in knots, she was surprised at how hungry she was suddenly. Along the walk to the kitchen, she kept spotting spectacular views, reminding her of her location. Maybe the mountain air had increased her appetite.
Two phones buzzed simultaneously. Aubrey watched as both Serena and Jazz pulled their phones from their pockets. They read whatever was on their phone screens and then raised their heads to look at each other in some kind of odd, silent language.
“Something wrong?” Aubrey asked.
“Looks like dinner’s going to have to wait,” Serena said. She sent an inquisitive look over her shoulder. “That rescue operation you were wanting has arrived quicker than we anticipated. Think you’re up for it?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
Adrenaline surged through Liam’s veins. Just when he was close to giving up hope…and now this. A more-than-credible lead, proof positive that those victims were still in Bogota, not five miles from the original house.
Liam stalked into the conference room. He had texted the team to meet him. They would need everyone for this op. Nothing could go wrong this time.
He was in the middle of the room before he noticed that they had an extra person, someone he definitely hadn’t anticipated. The filmmaker was here. He swallowed a curse. This op was too important to have a neophyte tagging along. Catching Ash’s eye, he jerked his head over to a corner for a private talk.
“When did we start allowing outsiders into OZ?”
Though Ash raised a brow at the confrontational tone, he said calmly, “You agreed to let her go on a rescue. Have you changed your mind?”
“No, she’s welcome to go on another one, but this op’s too important. I’ve already let those victims down once. I can’t risk anything going wrong this time.”
“What makes you think she would jeopardize the operation?”
“She’s not an operative. She’s not trained. If she can’t help in the rescue then she’s a liability. She can go on the next one, after she’s had some training.”
“Both Serena and Jazz have indicated she’s calm and competent, not one to panic. Serena verified her assertion that she’s weapons-trained and has good self-defense skills. I don’t believe she’ll be a hindrance. And we did agree to allow her access on our next rescue op.”
Seeing that Ash wasn’t going to back down, Liam clenched his jaw and nodded. “All right, but I want Jazz with her at all times.”
“I don’t think you’ll get an argument from either of them.”
With a jerk of his head for assent, Liam went to the front of the room. He still wasn’t happy with an untrained newcomer tagging along, but he also knew that Ash would not allow someone on the op that he didn’t trust. He’d have to let it go at that. He had bigger fish to fry.
Liam gave a blanket nod of acknowledgment to everyone in the room. “Thanks for coming on short notice. I thought we’d lost these victims for good, but looks like we’ve been given another chance. We’re going to need to move fast, though. We can’t allow what happened last time to happen again. If they get a breath of an idea that we’ve found them, they’ll disappear again.” His eyes veered to the woman in the corner. “We have an additional person tagging along on the op. Everyone, say hello to Aubrey Starr.”
Instead of acknowledging his introduction, she seemed to shrink into the chair. What the hell? When he’d walked in the door, she had sat calmly and confidently in her seat as if she belonged there. Now she had grown pale and looked like she was going to slide onto the floor.
So much for the not-one-to-panic persona she’d supposedly shown Jazz and Serena. Tough shit. She was going to have to get over that. OZ was no place for the timid.
“Our target is a house five miles from the original location. My intel is credible enough that I don’t see the need for long-term surveillance. The house belongs to a shell corporation. Serena’s people are working to tie the ownership to a real person, but it’s going to be slow-going. My guess is that it’s Gomez’s property, like the other one. It’s likely he owns several such houses. I figure the group moves every few weeks to stay ahead of authorities.
“I’ll go through assignments on the plane. Anyone have questions before we head out?”
* * *
That voice.
She had dreamed of that voice, heard it in her head a million times. Could this man with the grim countenance and disapproving glare really be her Lion?
She had been all eager to hear the specifics of a rescue and how it was planned. The moment she’d heard Liam Stryker’s voice, she’d lost all concentration. Instead of listening to the content of his words, she had listened to the intonation, the accent, the sound. She had examined everything, anything she could that would confirm her belief that this was the man she’d connected with in a filthy, icy-cold prison in Syria.
How was that even possible?
Even though she had prayed and prayed that Lion had somehow survived, in her heart of hearts she had not believed that he had.
She mentally shook her head. No. It just wasn’t possible. Plenty of people sounded like other people. It had been over twelve years. Her memory could be faulty. She was tired, had had an exhausting day. There were a dozen reasons why her brain could be malfunctioning. Out of the billions of people in the world, what were the chances of her finding the one man she’d longed for? It was impossible.
Maybe her subconscious, recognizing that she was attracted to Liam Stryker, had decided to assign the absurd notion that he could be the man she’d been obsessed with for so long.
Vaguely aware that people had gotten up and were milling around, Aubrey realized that she needed to do the same. But somehow, all she could do was sit there and stare at the dark haired-stranger with the voice of her Lion.
“Aubrey, you okay?”
She glanced up at Jazz, who was standing before her with a concerned expression on her face.
Her mouth was so dry she couldn’t get a word out. She managed a nod and a grimace of a smile.
A bottle of water appeared in her vision. “Take a few sips, you’ll be fine.”
Doing what she was told, Aubrey drank from the bottle. She needed to get herself together. These people didn’t know her. Behaving like a frightened mouse who’d run at the first sign of trouble would not instill confidence.
She drew in a few breaths, and peace followed. Whatever the answers to her questions were, she would find them. For right now, these people
had a mission to accomplish. And she had a job to do, too. She intended to absorb every nuance of the rescue so she could one day put the experience into words. Focusing on what she had to do had gotten her through difficult times. This was no different.
“Better?”
“Yes. Sorry. Guess the excitement got to me.”
Jazz grinned. “The first time I went on an op, I barfed.” She looked over her shoulder and then turned back to Aubrey and whispered, “All over Xavier.”
Despite the circumstances, Aubrey laughed, just as Jazz had intended. She could not imagine this überconfident young woman ever having an ounce of uncertainty about anything, much less throwing up from nervousness. However, she appreciated her attempt to make her feel better.
She took another couple of swallows of water and then stood. “Thank you. That helps. What now?”
“We all grab our go bags and head to the airport. We’ll get something to eat on the plane. I’ll—”
“Jazz, can I talk with you a sec?”
Aubrey froze in place. Liam Stryker stood before her. Though his words had been for Jazz, his eyes were on her. And they weren’t friendly. She could easily guess his thoughts. She hadn’t made the best first impression.
Reminding herself that she was made of grit and determination, Aubrey cleared her throat and said, “Thank you, Mr. Stryker, for allowing me to go along.”
“You going to be able to stay out of our way?”
Even though she hadn’t expected him to be thrilled with an outsider’s presence, the unfriendly question told her he was the exact opposite of happy that she was here.
“I promise you won’t even know I’m there.”
Though his brows rose in obvious doubt, he just gave her a nod before turning to Jazz. “I need to talk with you.”
Trying not to be hurt at his abruptness, Aubrey backed away. “I’ll go grab my bag and meet you outside, Jazz.”
Jazz gave her a quick smile. “Sounds good.”
She got out of the room as quickly as possible. How ridiculous for her to think the extremely rude Liam Stryker could possibly be Lion. Other than the voice similarity, the two had nothing in common.
* * *
“Did you have to be so rude to Aubrey? You know we’re all on the same side, don’t you?”
He was genuinely surprised at Jazz’s accusation. “I was rude?”
“Very.”
Okay, maybe he’d been a little short with her, but seeing her look as though she could pass out at any moment hadn’t exactly filled him with good vibes.
“I’ll apologize later. I just want to make sure you stick with her. She looks as though a loud sneeze would scare her off.”
“Then you need to take a second look. She’s one gutsy lady.”
Jazz was known for her protectiveness of her OZ teammates. Apparently Aubrey had been added as an honorary member of that exclusive club.
Ash appeared at his side. “Everything okay here?”
“Fine. I was just assigning Jazz the job of looking out for our guest.”
“Then she’s in good hands. I’ll be ready to roll in about ten minutes. I just want to go up to the house and check on Jules.”
“How’s she feeling?” Jazz asked.
“Her morning sickness is easing, but we both agreed it’d be a good idea for her to stay close to home for a while.”
“I’ll go grab my bag. See you in a few minutes.” Jazz gave Liam one last telling look and walked away.
“What was that about?”
Liam shrugged. He didn’t have time to argue about Aubrey Starr and why he didn’t want her on this op.
“Nothing. We’re good. Tell Jules to feel better. I’ll see you on the plane.”
Ash looked like he was going to say something else, but then stopped himself.
“What?” Liam asked.
“Something going on with you? I mean, besides this op and your disapproval of an outsider?”
Yeah, he couldn’t deny that his attitude was less than stellar. He should be pumped that they’d found the victims and would soon rescue them. It’s what they’d been working on for weeks. Instead, he was suddenly just the opposite.
“Talk to me, Liam,” Ash said. “Let me help.”
How could he explain what had been hammering at his brain on and off for the last few days? How could he explain giving up? It wasn’t in his DNA. Wasn’t in the DNA of anyone at OZ. The idea was barely one he’d allow himself to consider, but it was simmering in his gut, and he couldn’t squelch it the way he normally would. He was beginning to believe he would never find Cat. He had lived on hope for so long, but he had been lying to himself. He’d seen the eyes of the victims he’d rescued. The hopelessness, the absolute emptiness. The acceptance that she was dead was slowly seeping into his bones, and though he fought it, he couldn’t bring himself back to a place of hope.
He shook his head. This wasn’t the time nor the place for these thoughts or this discussion. The people they were going to rescue deserved his whole attention. He refused to give anything but his best.
“I’m fine. Just focused on getting it right this time.”
Eyes narrowed, Ash gave him a hard, assessing stare and then nodded. “Then let’s get going.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Being in the presence of eight highly trained operatives was a bit like sitting amongst a pride of lions. Even though they were sitting, they had an air of power and alertness about them. Aubrey got the feeling that if anything moved even the slightest, not one of them would miss seeing it.
She was seated across from Eve Wells and Gideon Wright. She could not imagine two more sophisticated and dangerous-looking people. Though Eve was a lovely woman, with midnight-black hair, a creamy camellia complexion, and intense blue eyes, Aubrey didn’t doubt for a moment that she could be lethal when necessary. And her partner, Gideon, with summer-streaked blond hair and an easygoing grin, reminded her of a taller and beefier Brad Pitt. Except he had an edge to him no Hollywood actor could authentically emulate. He was the real deal.
It had been years since she’d felt out of her element, but there was no doubt about it—these people were a different breed.
Her gaze shifted to the man in the front row. His long legs sprawled out in front of him, Liam Stryker had the slouch of a man at leisure, but like the others, it was all an act. A dangerous air surrounded him as if he could leap and devour prey within seconds.
Aubrey tried to observe him objectively, without the haze of uncertainty clouding her mind. He was tall, maybe about six-two. He had dark brown hair that was slightly shaggy, as if he’d gotten out of the shower, run his fingers through the dampness, and called it done. On anyone else it might have looked sloppy. On Liam Stryker, it worked. His dark brown eyes could sear with the briefest of glances. He had a sharp blade of a nose that leaned slightly to the left, as if it had been broken and set to rights by the owner of said nose. His mouth was nice, with a slightly thin upper lip and fuller lower one. And even though she’d only seen him frown, there were slight lines on either side of his mouth that made her think he wasn’t always so grim.
The broad set of his shoulders told her he’d probably played sports in high school, maybe college, too. His hands were large, almost twice the size of hers, with long fingers and neatly trimmed nails. She could envision those hands being lethal when necessary. She could also imagine them being passionate, even tender.
A shiver swept up her spine as a slight flush of heat zoomed through her body. Just because he had a voice similar to the man she’d known as Lion didn’t mean she should be attracted to him. He’d been nothing but gruff, bordering on rude, since they’d met. She liked friendly, easygoing men. Not grumpy jerks.
There were many things she’d forgotten about her ordeal in Syria. Some of them she’d forgotten naturally; others she had forced into a tight, small corner of her mind, never to be exposed to her thoughts again. But that time with Lion? She remembered every word, every
breath, every nuance. Even as sick as she’d been, his gruff laughter had made her smile, his voice had soothed her like nothing else.
He had been kind, funny, and incredibly caring. Within minutes of hearing his voice, she had known he was a man she could trust with her secrets. He had been a man she could imagine spending the rest of her life with, growing old together.
This man with his grim countenance and tough demeanor had nothing in common with Lion. The voice? An anomaly, nothing more. Lots of people sounded like other people. How many could mimic other people’s voices? It had been over twelve years since she’d heard Lion speak. Even though she’d told herself she would never forget his voice, perhaps that had been only wishful thinking.
Her mind shied away from that thought. She couldn’t bear to think that the one thing she had left of him—his voice in her mind—was merely a product of her longing and nothing more.
Aubrey gave Liam Stryker another assessing stare. Even though she rejected the idea that this was Lion, she had to admit that the description of himself that he had given her fit this man very well. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, around six foot two, weight around two-ten. Lots of men fit that description, though.
As if aware of her scrutiny, he turned to look at her. The flush of heat in her body went hotter. Those dark eyes seared, and she felt as though he were looking deep within her soul, searching…and asking. What? What did he want to know? Should she go talk to him? Should she just ask the question that was pounding at her brain? Were you in Syria twelve years ago? Did you meet a desolate young woman in a dark, dank prison and give her hope and a reason to survive? Are you my Lion?
Was she afraid to know the truth? Did she already know it and refused to accept it?
No, it couldn’t be him. He would have recognized her. Something about her would have triggered his memory. Based on his attitude he had no recollection of her, which meant he wasn’t Lion. He just happened to have a similar voice and that was it. She was being fanciful and that wasn’t like her.
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