Michelle’s story would get sorted out in time. She’d be treated fairly.
“We found agent Seth Jamison’s body a little ways down from here.” Alex filled Jase in on what he believed happened to Liam’s handler.
“Unbelievable. I guess that’s how Temple and his men managed to stay hidden for so long. They had inside assistance.” Jase shook his head.
They’d sort through the web of lies in time. Right now, Alex’s main concern was locating Temple and his men before they found the sarin gas. “We need to go after Temple’s people before they get away. Or worse, locate the gas.”
Jase nodded. “You’re right.” He motioned to the rest of the team standing by. “Fan out. Keep your eyes open. They have lots of men up here and they have nothing to lose.”
Jase turned to him and Rachel. “You two should hang back. You both look exhausted. We’ve got this.”
Standing next to him, Alex could feel Rachel ready to protest. He was right there with her. They’d come this far. “No way. We want to see this through to the end.”
Jase didn’t appear surprised. “All right, but be careful.”
The airborne chopper was still in sight when it opened fire on something down below.
Alex focused on the area. “It looks like they’ve located some of Temple’s men.” The team rushed for the location. Alex stuck close to Rachel. They were both drop-dead exhausted, but they’d come this far. They weren’t about to give up the fight without knowing its ending.
The chopper hovered over an area, occasionally firing. Alex heard the men return shots, then silence followed.
Rachel glanced at Alex. “What happened?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m guessing they realized they were outnumbered and gave up.”
Once the team reached the site, the chopper took off again. There were half a dozen men standing with their hands in the air. Within no time, they were subdued in cuffs.
As Alex looked over the faces of the men who had surrendered, he realized none of them were Temple’s CIA team. They’d somehow managed to get away.
Jase came over to where they stood and confirmed the truth. “Temple and the rest of the agents aren’t here.”
Alex couldn’t believe they’d gotten away. “Let’s just hope he hasn’t located the gas already.” Alex told Jase what they overheard McNamara say about the prospective buyer.
“That doesn’t sound good. We need to find these guys and soon.” Jase glanced up at the threatening skies. “It’s getting colder and we’re running out of daylight. If we haven’t found them by night, they could manage to give us the slip.”
Jase ordered some of his team to watch the prisoners. “Let’s keep looking,” he told the rest. “We’re losing daylight fast.”
In a matter of hours, the entire mountainside was crawling with state troopers and agents. Alex didn’t believe Temple’s team would risk leaving the area. “They’re hiding out somewhere. Probably hoping we’ll think they’ve left the mountain.”
Rachel stopped walking. “The cave. It’s the perfect spot to stay hidden and Temple knows about it. There are several passages, and if they stumble upon the one that we did, they could escape.”
“You’re right.” Alex told Jase about the cave. “I sure hope we find them before they reach the sarin. We have no idea who their buyer is, but we need to put him out of business before he can do any harm.” Alex didn’t want to think about the possibility of the gas falling into deadly hands. He’d seen enough damage over the past few years by terrorists wanting to promote their own agendas.
They’d lost one of their teammates because he’d gotten tied up with some very bad people. The last thing Alex wanted was more bloodshed. He’d seen enough of that to last him a lifetime. And it was why he’d come to a conclusion while up here. This was it for him. He’d gotten a second chance with Rachel and he wanted a fresh start in life with her. He was ready to come back home to the tiny town of Midnight Mountain and start living a normal life again.
EIGHTEEN
As they approached the cave, Rachel couldn’t help but feel as if everything they’d gone through so far would come down to just this moment.
She touched Alex’s arm. She was so afraid something bad was going to happen to take away their chance at happiness.
He looked deep in her eyes and she saw the same fears in his. But he did his best to reassure her. “It’s going to be okay.”
She tried to smile. She so wanted to believe it.
“Jase, we need someone around at the back exit in case they stumble on it. We don’t want them to get away. Too much is at stake,” Alex told his commander.
Jase agreed, “You’re right. Go. You two know where it is. Take some men with you.”
Alex pointed to three of the team members. His fellow patriots. They followed Rachel and Alex as they headed toward the back entrance.
Rachel’s thoughts went to Liam. He’d looked so pale when they’d taken him away. She couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her brother.
Alex clasped her hand briefly. Their eyes met. His feelings for her were right there for her to see and she wanted to cry. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Would Temple and his band of corrupt CIA agents win in spite of everything they’d fought so hard to accomplish?
“We’ll get them.” She glanced up at Alex. He was trying to be strong for her. She needed to be for him, as well.
“You’re right. We will.”
Rachel located the back entrance of the cave and pointed it out. “Over there.”
They eased closer. If Temple’s team was in there, she didn’t believe they’d had enough time to find the escape route yet. But there were dozens of other passages throughout the cave. There could be another way out. She and Alex knew the cave better than anyone and even they hadn’t known about the exit.
She turned back to the three men. “Stay here. Alex and I will check it out.”
The three agents looked to Alex, who nodded. Then he and Rachel headed inside.
As hard as she tried, Rachel couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. Alex must have sensed her struggle.
He drew her close and whispered against her ear. “It’s almost over.”
As they headed down the same narrow passage they’d taken before, her heart was hammering in her chest. She so wanted to have another chance at a future... with Alex.
Alex stopped and grabbed her arm. She heard it, too. Voices.
“They’re CIA and she’s with them. It’s over, Blake. We should just turn ourselves in and face the music,” said a voice she didn’t recognize.
The only answer was a single gunshot. Then the sound of something dropping to the ground. She didn’t doubt for a second that Temple had killed the man. Trapped like animals, they were turning on each other. Would they kill themselves before Alex’s team had the chance to interrogate them?
She mouthed, “We need them alive.”
She and Alex charged Temple’s men. She didn’t doubt that the three men standing guard outside would have heard the shot and would follow.
Surprised, the men whirled with weapons drawn. One man lay on the ground at Temple’s feet.
They stood facing each other in a silent standoff.
“Drop your weapons. Otherwise, you’re not getting out of here alive,” Alex ordered.
Rachel counted the remaining men. Three. There was something wrong. One of the team was missing. Had he escaped a different way or...?
Before she’d finished the thought, someone grabbed her from behind. A gun was shoved against her temple.
“Drop your weapon unless you want her to die,” the man behind her yelled.
Rachel’s gaze locked with Alex. She was so afraid. She didn’t want to die. Not like this.
“Take it easy.” Al
ex tried to keep the man calm. “You don’t want to do that. There are dozens of agents all around. None of you are walking out of here free.”
“Shoot her. I’ve got him,” Temple ordered the man.
“I said drop your gun.” Her captor’s hand shook nervously on the weapon. Rachel knew if she did as he asked, she’d be at the man’s mercy. That would leave Alex alone. She couldn’t do it.
Alex’s gaze sliced to the side. He was trying to tell her something. The three Scorpion team members were close.
She managed the tiniest of nods.
“Okay, stay calm. I’m lowering my weapon now.” She held the gun out in front of her. With the man still clutching her, she managed to slowly ease the weapon down to the ground.
“Now,” Alex yelled. Rachel jabbed her foot hard into the captor’s shin. He let her go and she hit the ground. Alex fired; the shot hit the man in his arm. The weapon flew from his hand. Rachel fired at Temple before he could get a shot off, striking him in the upper torso.
Before the remaining men could manage even a single shot, the three Scorpion agents appeared with weapons drawn.
“Shoot them,” Temple raged while rolling around in pain. “You can take them. We can still get out of this.”
“Don’t do it,” Rachel warned. “You still have a chance to live. You don’t have to die here.”
As the standoff continued, the men seemed to be debating on whether or not they stood a chance at surviving. Behind them, Jase and the rest of his team reached them.
Realizing they were severely outnumbered, Temple’s men slowly lowered their weapons.
“Get a medical chopper up here right away. We have injured men,” Jase told one of his guys.
But Rachel was no longer listening. She ran to Alex and threw her arms around him. She was so grateful that they’d made it through alive.
He held her close for the longest time. Then he framed her face and kissed her tenderly.
She loved him so much. She didn’t want to deny it any longer. She loved him and she was so afraid he would choose the job over her once more.
“Temple shot his own guy dead,” Alex told his friend. “He wanted to surrender. Temple wasn’t going down without a fight.”
Jase came over to where they stood. “We need to get these two to a hospital. The rest of the men will be taken into custody. We’ll interview them separately. Let’s see if we can get one of them to talk about who was supposed to buy the sarin gas.”
Rachel still couldn’t believe how close to dying she’d come. “Is there any news on my brother?” She had to know Liam was okay.
Jase’s smile broadened. “The cell service up here is horrible, but I just got the word. He’s going to be fine. He’ll be in the hospital for a while, though. Deacon’s touch and go. He was in pretty bad shape when Ryan reached him.”
She said a silent prayer for Deacon’s recovery. He’d fought so hard to live even though his injuries had been severe. Deacon had tried to help Michelle get away from Temple. He’d done his best to bring down Temple and his thugs. He didn’t deserve to die because of his loyalty.
* * *
“I know where the gas is hidden.” Alex glanced down at Rachel as he spoke.
Jase stared at him in surprise. “Where?”
“The cave Liam mentioned in his letter,” Alex said to Rachel. “He was trying to tell me without saying it directly in case the letter fell into the wrong hands. Liam must have realized that Seth was dirty and was fearful he’d find the letter somehow.”
“We need to find the sarin as soon as possible,” Jase said. “And we need to find the rest of Temple’s men. I have the state troopers combing the woods. There were some at the lodge. They’d been digging up the floor. They said they thought the gas was there.” Jase shook his head.
“I guess they bought my story after all.” Alex told him what had happened before they arrived.
“Unbelievable.” Jase gave them both the once-over. Alex couldn’t imagine how horrible they must look. “Ryan’s on his way back here to take these injured men to the hospital. I want him to take a look at the both of you. You look as if you could use a little medical attention.”
Once air emergency services arrived, they prepared Temple and the other injured man for the trip. Ryan and Aaron were with them.
Exhausted to his core, Alex asked Ryan to take a look at Rachel first. She’d been through so much and she wasn’t used to being in the field anymore.
Alex wasn’t about to stay behind until he’d found out the ending of the story. Why Liam and Deacon had risked their lives.
He waited until Ryan had finished his exam of Rachel and had treated her cuts and scrapes. “I’m going with them,” he told her gently. “I want to know that the sarin is safe. Liam and Deacon deserve as much.”
“I’m coming with you, Alex.” But he shook his head. “No, you’ve been through enough. Go be with Liam. I’ll find you again.”
He could see all the doubts in her eyes and he understood each of them. He’d let her go once. She believed he would choose the job again.
Before he could reassure her, Ryan came over. “It’s time to go. We need to get these guys to the hospital as soon as possible.”
Alex nodded. “Give us a second.” Ryan faded away and when it was just the two of them again, he didn’t know what to say.
She leaned over and kissed him gently. “Go. I’ll see you soon.”
He hated leaving her, knowing that she had doubts about his love, but he’d see the mission through to the end, because in his mind it was his last.
Once Rachel had left with Ryan, Alex found Jase.
“So where’s this cave?” Jase asked.
“I can take you there. It’s some distance away. We can reach it by chopper faster.”
“Good. Let’s get back to the chopper where Liz and her two prisoners are waiting.”
Liz was standing outside waiting for them when they arrived.
“Has he given you any problems?” Jase asked.
She shook her head. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
Before long the state troopers arrived and took Michelle and the other man to a location where Jase and his men could interrogate them.
Aaron piloted the chopper to the cave where Liam had indicated. Alex led the way inside. At first glance, the cave appeared empty. Alex’s spirits sank. Had he been wrong? Was Liam simply reminiscing?
“I don’t get it. I was positive Liam was trying to tell me something. Let’s keep looking. Chances are, he wouldn’t have hidden it too close to the entrance in case one of Temple’s men stumbled across it.”
As they went deeper into the cave, it opened up into a room that was filled almost to capacity with the sarin gas.
“What were Temple and his men planning to do with all this sarin?” Jase asked in amazement.
“I don’t know, but whatever it was, it could have had deadly consequences. Thankfully, we found it before it fell into the wrong hands.”
“Yes. It’ll take a while to safely get this stuff out of here and stored. Do you want to be part of that? You’re the one who brought it to our attention. This is big for you,” Jase told him.
Alex shook his head. He had found the sarin for his friend’s sake. He’d finished the mission. Now all he could think about was Rachel and the future. She needed to know what he’d decided.
“No, if it’s all the same to you, I’ll let someone else take the glory.” He faced Jase. This man was his friend. Jase had been there for Alex when he’d needed to change jobs within the Agency. But it was time. Still, saying the words to his friend was hard.
“Actually, I think this is my last mission with the Scorpions.”
Jase clearly hadn’t expected this. It took a good minute for him to answer. “Oh, man, are you leaving us or the Agency?”
Alex believed Jase knew the answer already. “Both, actually.”
“I’m going to miss you, buddy. Is this because of Rachel?”
Alex had never told anyone about his history with her. Now he wanted to. “Yes. I love her and I blew it with her once. I don’t want to do the same thing again.”
Jase slowly smiled. “You’re going to be missed tremendously. And if you ever change your mind, you have a place with the Scorpions always, but I get it. Finding someone to love you, well, that’s a gift from God. You need to hold on to that with all your heart.” He turned to Aaron. “Can you take Alex to the hospital?”
Aaron had overheard their conversation. He nodded quietly, regret showing in his eyes. “Sure thing, buddy. But what Jase said about missing you, well, I second that. I’m going to miss your friendship like crazy.”
As they made the trip down to the town of Midnight Mountain, Alex felt the weight of the life he’d been living slowly lift away. His heart soared with the decision he’d made. There would be no regrets for him. No going back. This was the change he’d always wanted, even when he didn’t think he needed one. He just prayed that she still wanted the same thing. That she wanted him for the rest of her life.
NINETEEN
She’d been sitting next to her brother’s bed for a long time. Liam had wakened long enough to know that she was there and so Rachel was at peace. She’d told him they had Temple’s men in custody. He’d mumbled something about Deacon and Rachel had done her best to reassure him. In spite of his injuries, he was holding his own. She’d promised to check on Deacon and had. So far, Deacon’s condition hadn’t changed much. Still, his doctors were optimistic. The next twenty-four hours would tell the tale.
Now, as she watched her brother resting, Rachel couldn’t get the sadness to leave her heart. Alex had wanted to finish the mission, just as he had in the past. He’d been driven back then. It appeared as if nothing had changed in spite of the love he said he still had for her. So where did that leave them?
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