by Jaime Lewis
The night of the attack, we were just trying to bide our time until it was time to go home. We were playing cards while we waited for our dinner to cook. I received a phone call from headquarters, so I stepped outside to take it. I was surprised when I heard Derek’s voice. He knew people, so I assume that is how he got the secured number to the phone. He was always concerned when I traveled, though he never knew where I was. He had called to check-in.” She paused for a moment and took another drink of water. “His phone call is the reason I’m sitting here today. We had spoken for about ten minutes before I turned to go back to the house. I was about forty or so feet from the house when it exploded, with my team inside.” She took an unsteady breath and shivered as if she was reliving the moment.
“Shit…were you injured?” Potter asked.
She nodded her head, “The force of the blast threw me a couple of feet. I must have blacked out or something because I don’t remember anything up until I was being loaded onto a helicopter. Bert was there with the medic. I was in so much pain that once they had me loaded and secured, I passed out again. I didn’t regain consciousness until I was at the hospital. Besides a lot of bumps and bruises along my body, I had second degree burns just above my right hip.”
“Was that why Derek had taken that week off and flew to Germany?”
“Yes. I was a total wreck. I had just lost my teammates, was in the hospital, and had the government demanding answers. Derek helped with some interference.”
Ace grimaced as he carefully listened as Alex recounted her ordeal, but there was something she said that nagged him.
“Alex, if you were unconscious, who called for help? How was the government notified?”
“I’ve been questioning that since I woke up in the hospital and could think straight. According to Bert, I’m the one who called it in, but I don’t remember doing it. As I said, the last memory I can recall before being loaded into the helicopter was seeing the house explode.”
“It is obvious your position was compromised, but by who, is the important question.” The comment came from Dino.
“What happened next?” Ace asked. This story was getting more interesting as it went on.
“The first couple of weeks, I spent recovering, along with being questioned day in and day out by the agency, mainly about the missing Intel. All of the Intel we submitted was gone.”
“That is what I don’t understand; how does something like that happen? I thought the government has back-ups to the back-ups.”
“You and me both. Every single night we uploaded our day’s findings. But sometime between the explosion and when I got home, there was no trace of anything. The agency, of course, opened an investigation, but it couldn’t find anything wrong with the servers, and without the hard evidence, the so-called failed mission was placed upon my team and me. Believe me, I was furious. Our country had lost five honorable people who were doing their jobs in trying to gain knowledge to protect our country from harm. Then those desk jockeys at the agency just tossed the service records and memories of those individuals, my friends, out the window like a piece of trash. They didn’t care about the lives that were lost. All they cared about was who they could blame because the outcome wasn’t what they wanted.”
Ace felt her anger and sympathized with her. He understood completely that a lot of government officials didn’t give a shit about people getting hurt; they just wanted the job done. “What happened after that?”
“I resigned from my position, and shortly after that, I was offered a job with Mason, and now here I am.”
Dino shook his head. “Damn, honey. That shit is messed up.”
“Yeah, it is. But what can you do? Luckily, I had options, and I’m content where I am right now. Although I’ll admit, I never saw myself coming back here again.”
“So, why are you here, then?” Ace found himself asking.
She looked him in the eye and what he saw excited him. There was a spark, a look of determination.
“To help bring those contractors home and make sure that Ashraf can’t hurt anyone else again. Although I did have some stipulations, the agency had to agree to before I accepted.”
“Are you saying you bribed the NSA?” Ace asked her.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I wouldn’t say bribed. I would prefer to say I gave them an option. Thankfully, they were smart and picked the correct one. Especially considering I was two days into my vacation when I got the phone call telling me I had two hours to get packed and be at the airport.”
“I’m curious to know what they gave you in return for your assistance,” Stitch added.
“Full control. I only accepted the assignment if I was lead, and Bert would be on an as-needed basis only.”
“Damn, you must be Super Woman or something to have the agency giving in to your demands,” Irish said with a slight chuckle.
She smiled. “They couldn’t afford not to agree. I’m the only one with extensive knowledge of Ashraf and his regime.”
“What about Bert? You mentioned he was present after the explosion,” Ace now asked.
“I didn’t realize Bert was even in the country. It was a surprise to me when I first heard his voice. When I worked under Bert, he was an okay boss. He had his pros and cons, but my view of him changed the day he sat across the table from me and sided with the agency. He had no loyalty, didn’t even try to state a case for me. He threw me under the bus just to save his own ass. To this day, I swear on my father’s grave that those Intel files were uploaded to the servers. I made sure each submission was successful. What happened to the information after it was received is a mystery, but something deep down in my gut says Bert knows the answer.”
“What a dick,” someone said, making her chuckle.
“Yeah, he is that, amongst other things. Ever since that day, I haven’t trusted him. Our paths have crossed a few times, but I’ve kept my distance.”
Stitch scratched his head. “Is he the reason you resigned from the agency?”
“He wasn’t the sole reason for my decision, but he had a lot to do with it. I can’t work with someone who isn’t going to have my back and fight for me when it’s warranted.”
“Well, he’s a damn good actor because he comes off acting as if you two were the greatest team.”
“That’s because he is trying to kiss my ass, hoping I’ll go back to the agency. I’ve heard rumors the government let him and a few others have a piece of their mind after the fiasco and how they treated me. They knew I was a good asset. He’s being typical Bert and trying to put on a show in front of you guys, hoping it gets him in my good graces, and I’ll change my mind. But that little outburst of his just a few minutes ago proves my point.”
“Were you ever romantically involved with him?” She looked at Stitch, and Ace waited, holding his breath.
“No, never. Although, that isn’t saying he didn’t try.” She rolled her eyes. “There were many times he stepped over the line inappropriately.”
Ace looked at her. “He sexually harassed you?”
“I always denied his advances, but that didn’t stop him from trying. He was relentless, even after I had left the agency, he tried calling me and asking me to meet him for drinks.”
“What an asshole,” Irish blurted out, and Ace couldn’t agree more. He would be keeping a close eye on Bert, and he was sure the guys would too.
“You’ll let us know if he continues to harass you,” Stitch said, pinning her with a look that left no room for argument, and Ace was pleased when she nodded her head.
Alex stood up and put her hand over her mouth, covering a yawn. Ace was right there with her. After their last mission, it was going to be nice to get a decent night’s sleep before they hit the ground running tomorrow.
“Thanks for letting me join you guys for dinner, but I’m exhausted. Does 7:00 am tomorrow work for you guys? Derek said he would skype in.”
“Sounds good to us,” Ace replied, then added, “Remember you’
re the boss, you just tell us when and where, and we’ll be there.”
She said goodnight to everyone, and Stitch and Frost both hugged her. Ace actually felt a tad bit jealous, which was ridiculous, considering he’d just met the woman a few hours ago, but he knew what it felt like to hold her curvy body in his arms. At least, she gave him one of her beautiful smiles before she left.
Ace waited until she was out of earshot, then he looked at his team. He was even more curious about Bert after hearing what Alex had to say. He’d worked with a lot of intelligence guys over his career, and most of them he wouldn’t trust with his life. Ace knew that Bert fell into that statistic, just from his two interactions with him. He wasn’t too concerned about Alex. She seemed like she could handle what’s thrown at her; however, people like Bert were sneaky, and he wasn’t about to let some psycho with a grudge throw a member of the team under the bus. Not on his watch.
“I’m not comfortable with this guy. He is pissed off and could be out for revenge against Alex. You all know me; I thrive on trust and loyalty. It pisses me off when someone is disloyal, especially to one of their own. From what Alex said, he saved his ass on the last mission by selling her and her team out. That doesn’t sit well with me.”
“Well, you heard what Alex said; he is on an as need to know basis. We can only hope his interaction will be limited,” Stitch said.
“Alex is lead, so that is the order we follow. If Bert says otherwise, he can take it up with the commander.”
◆◆◆
As soon as Alex returned to her barracks, she did a quick check of her emails. There wasn’t anything pressing, so she replied to a few of them. Tomorrow morning, she would start digging through some files to try and figure out where Ashraf was holding the hostages.
She made her bed before going into the bathroom to wash up. She felt grimy from the plane ride and the hot, gritty air.
As she made her way to bed, her altercation with Bert was still fresh in her mind. He was up to something; she could feel it, and she just needed to find out precisely what his MO was. Until she could unravel his intentions, she would remember what her uncle said earlier on the phone. “The team has your back.” Depending on what Bert had planned, she just may need to call upon them to assist.
She crawled under the covers and closed her eyes. Tomorrow was going to be busy and most likely bring lots of questions and lots of thinking. She needed to be on top of her game, which meant she couldn’t be distracted with the Lt. Commander’s presence. But damn, he was hard not to look at. Just from the little time she’d spoken with him, he seemed to have a great personality and demeanor. If she were in any other situation, she wouldn’t mind taking the time and getting to know him better. But now was not the time to lust after a man. Not when the lives of five men were on the line and not when she had one terrorist to reign in. Nope, starting tomorrow, it would be all business.
She hit the playlist on her iPod, turned the volume down low, and within minutes, she was fast asleep.
Chapter Four
Alex stood, leaning over one of the tables in the war room, Skyping with Derek. She had woken up around 3:00 am, and instead of just lying in bed, she got up and headed over to base command to get a head start on the day’s work.
“Are you positive that’s him?” Derek asked her as she pulled up the photograph again on her computer. The photo was taken by a security camera at the compound the night the contractors were kidnapped. It also pretty much confirmed that Ashraf was indeed the mastermind behind the kidnappings.
“Unless he has a twin, I’m positive.”
The photo was a little grainy; however, as soon as she opened the file and the picture appeared, there was no mistaking the identity of the man staring back at her. The face of Ashraf’s oldest son, Yaseen, was one she would never forget. Even after two years had passed, she could still feel those dark, cold eyes penetrating hers. She and her colleague had been posing as tourists at a market when she came face-to-face with him. Now that she thought about it, that slight arrogant smirk he gave her should have been a warning to her. From the stories she had heard about Yaseen, he was just as, if not even more dangerous than his father.
“So, how do you want to tackle this? We are at your disposal.”
“I appreciate that. From the Intel I read over this morning, the kidnappers may have had some help on the inside. The government is trying to keep it under wraps. I’m surprised that they’ve been able to keep this away from the media. The truth always prevails.”
“Yeah, well, I hope the truth comes sooner rather than later. We are up against the clock.”
“Well, then, I suggest we start pinpointing locations when the team gets here. My associate back home is gathering a list of names who were working at the compound the night of the attack. There could be a connection.”
She walked over to another table, with several maps spread out on it. She studied the one map and quickly became frustrated. The number of possibilities as to where the hostages could be held were endless. With the mountains and valleys, there were so many different, not to mention creative hiding spots, though she did have a couple of places to rule out.
Just as she was about to stick a couple of push pins into the map, the door behind her opened. Even after her little pep talk to herself last night about focusing on the real issue at hand and not her eye for the Lt., her eyes still gravitated to the sexy man as he led his team into the room. He looked calm and collected as he laughed at something Potter said to him. Then, as if knowing she was staring, he looked directly at her and winked before addressing their commander and taking a seat.
She shook her head; even if they were compatible, a relationship would never work between them, not with their careers.
With her mindset back on the task at hand, she slid right into her professional mode and got the meeting started.
◆◆◆
Ace took a seat on a stool near where Alex stood. He noticed her as soon as he walked through the door. When he caught her looking at him, he was disappointed when he saw something pass within her eyes before she looked away. He sensed she was putting a wall up and shutting him out before he even had a shot. He considered that a challenge, and boy, did he love a challenge. He felt the attraction on their first run-in, and he knew she did too. He could see it in her body language. An attraction that strong between two people doesn’t come often, especially how they met and the current environment they were in. She could try to run and hide behind the professional façade she was building, but given enough time, he’d break down the barrier. He smiled to himself, for now, he’d put the job first as he always does, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be some play in-between work.
He purposely chose the seat he did because she would have to walk past him as she made her way to the front of the room. When she did, he smiled and said, good morning. She returned the gesture, again in a professional manner.
“If everyone is ready, we can get started,” she said, changing her tone and demeanor to all business.
“The floor is all yours,” the commander stated.
After about forty-five minutes of what Ace could only describe as an exceptional overview by Alex, he felt more in the loop than he did yesterday. Alex was a very diligent presenter. She was open-minded and precise as she spoke. She also wasn’t one to rush judgment, which was a good thing. It had happened several times in his career where someone overseeing the operation gets a “hunch” or “thinks,” and they send the team in, and it turns into a cluster fuck. But that didn’t seem to be the way Alex operated. She had some pretty substantial evidence she presented but wasn’t comfortable enough with it to send the team searching. She wanted some creditability, and he totally respected her for that. It showed she cared about her work and those she was working with. Even Bert, who was in attendance, kept his mouth shut, though he didn’t look happy sitting in the back with his arms crossed, glaring at Alex the entire time.
“Okay, so based on the
Intel, we know we’re definitely on the hunt for this Ashraf character. Can you give us some additional background on him and what we could be potentially dealing with?” Ace asked Alex.
“Ashraf is a narcissist. He’s all about showing the world he is unstoppable. He craves power and being in control. His hefty bank account doesn’t help us. Again, he’s the mastermind behind it all. But most importantly, he is extremely dangerous and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.”
She took a sip of water before pulling up some photographs on the screen.
“When the militants stormed that security compound, they were initially after the weapons. But, after reviewing the tapes and reading over some witness statements, I believe that the hostages were an afterthought.”
“Why, though, they got the weapons? Why chance it all and take hostages?” Potter asked.
“As I mentioned before, it’s a control thing. He thrives on it, gets off on the high, and what’s more, says ‘look at me, look at me’ than taking five highly trained US security contractors’ hostage. I mean, three of those men are former Special Forces.”
“Alex, when you say a significant number of weapons, is it known what type of weapons and the value?”
“The government hasn’t given an exact number yet, but from the chatter, I hear it consists of mostly small arms. However, there were also several stinger missiles being stored there. As of this morning, all were still unaccounted for. If I had to guess, I would put a value somewhere around twenty million dollars.”
“Jesus Christ,” Ace said out loud and looked at Alex.
“Priority number one here is the hostages. Every day that passes, the chances of those men making it out alive decrease drastically, and we are already on what, day four?”