by Mary Alford
Chapter Eleven
“Do you trust him?” Erin asked once they were out of earshot.
Jax peered over her. “Not completely, but he’s right. Whoever hired those men won’t be satisfied until they know for certain we’re dead.”
She blew out a breath. The conspiracy was worse than they originally believed. “They killed Blake first. Why? If they wanted us all dead, they could have accomplished it when they killed Blake. What’s this really about?”
Jax shook his head. “I wish I knew. So far, I have nothing but questions and no answers.”
Erin felt the same way. Why was their entire unit targeted? “Why are they trying to frame Al Hasan for their crimes? This whole thing about a training camp . . . So far, we’ve found no real evidence of its existence, and from what I can tell, he’s not guilty of anything other than trying to stay alive.”
“He must have gotten onto someone’s radar,” Jax said. “They want him gone for a reason. I’m guessing he saw something he shouldn’t have, and for that, they’re trying to brand him a terrorist.”
“I’m sure he trusts us about as much as he trusts most foreigners. I can’t say that I blame him after all of this.”
Jax glanced up at the sky still heavy with clouds. The brunt of the storm had faded, but snow continued to fall. Maybe it would cover their tracks. “If the weather holds, we should be able to reach the meet location by early afternoon. Hopefully, the extraction team will be there on time, and everything will go according to plan.”
She hoped he was right. Because staying alive long enough to reach the extraction site was going to prove a near-impossible task as it was.
“Did Blake ever say anything to you about his asset?” Jax asked her. She knew what he was thinking because she’d thought the same thing. Perhaps Blake’s asset was behind the attacks.
“No, nothing. You know Blake. He kept the identities of his assets secret, respecting their need for anonymity.”
Jax shook his head. “This is one time I wish he hadn’t been so protective of his people. We sure could use the name of the asset who led us on that failed mission.”
Erin felt as if her head were on a swivel. She was on alert—they both were. They’d barely escaped a massive explosion, only to be ambushed by mercenaries, and the one person they’d believe to be the enemy had saved their lives. The ball of nerves growing in her stomach seemed to indicate this was only the beginning.
A thought occurred, and she asked, “What did Peter tell you about this last mission? What was so different about it that he felt the need to be part of it?”
Jax stopped for a second to take a breath, look around. “That’s just it. He didn’t tell me anything. He said the mission was too important to give out details . . .” Jax’s gaze slid to her. “He was worried about someone overhearing, I believe.”
“So, something huge popped up within a matter of hours. That’s why the previous mission was scrubbed. I’m assuming it was another test?”
He nodded, and they started walking again. “Yes. I was told to give the coordinates to Dylan. We were a go, and then, well, you know the rest.”
Erin had never felt so helpless before. Nothing made sense and yet everything pointed to someone at the CIA, or possibly even higher up in the chain of command, being involved in the conspiracy against their own government.
“And another strange thing is, in the past, on ‘real’ missions, we always had a team of marines attached to our unit. Why not this time?” she said, and a chill sped down her spine.
Unexpectedly, the sat phone in his pocket rang. Capturing her gaze, Jax dug it out of his backpack.
“It’s Coleman.” He frowned, stepping a little away from her.
The action had her wondering why.
Jax spoke briefly, then ended the call and came back to where she stood, a dismal expression in his eyes.
“Something’s happened?” she correctly interpreted his look.
He barely nodded. “The meet time has been moved forward. We should still be able to make it okay, but I don’t like it.” He shook his head. “Coleman made sure that you were still with me. He said I needed to bring you in for your own safety.”
“They’re going to arrest me. I can’t let them do that.” Fear coiled through her body, her exhausted brain struggling to come up with a plan.
“I’m not going to let that happen, Erin. Coleman promised me that wasn’t the case.” He peered into her eyes, and she believed he would do everything in his power to protect her, but would it be enough? Would he lose his life trying to save hers?
“Do you believe him?” she asked, her drawn expression making it clear that she did not.
“I do. He’s on your side, I promise. Don’t worry.”
She shook her head. “I can’t go with you, Jax. I can’t go to that meet site.”
He pulled her close, his gaze so lost. “And I’m not leaving you behind. I can’t.” Something shifted in his eyes and she sucked in a breath. They’d been trying to stay alive, hunted by an enemy they didn’t know, unsure whom to trust. Facing death had a way of clearing away the clutter from one’s head. She cared about Jax. She wanted them both to pull through this, but she had no idea what their uncertain future held, or even if they’d walk out of this thing alive.
Erin touched his cheek, then leaned in and kissed him gently then let him go.
Before she moved away, he caught her hand, entwining their fingers. “We’ll get through this together. We’re a team, and I’m not leaving you behind. We’re in this together, no matter what.”
◆◆◆
They reached the crest above the extraction site. Almost there. Jax pulled out the binoculars once more and zeroed in on the abandoned airstrip that contained a single rundown building. Nothing stirred.
“I don’t see anything,” he told her, wishing he felt more confident. “Are you ready to get out of here?” Jax forced a smile. He read all her uncertainties and tried to quash his own. It didn’t matter what happened, he’d battle the higher-ups to the death if necessary before he’d let them lay the blame for what happened at Erin’s door.
He surveyed the well-traveled path of descent, worn down by years of illegal crossing. It was much too vulnerable and not an option. “Our best bet is to stay in the coverage of the trees until we reach the bottom. We’re still in danger. They could be waiting for us down there.” He turned to look at her.
She swallowed visibly, then nodded. “Let’s do this.”
With a final glance below, Jax picked his way down, Erin close behind.
Every little noise had him whirling around, looking for trouble. He couldn’t imagine what Erin must be going through, knowing the charges facing her. He understood her not wanting to leave if she was going to be arrested. But Coleman had given his word, and in spite of their differences, Jax trusted the man.
A noise some distance behind grabbed his attention. Were those footsteps? Jax tugged Erin behind the nearest tree and kept her close.
On the traveled path close by, five men dressed in tribal clothing slowly made their way past. They talked amongst themselves. Jax didn’t see any sign they were armed, but, after everything that had happened, he wasn’t about to take a chance.
He and Erin stood huddled together until the men were well out of sight.
Jax blew out a shaky breath. “That was close.”
“Do you think they’re part of the group who tried to ambush us earlier?” she whispered so only he could hear.
He couldn’t be sure. “They didn’t appear armed, but we can’t take the chance. We’ll give them a wide berth. Once they’re in front of us, we can keep an eye on them better.”
Jax let her go, and together they eased down the mountainside into Pakistani territory. The men ahead of them appeared unaware they were being followed as they continued to make their way past the abandoned airstrip with nothing more than a few cursory glances.
Once Jax and Erin reached level ground, they st
opped. “They don’t appear to be interested in the airstrip. Still, we can’t take any chances.” He took out his binoculars and focused on the airstrip. “I don’t see anything, including our extraction team.” He checked his watch. “They should be here by now. “
“Should we get a closer look?” she asked, eyeing the building with a frown on her face.
Jax shook his head. “No, we wait for their arrival.” He focused on the men. They had stopped now, as if resting, even though the snow continued to fall and they were out in the open. Unease slithered down his spine. He didn’t like it.
“Something’s not right,” he said in a tight voice. “Those men, they’re no longer moving.”
He handed her the binoculars. She scanned the area, then suddenly grabbed his arm. “There’s movement inside the building.”
Jax took the binoculars again and zeroed in on the area that she’d pointed out. He saw it too. “I count at least five men inside. There are probably more. Our people will be heading into a setup.” Jax grabbed the sat phone and tried to reach Coleman, to no avail. “He’s not answering. We have to find a way to warn them.”
Erin removed her backpack and dug inside. “I have a flare gun.”
Shock and relief warred for control. His brows raised. “You do? That’s great,” he murmured. “That might save their lives.”
As he continued to watch the men, the noise of a chopper could be heard advancing. Erin heard it too. She quickly loaded the flare gun. “I’m good to go,” she assured him.
“We need to warn them before they get within firing range.”
The chopper cleared the mountainside. Erin aimed the flare gun and fired. The flare shot up in front of the chopper several feet. The pilot immediately banked left and headed back toward the mountain. Seconds later, the area exploded with gunfire.
The chopper cleared the nearest trees. Dozens of men charged out of the building. While Jax watched through the binoculars, he saw something terrifying. “They have a surface-to-air launcher!”
Before Erin had time to answer, the man with the launcher fired on the chopper. As they watched in horror, the missile hit its mark. The chopper exploded in a ball of flames, fiery pieces raining down on the ground, the impact sending shockwaves through the whole area. No one onboard the chopper stood a chance.
“We have to leave. Now. They were expecting us, and they’ll come looking,” He grabbed Erin’s arm, and they turned and raced through the woods. Behind them, men shouted from the airstrip. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it didn’t matter. There was a target on both their heads.
“Hurry,” Erin urged as they raced through the wooded area, tree branches snagging their clothes and faces. Jax could hear his breathing over the frantic beat of his heart. Behind them, multiple footsteps advanced at a fast click.
The trees ended, and they descended on a decent-sized village. Jax stopped abruptly. Erin did the same, drawing in several lungs full of breath. A handful of people milled around the area. They’d probably seen the explosion.
“We’re going to stand out like crazy here,” Jax said. Several people watched them with suspicion in their eyes. “We need to get out of sight now. I don’t know where these people’s allegiances are. They might give us up to the men following us.”
“Over there.” Erin pointed to the edge of the village that backed up to wilderness. “If we can make it there, we have a chance.”
He and Erin hurried toward the trees without running. No need to call more undue attention to themselves.
They barely reached the edge when the first group of men emerged on the other side of town.
“We have to hide now,” Erin urged, and they ducked behind a couple of trees.
From his vantage point, Jax could see the men heading toward the center of the village. “Those guys will question the locals about our whereabouts. If they give us up, we’re dead. Our only chance at surviving is to keep one step ahead of those men.”
They headed uphill away from the village. The twilight in the forest settled around them. Snow up to a foot in spots made walking difficult, but their choices were nonexistent.
“Do you think those men saw us after the chopper went down?” Erin asked, and he knew what she was thinking. If the men didn’t know where they’d gone, then they’d have a better chance at surviving.
“I sure hope not. In any case, we need to put as much distance as we can between ourselves and them. We have to keep fighting, Erin. It’s our only chance to stay alive.”
Chapter Twelve
They’d been walking for more than an hour when Erin stopped long enough to catch her breath. “I don’t hear anyone behind us,” she said, peering over her shoulder.
“I don’t either. I’m guessing the villagers are more afraid of them than us.”
Erin pulled out her canteen she’d refilled and drank deeply, while Jax did the same.
“Why take out the extraction team? They had to realize they’d be calling a whole lot of attention to themselves. Not to mention our people will realize what’s happened and send reinforcements soon enough.”
Jax pivoted to look in her eyes. “I’m guessing they don’t want us to leave here alive, and they’re willing to stop at nothing to keep that from happening.”
She could see the weariness around his eyes. They’d been fighting so hard to live that they hadn’t had breathing room enough to figure out why this was happening to them.
“I’ll try to reach out to Coleman again. He needs to know what happened here.” His voice sounded full of remorse. Jax took out the sat phone.
Before he could make the call, she grabbed his arm. “Wait.”
He stopped dialing and peered into her eyes, his brows raised.
“What if they’re tracking our movements by phone somehow? We can’t risk giving away our location.”
He slowly put the phone away, still holding her gaze. “We’ll be on our own.”
“I know.” She was terrified by that realization, but right now, they couldn’t risk another firefight because she wasn’t sure if they would survive.
“All right,” Jax said and slowly nodded.
Erin dug in her backpack and took out a map and unfolded it.
“Do you remember the location of the safe house in the area?” Jax asked. The CIA had safe houses for their agents set up across most countries. Pakistan was no exception.
Spreading the map out on a rock, Erin scanned it.
“Here.” She pointed to the town of Peshawar some distance away.
Their eyes met. “That’s an awful lot of extremist territory to cover,” he said.
It wasn’t ideal, but it was their best bet. “What other option do we have? We can’t go back to Afghanistan. It’s too dangerous.”
He nodded and blew out a sigh. “You’re right. We’d better get going then.”
Erin refolded the map and tried to put it back into the front pouch for easier use, yet something prevented it from going in. Puzzled, she felt inside the pocket and found an envelope.
Pulling it out, she stared at her name written across the front. She recognized the handwriting. “That’s Blake’s writing,” she said in disbelief, showing him the letter.
“How did it get into your backpack?” he asked, his gaze locked with hers.
Erin shook her head. “I don’t know. I haven’t opened that compartment in a while . . . Blake must have put it there before our last mission.” She swallowed nervously, then handed the letter to Jax, her hands shaking. “I don’t think I can read it.”
He took it from her and ripped the envelope open. A piece of paper along with a key were inside. Jax turned the key over in his hand. “It looks like it belongs to a safety deposit box. Did Blake ever mention having one to you?” His expression was puzzled.
She shook her head. “Not to my knowledge.”
“I found a receipt for one in his apartment before we left on this trip, but there was no key. I guess I know why.”
/> Jax unfolded the letter and scanned it. “Oh no,” he murmured, his eyes wintery when he looked at her again.
“What does it say?” She forced the words out in the grips of fear. Something bad was coming.
“I think I’d better read it to you,” he said quietly then cleared his throat before he slowly began. “Baby sister, if you’re reading this, then I’m dead and I want you to know how much I love you. How important you and Jax are to me. You’re my family.” Jax stopped for a moment. She braced for what was coming next.
“I did something bad, Erin. Really bad. I can never expect you to understand why, but I didn’t feel that I had a choice. They threatened people I love. They threatened you. The key here fits a safety deposit box at Capitol Bank and Trust. It’s in your name. Everything that happened, what I’m involved in, will be explained there. It was the safest place I could think of to hide something this important. In the box, you’ll have all the proof you need to put the people responsible for my death and others’ away forever. I’m sorry, Erin. I wish that you didn’t have to see me this way. I wish I didn’t have to get you involved in my crimes. Please don’t hate me, baby sister. Love always, Blake.”
Jax blew out a sigh, his gaze fixed on her eyes as tears welled there.
“What did Blake get himself involved in?” she finally managed. Her heart broke for Blake. She loved him, and nothing he could do would change that for her.
Jax shook his head. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, I think it’s the reason they’re trying to kill us now. Why they killed our entire team. We’re collateral damage. They have to keep their identity secret along with their crimes, and they don’t care who they kill to accomplish that. They can’t let whatever evidence Blake gathered come to light.”
She stared at him wide-eyed, her heart aching. “I can’t believe it. They killed Blake and so many good men to cover what?”
Jax cupped her shoulders, drawing her into his embrace. “We’ll find out the truth, whatever it is. Together we’ll find out what set all of this in motion.”