His Devil's Wish

by Linzi Basset

  “Ready.”

  Lance and Jack quietly overpowered the four men that entered the hangar. They dragged them to the storeroom where the security guard was trussed up. They changed into the coveralls and caps the personnel had been wearing. Three of the covert team did the same. When the owner, Akram Jasem, arrived two hours later, they were sweeping the floor and pretending to do a preflight check on the plane. He grunted a greeting and disappeared into the office to the front of the hangar.

  “So far so good,” Keon muttered.

  “We’ve got two more hours until noon,” Rhone affirmed. Stay sharp, everyone. Lance, keep out of Akram’s way. I want him to be there to greet the prince.”

  An hour later, Max gave them another heads-up. “Tracker shows the prince has just entered the airfield.”

  “Complete silence from this point on. No one talks. We move on my command. Understood?” Rhone ordered gruffly.

  No one answered, nor did he expect them to. He scanned the rooftops of the adjacent buildings once more but didn’t see any movement. They’d been at the airfield for five hours and stayed hidden since sunrise. They knew how syndicates operated and expected the possibility of a sniper being present, to ensure their identity remained safe. He just prayed that Samantha realized it too and kept vigil wherever they were.

  “And remember, we need the prince and his cousin alive.”

  The prince arrived with an entire entourage. His cousin, pilot, and three bodyguards piled out of the car that dropped them at the hangar entrance. They listened to the jovial greetings shared between Khalid and Akram; proof that they knew each other very well.

  “You’re early. I didn’t expect you for another hour,” Akram observed.

  “I moved the time ahead. I’ve learned to keep people on their toes. I want to get out of here as soon as the shipment is loaded. Is the plane ready?”

  “Mike! All clear to go?” Akram shouted at Jack, who had his head buried in the hull of the plane.

  “Yep,” Jack shouted back, his voice muted by the confines of the engine.

  “Good. They should be here in five minutes. Borak, pay our good comrade for his generous friendship,” Khalid said. He slapped Akram on his back as they walked toward his office.

  Ethan caught sight of the man following Akram and Khalid. He felt anger surge through him when he recalled the expression on Paige’s face when she’d told him how she’d lost her baby.

  Borak Saud. The fucking bastard who stood and watched Paige being beaten to pulp. It’s time he paid for that.

  Ethan glanced between Rhone and Keon. The exhaustion was clear in the pallor of their skin. But, from experience in the field, he knew it would make no difference in their ability to focus and stay alert.

  Silence lingered in the air, briefly interrupted by the chirping birds. A shiver trailed down Ethan’s spine as they waited for the arrival of the shipment. A small sigh of anxiety escaped his lips. This mission had become more to him than ensuring Jaxon’s safety. Now, he felt the urge to take revenge on Paige’s behalf. Tersely, his eyes flickered to the building that just minutes ago had been a hum of hidden thrill and excitement. Something the Prince had been unable to hide from his booming voice.

  “Two trucks heading your way, Rhone,” Max’s voice warned.

  The three men stood up and waited, listening to the sounds of men laughing as they walked around the back of the trucks.

  “Yo, Bubba! Open the hull. Let’s get the tatas inside pronto,” one of the men shouted while he opened the back of the truck. The sound of women crying and shrieking as they were hauled from the trucks penetrated the quiet of the day.

  Jack and Lance opened the hatch and stood on either side with the caps drawn low over their eyes. They were the most vulnerable of all of them.

  “Where is your boss?” Khalid’s voice bellowed over the shrill voices of the distressed women.

  “We were asked to—”

  “Where is your leader? Why isn’t he with you?” Khalid cut him off.

  The man lifted his hands. “I don’t know who you’re talking about, sir. We were paid to do a delivery. And they’re all here, in the same condition—”

  “Enough. Get them on board. I want to get the fuck out of here,” Khalid barked and labored up the stairs into the plane, closely followed by Borak.

  Rhone peeked around the container, waiting until the last of the women were pushed into the hold of the plane.

  “We have a go. Go! Go! Go!” Rhone snapped as he, Keon and Ethan moved in fight formation around the container. The team leader of the covert team circled from the other side, effectively cutting off any escape routes with Lance, Jack and the rest of the team covering the inside of the hangar.

  “FBI! Do not move!” The team leader shouted.

  Chaos erupted as shouts and gunshots rendered sharply through the air. One of the FBI agents went down, clutching his thigh. Jack cursed as more shots followed and everyone took cover, returning fire. The bodyguards tried to run up the stairs but Keon yanked the first one down with a hand locked into the cuff of his jacket. He tumbled backward, taking the other two with him.

  There were four or five more reports, and finally a last single shot was heard. It came from a distance and hit the team leader in the chest with such force that he catapulted through the air to crash against the wall.

  “Sniper!” Rhone shouted and hunched down, searching the buildings. He heard the zing of the bullet. It hit the sniper between the eyes before the sniper could take aim again. All Rhone saw was the faint splatter of blood on top of the building across from them as the bullet ripped through his skull.

  “That’s my girl,” he said proudly.

  Keon and Ethan took the stairs. “Come out, Prince Khalid, with your hands behind your head. You’re surrounded and there’s no way out. You don’t have enough bullets to make it past all of us,” Keon shouted.

  “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot. I’m coming out,” a voice called. Ethan took a step back to allow the pilot through. He was immediately carted away by the team who tied him up with the rest of the smugglers.

  “Last warning, Saud. Get your fucking ass out here,” Keon bellowed.

  “Fuck you,” Khalid responded. “You’re going to have to come and get me. Come on, you white skinned bastard. Come and get me if you dare,” Khalid taunted. “Don’t, for one moment, think I don’t know that you want me alive. Can you imagine the trouble the US would be in if the future King of Saudi Arabia dies on your soil? Come on! I’m waiting.”

  “Ethan, they’re on the left. Shoot high. I’m going in low,” Keon whispered. “One, two, three . . . GO!”

  Ethan pressed his chest against the side of the plane and shot from overhead into the plane while Keon took a rolling dive, shooting as he went.

  A spurt of gunshots followed from the front of the plane, followed by a painful grunt from Borak as one of Ethan’s bullets hit its mark. Keon aimed from below and took a shot. Khalid went down with a bullet searing though his calf.

  Khalid screamed like a slaughtered pig as he writhed on the floor. His was breathing erratically in the confines of the plane as Keon and Ethan closed in on them. His eyes widened when he spotted Ethan.

  “You! I should’ve fucking made sure you were dead three years ago,” Khalid gritted through clenched teeth. He smirked. “Do what you wish, Ethan Brodie, but your son is mine. I adopted him years ago and you won’t get him out of my country,” he laughed evilly. “He’s mine. Abdul is now my son.”

  “Illegal adoptions don’t mean shit, you bastard.” Ethan took a deep breath and smiled. “I guess you haven’t hear the news then,” he continued calmly.

  “What news?” Khalid narrowed his eyes and glanced at his cousin, who was slumped in one of the chairs with blood soaking his arm.

  “Jaxon, my son, is already home. He has been since the day you left Riyadh.” Ethan took great joy in the shocked expression on Khalid’s face when he realized the reason for Delia’s frantic cal
ls. Ethan itched to snap his neck but knew the importance of keeping him alive. But a good crack in the face couldn’t hurt. He took a step closer.

  “Stay away from me!” Khalid screamed, trying to crawl away from Ethan. “I have political immunity,” Khalid shouted when Rhone and the rest of the team entered the plane. “You can’t kill us.” His voice sounded shrill and filled with fear.

  “Oh, we have no intention of killing you, Khalid. You are too valuable a source of information to the US. Believe me, dear prince, before the day is over, you’re going to be begging for a bullet,” Rhone drawled. He turned to the covert team and snarled. “Get this piece of shit out of here.”

  No one blinked when Ethan slammed the butt of his rifle into Borak’s face, shattering his nose. He went down like a lump of dead meat. They were all aware of what the Sauds had done to Paige.

  “That’s for Paige you motherfucker,” he snarled before he calmly walked out of the plane.

  “Well, I guess he got off lightly,” Lance drawled.

  “Rhone!” Samantha’s voice preceded her frantic entry into the plane, closely followed by Lauren who hurled herself into Keon’s arms.

  “You’re okay. God, honey, I was so worried,” she whimpered into his neck.

  Keon grunted but wrapped his arms around her and hugged her like his life depended on it. Since she’d come into his life and he got Beckie back, he valued life more. He couldn’t even dredge up one iota of anger toward her for putting her own life in danger to protect him and his friends.

  Samantha stopped in her tracks. The warning glint in Rhone’s eyes was more than enough to make her wary.

  “I distinctly remember telling you to stay at home, Samantha.” His voice carried the chill of a freezing winter’s day.

  “You did,” she admitted.

  “And I will deal with you for blatantly disregarding that order when we get home. For now, get that sassy ass of yours over here and kiss me.”

  Samantha stared at Rhone, flabbergasted that he wasn’t giving her the usual sermon.

  “You’re not angry with me?” She prodded carefully, taking a small step forward.

  “Oh, don’t misjudge my reaction, luv. I’m furious at you, but for now, I need to hold you. Do I have to repeat myself?”

  The smile on her face took his breath away. They met in the middle as both reached for each other simultaneously. Rhone fisted his hand around her ponytail and yanked her head back.

  “You are going to be the cause of me going gray prematurely, woman,” he growled against her lips. He cut off her words as he took possession of her mouth with a kiss that rocked her world as much as it confirmed his feelings, which he was still keeping close to his own heart and refused to admit to her.

  For this moment, it was enough for Samantha.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “It’s a huge relief that you managed to pull off this mission, Alex. The president will be impressed with how smoothly it went.”

  “Rhone and his team did all the work. If not for their tenacity, it might not have gone as well as it did. Now, we have the task ahead of us to get those two bastards to talk.”

  “Talk? I thought putting an end to human trafficking was the purpose. You caught them, what more do you need?”

  Alex pursed his lips as he perused the man sitting as straight as an arrow in the chair opposite him.

  “Human trafficking has two veins, as you very well know. We might have caught the customer but we’re still looking for the supplier. Until we cut off the root of the problem, it’s going to continue. They’ll just find a different avenue to pursue unless we do.”

  “Ah, of course. I hadn’t realized. I was under the impression you got both parties.”

  “Unfortunately, not. But with the Sauds in captivity, I’m positive that soon we’ll be able to cut the cord for good.”

  “Do you think they’ll talk? What about political immunity?”

  “With the level of crime they committed? Not going to wash. This is the closest we’ve come to exposing the Sixth Order. The Sauds may have power in their country but over here, not so much. We’ve got them and they’re going to pay. I will personally see to that.”

  “And the women you saved? What happened to them?”

  Alex shifted in his chair. He felt uncomfortable with the probing questions. His gaze sharpened and he instinctively decided not to disclose any pertinent information. Not even to this man who was supposedly a friend and confidant to the President of the United States.

  “They’re safe. We’re keeping them in protective custody for now.”

  “Well, that’s good. I assume the Sauds are being questioned at the federal facility?”

  “For now, yes. I’m planning to take them to a more secure location tomorrow; very remote and impenetrable.”

  “Good. Well, I’ve got to go. Thanks again, Alex and convey the same to Rhone and his team.”

  The man left Alex’s office, his strides lengthening as he hurried to his car. He had to get the Sauds out of federal hands. Immediately; before either of them cracked under the horrors of the interrogation methods used for this kind of criminals. Both Dexter and he were in danger of being exposed if either of them talked.

  He had two options and he intended to play the safe card first. Once the Sauds were released, he’ll take care of them. They had signed their own death warrants when they got caught—all because Prince Khalid Saud wouldn’t listen to reason.

  * * * * * * * *

  “They’re just finishing up at Precision Secure, and then Ethan will be home,” Samantha said as she hugged Paige, who had sagged in relief at the success of the mission.

  “And the Sauds?” Paige waited with bated breath.

  “In custody. The FBI are interrogating them as we speak.” Samantha tugged on Beckie’s ponytail. “This little princess is about to fall asleep. We’ve got to go.”

  “Is Jaxon okay?” Lauren asked with a glance up the staircase. The thrum of the loud bass music was unmistakable where they stood.

  Paige chuckled. “Yes. Him and Beckie had . . . ehm, a difference of opinion and now he’s sulking in his room.”

  “He’s a total asshole,” Beckie snipped.

  “Rebecca!” Lauren berated her.

  “Well he is. Goodnight, Aunty Paige,” Rebecca said in a huff as she turned and got into the Range Rover.

  “Well, I guess that’s our cue. Night, Paige,” Samantha cooed. Lauren waved as she got into the passenger seat.

  Paige waited until the gate closed behind them before she stepped back inside and locked the door. Her relieved sigh sounded as a signal of the level her tension had reached. She knew she would only relax once she saw with her own eyes that Ethan had survived the mission unharmed.

  The desire for caffeine spurred her to turn toward the kitchen. She took one step and froze. The cold stare of the intruder was enough to force her backward until she was pressed against the door. Her mind registered the sudden silence, which meant Jaxon had switched off the music. She couldn’t breathe, transfixed as she was by the menacing onyx eyes glued on her. A gaze that spoke of hatred, warning Paige that nothing good was going to happen next.

  She could feel the sparks in her brain desperately trying to connect the dots and instead just caused a short circuit. His eyes turned her stomach.

  “Borak, what are you doing here? How did you even know where to find me?” She croaked and swallowed hard when the fear inside her turned to horror. His face was swollen and a white splint bandage covered the bridge of his nose.

  “I didn’t, Paige,” he sneered. His lips drew back over his teeth and he looked like a wild boar ready to charge his prey. Her bewildered look ran over his body, noticing the sling his arm was in for the first time.

  She dragged in a slow breath. Stay calm, Paige. Don’t let him see how scared you are. Silently she prayed that Jaxon would stay in his room. She shook herself when he took a menacing step closer and his words registered.

 
“Jaxon. You came for Ethan’s son.”

  “Ethan Brodie and Paige Scott,” he sneered. He had a wild look in his eyes. “Who would’ve known, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, should I, whore? You pretended to be in love with me but all the time you were after Delia’s husband. Is that it? When you heard she had divorced him . . . . yes!” He spat on the floor in front of him. “That's when you decided to leave me. I’ve carried guilt for what Khalid did to you for nothing! He shouldn’t just have killed your child, he should’ve fucking done you in too.”

  “Your child, Borak. Your cousin killed your child,” Paige said softly. “And you’re wrong. I had only met Ethan once and very briefly. I was committed to you, but you changed. You became like him when he was around. Do you know what that makes you, Borak?” Paige grated, suddenly tired of fear. He didn’t deserve her fear or her hatred for that matter—both were wasted emotions. “A weakling! You’re nothing but a spineless—”

  Borak charged at her so fast, she had nowhere to go.

  Crack!

  His hand whipped across her face, snapping it back with the force of his blow. Her head reeled sickeningly as it slammed into the door behind her. Black dots covered her vision. It had been an open-handed smack and it left a bright red welt across her cheek, just below her eye. She could feel the sting of a small cut where the ring on his finger had caught her. She staggered to the side, clutching her face, eyes watering as she stumbled against the entrance hall table. The sound of glass splintering echoed harshly in her ears as the flower vase crashed to the floor.

  Paige refused to cower in front of him and forced back the tears. She stared at him, wondering how she could have ever loved him. He wasn’t the man she knew—or thought she’d known. Maybe he had played a part all the time they were together and this cruel monster glowering at her was the real Borak Saud.

  “How did you escape? They said the FBI took you into custody,” she asked, trying to buy time, tasting the blood in her mouth where her teeth had cut into her lip. Her lips felt thick and numb.

  “You Americans are so fucking stupid. You forget how much money the Saud family has, Paige. The FBI is in our pocket. Gah! The entire fucking government is for that matter. We will never be brought to the courts in this country or confined in a cell,” he taunted her as he walked closer.