Sarah nodded and regarded her carefully. "I might have come down too hard on you, Abbie. It's because I care about Flynn. He's a fine soldier, and I don't want to see him neglect his duty because of you. Major Redinger doesn't often give second chances."
"Flynn never forgot his duty. We kept his phone within reach all night, even when we, uh, used the shower."
Sarah's lips twitched. "Although I'm an intelligence officer, Abbie, that might have been more information than I really needed to know."
* * *
"The Washington Monument at midnight?" Jack shook his head as he poked through the equipment that was arrayed on the table. "It's as if the LLA are choosing their ransom drops from a tour book."
"It doesn't make sense," Rafe muttered. He picked up his radio headset and adjusted the angle of the microphone. "After the way the other two drops went wrong, you'd think the LLA would change their pattern. Sure, there will be fewer bystanders around at night, but it's still a high-profile location. It's as if the LLA want to have this go public."
"Maybe they do," Jack said. "They wouldn't have expected Vilyas to contact us. They might have been counting on the story getting out to the media. Using our national monuments as their backdrop is their way of thumbing their noses at the diplomats."
Esposito rotated the parabolic microphone on the table in front of him. "You might be right. Terrorism only works if it's given a platform. Without publicity, terrorists are nothing but common criminals. I always thought the money wasn't the only thing the LLA were after. O'Toole, do you have the 2mm Allen key?"
Flynn searched through the tray at his elbow and selected the tool the chief had requested. They had spent the afternoon checking and rechecking every piece of hardware. It was tedious work, but it was vital. When they moved in tonight, they couldn't afford any mistakes. Too much was at stake.
Including Abbie's life.
His hand shook as he passed the tiny Allen key to Esposito. He had to focus. But ever since the details of the third ransom drop had come through at noon, his mind had been seething with worry over Abbie.
There was no point trying to talk her out of it. She was as adamant as ever that she'd play her role. In his head he knew they could protect her—the operation would take place in friendly territory, and police and military backup was only minutes away if it was needed. Whether the choice of location made sense or not, the fact that it was so exposed was in their favor. They could form an airtight perimeter around Abbie. They would be able to see the LLA coming half a mile away.
In the dark? In the rain? Abbie would be up against a group of fanatics who cared nothing for their own lives. His head might accept it, but his heart couldn't.
Damn. This was why it was safer on the outside looking in. He didn't want to be testing microphones and transmitters while the team finalized their plans for tonight's assault. He wanted to scoop Abbie into his arms and take her as far away from this place as he could run. He wanted to hold her and keep her safe until this was over….
And then what?
It kept coming back to that question. He had no answer.
People left. One way or another. Having tasted Abbie's love was going to make it harder, but he knew better than to wish for more, didn't he? He picked up the transmitter he'd just finished checking and got to his feet.
Esposito didn't look up. "Where are you going, O'Toole?"
"I'm taking Abbie her electronics."
"Give them to Captain Fox."
Flynn was losing count of the number of orders he wanted to disobey. He gathered the rest of the equipment Abbie would carry and left before he would need to lie.
He found Sarah and Abbie in the warehouse, sitting in the back of the van Sarah would be using when she took Abbie to the drop. They wouldn't need to use public transit to mask her arrival this time—the darkness would be sufficient. Like Esposito, Sarah appeared to be checking out her surveillance equipment. Through the open rear doors, Flynn could see lights glowing green on the console that was fitted beneath the van's tinted side windows.
Sarah looked up as Flynn approached. "How are the preparations going, Sergeant?" she asked.
"No problem, ma'am." He paused at the open rear door and looked at Abbie.
She was sitting on the bench seat in front of the radio, her knees pulled to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs. The new larger backpack they'd needed to use in order to fit the money in was on the seat beside her. The bullet-proof vest she would be wearing lay on the floor.
The men of Eagle Squadron were the best there were, Flynn reminded himself. They would protect Abbie with their lives. He had to trust them. He gave Sarah the electronics for Abbie, then clasped his hands behind his back so that neither woman could see how his hands shook. "How are you doing, Abbie?"
Abbie looked at Flynn and knew she couldn't tell the truth. She was a mess. She was terrified. This was the last chance. In a matter of hours everything would be over. Everything. The kidnapping, the mission. Her time with Flynn. "I'm fine," she said.
"You can still back out," he said. "No one would blame you."
Sarah swiveled away from the console. "I already offered to take her place. With the rain and the darkness, the LLA might not be able to tell there was a substitution."
"And I already refused," Abbie said, keeping her gaze on Flynn. "I'm going to see this through to the end."
"You know how I feel about that," Flynn said.
"Yes, but I won't be the only one at risk here. You and everyone on the team are going to be in more danger than I am. Not to mention Matteo."
"It's not your fight. This is our job."
She tightened her arms over her legs, hoping he couldn't see her shiver. "This is my choice to make, no one else's. I won't have any regrets."
He continued to study her, his expression stark. "Be careful, okay, Abbie?"
She wanted to scream at him to be careful, too, but she was unsure she could trust her voice. Like the rest of the men who would be assaulting the LLA base, Flynn was dressed in a black jumpsuit and rubber-soled boots. The black balaclava that lay in folds around his neck would be pulled up to conceal his face when he went into action. There was no longer any need for the team to disguise themselves as civilians—when they moved on the LLA this time, they wanted the terrorists to know whom they were dealing with.
The uniforms made everything too real, like the submachine guns, the pistols and the magazines of ammunition the men had been gathering. There were other things, too. Sarah had explained them to her. Concussion grenades, rappelling ropes, grappling hooks, gas canisters. All the tools of a lethal trade. Abbie couldn't hide the shiver that shook her this time.
Flynn muttered an oath and grabbed the van door. "Captain, would you mind if I had a few moments alone with Miss Locke before you move out?"
Sarah lifted an eyebrow. "I don't think the major would approve."
"That's why I'm asking you, Sarah."
She looked at Abbie. "Is that what you want?"
Abbie bit her lip and nodded.
"I need to pick up my parabolic mike from the chief, anyway." Sarah walked to the back of the van and hopped to the floor. "I'll be back in five minutes, no more."
Flynn barely waited for Sarah to clear the doors before he stepped inside and closed them. He stared at Abbie, his throat working. Then without a word he pulled her off the seat and into his arms.
She wrapped herself around him as he sank to the floor of the van. With her legs hooked around his hips and her hands splayed on his back, she got as close as their clothes would allow. She kissed his neck, his jaw, the dimple in his chin until he fisted his hands in her hair and slanted his mouth over hers.
His kiss wasn't like any of the others he'd given her. It was the kiss of a warrior on the brink of battle. Bold, possessive and forceful enough to steal her breath. He used his tongue and his teeth, channeling the tension that hardened his muscles into passion.
Abbie drank it in greedily. She
loved him, and so she loved this side of him, too. He was trained in the use of deadly force, yet he was a soldier who wished for peace as he aimed his gun.
But time had been their real enemy from the start. There was nothing either of them could do to fight it. All too soon Sarah's footsteps sounded outside the van. Flynn broke off the kiss and leaned his forehead against Abbie's.
Neither of them spoke. There wasn't anything left to say. This time it really did feel like goodbye.
Chapter 14
It was all or nothing. They would get one shot at this, so there was no room for error. Flynn slung his gun over his shoulder and fitted his night-vision goggles in place. The helicopter dipped as the pilot fought a sudden downdraft. Flynn slid to the open doorway, grabbed a support bar and swung his feet to the landing strut. The other men did the same, positioning themselves three on each side of the chopper. Lightning flashed, illuminating the rooftop of the Baltimore butcher shop that was surging upward to meet them.
"Group one in position." It was Esposito's voice, coming through the radio. He was leading the squad that had surrounded the LLA base and would cut off escape on the ground. "Group two, what's your ETA?"
"Ten seconds," Rafe replied.
The helicopter pulled up in a stomach-wrenching turn and hovered a yard above the rooftop. As one, the men leaped from the landing struts to the roof and linked their arms in a circle to fight the backwash from the rotors. The chopper sprang upward, the noise of its engine blending with a rumble of thunder as it disappeared into the rain.
The storm had made for a bumpy ride, but it had hidden their arrival. Few people would be on the street in weather like this. Just in case, Redinger had asked the Pentagon brass to inform the local authorities there would be an army training op in the area. If some concerned citizen did spot them and called the cops, there probably wouldn't be any trouble.
Probably. That wasn't good enough. Damn, that just wasn't good enough.
Rafe thumped his shoulder and made a quick hand signal to indicate he should move into position.
Flynn took the rope from his belt and jogged to the edge of the roof. All around him the other men were shadows against shadows etched in night-vision green. Less than half a minute later the team was in place and ready to move. Flynn checked his watch. Two minutes to midnight.
"What's happening at the drop, Major?" Esposito asked.
Redinger's voice was tight. "Miss Locke is closing in on the monument. Just starting up the rise."
Flynn secured one end of the rope to the base of a ventilation shaft and pulled on his gloves. He shouldn't be here. He should be with Abbie. And he would have been, if he'd done what Redinger had trusted him to do and kept his distance.
From a strategic standpoint, the major had made the right decision by assigning Flynn to the assault group. If Flynn had been anywhere near Abbie right now, he would have gotten her out of there even if it meant he would have to throw her over his shoulder kicking and screaming, just as he'd done a week ago. But that would have jeopardized the mission and his teammates' lives. Success depended on secrecy and split-second timing.
"Watch her, sir," Flynn said.
"She is in full view of my position," the major replied.
"She feels very strongly about doing the drop right," Flynn said. "She may disobey instructions and put herself at risk."
"I'll be picking her up as soon as the pack drops, Sergeant." It was Sarah's voice. "I'll give the signal the instant she's in the van."
Flynn looped the rope behind his back, lay on his belly at the edge of the roof and inched his way over the lip. Lightning flickered over the window he would crash through when the raid commenced. They would hit hard and fast. He readied his gun, but he knew the element of surprise was their best weapon. "Please, Abbie," he breathed. "Keep safe."
Silence hummed in his ear.
"She's not patched in to this frequency, Flynn," Sarah said. "But I'm sure she sends you the same sentiment."
* * *
Despite the men from Eagle Squadron who circled the area, Abbie had never felt more alone in her life. Sheets of rain were obscuring the sidewalk under her feet. Trees flickered ghostly white at the base of the rise in each flash of lightning. The floodlit granite column of the Washington Monument soared into the gloom in front of her, wavering like a mirage.
The receiver in her ear clicked. "Almost there, Abbie," Sarah said. "You're doing fine."
That was why she felt alone, Abbie thought. The team had divided. She couldn't hear Flynn. For almost a week she hadn't been apart from him for more than a few minutes. She needed him. She loved him. She couldn't imagine a future without him. And in two minutes her place in his life would be over.
"Abbie?"
She held the umbrella handle to her chest, fighting to keep it pointed against the wind. "Okay."
"You're in position," Major Redinger said. "Drop the pack."
She shifted the umbrella from one hand to the other as she shrugged the straps of the backpack over her shoulders. It fell to the ground with a splash. She stopped to look at it. "There's a puddle here. The money will get wet."
"It will dry," the major said. "Turn and retrace your steps."
She glanced around. Apart from the swaying trees, nothing was moving. Under other circumstances she might have been nervous about being out here on her own at this hour, but the storm was keeping even the muggers indoors. What about the LLA? Where were they? What if there was some bystander near here, after all, and they picked up this pack before the LLA could reach it?
"Miss Locke!"
The major's voice was more like a bark. Abbie jumped and started walking.
Headlights winked on. "I'm driving along the pedestrian walkway to meet you, Abbie," Sarah said. "You should see my lights on your right."
"Yes, I see you. Are the LLA coming yet?"
"That doesn't concern you, Abbie," the major said. "Just keep moving."
It could have been because she was wet and scared and alone, or it could have been because the major was the one who had sent Flynn away. Whatever the reason, she felt her temper stir. "I don't want to leave it to chance this time. If you don't answer, I'll go back and see for myself that they get the money, sir."
There was a brief silence. When Redinger's voice came through her ear piece, it could have cut glass. "A black sedan has crashed through the barriers at the parking area and is cutting across the Mall to your left at approximately thirty miles an hour. The LLA don't appear to be leaving it to chance this time, either. Now I suggest you pick up your pace so we can get on with our job."
She glanced to her left. She hadn't heard anything because of the storm, but she could see headlights tunneling through the rain and the bushes on the far side of the Reflecting Pool. She tossed her umbrella aside and sprinted for Sarah's van.
Sarah flung open the passenger door. The instant Abbie climbed inside, Sarah reached behind her to flip a toggle on her radio equipment. "I have her," she announced. She spun the wheel and headed away from the monument. "Green light. The raid is a go."
Abbie crawled between the seats to sit at the console behind Sarah. "What button do I push?" she asked. "I want to hear everything."
Sarah slowed as she reached the cover of some trees. She engaged the brake and let the engine idle as she turned back to the communication console. "The frequency is already set. All you need to do is switch it to the speaker." She pointed. "That's the square button on the lower right."
Voices flooded the van. Abbie struggled to take in the terse reports. The other teams moved in on their targets. They met no resistance as they hit the three rooming houses. The base was different. Esposito reported gunfire. The team's weapons were fitted with sound suppressors—any gunfire would have to be from the LLA.
"The ransom has been picked up," the major said. "Keep your distance, people, until we can determine the location of the hostage."
Abbie moved to the rear of the van. Through the rain-streaked
window in the door she could see twin spots of light at the base of the monument. A black sedan was parked where she'd dropped the backpack.
Rafe's voice suddenly came through the speaker. "Operation successful. Base is secured."
"Any casualties?" the major asked.
"Negative. We found their files. Stand by."
Abbie knelt on the floor and dropped her forehead against the back door, whispering a prayer of thanks. No casualties. Flynn was unhurt. The men were going through the LLA files. They would find Matteo. Thank God, thank God.
"The water must have shorted the electronics in the pack," Sarah said. "We're not getting any audio." She turned the van around. "I need to get the directional mike on that car and hear what's going on. I wouldn't have expected the LLA to remain here once they had the money."
Abbie returned to the front of the van and slid into the passenger seat. She braced her hands on the dashboard, peering through the windshield as Sarah nosed the vehicle forward. The black sedan hadn't moved.
"I found what looks like a press release," Rafe said. "It's in English, spouting off a bunch of anticapitalist rhetoric. Sir, this doesn't make sense."
"Report, Sergeant," Redinger said.
"The LLA are claiming responsibility for the murder of Matteo Vilyas at the Air and Space Museum."
"Say again."
Rafe repeated his statement and added, "It's dated last Thursday."
"Here's another one." It was Flynn's voice this time. "Dated Sunday. Claiming responsibility for the Vilyas boy's death at the Lincoln Memorial."
Abbie was so relieved to hear Flynn's voice, it took her a moment to grasp what he was saying. The LLA had prepared press releases. They had planned to kill Matteo in public at the site of the ransom drops. On Thursday. And again on Sunday.
Why hadn't they done it?
Why? Because she had messed up the drop both times.
"Oh, my God," she whispered, her heart tightening. She focused on the lights from the black car. It still wasn't moving. This time the ransom had been delivered successfully. She hadn't messed it up. That meant this time…"Oh, my God! Matti has to be here. He's here! And they're going to kill him!"
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