The Path to Freedom (Task Force 125)

by Pietsch, Lisa; Gerow, Tina

  Sarah walked over to the bar, pulled out a bottle of tequila and took a long swig. “I’ll be right here when you’re done thinking about it.”

  Oh my God. Did I just say what I think I said? Oh, shit!

  Will was calm. “Hey, Vince. Take it easy on the girl. Those guys had guns and we were unarmed. She did what she felt was the best thing for the team. Any one of us would have done the same thing, man.”

  Vince spun around to face Will. “How many times have you been unarmed and stared down the barrel of a gun?”

  “A couple.”

  “And yet here you are.” Vince pointed at Brian. “Brian, what about you?”

  “A few more than I care to recall.” Brian scratched the back of his head.

  “But both of you are here in perfect health to tell about it. Jason?”

  Jason shrugged. “Once or twice.”

  Vince threw his arms up. “Am I the only one seeing a pattern here?” He paced the deck as her roared on. “There were five of us and three of them. We’d have had them disarmed and down in no time. There was no reason for her to compromise her cover!”

  Brian draped his arm protectively around Sarah’s shoulders and spoke up. “True, but with all due respect, boss, she doesn’t have that kind of operational experience. She saved our asses and I, for one, am happy she pumped those guys full of lead rather than risking one of us having to have Will patch up a bullet wound.”

  Vince glared at Brian and stormed into the main salon. “Stevens, I want to see you in my cabin. Right now!”

  Sarah peeked up at Brian and took a deep breath. Her voice cracked as she set the tequila bottle on the bar. “Thanks, Bri.”

  “Hold your ground, girl. They don’t call them Devil Dogs for nothing. He can smell fear.”

  Sarah followed Vince into the salon and down to his cabin.

  Vince slammed the door closed behind them. “Where do you get off talking to me like that?”

  Sarah felt righteous indignation rising in her throat. “The same place you get off talking to me like that!”

  Oh, man. I’m in some deep, deep shit now. Why can’t I shut up?

  Vince pointed at her and she saw every muscle and sinew in his arm tense. “I gave you a direct order. This isn’t a game you know.”

  She slapped his hand away. “Get that finger out of my face. I know damned well this isn’t a game. Your order was bullshit and you know it.”

  Vince took a step toward Sarah. Nobody had been so in her face since basic training. “Who the fuck are you to tell me that?”

  Sarah wasn’t about to back down now. She moved forward. “I was there. It was a bad call. We could have lost somebody if I had followed your orders.”

  Vince glared at her in silence.

  “Think with your big head, Marine. I’m not some ditzy girly-girl you need to protect. I’m a member of this team. I’m just another one of the boys.”

  “The hell you are.”

  “Well then this isn’t going to work.”

  “You’re right. It isn’t going to work. I’ve got personal issues with this and they’re clouding my judgment.”

  “Well, maybe this will help clear things up.” Sarah slapped Vince across the face.

  Vince slowly cracked his neck and rubbed the side of his face before turning back to look at Sarah. He stood stock still and glared at her.

  Sarah lowered her voice. If she raged, she’d sound hysterical and she didn’t want her tone to be mistaken. “Don’t you ever talk to me like that in front of the team again. It undermines my position in this unit.” She poked his shoulder to punctuate her next point. “If you don’t think I can handle this then what the hell are they going to think? If the team has no confidence in me then this operation is destined to fail and somebody could get killed. Now I don’t know about you but I’m not ready to put any one of those guys out there at risk. That’s reason enough to set aside your personal issues, so cowboy up.”

  In a flash, Sarah found herself on her back, on the bed. Vince had thrown her there and pinned her arms and legs with his.

  She could feel his breath on her lips.

  Vince stared into her eyes. “I had that coming but so help me God, don’t you ever slap me again.”

  Vince dropped to his elbows and kissed Sarah.

  Oh, God, yes.

  His kiss was hard and demanding and Sarah responded in kind. She wanted it every bit as much as he did.

  The press of his hips against hers made her wet with anticipation. Every breath he took brought his body closer to hers until they were a tangle of arms and legs.

  After the longest, most passionate kiss she’d ever experienced, Vince pulled away.

  “Thanks for saving my ass and my team. Now let’s go have a drink and forget this ever happened.”

  Sarah did her best to remember where she was, who was listening and just how bad it was to be in this position. She took a deep breath to feel his chest on hers one last time. “Okay, but when this is done…”

  “Oh, yeah,” he answered with a nod.

  Sarah walked out onto the sun deck and what just happened hit her as quickly as the bright sunlight. She walked straight to the bar, picked up the bottle of Jose Cuervo she’d opened and commenced to drink it.

  Will walked up and kissed her on the forehead. “You did good, kid.”

  Brian followed with another kiss on her forehead. “It gets easier after this.”

  Killing, maybe, but not being with Vince.

  Chris wrapped his arms around her and beamed. “You saved my ass, you know. I don’t know shit about combat. They might have taken those guys down, but I’d have been the one to take the bullet.”

  Sarah hugged him. “I know.”

  Jason followed, smiling his wicked smile, and wrapped his arms around her. He dipped her backwards and his lips were just centimeters away from hers. He looked into her eyes and whispered, “You are so frigging sexy when you kick ass like that.”

  Sarah giggled as he helped her stand.

  Jason took the bottle from her hand and took a swig of tequila for himself.

  Yeah, I guess that was pretty cool, huh? You taught me everything I know.

  “I love you guys.”

  Sarah felt a jolt as Vince’s hands gently touched her shoulders. “Have a few more drinks,” he whispered in her ear. “You’ll get over it. That’s what we do.”

  There are some things I’ll never get over. No matter how much I drink, I’ll never get over that kiss or stop wanting more.

  “Hey, Chris,” Brian called. “Can your boys get us a satellite video of that? We could add it to the Black Betty DVD. That was good stuff.”

  “Sure, but do you all want to spend the rest of your lives explaining how a chick with no operational experience saved a SEAL, a Marine, a Green Beret, a Corpsman and a Federal Agent?”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” Brian nodded. “Maybe we should just keep this amongst ourselves.”

  Sarah smiled to herself and took another swig.

  I really do love you guys.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Sarah checked her gear one more time to be sure she had everything. Pulse racing, she did a final sound check of her pearls with Chris and then checked her luggage with slightly shaking hands to be sure all her knives were secured in the false bottom of the Louis Vuitton case.

  Jason came to her cabin and checked her knives as well. “If you run into trouble, just slice and dice. I’ve seen you do it in training. You can be a butcher when you want to be.”

  Sarah tried to hide her nervousness. “Aw, Jase. What a sweet thing to say.”

  Jason took her hands in his and looked dead serious when he warned, “No rings. Keep these babies free.”

  Sarah laughed at the thought. “It’s a weekend trip, Jase. Who’s gonna give me rings? Jeez! You’d think I was going away for a month.”

  With that, Sarah grabbed her bags and strolled up to the helipad.

  Will nodded to Sarah as
she walked toward the helicopter. “Stay cool, kid. Hey, see if you can snag me some cigars. We’ll see you on the other side.”

  “Count on it.”

  Be brave. Be brave.

  Brian loaded Sarah’s luggage onto the helicopter.

  As he passed Sarah, he smiled. “You’ve got more guts than any chick I know. I’ve got a nice bottle of tequila for us when this is all over.”

  Sarah smiled bravely and mustered all the bravado she could. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  After everyone else had said their goodbyes, Vince strolled over to Sarah. “This is a simple mission. Charm him, get close and let him spill whatever he will. We’ll put it together from there. We’ll do the link analysis. You just position yourself and your jewelry so we can get the raw data. It shouldn’t take more than a week or two to blow his organization wide open if you use what you used on me.” He gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

  Sarah wanted to melt as she fell under the spell of his touch.

  Vince’s features softened. “Listen to me. If it goes tactical and bullets fly, don’t be a hero. Do whatever you’ve got to do to get yourself off the boat. Don’t worry about anyone else. Just get off that boat. We won’t leave you in the water for long.”

  Sarah’s heart beat loudly in her ears. “Got it, boss.”

  Vince gave her a wink. “Remember, you’re a stone-cold hottie. Rock his world.”

  Sarah touched the pearls at her neck and gazed into Vince’s eyes one last time before she turned to join Tony in the waiting helicopter for the short trip to Hassan’s yacht.

  I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sarah watched out the window as they landed on Hassan’s yacht.

  My God, what did I get myself into?

  She and Tony waited for the rotors to stop and the crew to tie them down before they disembarked the helicopter on Hassan’s helipad.

  During the few moments they had before they started their show for Hassan, Tony leaned toward Sarah. “Remember, he loves stealing women from other men. As far as he’s concerned, we should appear to be very happy lovers. He can be extremely charming when he wants something, but he enjoys a good challenge. If you rebuff him a few times you should have him hooked.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem.” Sarah chuckled.

  “Don’t forget about his ego. That’s his biggest weakness. This party he’s hosting tonight is a big deal. Nearly everyone here wants something from him. Favors, loans, business…they’re all lobbying for his favor. Doing good deeds for his guests creates loyalty, good will and a willingness to do him favors in return. That’s how he keeps his network growing. Just think of him as a Middle Eastern style Godfather.”

  Sarah blinked as the magnitude of what she was walking into weighed on her shoulders. “Yeah, no pressure, huh? Thanks for putting me at ease, Tony.” Sarah had to find the strength and confidence to pull this off. She reached through her mind to a different place and time. Her Aunt Pauline had been the most magnetic woman she’d ever known. Pauline was a beautiful woman who had enthralled men her entire life. Sarah had asked her once for her secret. How had she become such a magnet to men? How could she draw them to her without speaking or even looking at them?

  Pauline’s answer, though it had been lost on Sarah during the past few years, suddenly came rushing back. “Enter a room like you own it and you will.”

  The pilot held open the door of the helicopter.

  Tony kissed Sarah on the cheek for appearances. “Shall we?”

  Go time.

  Tony stepped out of the helicopter first and reached in for Sarah’s hand.

  She took it and stepped out smiling lovingly and playing her part as his girlfriend. In the instant it took her to step out of the helicopter, she became the woman she needed to be. A woman so supremely confident and desirable that nothing she wanted could possibly be denied her. She owned it.

  Sarah watched the man who stepped forward to greet them. She’d studied Hassan’s dossier and his photos, this man was not her target. This man was shorter than she was, probably about five-foot-six, and portly. He had light brown eyes, a full beard and wore a traditional Arab headdress.

  Whoa! Thank goodness you’re not Hassan! You are one cockroach-lookin’ muther.

  Sarah smiled serenely as he ignored her and greeted Tony.

  “Good afternoon.” He bowed. “I am the Sheikh’s secretary, Kadeem. He sends his apologies. He has been delayed in his office and has asked me to show you to your quarters.”

  Tony shook his outstretched hand. “Thank you, Kadeem. May I present Sarah Stevens?”

  Kadeem glared at Sarah disdainfully and nodded curtly to her. “This way, please.”

  Chris’s voice came through Sarah’s earpiece as a whisper. “Secretary and head henchman. Watch yourself with this one.”

  Relief washed over her at the sound of Chris’ voice. It calmed her nerves to know she wasn’t as on her own as she felt. She and Tony followed Kadeem from the helipad down a spiral staircase to the guest quarters. The stairs were carpeted in what had to be beige silk.

  Like walking on a beige cloud.

  The hallway below had beige silk on the walls and was carpeted with a beautiful and intricate oriental style runner.

  My three-hundred dollar shoes are walking on a carpet that must have cost thousands. I am definitely not in South Dakota anymore!

  “The Sheikh hopes you will be very comfortable here.” Kadeem opened a mahogany door and ushered them into a stateroom. “He will join you shortly in the main salon, for cocktails and dinner.”

  Kadeem left as another man delivered their luggage and then disappeared as quickly and quietly as he had appeared.

  Sarah stepped inside the stateroom she’d be sharing with Tony and stared in awe. The room was paneled completely in dark mahogany and carpeted in a cream-colored silk.

  To the left of the door, there was a wall of closets. To the right, a queen-sized bed with a massive mirror from the top of the antique blue headboard to the ceiling. She ran her hand over the bedding. The bed was covered with a cream-colored silk duvet.

  On either side of the bed were white marble vases containing at least one dozen fresh white roses each. To the right of the bed was a wall of low cupboards topped with full-sized windows. Covering the windows were cream-colored silk sliding blinds and antique blue brocade curtains. The blinds and curtains were open revealing the gemlike sparkle of the Mediterranean Sea outside.

  On the far wall were more cupboards and a large plasma television directly across from the bed. The luxury of it all was quite overwhelming.

  Sarah sat at the foot of the bed and gave a long contented sigh as she considered the circumstances in which she’d found herself.

  All this and a paycheck!

  Of course it wouldn’t be easy. She would need to do a great deal of outstanding acting over the weekend and seem completely enamored with Tony while charming Hassan. Then there was finding a way to get this perfect stranger to want her so much that he’d offer to keep her on his boat for at least a couple weeks.

  It didn’t help that the most recent photo she had seen of Hassan had been taken over five years ago. Hassan didn’t look repulsive, but he was no knockout either.

  Adding to the pressure, Sarah would also need to act as though she didn’t understand Arabic, which, thanks to her tutor, she followed quite well. But the biggest act she’d have to pull off would be to pretend not to be nervous as hell about the whole mission.

  Girl, you are way out of your element and you’re going to have to find a way to prove to everyone, including yourself that you can do this.

  Tony’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Well, darling, shall we dress for dinner?”

  Tony had taken to calling her “darling” as part of the whole show. Sarah was glad he hadn’t decided to call her “sugar lips” or something equally embarrassing. Tony was quite the gentleman.

  W
orking with so many men for the past eight years, Sarah had become used to the occasional sexist remark and learned to give as good as she got. In fact, she was quite comfortable with it. Tony was different though. At first, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Then it hit her. He was just as gay and in the closet as Scott was. The realization made her think about the final incident with Scott. To her surprise, thinking about Scott no longer bothered her as much as it used to.

  Time for Sarah to go to work and she had to be at her best. She could sit around and contemplate life, liberty and covert operations when this was all over, but for now, there would be little time for reflection. Now was the time for action.

  Sarah slipped into a stunning black, floor length, Roberto Cavalli gown. It had a deep V-cut in the front that allowed her to make the most of her full breasts while the wide ribbon of gold and silver wrapped around her waist and over her shoulders to accent her hourglass shape. She wore all of her pearls and pulled her hair up into a French twist to show off her shoulders and back. As she stood in front of the bathroom vanity to check her makeup, Tony knocked on the door.

  “Are you decent?”

  “Yes. Come in.”

  Tony opened the door and let out a long, low whistle.

  “Darling, you are stunning. Every man up there will find you absolutely irresistible.”

  Sarah brushed on her lipstick. “I’ll settle for one, but thanks for the compliment.”

  After blotting her lipstick and applying lip gloss, she turned to Tony. “Shall we?”

  They climbed the single flight of stairs and found themselves at the far end of the main salon.

  Sarah gently touched Tony’s forearm as he led her past the dining area and the bar and into the sitting area. Sarah couldn’t help but notice the tasteful décor of the room. The walls were polished mahogany with large picture windows and the upholstery done in a stunningly rich, red and gold pattern with a distinctly Middle Eastern flair.