by Kells, India
When he pulled back, he saw her still bound hands. “Let me help you with that.” It took only a second to cut her ropes. She encircled his waist and hugged him tighter. Instinctively, he returned the hug, incredibly grateful he could get free and she was such a fierce warrior.
“We need to get away from here, honey. Grab as many weapons as possible and we’ll take one of their vehicles. We don’t know if others will come soon.”
“Yes, let’s get out of here.” She lifted her head and smiled before grabbing his head and kissing him senseless. His heartbeat picked up a notch, if it was even possible, and he allowed himself to savor this gesture of reassurance, tangling one hand in her blonde hair and slowly tracing a path up and down her spine with the other. When he spoke, he was surprised to hear the rawness of his own voice.
“You had me scared for a moment there, honey.”
“Just a moment?”
He smiled at her taunt. “I won’t answer the question. I see you can kick ass … hard.” But his smile faded. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
For a brief moment, emotions clouded her eyes.
“I killed eight men who were determined to rape me, and gutted two of them. Do you think I’m okay?”
He hugged her a little more. For her, but even more for himself. He was a Navy SEAL—he had killed many times before. Hand-to-hand or sniper, there was no difference. Deep down inside, he was a man, a human. Even if he killed evil men, an infinite part of his soul died in the process. He could imagine what she went through. How she felt. She would be steady again, sleep well even. But killing always altered something, even if it was for the good of humanity.
***
It took everything in Gabrielle to focus on the task ahead. They had found a sturdy Land Rover near the compound and loaded it before heading north again. She had commandeered three cell phones and was checking the batteries while disabling possible tracking devices or apps. Sully was silent beside her. She couldn’t imagine what was going through his mind as she was having trouble managing her thoughts herself. Every single cell of her body had been flooded with fear and adrenaline. But her body managed. As it managed at doing the next step. It had been a close call. If it wouldn’t have been for sheer luck and a little clumsiness from her attackers, she … She couldn’t go there, couldn’t allow those thoughts inside.
Gabrielle was surprised to see her hands steady as she dialed Bea’s number.
“Bea? It’s me … again.”
It took a moment for her boss to reply, and when she did, it was an explosion. “Where the fuck are you? I contacted the safe house and you were not there!”
Gabrielle sighed. “We were attacked, it slowed us down.”
“Are you all right? Both of you?”
Gabrielle didn’t look at Sully. “Yeah, bumps and bruises, but we’re good. What about you? Any word from the snitch?”
“No, that’s why I changed phones and left our regular offices, even my house. If there are bugs there, I don’t want anybody to hear. I kept the team small. Just Ana, Rickard, and me. But something happened.”
Gabrielle didn’t like the hesitation in Bea’s voice.
“Rickard has been attacked.”
Gabrielle forgot to breathe for an instant. Emotions clogged her throat and she swallowed several times to get her voice back. Rickard had been with Purgatory for almost as long has she had. They bonded, and even slept together at one time, until they realized they made better colleagues than lovers. He’d always been the silent type, reliable and extremely efficient. A machine. But hidden beneath his rigid exterior, he had a big heart. That’s why she always cared for him so much. An invulnerable, vulnerable man.
“How is he, Bea?”
“He’s dead. I’m sorry, Gabby.”
Shit, shit, shit! She repeated the word like a mantra in her head. Helplessness flooded her, but she ordered herself to focus on the task at hand, to keep her brain working.
“How? You said he had been attacked.”
“Yes, he was at home. Forced entry. Someone tied him to a chair and tortured him. It was bad, Gabby. And he didn’t go without a fight.”
“Why? Was it something linked to a past mission? Retaliation?”
Bea sighed. “I don’t think so. He was always careful. And lately, the only mission he had been involved with was yours. Also, I’m still trying to reach Ana. It doesn’t look good.”
“It doesn’t make sense, Bea. Of course Rickard participated in this mission and the others worked with me from time to time, but—”
“Rickard was the one who recommended the safe house you were going to. Before the attack.”
Gabrielle blinked. “You’re not assuming he gave that info away, are you? He would never do such a thing.”
“Gabrielle, think. Maybe under duress—”
“No! I knew him, I knew how he’s … was. He would have brought it to his grave.”
Bea waited a moment. “That’s what I prefer to think, too. Unfortunately, it’s not the only bad news I had today. Our client has vanished.”
Okay, now she couldn’t help but glance at Sully, who clearly wished to be part of the conversation.
“What do you mean, vanished?”
“It’s not a secured line, I cannot go into details, but nobody has seen him for a while. And he’s not the type to vanish in the middle of a mission he had requested. Also, I’m trying to locate his son. I fear he may be targeted, too. As soon as I can contact him, I’ll secure a location for him.”
“And do you think all of these events are linked?”
“I don’t know yet, which is the reason why I’ll play solo for now. Pissed off the team, but it couldn’t be helped.”
“And who’s watching your back?”
“Come back quick and you’ll watch it. Now, I’m sending coordinates of a new location. This isn’t one of our typical safe houses.”
“What do you mean a not-typical-safe-house?”
At her statement, Sully turned and frowned at her words.
“You’re going to a remote clinic run by a doctor I trust. He has been informed of the situation and will offer you shelter.”
Bea gave her the new directions, which she repeated for the captain.
“And ditch the phone, you’re being tracked.”
“Okay. I’ll use another one next time I contact you.”
“And, Gabrielle, be careful. Nothing about this mission is going as planned and it can get worse.”
“Yeah, I guessed as much.”
Disconnecting, she threw the phone outside. She took a deep breath, but it didn’t help, not when she was thinking of Rickard. So she screamed—loud and long.
When some sense of calmness returned to her and her throat was raw, she stopped. The captain by her side had the good sense not to comment.
“So we’re going to a clinic? Not a safe house?”
“Yeah, as per Bea’s orders. It can’t be a coincidence that everything is going south at every turn. There is a leak, a snitch, and she hasn’t found it yet. She reduced the team even more, keeping an eye on everything. If she says it’s not a typical safe house, it means she’s using her own personal contacts. And believe me, she would never do that, except in case of extreme emergency.”
Sully stayed silent for a moment. Dust billowed all around them and she was glad the road was mostly drivable. She waited a heartbeat to tell him the rest of the bad news.
“Also, one of our team members has been tortured to death. Another’s missing. And your admiral is AWOL.”
“What?” The tone of his voice immediately turned dead cold.
Gabrielle summarized her conversation with Bea, and the more she talked, the more the tension inside the vehicle spiked.
“Gimme one of your phones.” Knowing better than to argue, she did as instructed. When she suggested taking the wheel, so he could talk more freely, he ignored her. The number he dialed from memory was long—probably going through a relay into mainland US. He ac
knowledged the person on the other end of the line when he asked to speak to Admiral Feander. Monosyllabic every time he spoke, it sounded almost telepathic the rest of the way. She couldn’t blame for being careful, but she wondered from whom he was so cautious. When he ended the connection, he also threw the phone out of the window, gripping the wheel so hard, she wouldn’t have been surprised if it bent.
“So?” Simple question with a probable complicated answer, she supposed.
Sully stayed silent for a long moment; so long she began to wonder if he heard her at all. Tentatively, she reached for his shoulder and he caught her hand at a frightening speed. She tended to forget she had a Navy SEAL beside her. These men were not good at what they did; they were trained to be exceptional.
“Don’t.” And he released her hand.
“I wasn’t about to attack you.”
Sully kept his eyes on the road. And silence grew some more.
“Sully, talk to me.”
In that instant, he pressed the brakes hard. The truck whined and skidded to a halt.
He still didn’t look her way, but she braced for anything.
“Now is the perfect time to tell me who you really work for, lady.”
When he turned his head, gone was the easy-going SEAL. The man beside her was not happy, and it made him dangerous.
“I haven’t lied to you, Sully. Everything I have said from the beginning has been the absolute truth.”
“Don’t lie to me!” he shouted, and his voice reverberated through the cab.
“I’m not lying. I don’t know what you’ve been told, but I haven’t lied.” She couldn’t help her voice to grow louder, too.
The captain laughed, but it was far from a comforting sound.
“Woman, not only have I been told the admiral is nowhere to be seen, but his son has disappeared, too. As for Feander’s contact, Beatrice Dante, she’s under a warrant for murder. The murder of Rickard Solveg.”
It was her turn to frown. “If you’re trying to make a joke, it’s a poor one.”
Sully shook his head. “It’s not. And I’m starting to wonder who you’re, Gabrielle-with-no-name, working for a murderer.”
Her mind whirled. What was happening in Purgatory? She could contact Ana; she would be able to provide more details. Or even Bea. As she reached for the third stolen phone, he caught her wrist.
“If you think I will let you warn your bunch of snitches, think again.”
For her, priorities had changed.
“Fuck you, captain.” She jerked her arm back, stepped out of the Rover, and started to walk.
The road stretched, so long and empty in front of her. What a deep and strange mess. She was a blonde, white female, out in the open African wilderness, with only a tracked cell phone and a few guns. And absolutely no trustworthy back up. Anger abated to leave more space for questions. And what if what the SEAL said was true? And if he wasn’t? She had been in entangled messes before, but this one could win an award.
By the sun sinking on the horizon, she judged her position and kept walking. There was nowhere to hide in these wide-opened spaces apart from sparse bushes and flat rocks. Not even looking back at the captain, she instinctively touched her gun in her pocket and felt the knife still strapped to her leg above her boot. There could be wildlife lurking, the two-legged kind. Where was she going? What if the SEAL was right? Was the clinic a trap, too? Was this mission a trap from the start? It was impossible to wrap her mind around it.
She needed to be practical, go and see for herself. She would decide her next step from there. With the approximate location of the clinic, she had forty miles to cover. If she could maintain a fast enough pace, it would take her ten hours to get there. Great.
Gabrielle started to jog to get warmed up and wished for better footwear than these hiking boots. Slowly, she picked up speed when she saw a slight curve ahead, dividing between a drivable road and what seemed like a small path. She was debating which way to choose when she just had the reflex to jump out of the way at the sound of the Rover passing by from behind and skidding to a halt in front of her in a cloud of dust.
The captain at the wheel seemed anything but friendly.
“Get in.” Definitely angry, his order snapped in her ears. Did he think it would impress her?
Yeah, right.
Gabrielle sidestepped to walk around the truck, but it jerked forward, blocking her again.
“Get in, you stubborn woman.”
“Fuck you, stupid SEAL.”
Again, she walked around the rover. Again, the truck jumped forward to block her.
“What game are you playing?” Her hands itched for a fight.
“I’m not leaving you in the middle of a potential war zone.”
“And I’m not sitting beside a man who thinks I will stab him in the back at the first opportunity. Divided attention is dangerous.”
Sully grimaced. “I don’t think it can be helped, honey. If the admiral is missing and your organization is compromised, not even you would trust yourself.”
“Then, I don’t understand why you would even consider inviting me back into the truck, especially if you’re convinced I would pump you for Intel and kill you as soon as you gave it to me.”
The SEAL seemed to ponder the question for quite some time. “If you want a clear explanation, you will be disappointed, honey. Get in here and let’s be suspicious together. I swear I will refrain from killing you unless you make a move first.”
Gabrielle rubbed her face. Exhaustion was setting in and she didn’t like how their budding trust had been crushed, reverting them back into enemy mode.
“You cannot make me believe Beatrice is the snitch, Sully.”
“And you cannot convince me she isn’t, honey.”
Gabrielle nodded. “So we seem to be in a jam.”
“Yeah. My favorite place in the world. But even the first time I saw you, I didn’t know if I could trust you or not. I’ve always followed what my gut says. And so far, I prefer to have you beside me than in a place I cannot see you.”
“Basically, you want me to come and use me as leverage if Beatrice is the traitor.”
“If she is. Don’t you want to know the truth for yourself?”
All her thoughts condensed into that sentence. Her brain may try to compute everything, but her heart was against it. One way or the other, she needed to find the truth and there was only one way to do so.
She jumped into the truck and closed the door before turning to Sully. “If I stay, I want two things from you.”
Sully angled his head but stayed silent.
“I want to know the truth. I will do everything to get it. On the other hand, I don’t want to jump to conclusions. If Bea is innocent, I don’t want you to go after her.”
“And what is your second condition.”
“Don’t hide anything from me, sailor. Because if I ever find out you tricked me, not even your fine ass will save you.”
Part of his smartass smile was back, and Gabrielle didn’t know if it was a good thing or not.
***
They still had lots of light to go on, and it would be easy to reach their destination before dark. Sully scanned the area. The adrenaline was fading rapidly, and he felt tired and numb. He knew that if he closed his eyes, his body would shut down when he needed to stay alert. And from a quick look at Gabrielle, she was close to collapsing, too. How long since they last slept? He remembered the last time they laid down and the very thought of it kept his blood pumping.
They may not have had an entire night together, but he could still feel his fingertips tingling from the heat of her skin. He could still taste her and it made his pants increasingly tight. Unfortunately, he doubted the fiery Gabrielle had sex on her mind at the moment. And to be totally honest, even the possibility of losing himself in her again was a thought battling other urgent matters.
Sully knew he was treading a most dangerous path. His earlier call to his CO, his commanding off
icer, had not been a happy one. Until the admiral was found, all teams were on edge, awaiting any news, any possible rescue mission. And he was alone, somewhere in Africa with an agent working possibly for the very people who abducted the admiral.
So far, Gabrielle and he only agreed on one thing: their next destination. The medical center. At first, he didn’t even want to consider it. But as Gabrielle was debating the idea, he realized that touching base with one of Beatrice Dante’s hideouts may be the trigger he was searching for. Or at least, a first stepping stone.