“Once we find Bekas, I think I know how to end this. But I need to be close to him. Within sixty meters close . . .” She swallowed as her gaze lifted to meet his.
Was she crazy? Sixty meters? “I can’t have anything happening to you,” he said with a firm grit to his voice.
He moved back closer to her and her chest lifted with a deep breath. “Tell me what to do, and I can handle it.”
She was shaking her head before he could even finish. “No. If something goes wrong, I might need to adapt. This is too important, Jake.” She closed the gap between them, bringing her hands down over his chest. “We’ve got each other’s backs, okay?”
He closed his eyes as his heart pumped harder.
“Kiss me one more time, Jake.”
“Once more?” He shook his head as his eyes flashed open. “This won’t be the last time, Alexa. That I can promise,” he said roughly. He drew her in close, and his tongue roamed her mouth. Her breasts pressed against him, hard peaks against his taut flesh.
When he stepped away, he kept his hand cupped around the back of her head and the other on her cheek as his lips brushed a kiss along the top of her forehead. “Come on,” he said almost inaudibly, even though everything inside him begged to keep her safe in the hotel room. But he couldn’t—country first, right? That’s what they had to do. They were built like that, dammit.
If Alexa could help protect innocent lives, he had to let her come, and it burned him deep to the core.
“You act like I’ve never done this before.” She turned away and began to gather her equipment.
Jake caught her by the arm, and she bowed her head slightly. “Nothing is going to happen to you, Alexa. You’ll be okay.” He wasn’t sure if he was asking or telling . . . but he needed to say it. To make it real.
“I promise I’ll be okay,” she said so softly that he wasn’t sure he could believe her.
But against his better judgment, he replied, “Okay. Let’s do this.”
He helped her pack the laptop and other gadgets that she said she’d need, and they left the hotel without saying another word. What could they say, after all? They were about to go into enemy territory, and there was no guarantee that they would make it out alive.
Ben was standing in front of a black van when they came outside. His brows pulled together as his head cocked to the side when he saw Alexa.
“So . . .” Ben stepped back and opened the back doors of the van. He reached for her hand and helped her climb into the back.
“Plans changed,” he muttered to Ben and slapped him on the chest, following Alexa inside.
“Hi,” Alexa said.
Steel benches lined the interior walls of the van, each one with a guy sitting down at the end. In the center aisle, AK-47s, M-16s, and pistols were spread like presents beneath a Christmas tree, and Jake watched as Alexa navigated to a bench.
There were also grenades and canisters that were probably filled with tear gas. Thank God for Ben’s friends.
Jake shook the hands of the two new members of their team and sat next to the door as Alexa reached inside her bag for her laptop.
“I’m Jake. This is Agent Ryan,” he said, looking over as Ben closed the door and positioned himself across from Jake. They had Special Forces written all over them. Maybe former Seals, possibly Rangers. Of course, maybe it was just the bulletproof vests, black boots, and all black clothing—accompanied with black face paint—that gave him the impression.
“Tanner,” the one guy said with a nod, his dark brown eyes meeting Jake’s.
“Pat,” the other guy announced.
“Thanks for coming.” Jake looked through the rectangular glass that separated the driver from the ammo.
“This is Tom, and I’m Steve,” the driver said, glancing at Jake in the rearview mirror. Tom turned around in the passenger seat and nodded as the van began to roll away from the curb.
“Appreciate your help,” Jake said as Alexa looked up from her computer screen, her eyes already slightly fogged with the task at hand, and smiled at the crew.
Ben tossed a bulletproof vest to Jake, and another to Alexa.
Jake strapped it on, rolling his shoulders when the compression squeezed his scarred back. It was a painful reminder that they were heading directly to the men who had done this to him.
“You think you got this?” Ben tipped his head back until the base of his skull pressed against the metal interior of the van. His eyes slid to the side, glancing at Alexa.
Alexa’s lower lip quivered as her eyes flicked up to Ben’s. “Yeah.”
“It’s been a while since I was on a mission like this,” Ben said as Alexa began to type again.
“Maybe you ought to change careers if the private security gig out in Vegas isn’t exciting enough for you.”
“It has its moments. Can’t beat living in Sin City.” He flashed him a grin. “Maybe you’re the one ready to slow down, though?” He tipped his chin in Alexa’s direction—and Jake got the message.
Jake scratched at the stubble that was starting to grow back on his jaw. “Since when have you ever known me to do anything at half speed?”
He heard the soft sound of Alexa clearing her throat—discreetly, but he wondered what she was thinking at that moment.
“Oh, come on now. You’re a good ole Southern boy. I bet you’re dying for a slower pace.” Ben was trying to distract him. Maybe he was worried about him. Did he think Jake was getting too old for this? Christ, they were practically the same age.
“And what the hell are you? You grew up in Alabama,” Jake said.
“But I’ve got Vegas blood now.” He laughed as he looked at the weapons at his feet.
“You’re such an ass.” Jake smirked.
“Well, this ass is trying to save yours . . .”
Jake looked back up at his friend. How many times had they saved each other? He was beginning to lose count.
“We’re going to be okay,” Ben said, glancing around the van before his eyes once again found Jake. “All of us.” He raised his hand and curled his fingers into a fist. Jake bumped knuckles like they used to do.
He and Ben had made it out of the desert alive.
Why not now?
It was like a fist had formed inside her stomach and was steadily punching its way out. There were too many lives on the line. She couldn’t let anyone die.
“This is the best I can do. He’s not exactly using internet dial up. He’s either bouncing off someone else’s connection or using a hot spot, like me. Either way, I can put him about here.” She flipped the computer screen around to show Jake a spot on the map.
“That’ll have to do,” Jake said, and nodded at Ben.
“Hey Boss Man,” Ben hollered up to the driver. He shouted the coordinates. “Keep your eyes peeled for two black SUVs, crazy looking fuckers standing guard outside a house, and whatnot.”
How are you so calm? Alexa studied Ben. Her nerves were pinched so tight that she thought she might be losing oxygen.
“You did it,” Jake said, and then nudged her with the vest, which she still hadn’t put on.
She shook her head. “Just a minute.” She handed her laptop to Ben and reached into her bag.
“Once we find these guys, I need you to call Trent and give him the location.”
Jake’s words had her snapping her head back up.
“And what if he orders Hellfire missiles to take out the place?” It would probably create a major international incident, but who knew what Trent thought was an appropriate countermove?
“He won’t. There are three agents streaming live over the internet right now, and the video has millions of hits already. The world would witness their deaths,” Jake answered.
“Isn’t Bekas planning to kill them on camera anyway? Trent might weigh his options and choose to save the cruise ship.” God, she still couldn’t believe this was happening. Parliament in London, a whole cruise liner filled with people . . . all to kill the family o
f a general and send the world a message. Oh yeah, and a fecking hashtag. She wanted to pull the trigger and take out Bekas and his men herself.
“Don’t call Trent until we’re inside. That gives us enough time to do what we need to. But I’ll feel better knowing we have back-up in case—”
Her stomach tightened. “In case what?”
“Either way, we’ll need to escort them to the base, right?” Jake countered. “Even if it’s just their bodies.”
“Shit, you’ve got to see this,” Ben said, and the growing swell of nausea that pooled in the pit of her stomach churned. “That’s you, right?”
Alexa took the phone from Ben and stared at the image. It was her security clearance photo from the agency.
Her hand covered her mouth as her body tensed. Her life as an agent was now officially over.
It was the least of her concerns right now, but it was still a knife in the back. The decision to stay or quit had been taken from her. Her whole life’s purpose had disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“That has to be it, man. I don’t see the SUVs, but there’s a garage,” the driver—AKA Boss Man—said. “There’s a guy out front, one on each side of the villa, and one in the back. And I’m pretty sure I saw someone on the rooftop patio. No rifles, but who knows what else they’re packing.”
“Okay. Park us a few houses up and out of sight,” Ben instructed.
“No. I need to be closer.” Alexa was holding the frequency jammer in her hand, along with some other contraption she had created on the drive over. She’d connected thin, blue and red wires to a microchip board, and these attached to a cell phone she’d deconstructed into . . . well, hell if he knew.
“I can’t have them spotting us—or getting to you.” Jake’s fingers draped over her wrist, his eyes steadying on hers.
She raised her shoulders up, the bulky bulletproof vest shifting as she did. “If we’re going to stop the drone strike, I told you that I need to be within sixty meters of Bekas. Closer would be better.”
“She’ll need to come with us on foot,” the driver proposed. “There’s nowhere I can park the van that close that won’t get noticed. She can take cover behind the house.”
“No.” Jake removed his hand from her wrist and opened his palm. “Give me that thing and tell me what to do.” His body was wrung so damn tight he was going to snap. There was no way he could focus on the mission with her life hanging in the balance.
“You need to deal with Bekas. Let me handle this.” Her voice was stern, and he knew she wouldn’t give in. She was as stubborn as him.
“What is your plan, exactly?” Ben asked as he screwed a silencer onto a Beretta M9 9mm and handed it over to Jake.
“Well, ‘no comms, no bombs,’ right? If they hijack the drone, I’ll block their Wi-Fi. Once they lose communication with the drone, it will override their last directive and the drone switches to autopilot as a default and returns to base. It’s much easier than trying to hack the satellite.” Alexa raised the device in her hand and gave Jake a half-smile. “Taking a lesson from the moves Anarchy used against us in Barcelona.”
“Shit, that’s good. Simple, and yet brilliant,” Ben said.
“But there’s still a problem.” She sighed and reached for the black box Wi-Fi jammer. “While this jammer can block up to eight different frequencies at a time, I’m sure Bekas, or even Jason, has an infinite amount of connections. Every time I kill the Wi-Fi, they will probably flip over to a new one. I’ll do my best to keep up with them, but I may not be able to hold them off for more than five-or-ten minutes. We can’t risk them retaking the drone,” she explained.
“Which is where the guys and I come in. We’ll take them out before that becomes an issue,” Ben said with a wink.
“We’ll cut the power, too . . . at the right time. They probably have a back-up for that, as well. We have to expect the worst case and be prepared for it.” Jake looked over at Ben. “You got the earpieces?”
“Yeah.” Ben rummaged around in a bag by his combat-booted feet.
“We’ll need to split up. I don’t know if they have security cameras or not, but let’s assume that they’ll know we’re there by the time we are inside the building. I want them to think they have us.” Jake shifted his attention in the van to the other men. “I want everyone except Ben and me to stay put here. We’ll take out the guards. Once we’re in position, you guys escort Alexa to a secure location near the house and immediately work on killing their Wi-Fi. Tanner, you’ll stay with Alexa while Tom, Steve, and Pat follow Ben and me inside. When the power goes out, I’ll need you to enter the house for the assist.”
“How will the two of you take out five armed men?” Alexa’s fingers slipped over to Jake’s thigh, and he stared down at her hand. If only she knew he’d been in situations like this more damn times than he could count.
Then again, maybe it was better that she didn’t know.
“Don’t worry about that, we’ve got this,” Ben said. “Here.” He handed her and Jake an earpiece.
Jake tucked it inside his ear and pressed it on. “You got me?” he asked her.
“Yeah.” Alexa nodded, her face growing tight. She had to be nervous. Her best friend was inside and there was an entire cruise ship full of people relying on her.
Jake patted her on the shoulder and reached for her hand, squeezing it tight. This might be the last time he ever saw her again. There was always the risk of death on a mission, but as long as she survived . . .
“Be safe.” Her eyes became glossy, but Ben was pressing a hand over her shoulder.
“Come on, man,” Ben urged.
Jake quickly touched his lips to hers, not giving a damn about the other men. When he pulled back, he looked away from her almost immediately, too afraid to see the look in her eyes. He grabbed his rifle and 9mm and followed Ben out the back door. “Call Trent,” Jake said over his shoulder to her, and then he shut the door to the van and rested the back of his head against it for a moment, trying to compose himself.
Ben nodded at him and removed his earpiece, and Jake did the same and clicked it off for a moment. “You good, man?”
Jake pinched his throat and blinked a couple of times. “Yeah.” As they began walking, Jake secured his rifle on his back and kept the 9mm with the attached silencer in hand.
“I like your plan—make sure they underestimate us.”
“If Bekas thinks he has the upper hand, that will give us more time.” Jake stopped walking. “After we take the guards out, I need you to hang back out of sight. That way you can kill the power. If I lose you on comms and can’t give you a signal, then wait about five minutes and shut it down.”
“Like old times, brother.” Ben lightly tapped him on the shoulder and cocked his gun. “I’ll get the guy on the roof, the one in the back, and the one on the left side of the house.”
“Be safe, man.” Jake placed the earpiece back in and inhaled deeply before nodding at Ben. He fell back, taking cover alongside the neighbor’s garage as Ben stealthily crept forward. Once Ben took out the man on the roof, Jake could approach the other side of the house unseen.
A few minutes ticked by. “You’re good to roll,” Ben said into Jake’s ear, and a rush of relief hit him.
Jake started for the villa with slow steps, his head bent to the side, his gun extended in front of him. When he reached the house, he stayed as close as possible to the shadows—noting the dead guard sprawled out on the ground. His eyes were open, his arm above his head, a gun in his hand.
Jake moved around the body and pressed his back to the siding, preparing himself to round the next side of the house. If there was any pain in his body, he didn’t feel it. Adrenaline pumped through him, and his heart pounded in his chest.
He chanced a glimpse around the corner and spotted a man moving fast in his direction, gun in hand. The guards were already on alert. Of course they’d be in communication with each other.
; Fortunately, Jake had expected this.
The slug from Jake’s gun tore straight through the center of the man’s forehead, and he fell back fast without a chance to fire or even open his mouth. Jake sprinted alongside the house, dodging the fallen body, and halted where the side met the front of the home, waiting for the next guard to come to him.
It was barely five seconds before the next man crossed in front of Jake. He was only inches away, and he locked his forearm beneath the large man’s jawline and secured his other arm against the back of his neck. He squeezed tight, and the guard struggled against him. The man’s gun fell to the ground, and he gripped Jake’s forearm, trying to lift the pressure from his throat. The guard tried to yell, but Jake pressed against his vocal cords so that he could hardly squeak.
Jake shut his eyes, trying to separate himself from the killer he had to be. With one quick movement, he jerked both his arms and snapped the guy’s neck.
He swallowed and opened his eyes as the man crumpled to his feet.
“Ben, are you good?” Jake whispered hoarsely, knowing Alexa could also hear him. He hoped she hadn’t been too scared, listening to all the commotion.
“I’m in position, but I’m pretty sure they’re waiting inside for you,” Ben answered.
Helping and protecting people—the need to serve—became like water. A necessity. It was hard to turn off the man you became in war. Some, like Jake, Ben, and many of his Marine buddies, had never discovered how.
Once a soldier, always a soldier.
“I know.” Jake tucked his 9mm into the holster at his hip and reached for the AK-47 that he had strapped to his back.
“Be careful, Jake.” Alexa’s words stopped him in his tracks. He wanted to respond, but what could he say? Being careful was not the mission objective. So he kept his mouth shut and tried to drown out the doubts that crept into his mind.
He approached the door and turned the knob. It was unlocked. After all, the house was guarded, and Bekas hadn’t expected to be outsmarted. He’d been five steps ahead of them at every turn.
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