by Mary Alford
“Do you think they found it?” Lena came over to him.
“Yes, I believe so.” If they’d found the phone, had Liz and Michael paid the ultimate price? His gut told him they’d moved the hostages to a different location. They wouldn’t bother to hide the bodies if they’d killed them. The Fox would want Kyle to find them...unless they needed them to think they were still alive so that they’d follow them. Kyle shoved that thought aside.
“I remember seeing an open area on the map. It’s not far from here. It could serve as a landing strip.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked as if reading his unsettled thoughts.
“I’m not sure.” He kept replaying the way Sam’s chopper went down in his head. Sam’s man had said they had been shot, but there didn’t appear to be any damage and the chopper was intact when it landed. Was it possible Sam was the real Fox?
On a hunch, Kyle remembered he’d saved an old voice mail message from Sam—a birthday greeting.
“I need you to listen to something,” he told her and retrieved the message and held it up for Lena to hear. Her reaction was immediate. The second she heard Sam’s voice she recognized it.
“That’s him,” she exclaimed in horror. “That’s the American from the prison. The one in charge. Kyle, that’s the Fox.”
He couldn’t wrap his head around the truth. The man he claimed as a friend, the one he’d broken bread with many times, was really the notorious terrorist who had been systematically trying to take out their team for years. Why? He couldn’t understand why Sam would do such a thing. It couldn’t be about the money. Working in the private sector paid well, according to Sam.
“Who is he?” she asked when she saw the betrayal on his face.
“A friend. Or at least someone I thought was a friend. Obviously, he was just using me. He’s a former CIA agent. I worked with him on the job for several years and even after he started his hostage retrieval business. He’d seen how devastated I was at losing you, and yet he knew you were alive all along. I can’t believe he might be the Fox.”
Still, it made sense. Kyle recalled little things from his past encounters with Sam that should have served as a warning. Sam had jokingly tried to get the location of the Scorpions’ headquarters out of Kyle along with the type of security system they used to protect it. And Sam always managed to be in the same area when something went down with the Fox. In the past, he’d shared information about the Scorpions’ hunt for the Fox with Sam, and all the while the man he was searching for might have been right there by his side.
“Did Alhasan ever mention what was so important at the compound that they needed access to it physically?”
Lena shook her head. “No, only that it was critical that I gain access and then...” She looked away.
When they reached the clearing, Kyle stopped and squinted through the trees.
“There’s a plane and a helicopter,” he said in shock. “Both appear ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”
“Why do they need both?” Lena asked the obvious question.
“That’s a good question. We need that backup now. We can’t afford to let them leave the area.” He checked his watch. Jase would still be a good hour out. He tried Jase’s phone then turned to her in shock.
“The signal’s gone. If they’re blocking it, they know we’re coming. Keep your eyes open. I can’t help but feel we’re doing exactly what they want us to do.”
His hands grew damp with sweat. The hair on the back of his neck stood at attention. “I don’t like this.” He turned back to her. “Wait here—” He barely got the words out before multiple gunshots split the night sky around them.
“Get back,” he yelled and they dived for cover.
“I counted three shooters. They’re to the right of us,” Lena said.
“If the Fox is on the plane, there’s no way they won’t know we’re here. We won’t be able to surprise them.”
Lena squatted next to him. “If we can circle around behind the shooters, maybe we can manage to take them by surprise. Find out how many men are on the plane.”
He couldn’t shake the feeling that they were doing exactly what the Fox expected of them. Still, they had to do everything in their power to save the hostages. “I’ll see if I can draw them out here.” He nodded toward the open area. “Can you circle behind?”
She got to her feet, reminding him of the old Lena. Before she left he stopped her. “Hang on.” She turned to face him and he came to where she stood. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but the hurt inside wouldn’t let him just yet. “Be careful,” he said instead.
Her disappointment was easy to read. She nodded then jogged through the trees. Kyle stepped out into the clearing for a second and fired in the direction of the shots. Three returned rounds of gunfire blasted past him.
“Hurry, Lena,” he whispered as the men firing on him advanced. One cleared the opening and Kyle aimed for his leg. The man yelped in pain then dropped to the ground and grabbed his injured leg. Kyle quickly disarmed him.
Another man opened fire and Kyle ducked deeper into the woods. The man must have thought he had the advantage, because he continued firing as he drew closer. Kyle flattened himself against a tree until the man passed by.
In the distance, Kyle heard a scream followed by what sounded like a scuffle. Lena.
The man advancing paused and turned to look behind him. Kyle took advantage and grabbed the man. He wrapped him in a choke hold and squeezed tight. It felt like an eternity before the man lost consciousness.
“Don’t move,” Kyle warned the injured man and then raced toward the fight. Before he reached the spot, Lena emerged.
He closed the distance between them. “Are you all right?” he asked and couldn’t hide his concern.
“I’m fine. But there’s no way they don’t know we’re coming now.”
He couldn’t imagine why the Fox’s men weren’t rushing to the other’s aid. The situation screamed setup. “That’s why I need to go in alone.”
“Kyle...” Always so determined, she was ready to argue her cause.
He couldn’t let her this time. She’d suffered enough. If one of them was to die, he wanted it to be him. “I need you to stay here. Keep an eye on these men. If they try anything, shoot them.”
She reluctantly agreed. “Okay. Please be careful,” she whispered and touched his face tenderly. For the moment he let go of the anger inside and kissed her hand.
“I will.” With one final searching look, he moved toward the plane. The engines were running. The plane was ready for takeoff. The chopper’s blades were spinning, as well. Both machines could leave at a moment’s notice. What were they waiting on?
His uneasiness rose to a crescendo as he slowly moved up the steps to the front entrance of the plane. The door wasn’t fully closed. With his survival instincts sharp, he eased through the opening and stopped dead. His worst fears realized.
Right away an armed man drew down on him. “Drop it, Agent Jennings,” Peter Duncan ordered. “We’ve been expecting you.”
One question flew through his head. Were both Lena and Tracy wrong? Was Duncan the real Fox? Kyle’s impression of the man was he didn’t act like someone in authority.
At the middle of the plane, Alhasan had a gun shoved against Liz’s temple. Kyle noticed her right arm hung at her side. He’d been right. She was hurt.
“Are you okay?” he asked Liz. He needed to know if she was capable of fighting when it came to that.
She managed a nod before Alhasan dug the gun deeper against her temple and she flinched.
Next to Liz, a seriously injured Michael was bleeding from his side and pale from loss of blood.
Seated just behind Alhasan were an older couple and another younger man. Kyle recognized Ella Weiss’s parents and her fian
cé right away.
He noticed the child huddled against the window. He appeared to be around six or seven. This had to be Joseph. Something about the boy snatched his full attention. He was so innocent and he looked...
“Glad you made it, Agent Jennings. You fell right in with our plan. I thought you were more intelligent,” Alhasan sneered. “Not that it matters. Now that you’re here we can leave. She’s not cooperating.” He waved his weapon at Liz.
Kyle couldn’t let that happen. He had to find a way to get the hostages away from Alhasan and his goons.
“The rest of the Scorpions are on their way here now. You’re not going anywhere, Alhasan. Give yourself up and things will go easier for you and your men.”
Alhasan laughed smugly. “You’re right. There is no way out...for you. Even if you kill all of us, there will be more. You can’t imagine how many there are. And they’re closer than you think,” Alhasan said knowingly.
The thought was chilling. Had the Fox embedded his men into the elite Scorpion team?
* * *
Minutes passed while her heart tattooed a frantic rhythm and her uneasiness for Kyle grew.
Behind her, she heard someone running through the bushes. Weapon drawn, she whirled to listen. They weren’t coming after her; they were running away. Lena hurried to the man Kyle had shot.
With the Glock trained on his head she asked, “Who’s on the plane? Where are they heading?”
The man held his wounded leg and glared at her. “You think I’d help you?” he asked in derision.
“If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life in a federal prison then, yes, I do.”
“I’d rather be in prison than dead,” the man snarled.
Lena moved closer and the man shrank away. He wasn’t as brave as he wanted her to believe.
“Is he in there?” she asked and the man stared up at her in fear then shook his head.
Lena realized she wasn’t going to get anything out of him. “If you know what’s best for you, you’ll stay put and not move an inch.”
With her heartbeat drowning out all sound, she eased toward the plane. Kyle could be in there, hurt. She had to help him. Lena quietly crept up the steps to the back entrance and eased the door open. She slipped inside and stopped to listen for a second. Voices. Kyle and... Alhasan.
Lena flattened against the wall and edged toward the passenger cabin. She spotted Kyle at the front of the plane. Duncan had a gun drawn on him. Midway down, Alhasan was holding the woman who had flown her to the base captive. The second agent Kyle had called Michael appeared seriously injured. Close to the back, an armed man watched the rest of the hostages.
If she could get past the armed man, she’d have a split second to reach Alhasan.
She rushed the man. She slammed the butt of her Glock against his temple and he dropped to the floor. Kyle lunged for Duncan, catching him off guard. Within seconds, he’d disarmed him.
And then she and Alhasan squared off.
“Drop it, Alhasan, or I promise you won’t live to tell of this,” she assured him in a deadly serious voice.
Alhasan released Liz and aimed the weapon at Lena. She never wavered. He’d caused her so much pain. She was immune to his threats.
He glared her for the longest time. Was he expecting her to fear him still? Be under his spell?
She stepped closer. “Now, Alhasan,” she ordered.
She saw his uncertainty. Something of the rage she felt inside must have gotten through to him, because he slowly lowered the gun.
“You fool. He’ll kill us all,” Duncan admonished.
“Kick the weapon this way,” she told Alhasan, who grudgingly did as she commanded.
Lena noticed Joseph cowering in fear by the older couple. He was scared but physically unhurt. Thank You, God.
“Come to me, Joseph.” The boy was clearly terrified of Alhasan. “He’s not going to hurt you ever again. I need you to come here,” she urged. Joseph kept a wide berth between himself and Alhasan as he edged past and ran to her. She knelt down and hugged the boy tight. She could feel him trembling. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. Get behind me.” She stood and Joseph quickly slipped behind her.
As she stared at Alhasan, something deep inside her splintered and the wealth of pain she’d suffered at his hands all came pouring out. She wanted him to pay for what he had done to Joseph and to her. To Kyle and their innocent child. Alhasan was at her mercy now. She could do to him what he’d done to her and no one would stop her. She moved closer, the weapon inches from his face.
“Don’t do it, Lena,” Kyle urged in a gentle tone that reached through her dark thoughts. “If you kill him, you’ll be no better. He’s not worth it. We need him.”
She couldn’t remember seeing Alhasan so frightened. “Please don’t kill me,” he pleaded with her. “I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll tell you everything, but please don’t kill me.” Without his men to back him up, he was just a frightened coward begging for his life.
Lena stared at him for the longest time while desperately praying for the strength to let go of her anger.
She drew in a steadying breath. Kyle was right. If she killed Alhasan, she’d have to live with that action for the rest of her life. She’d already made one mistake that haunted her. She didn’t want to live in bitterness and anger any longer. It was time to let it go.
“You’re right. He’s not worth it,” she said finally.
She could feel Joseph’s hold tighten on her legs and she lowered the gun. No matter what her future with Kyle might be, she was still alive and Joseph needed her. God had brought her through the nightmare of seven years in prison. It wasn’t up to her to make Alhasan pay for his crimes.
FOURTEEN
Kyle let go of the breath he’d held inside. He’d been so afraid she wouldn’t listen. He certainly wouldn’t blame her if she hadn’t.
He watched as Lena knelt next to the boy and held him close, and he was struck again by how familiar the child appeared to him. He didn’t understand it. Now was not the time to sort out how. They had to get the hostages off the plane before Sam returned. Kyle was certain he was close.
“Where’s Sam?” he asked Liz.
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Alhasan’s men took Sam and the rest of his team away and I haven’t seen them since.”
“Is he the one in charge?” he asked point-blank.
She hesitated a little too long. Why was Liz reluctant to talk? In the back of his mind, he recalled Liz telling him that she and Sam had shared a few friendly meals together in the past.
“Liz?” He pressed her for an answer.
“Yes, I think he is. But I still can’t believe it. I thought I knew him. He made me call you. Kyle, he has—” Before she could finish, a figure appeared in the doorway close to him. Sam.
Sensing they were in danger, Lena gathered Joseph in her arms and rushed to get him to safety. Before she escaped, the rest of Sam’s men entered through the back door and she backed away.
One of the men snatched Joseph from her arms.
“No,” she screamed and lunged for the man. A second man grabbed her arm and shoved a knife close to her side.
“Drop your weapon, Kyle. It’s over for you.” Sam’s smile held an ugly edge to it. This was not the man he’d once considered a friend. The ruthless expression on Sam’s face all but assured Kyle he was now face-to-face with the true Fox.
“You couldn’t leave it alone, could you?” Sam smirked with bitterness and shook his head. “If you’d just left things alone, none of this would be necessary.”
Sam moved to within inches of a visibly shaken Alhasan. “And you, such a miserable failure, my friend.”
Alhasan’s mouth opened and closed several times before he could answer. “No, I didn
’t tell them anything, I promise. I didn’t tell them about you. I wouldn’t betray you.”
“Shut up,” Sam ordered, but Alhasan continued to plead his case.
“I promise, I didn’t. I’ve remained loyal to you through all these years. Haven’t I proved myself enough? I had Abby, the woman I loved, killed for you. You were afraid she’d crack when the Scorpions interrogated her, so I sacrificed my happiness for you. I’ve proved my loyalty. I would never betray you.”
Sam didn’t listen. He aimed the weapon at Alhasan’s head. “I’m sorry, my friend, but you’ve outlived your usefulness.”
“No, please, no,” Alhasan pleaded and backed away, his hands in front of him.
Sam fired once at close range, instantly killing Alhasan.
Stunned, Kyle still couldn’t believe this was the same man he knew. His trusted friend was the one they’d been searching for all along. It was Sam who had ultimately been responsible for Lena’s capture and the death of their child.
Anger sped through every fiber of his body. Acting on it alone, Kyle charged Sam before he could get a shot off. He knocked the weapon from Sam’s hand, grabbed his shoulders and slugged him hard. As they scuffled back and forth, Kyle was vaguely aware of Liz grabbing the gun Sam had lost.
While Kyle tried to gain the upper hand, Lena jammed her elbow into side of the man holding her. Freed, she charged for Joseph, but the man with the knife slashed at her. She screamed and immediately grabbed her side as blood oozed through her shirt.
“No,” Kyle yelled and finally freed himself from Sam’s hold. Terrified he’d lose her again, he tried to reach her side, but one of Sam’s men stuck a gun at Kyle’s head while another shoved Liz’s injured arm and she fell to her knees.
“Are you okay?” Kyle asked Lena. She tried to be strong, but he could see she was losing blood. He couldn’t lose her. Not like this. Not with his anger standing between them.
“As I said, you should have left things alone,” Sam muttered and turned to Duncan. “Take those two with us.” He nodded to Liz and Michael. One man jerked Liz to her feet while another forced a visibly weak Michael from the plane.