Rumors that Elliot Denton had damning evidence on Boustari was spreading through the intelligence grapevine.
Max and Kade were butting heads about an alternative plan to get Nasir. Their analyst, Brody, had come up with an alternative route to head into Sana’a to kill the rebel leader. The team was split.
Kade was done working for the general.
Max could only see the twenty million dollars.
Kade, Roarke, and a few of the SSRR team voted against going after Nasir and wanted to cut their losses. Their contract had a failsafe, but they wouldn’t get paid. Garrison was a wildcard and Kade wasn’t in a hurry to do anything rash.
Max, Brody, and the other half of the team went ahead to assassinate Nasir.
They failed.
And now the peace talks were in jeopardy.
Always trust your gut.
Kade turned away from the windows and shook off his internal musings. Every fiber of his being was screaming to protect the woman he’d kidnapped from the UN compound.
He unbuckled his hip holster and put his Sig between the mattresses. Then he sat on the edge of the bed and unlaced his boots. Pulling them off, he flexed his calves a couple of times, and twisted his torso right and then left before he swung his legs on the bed and scooted against the headboard, leaning back.
Kade was goddamned exhausted, but Yara’s tranquilizer would be wearing off soon.
He didn’t want her to awaken to strange surroundings and freak out.
He would keep his eyes open for her and keep her safe.
18
Kade’s eyes shot open.
His heart jumped to his throat and he looked beside him.
Rumpled bedsheets remained, but Yara was gone.
Fuck!
The first rays of the sun touched the blinds. How long had he slept?
Bare feet hit the cold concrete floor and he pulled his gun from between the mattresses, tucking it behind his waistband, and hurried from the room.
Ground-eating strides took him quickly to the open living space and he stopped at what greeted him.
And blinked.
Yara was sitting around a table beside a bright window with Abdul, chatting like they were old friends. The aroma of coffee permeated the air and his gaze lowered to the mug in front of her.
Seeing him, Abdul sprung out of his chair, sprier than he was the previous night and headed to the kitchen. He motioned to the dining table. “Sit. Sit. Coffee?”
“Sure.” Kade regulated his breathing and making sure his heart had not dislodged from its place. Yara spared him one glance before turning her attention to a tabloid, which was bullshit, because, as far as he could see, it was in Arabic. He pulled out the chair beside her and parked his ass in it. She continued to ignore him and flipped the page.
Abdul returned with a carafe and poured the brew into the mug that was already at the table. He pushed a jar of sugar cubes toward him. Kade shook his head.
“Sleep good?”
“Yeah.”
Abdul’s eyes darted to Yara and then back to him before he shook his head, a small smile on his face as he got up and went to the kitchen.
“Hey, Tink,” he said softly.
No response.
“Acting as if I don’t exist isn’t gonna help the situation.”
She finally rewarded him with an amber glare. “Excuse me, am I supposed to play nice with my kidnapper?”
“If only you hadn’t resisted coming with me, it wouldn’t have been a kidnapping.”
“Think about your logic for a minute,” she groused and turned away from him again.
Kade snorted derisively. “Logic’s deserted me since the day I met you. You’ve turned my life upside down, and now I’m risking my neck to protect your ass.” He paused. “Sexy ass.”
“I didn’t ask you to risk your neck,” she spoke to the tabloid. “I would have managed just fine. First, I’m firing Stryker for being such a lousy bodyguard. Second, Uncle Jeff is in Yemen. He and the UN would find a way to protect me.” She twitched her nose. “I’m likely in more danger from you.”
Kade hooked his foot around her chair and dragged her closer.
“What the hell?”
He gripped her chin so she couldn’t look anywhere else. “Shades of gray, Tink. Who’s to say who’s dangerous and who isn’t? What gives you the right to judge what I do when you don’t have the whole fucking story?”
“Are you denying you were working for the general?” Her voice dropped to a whisper, laced with accusation.
“The U.S. and Saudis are allies. As far as I was concerned, I was working for the good guys.”
Her lips twisted into an ugly sneer. “Then I have nothing to say to you.”
She jerked her chin from his fingers and he let go. Abdul returned with the cast iron skillet of scrambled eggs mixed with tomatoes. Kade’s eyes fell on a display of picture frames on a console table, photographs of Abdul, a couple, and two kids.
Kade lifted his chin in the direction of the frames. “Your family?”
The man smiled sadly. Instead of answering him, he said, “I get bread.”
“His son-in-law and grandkids were killed in a Saudi-alliance bombing.” Yara reached for the serving spoon and scooped eggs on her plate. “His daughter was taken by Al Qaeda.”
“What?” How did Yara come quickly with this information? “When?”
Shit, are they in AQAP territory?
“Three months ago.”
When Abdul returned, Kade spoke in Arabic to quickly determine the situation. There was an Al Qaeda cluster about fifteen klicks away. The bombing happened over a year ago, but Abdul’s daughter was taken more recently. AQAP fighters kidnapped women and children, some taken as wives and some as servants, and the worst of AQAP sold them to human traffickers. The man looked at his empty plate before looking at Kade. “I’ve lost my grandchildren, but maybe your government can help me get my daughter back.”
“Did Bob know about your daughter?”
“Yes. Al Qaeda targeted our village because they discovered we helped the Americans find them. They punished us by taking our women.”
“I didn’t know you spoke Arabic,” Yara said, a trace of annoyance on her face. “What did he say?”
“He’s hoping I can help get his daughter back.”
“Can you?”
Kade sighed. “I could pass on the information to our guys in the military. Their hands are tied because of the last mission that resulted in the death of a SEAL.”
“Wasn’t that the whole point of your mission? Why you betrayed me? To allow access to hunt Al Qaeda. What does it mean now that you guys failed?”
“I did not betray you,” Kade growled. “You never gave me a chance to explain.” The import of her words hit him. “Are you saying you wished I’d gone ahead with Max to get Nasir.”
“It doesn’t sound like the right thing to do,” Yara replied. “But …” She looked at Abdul as emotions flitted across her face. “Why wouldn’t the Saudis allow you to hunt Al Qaeda without holding Nasir over your heads?”
Kade shrugged. “It’d be like betraying their own people. That’s why their cooperation comes with a price. Nasir is that price and it’s a double-win for the U.S. Hunting Al Qaeda and thwarting Iran.”
“There’s no proof that Iran is helping the rebels, is there?”
He remained tight-lipped. Yemen was a tinderbox of constantly changing allegiances. Not only were Iranian and North Korean weapons found in rebel hands, but American-made weapons as well. It was the biggest clusterfuck and hypocrisy of all and he’d stopped analyzing whether the Americans were exacerbating the situation.
She glanced sadly at Abdul. “But Al Qaeda needs to be stopped.”
Letting her stew on her epiphany, he reached for the skillet of eggs. Kade slid a portion on his plate, then he picked up the flatbread from the wooden plate and tore off a section. Folding the bread around a scoopful of eggs, he wolfed it down. He hadn’t
had a hot meal in two days, subsisting on only MREs and protein bars. Food slid down his throat and comforted the gnawing sensation in his stomach. He drank half his coffee before he turned his attention back to Yara who was staring at him pensively. “Not so black and white now, is it?”
“No need to be a smartass.” Yara scowled. “I still don’t trust you.”
“Fair enough.” He nodded to the courtyard. “Did you go out?”
Her scowl deepened. “No. I’m not that stupid.”
“Sheathe your claws, Tink. I’m trying to keep us alive.”
“And I would’ve been fine if you’d left me at the compound. Now, we’re in god knows where with an Al Qaeda camp not far from here, and all I have for protection is you. Did you even consider you put Abdul in danger?”
“He knows what he signed up for when he took us in.”
“You help?” The older man’s eyes clouded. Someone had given him false hope. He was gonna kick Bob’s ass.
“We’ll try.” Yara smiled, but Abdul was looking at Kade, gaze beseeching.
“I’ll see what I can do.” He squirmed in his chair, suddenly finding it uncomfortable.
Yara finished her food and pushed her plate away. Abdul pointed at the skillet, indicating for her to have more but she shook her head, her face as miserable looking as Abdul’s.
Goddammit.
Kade didn’t need this piled-on guilt. He was not somebody’s hero. He’d learned his lesson long ago not to get involved. Six years had passed; the scars on his torso itched.
Brown eyes and a sweet smile.
Aysha.
His resolve strengthened. He was already in deeper shit than he needed to be by breaking the contract. Max had threatened to sue his ass and he already could see the loss of his reputation traversing the PMC grapevine.
All because he wanted to get Yara out of Yemen—alive.
After breakfast, Kade informed her they were going to look around the village. Abdul had spread gossip that they were husband and wife. An unmarried woman traveling with a man who was not a relative or husband was frowned upon and might attract the religious zealots. Fine with Yara. Getting stoned to death in a foreign country was not high on her list.
A black abaya lay on the bed. At least he got her a colorful headscarf to go with the somber robe. Abdul also brought her a few clothes that belonged to his daughter. Yara was a bit taller, but with an abaya covering most of her clothes anyway, it didn’t matter at the moment.
“I’ve filled up the drum in the bathroom.” Kade strode into the room. His face glistened with perspiration, but his breathing appeared to be normal. “Abdul heated a kettle of water. I’ve emptied half of it into a bucket so it wouldn’t be too heavy when you need to refill it.”
“Thanks.”
He pressed his lips together and gave one shake of his head. “Abdul said their electricity is on a rotating schedule and he’s out of fuel for the generator that powers the water pump.” His face was apologetic. “Besides, the village frowns upon that practice because it sucks up all the water from the water line—”
“Kade, it’s fine.” Her brows drew together. “Did you get the impression I was complaining? This is not the worst I’ve been through.” She grinned faintly. “Although, it’s the first time I had to borrow clothes from someone I don’t know.”
“I’ll buy you something to wear. Bob listed directions to a cluster of dress shops in a nearby town.”
She shrugged.
“I know you’re mad at me, Tink—”
“Know what?” She grabbed her little go-bag toiletries and exited the room. “The water is getting cold.”
“Can’t avoid me forever, babe.”
Babe?
When did she become babe to him?
Grr.
Yara stalked down the hallway and entered the first-floor bathroom and closed the door. The mid-morning sun streamed through the wide window which faced the mountain. The sliding windows had ornate security bars just like their bedroom. It was opened slightly and the chill of the mountain air seeped through. The tiles of the bathroom were a dark olive color which made the room darker than it should be.
Yara mixed the water to an acceptable temperature and stripped off her clothes. She wasn’t lying to Kade that no running water wasn’t new to her, remembering her first night in Aden. At least this water was warm, and she needn’t look far to know how fortunate she was, thinking of the families living in tents at the UN camp.
She scooped the water over her head.
Although there was a Saudi general after her, she was of the mind to face the man head-on. Kade was adamantly against the idea, and Yara wasn’t sure being the daughter of Sullivan Emerson carried any weight in this part of the world. According to Jeff, the royal family were fans of her father, but she wasn’t sure if he was just blowing smoke up their asses.
Squeezing some shampoo onto her palm, she began to wash her hair.
But if there was something Yara appreciated in the past few days, it was relative anonymity. People didn’t treat her like Sully’s daughter—the celebrity, or the VOGUE cover model—not Jill, not Derrick. Leo was extra attentive, but she figured it had nothing to do with her being Sully’s daughter.
Yara lathered soap on her body. Rinse. Repeat.
Squeak!
Frowning, she lowered the giant water scooper into the bucket and listened.
Nothing.
She grasped the handle of the scooper …
Squeak. Squeak.
Yara raised her gaze and stared right into dark, glittering eyes, hiding behind the toilet.
A … a … rat!
“Ahhhhhhh!”
She slipped, slid, and then jumped onto the toilet seat.
The rat jumped at her.
Why was the rat jumping at her?
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Oh my god, oh my god!”
Squeak! Squeak!
Eww! That disgusting tail.
“Yara!” Kade bellowed, pounding on the door.
“Helllllp! Don’t just …”
Crash!
Kade stood there, arms cocked, gun at the ready.
He gaped at her, then at the rat scampering between them, before lowering his arms.
“Don’t just stand there!”
Yara leaped toward him. Kade surged forward and caught her and, somehow, she climbed his body and he had her in a bridal carry.
“There’s a rat!”
“I saw that.”
“Stop laughing!”
“I’m not.”
Liar! She could feel his chuckle shake his chest.
“My heart is racing,” she whined. “I nearly broke my neck.”
Kade stilled and cleared his throat. “Abdul, I got this.”
Ooops.
Cheeks burning, she peeked behind the wall of muscle and saw the old man shake his head, one palm covering his face as he walked away.
“That’s embarrassing!” she wailed.
“I’m going to rinse you.” He started to lower her to the tiled floor, but she gripped his neck tighter.
“Yara.” Something in the choked way he said her name made her look up. “The rat’s gone.”
“Well, good riddance.”
“I think you hurt its feelings.” The laughter was back in his voice as he set her upright.
“I guess I can do this.” She blamed the sudden loss of his warmth for the prickly awareness that shuddered through her.
“It’ll be faster if I do it.” Kade tucked his gun away, walked to the wrecked door, and pushed it closed.
“Kade …” Her eyes stared at his chest.
“Why can’t you look at me?”
Her eyes lifted and narrowed. “How about because I’m naked and you’re not?”
A lopsided grin spread through his face as he bent and picked up the kettle and poured the remaining hot water into the bucket. He tested the temperature with his fingers.
Too busy admiring the muscles on his back, she wasn�
�t prepared for the wicked gleam in his eyes when he glanced up at her.
His hands gripped the rim of the bucket.
He wouldn’t.
“Don’t you dare!”
Water sloshed down from the top of her head drenching her straight to her toes.
She sputtered. “You asshole!”
A towel hit her head and dried her hair briskly before it was wrapped around her.
Muffled hearty laughter reached her ears as Kade scooped her up effortlessly, opened the bathroom door somehow, and carried her to their bedroom.
“You do trust me.”
Kade stood across from her, arms folded over his bare chest. He had taken off his shirt because it was soaking wet from the times she’d been plastered to him.
“I don’t know what you’re smoking, Spear.” Yara tightened the towel around her chest. “Or, maybe you forgot to take your meds.”
“You jumped, not knowing if I’d catch you.” His eyes pierced into her.
“A bump on the head is better than a bite from that rat. You know, the plague and all that.”
His mouth twitched. “Admit it, babe. You trusted that I would catch you.”
Yara glared. “What’s with all this ‘babe’ nonsense?”
Kade hitched his shoulders. “Trying it on for size.”
She threw up an arm. “Well stop it. There’s no babe between us. You haven’t earned ‘babe.’’”
He shrugged again. His self-confidence was annoying. In what universe did he think she’d ever forgive him?
“Shouldn’t you be taking a shower? You’re starting to stink.”
His brows furrowed, jaw tensing. “Mean doesn’t suit you. The last thing I want is to bring out the worst in you.”
Yara pressed her lips together. She was embarrassed at her outburst. It wasn’t the words, but more the tone that was mean-spirited.
Kade regarded her like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve, then he grabbed the extra towel and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
And they were supposed to act like husband and wife?
They’d probably murder each other before they even left Yemen. She couldn’t figure why Kade came back for her. Yara squeezed the water out of her hair and quickly got dressed in the jeans and sweater Abdul provided her. She tried the abaya on for size and then wrapped the scarf around her head. She could certainly pass for a local. She was a brunette, though with auburn highlights, but her features were the type that could range from Brazilian to Iranian, and Middle Eastern to Italian.
The Princess And The Mercenary Page 14