The Princess And The Mercenary

by Victoria Paige

  Even with the lack of news, Al Qaeda must be on the lookout for Yara. It would be a coup to have their hands on her to use for ransom or sick propaganda. A chilling fear ran up his spine.

  He looked over to where Yara was helping Abdul put away the dishes. The old man outdid himself with the mutton stew. It was delicious, but what did it say of Kade’s state of mind when he didn’t trust him enough and waited for him to take the first bite. To that end, Kade drank out of bottled water and made sure Yara did too. Fortunately, she didn’t quibble about it. She was his responsibility and, although Bob had vetted Abdul, allegiances changed on a dime.

  Now that Abdul knew Yara’s celebrity identity, to what extent might he use this information to get his daughter back?

  He glanced at the text Bob sent him. The fixer had installed high-speed satellite internet in Abdul’s house. It was not military-grade secure, but Kade’s laptop had its own defenses. It sucked he couldn’t log in to SSRR servers because Max could track him down. With the way the team had split up, tempers were frayed right now especially with twenty million dollars down the drain.

  Kade would never regret his decision not to take part in Nasir’s assassination attempt. It went against his gut instinct. But he was truly curious about the contents of the memory stick. Hacking wasn’t one of his better skills which was why he wasn’t eager to work on it, but he’d procrastinated enough.

  “Yara,” he called, getting up from the dining table. “I’m gonna do some work on my laptop.”

  “Okay,” she said without looking at him, seemingly engrossed with her conversation with Abdul.

  “I may need your input,” he said pointedly. Which really meant, he didn’t want her out of his sight. The kitchen was right next to the door to the courtyard.

  Abdul waved her off. “I go get fuel for generator.”

  “Didn’t you say you were picking up some earlier?” Kade asked.

  Abdul shrugged. “No.”

  No. Just no. Kade hid his irritation and reminded himself that they were so used to going without, that having electricity was almost a luxury.

  “I go now, yes? There’s blackout again tonight.”

  Kade waved him off.

  He needed the internet. Lord knew how long the decryption program would run and how many patches he needed to download from the Dark Web site he’d seen Brody use. The Tor software was on all SSRR computers.

  Kade waited patiently for Yara to put the dishes away, ignoring the scowl she shot his way when she passed him to head back to their room.

  “So what exactly do you need me for?” she asked.

  “I’m going to try and decrypt Garrison’s memory stick.”

  “What if you accidentally erase it.”

  This time he scowled at her. “I copied it down on my laptop.”

  He walked over to the bed and slipped out the Toughbook he’d wedged in between the mattress and box spring.

  “That’s not exactly a very 007 place to hide things.”

  He rolled his eyes because nowhere in the room was it a good place to hide anything. Booting up the machine, he scanned his thumbprint and entered the code that flashed on his modified Cobra watch.

  “Hmm … I need to get one of these setups,” she murmured in awe. “Very high tech.”

  Kade logged in to the Dark Web and searched for patches for the hacking software for dummies Brody had installed on his computer. Finding none, Kade navigated to the folder where he’d copied the contents of the memory stick.

  “Honestly, I’m surprised it let me copy the memory stick, but I’m thinking …” A couple of keystrokes and his screen flashed red.

  Invalid File Headers.

  “Figures.”

  “Can you fix it?”

  “I can try. I’ve seen this before. I’m gonna run Brody’s program that repairs and decrypts.”

  A vanilla citrus scent filled his nostrils as she moved closer to look over his shoulder. Her hair brushed his shirt and he wanted to forget about decrypting the memory stick and make love to her.

  Make love? Kade realized his vocabulary was quickly changing and he wasn’t bothered by it at all.

  “That easy?” Yara queried.

  “If it works. I’ve included some criteria for decryption, but that’s as far as my hacking skills go.”

  “Worth a shot.” Yara kissed his cheek and retreated behind him.

  The sweetness of the gesture froze his fingers on the keyboard and wrenched a muscle beneath his chest. He liked this, being in a relationship. At least he considered what was between them a relationship. He’d make it clearer, spell it out, that she was his woman.

  His woman.

  An involuntary smile curled his lips. He was becoming a sap. Forcing his focus back on the task at hand, he kicked off the program and a window appeared on screen, showing a timer and a scrolling string of hexadecimal digits.

  “Keep your fingers crossed, Tink,” he said. He glanced back and saw her pacing the width of the bed, chewing on her forefinger.

  Kade rose from the chair, sat on the bed and scooted back against the headboard. He patted the space beside him. “This thing may take a while, so best to relax.”

  “How long?”

  “If we’re lucky, five minutes. If not, hours.”

  “So, what are we gonna do while we wait?” Yara got into bed beside him and mimicked his position on the bed.

  “Is that an invitation?” Kade waggled his brows.

  She angled her body toward him. “Tell me about your childhood.” Her brows furrowed. “No, don’t give me that look.”

  “Am I glowering?”

  “Yes.”

  Kade bared his teeth. “Better?”

  A pillow hit his face. “You look like a shark.”

  “Not sure, Tink.” His jaw hardened. “Don’t have good memories. Fuck, don’t give me that look.”

  “What look?”

  “Like you’re sad for a little boy.”

  “Somehow I can’t picture you as a little boy.”

  He scratched the scruff on his jaw. It was getting more like a beard and starting to bother him, but maybe it was because he had to talk about his crappy past, and yet he was compelled to tell her, just like how he opened up about Aysha.

  “It’s only fair.” She crossed her arms. “You probably have the most intimate details of me on file including the last time I had a pap smear.”

  Kade looked away.

  “Oh my god, you do!”

  “I may have a record of your medical history.” A pillow landed on his chest. “Why the fuck do people have all these pillows?”

  “They’re pretty, aren’t they?” Yara held up another one, scrutinizing the ornate embroidery, then hugged it to her chest. “I’m waiting, Spear.”

  “Not much to tell. I grew up in a trailer park. Stepfather beat the crap out of me and Ma. I fought back. Protected my mother.” He shrugged.

  “Is that why you were in a rage earlier? At Iddy and Laila’s father?” Yara’s voice was gentle.

  He nodded. “All I saw was him. It’s a trigger for me, seeing kids getting beaten up. Usually I have better control of myself but seeing how Iddy was protecting Laila, all the feelings were more amplified.” Kade glanced at Yara gratefully. “I’m glad you got through to me. That was brave of you.”

  “I don’t want you to get thrown into jail.”

  “That would suck.”

  “You’re kinda blasé about it.”

  Kade smiled darkly. “After spending time in an Al Qaeda cell, everything else is a picnic.”

  The flash of sympathy in Yara’s eyes didn’t irritate him. That was the thing with her. Her compassion ran deep. Yara was someone who felt deeply and was one of the reasons why he thought they weren’t a good idea, but a bigger part of him wanted to own her big heart.

  He was selfish that way.

  “What happened to your mom?” she asked.

  “She died of a heroin overdose when I was sixteen,” h
e stated baldly. “I joined the Army, found a family in my brothers …” His voice trailed off. He stole a glance at Yara. She was still hugging the pillow, but she was staring at her toes, her beautiful lips trembling.

  “Babe,” he whispered, scooting closer across the bed and taking her into his arms. “What’s wrong?”

  “I bullied you into talking about something you’d rather not.” She clutched his shirt and buried her face into his chest. “You should just tell me to fuck off.”

  “Would that work?” He quirked a brow at her.

  “Probably not.” Her voice was muffled.

  “I’m glad you know.”

  It surprised him. The lack of bitterness, the distaste in his mouth when he thought about his mother, his stepfather, even Aysha. He was enraged earlier, yes, and yet the biting pain wasn’t there in his heart. In its stead was this space full of everything Yara. A wondrous awe filled his chest and maybe it was indeed this woman in his arms who’d chased away the wretchedness in his past.

  She sniffed and look up at him.

  He wiped her tears away with the pad of his thumb.

  “Got your shirt wet.”

  “Don’t care.”

  “Kade …”

  He moved in and sealed his mouth over hers. Taking advantage of her little gasp, a gasp he’d felt all the way to his dick, his tongue swept in. He was an opportunistic son of a bitch; she was vulnerable, and he was laid bare, and if he didn’t kiss her now, he was going to lose his mind.

  Stretching her beneath him, he pressed his erection against the heat of her core, her legs falling open to accept him as he moved against her. The material of his jeans, and the fabric of her sweatpants were a cumbersome barrier.

  Tearing his mouth away, he got on his knees and tore his shirt over his head, Yara’s fingers worked his jeans, shoved them under his ass then scooted from beneath him. In a show of aggression, she pushed him on his back, and before he could growl and tip her back over, her mouth swallowed his cock.

  “Holy fuck,” he groaned, his eyes rolling back at the sheer pleasure of her warm wet suction.

  She worked him good, her fingers gripping and twisting around his dick to the rhythm of the way she sucked him. And she took him deep.

  “Ugh …. You’re hell …”

  Her hand twisted at the base of his dick and he hardened painfully, and then she was gone.

  What? No. No. No.

  He looked down the length of his torso and Yara was nowhere worshipping his cock, her eyes drawn to the computer screen. “I think it’s done.”

  Groaning, Kade twisted his neck around and sure enough the computer was blinking. “Completed.”

  Yara ambled off him. “Well, take a look.”

  His erect cock stared at him forlornly and it took him a few seconds to redirect some of the blood back to his brain. He got up and pulled his jeans back over his ass but left the zipper open because no way could he close up right now. He sat in front of the Toughbook, glaring at the screen before casting Yara the same look.

  “Advice, Tink? A man likes to be the center of your attention when you’re giving him head,” he grumbled.

  Yara giggled and patted his arm. “Tuck your ego back. I heard a ding. Obviously you didn’t.”

  “Easy for you to say, you weren’t the one about to get the best blow job of his life.”

  She preened beside him. “No gag reflex.”

  Kade’s fingers paused on the keyboard, a tingle shot down to his spine and, yep, his cock was fully hard again. He wanted to weep.

  “Is this your idea of torture. You’re doing a damn fine job.”

  “Come on, see what we have,” she urged, standing behind him with her arms resting around his shoulders. “I’ll make it up to you.” She nipped the lobe of his ear.

  “Not helping.”

  “Seriously, Spear. Didn’t know a man like you could be ruled by his dick.”

  “Only with you, babe. Only with you.” He navigated the pointer to the first of several folders decrypted and clicked. Jesus Christ.

  Incriminating evidence flashed in front of him.

  “Well, that’s the general. Who’s the man with him?”

  “Al-Fayed.”

  “Oh my god, that’s him?”

  “Yep.” Jamal Al-Fayed. The leader of Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula. All thoughts of sex with Yara receded to the back burner of his brain at the implication of having this information.

  Yara was quiet behind him and he angled his neck to look at her.

  She was staring at the screen and then shifted her eyes to him. “You were working for Al Qaeda and didn’t even know it.”

  Kade stood slowly and reached out. “Tink—”

  “Don’t.” She jerked away from him. “I know you’re as blindsided as I am. My trust in you hasn’t changed, but I don’t want to be touched right now.” Her chin tipped toward the laptop. “Let’s see the rest.”

  Frustration scored his nerves. Their bond was tenuous and Kade didn’t know how many more hits it could take. He sat down without another word and scrolled through the images. As each damning picture flipped into the other, the tension rose between them. When Yara made a strangled sound at one of the pictures, Kade resisted the urge to snatch her and cuff her to his side.

  Kade snapped the laptop close. “That’s enough—”

  With that, the ground shook.

  An explosion rocked the house.

  23

  “Get down!”

  Kade shoved Yara to the floor, grabbed the laptop, and tossed it into his duffel. Retrieving his night-vision goggles, he crouch-walked to the lamp and turned it off, plunging the room into darkness.

  He zipped his jeans and donned his shirt before slipping on the NVGs, but keeping the goggles up, he returned to the bag and grabbed the Kevlar vest.

  “Put this on.” Light from the courtyard illuminated Yara’s terrified eyes. He hated that for her but comforting her now was not the time.

  “How about you?”

  “Don’t argue! Stay away from the windows and the door.” The metal door could withstand a blast, but he didn’t want to chance it.

  Grabbing his Sigs and extra mags, he tucked one gun behind him.

  “You’re going out there?” she whisper-yelled.

  “Yes. Close the door behind me, okay?”

  She hesitated for a second and then nodded.

  Ice flowed through his veins as he slowed the initial gallop of his heart. Keeping Yara safe required evolving tactics.

  Three … two … one.

  He yanked open the door and dove across the hallway, balanced on his right side and, with arms extended, he fired at two approaching hostiles slithering on the side of the walls.

  Yara slammed the door shut.

  His third round blasted out the corridor light, plunging the space into darkness. A barrage of gunfire rained down on him. He belly-crawled to a downed hostile, using him as a shield and took out a third assailant.

  Gunfire shattered windows and drowned Yara’s scream. Kade surged to his feet and shuffled down the hallway turning into the kitchen and living room, quickly clearing it before he popped the lights. Heading outside, he shot out the courtyard lamps until all he could see were the muzzle flashes down the side of the house. He lowered his NVGs.

  Two hostiles stood outside the reinforced door at the end of the house. The lone window in their room faced the mountains, framed into a wall on a cliff. The only way to shoot at it was indirectly from the side. One man was spraying gunfire on the windows, while another man was backing away from the door, his hand on a device.

  The gunman noticed him and swung his rifle to shoot. Kade shot him first and then the second one in two successive rounds.

  As Kade approached the bodies on the ground to pop insurance shots into them, the man holding the device moved.

  The explosion blinded Kade, the blast thundering in his ears as his body hurtled to the ground.

  Dazed, he fought throug
h paralyzing pain, forcing himself to his feet, and rushing to the now-burning outer door. He lifted his NVGs. The blast had punched a basketball-sized jagged hole through the interior metal door. A sharp twinge tore through his chest.

  “Yara!” He choked through the smoke, and then called louder, “Tink!”

  No answer.

  Fuck!

  She’s okay. She’s okay. He repeated desperately in his head, freezing his rising panic in its tracks, and replacing it with cold clarity. He just couldn’t hear her because of his impaired hearing. Sprinting back along the length of the house with the dying flames lighting his way, his ears buzzing like an angry hornet, he rounded the corner and ran full tilt into Yara.

  “Oh, thank god!” she cried. “You’re okay!”

  Kade grabbed her shoulders. “Are you hurt?”

  “My ears are still ringing. But I think I’m fine.”

  Abdul appeared with an astonished look on his face and holding two jerrycans of fuel.

  Kade yanked him into the house and shut the door. Pressing the business end of the Sig into the man’s head, he snarled, “Did you do this? Did you rat us out?”

  The old man shook his head vigorously. “No. No. I get fuel.”

  Panting hard and heavy, Kade’s finger tightened on the trigger. Tactically, Abdul should be dead. Was he guilty?

  “Fuck!” He lowered his weapon. “Did you see anyone else heading our way?”

  “No. Checkpoints, yes.”

  “How about at the back?” He nodded toward their room.

  Abdul shook his head.

  Kade released him. “Don’t move.”

  “You are leaving?”

  He didn’t answer the old man and turned to Yara, grabbing her hand to lead her to their bedroom.

  Letting go of her, he walked into the room and flicked on the switch of the overhead light.

  “Who are they?”

  Kade turned around. “Don’t know.”

  Yara’s face morphed to horror as she gawked at him. “You’re hurt!” She stepped into his space and touched his torso, his face.