“No, I—”
Malik cut off whatever further protests he was going to make by pulling the photos from his pocket and tossing them on the floor at the man’s feet. Pictures showing him speaking to a man connected to Alex Rycroft.
No response, other than a look of horror and the absolute silence that permeated the room.
“I know what you did. I even know what you said.” Malik edged closer until he was towering over the man, the tips of his shoes a mere inch from the scuffed brown boots. “You know what that makes you?”
Again no response. Malik knew exactly how to play this, just what to do to make a prisoner squirm until they broke. He let the silence fill the room, until it grew so huge that it seemed to press against the walls.
Finally that stricken gaze lifted to his.
Malik leaned down until their noses nearly touched and stared right into the man’s terrified eyes. “That makes you my enemy.”
At the quiet, deadly edge to his tone, that thin frame started shaking. The man’s face crumpled and he burst into noisy tears. “Please.”
Disgusted, Malik whirled away and called for his guard.
“Please! I had to talk, they were going to arrest me for being connected with you. I didn’t tell them much, only—”
“Shut up.” The barked command silenced the sniveling immediately. His bodyguards stepped inside and looked to him for instructions. “Take him away and deal with him,” he ordered in a flat tone, flicking a dismissive hand toward the crying man. He tuned out the desperate pleas and the tears, even the screams as his guards dragged the man out to where a vehicle would be waiting. They’d drive the prisoner out into the desert and shoot him. A much kinder death than he deserved, Malik thought, his hands curling into fists.
He bent to pick up the scattered color photographs and shoved them back into his pocket to be disposed of later. Knowing that traitor would never see another sunrise helped ease the anger somewhat. When a knock came a minute later, he was calm again.
At his command, Bashir entered the room. “A call for you, from a concerned friend.” He handed over what Malik knew had to be an encrypted phone.
He answered, unsurprised when he heard the familiar voice of his current ISI contact coming through the phone. “That problem I mentioned last night. Have you fixed it?”
The sound of an engine starting came from outside. “Just.”
“I have more news. They’re here.”
The Americans. A slow smile spread across Malik’s face. “Since when?”
“Just since this afternoon. They’re not staying where we anticipated, however. And the welcoming committee blew the surprise early.” To anyone overhearing the conversation, nothing either of them had said should trigger suspicion.
Malik understood the message, however. The bomber had not only missed the target, he’d detonated his device early. “Where are they?”
“Right now, I have no idea. If I hear anything I’ll let you know, but I thought it best you knew this now so you can make other arrangements.”
To get out of the country. “Yes, thank you.” He disconnected and looked at Bashir. “We’re crossing the border tonight. Get everything ready. I have a call to make.”
“Yes, sir.”
Alone in the windowless room, he contacted an ally up in the mountains, fully aware that the call would trigger the start of the end for either him or the Americans here to hunt him.
****
Bent over inspecting another problem she’d just discovered with the bike, Jordyn glanced up when footsteps sounded on the concrete steps leading down from the barracks on the second floor. Combat boots and a pair of long, muscular legs clad in cargo pants came into view, followed by a muscular torso in a light gray T-shirt. Her heart was already beating faster and then Blake’s face appeared in the doorway.
He smiled when he saw her, and that combination of heat and affection set off a somersault low in her abdomen. She hadn’t seen him since late yesterday afternoon, when they’d all grabbed a bite to eat together after hitting the range. She’d almost forgotten how sexy it was to see him shoot. It was like he became part of the gun somehow. So calm, beautiful and deadly.
But mostly that smile made her think about their kiss yesterday. Her toes curled in her steel-toed boots as she remembered the hunger in his embrace, the caress of his tongue. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He gestured to the bike, propped on its side on the work table. “Figure out what’s wrong with it?”
“Might be easier to ask if I’d found what
isn’t
wrong with it.” She set down her needle-nosed pliers next to a row of spark plugs she’d just taken out and cleaned. “Lot of corrosion on most of the parts I’ve pulled out, and I’ve got to replace the fuel line on this one. The other one’s in slightly better shape, but not by much. Where the hell did Alex find these, anyway? The junkyard?”
“Never know with him. He’s resourceful.” He eyed the bike doubtfully for a second. “Can you fix it?”
“Think so. Just hope Alex doesn’t plan to use them much, because I’m not sure if they’ll stay running for very long, even if I do get them all back together.”
“Need a hand?”
She smiled, glad for the offer and for the chance to spend more time alone with him. Not that she expected a repeat of yesterday since someone could walk in at any moment—probably a good thing because she didn’t think she’d be able to stop once she put her hands on him again. But a girl could dream. “Sure, that’d be great.”
They worked together in silence for a while, his nearness a constant reminder of how that long, strong body had felt up against hers. The way he’d held her had made her feel so wanted and cherished, and the stroke of his tongue against hers made her nipples tighten just to remember it.
He passed her tools and helped when she asked him to. Just like old times around the shop, only sweeter now that she knew she was finally more than Jamie’s little sister to him. “You guys were all up and gone early,” she commented as she tightened a bolt. “Anything interesting happen?”
“Just some recon and surveillance with the guys.”
He didn’t come right out and say they were following up on leads to Hassani, but she knew that’s what they’d been doing. “Any more word on that bombing yesterday?”
He lowered the socket wrench he’d been using and lifted his eyes to hers. “Some.”
She raised a brow and waited, knowing that pressing him for more wouldn’t make him give up anything he wasn’t supposed to. That was another thing she admired about Blake—the man was a vault when it came to keeping secrets. While she had the security clearance, she knew what her role was here and that she wouldn’t always be privy to what was going on with the overall operation.
“Word is the bomber was linked to the TTP cell Hassani backs. Somehow the network found out we were setting up shop in the area, but didn’t know the exact location, and when the bomber couldn’t get through the barricade he detonated to make a statement.”
Though she’d been expecting it, his answer was confirmation enough and it set off a pang of dread inside her. “Well, good thing we’ve got Wright and Lang to keep an eye out for us while the rest of you are gone.”
“Then there’s you and Evers too,” he pointed out.
“Yup, can’t forget me and Evers.” The Fed had been working with Claire and Zahra all last night and this morning on new leads, and the two Brits seemed like solid operators. Still, it bothered her to be in such an isolated place with so little protection. When she’d served in the Corps she’d always been in the relative safety of a base with plenty of protection and firepower around. She reached for a Phillips head screwdriver, but paused when Blake wrapped his warm fingers around her hand.
His touch sent tingles radiating up her arm and throughout the rest of her. It was hard to remember why she was so anxious when all she could think about at that moment was those hands all over her naked body the way she’d always imagined. He stared right into her eyes as he spoke. “You’re safe here. I’d never leave you here alone if I didn’t believe that, and Alex is even more vigilant about our setup now than he was before.”
It was sweet of him to try to reassure her. “I worry about you too, you know.” He’d be going out hunting for real soon enough, as soon as they got their first solid piece of intel that might lead to Hassani. She knew he could hold his own better than most out there, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still worried as hell about him.
At that he grinned and squeezed her hand once before releasing her. “I kinda like knowing you worry about me.”
She laughed and picked up her tool. “You would. Now hand me that box end wrench and help me with this damn thing.” Before she decided to say to hell with it and grabbed him by those broad shoulders for another knee-melting kiss. Not an easy feat, to hold back. She’d waited forever for the man to realize she was the one. He was pure, sinful distraction.
They’d just managed to get the engine together and were preparing to replace the fuel line when Alex strode in. He nodded at them in greeting and focused that sharp silver gaze on her. “Can I drag you away from that for a while?”
She put down her tools and began wiping her hands on a shop towel. “Sure, what do you need?”
“Want you to come check out another vehicle with me. Ellis, grab Dunphy and do another drive-by of that last location,” he said to Blake.
Jordyn spared him a glance and a quick smile as he left. She grabbed her tactical vest and followed Alex out the side door into the bright sunlight. “Should I go grab my head scarf?” She was already armed, her pistol tucked into its holster at the back of her waistband.
“I wouldn’t bother,” he said, pulling on his own vest as he strode for the SUV parked next to the building. “Just leave your cap on.”
Worked for her. She slid into the front passenger seat and rode shotgun. They drove for nearly twenty minutes outside the city limits before Alex turned off the main road and headed for what looked like another good-sized town. He drove up to some sort of an impound lot and parked.
“What are we looking for?” she asked.
“Contact of mine in the Pak government set aside some more wheels for us. Wanted to get a second opinion on it before I say yes. I told them I was bringing the best mechanic on our team, so they’re expecting us.”
At his signal she got out and followed him to the chain link fence where an armed guard stood watch. He conversed with the guard briefly in what she assumed must be Urdu, then the guy handed over a set of keys and waved them through. He did a double take and took a closer look at her and she realized he’d only just figured out that she was a woman. The curiosity and shock on his face gave her pause but he merely stared at her so she ignored him and followed Alex inside the lot.
Parked near the end of the fifth row of vehicles sat a newer, dark blue SUV. “This is it.” Alex unlocked it and popped the hood then opened all the doors and the rear hatch. “Take a look at the engine and make sure everything’s as it should be, while I check out the rest of it.”
“Why’s it in the impound lot, and why do we want it?”
“It’s a gesture of goodwill, Jordyn.” Something in his tone told her he was teasing her, but she didn’t know him well enough to be certain.
She twisted her ball cap around to sit backwards on her head and leaned in to get a better look beneath the hood. The sun was high, nearly directly overhead, and the heat radiated up off the black asphalt in scorching waves. Brushing the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead, she set her hands on the edge of the frame. As far as engines went, this one looked brand new. She poked around and checked everything out but it all looked fine. Only way to tell if something was wrong was to fire it up and listen.
“It all looks good to me.” Too good. Weird that a vehicle like this was dumped here amidst a lot of scrap cars. Very few in the lot appeared to be in this kind of condition. Alex was still looking around in back. She ducked her head under the hood once more and something caught her eye. In the shadows cast by the hood it was hard to see it, but… “Hey, you got a flashlight or anything?”
Alex popped up and came around the front of the vehicle to hand her his keys with a tiny pen light attached to the chain. “What’ve you got?”
“Not sure, but there’s something right down here, in between the…” She paused as her fingers hit something solid and rectangular wedged in beside the engine block. Frowning, she angled the light toward it and tried to get a better look. “I can’t see it from here. Can you check from underneath?”
Alex got on his back and shimmied beneath the SUV. “Where?” he asked, and this time there was a decidedly urgent note in his voice.
“Here, against the side of the frame. Can you see my fingers?”
“Hand me the pen light.” When she did, he shined it upward. “Okay, I see your hand. Move it just an inch or so to your left.” Doing as he said, her heart rate kicked up a notch when he let out a low, “Fuck. Me.”
“What?” She wasn’t sure why she was whispering, since it was only the two of them here and the guard was too far away to hear their conversation.
Rather than answer and confirm her suspicion, Alex slid out from beneath the vehicle and dusted himself off, his expression now hard. Icy. “Well, at least we’ve got a new lead to follow up on.”
Oh, shit. “Is it a bomb?”
“Yep. Stay here.” Without waiting for her to respond he stalked over to where the guard stood watching them. She didn’t dare move from her spot but reached a hand back to wrap her fingers around the grip of her pistol and kept her attention riveted on the guard. If he made a move to reach for his own weapon she could drop him easily from here.
After a few minutes of heated conversation filled with much angry gesturing and raised voices, Alex strode back toward her, the babbling guard in tow. Whatever it was he was saying, he stopped when Alex dragged him beneath the vehicle and showed him the device. They emerged into the sunlight a few moments later, Alex looking more pissed off than ever, and the guard sweaty and pale. Once the guard trotted off to the guard house, Alex turned his attention to her.
“Let’s unhook it and get outta here.”