“It would take magic pants to get either of us at a chick flick.” Alexa returned her smile. “Good to see you, Jess.”
“Yeah, you, too.” Jessie shifted her gaze toward Kinkaid, who was changing into the gear Hank brought him. With a concerned look on her face, she asked, “Is that the FNG?”
Before Alexa could answer, she added, “Who knew Gerard Butler had a doppelganger? He’s fine with a capital ‘F,’ but is he okay? He looks…sick.”
“Yeah, bullets tend to do that.” Alexa changed as she talked. “He’s runnin’ on empty, Jessie. I don’t know how long he’ll hold out, but he’s determined to see this through…if that infection doesn’t kill him first.”
“Then we better get moving.” Jessie had accepted what she’d said and didn’t ask questions. She only wanted to help. It reminded Alexa why she’d wanted her as a partner.
They split the teams between the two vehicles and loaded up the gear. Heading north on the only road out of town, it didn’t take them long to find the private residence of Jamal Ghazi.
From a safe distance, Alexa used night-vision binoculars for a sweeping look over the arms dealer’s compound. The sprawling estate was a fortress bordered by a formidable stone wall. Security lights made it a beacon amidst the darkness. And men patrolled the grounds at regular intervals. The sketched layout from Father Ignatius closely mirrored what she saw below. Having the advance intel made her more comfortable with their strategy, but all the lights and activity on the grounds gave her reason to be concerned.
“A lot going on down there,” she whispered to Hank and Kinkaid. “You think they’re expecting us?”
“Hard to say,” Hank said as he looked through his binoculars. “Maybe recon will have something.”
Alexa had sent two teams to scout the perimeter. While she waited for more intel, she laid out preliminary plans for the assault. She would lead a team of seven, including Kinkaid and Beckett. Hank Lewis had the same number and would focus his attack from the front of the compound. His timed diversionary assault was intended to draw Ghazi’s men into the fight. That left her to cover the back. And in stealth mode—after Hank had initiated the action—her team would infiltrate the estate, looking for Kate.
For the assault, they would use the wireless communication links Garrett had sent. The links were voice- activated and would work effectively as long as her team stayed within distance of each other.
When the scouts returned, Alexa used their input to come up with a final assault plan. She gave the order to get into position. As she moved in the dark with her team, Alexa was aware of Kinkaid next to her. He was a force she found hard to ignore under normal circumstances, but with him along, this mission hadn’t been normal from the start. And now—given her orders to bring Sayed in alive regardless of what happened to Kate—she felt as if she’d turned against him.
With any luck at all, she wouldn’t be forced into such a choice. Still, the notion of betraying him weighed heavy on her conscience. When she got to her spot, she communicated with Hank through her com unit.
“Martini One in position.”
“Copy that, Martini One.”
They had a plan and would go in only after Hank initiated his assault. Alexa watched her team settle into their locations. And Kinkaid crouched by her. When he took off his com set and fixed his eyes on hers, she did the same.
Whatever he had in mind, he wanted privacy.
They were alone for one last time before the attack began. She saw in his eyes that his fever had gotten worse, but something else lingered there. He wanted her.
He pulled her to his chest and lowered his lips to hers. With his taut body pressed against her, she closed her eyes and surrendered to the moment as Kinkaid held her. He kissed her as if he had invented it. And the smell of his skin was intoxicating. His hands on her body left her jonesing for more, but the toe-curling heat ended way too soon. When he pulled back, she was breathless, stunned, and utterly speechless.
“What? Nothing to say?” He grinned, an expression she hadn’t seen in a very long time. “If I knew that’s all it would take, I would have kissed you more often.”
Alexa looked into his eyes, wondering if she’d misread his meaning for the sudden affection. If Kinkaid had a death wish, his kiss might have meant—
“What was the kiss for?” she asked.
“It’s not good-bye. It’s just…because I had to.”
Alexa narrowed her eyes and slapped him. The smack was only hard enough to get his attention.
“What the hell was
“That’s a reminder”—she raised an eyebrow—“for you to be careful.”
“How thoughtful. I’ll try and remember.”
When she turned away, Kinkaid grabbed her arm.
“You and your men don’t have to do this.” He had trouble meeting her gaze. “They’d be risking their lives to save one person. I’d understand if you changed your mind.”
His timing wasn’t the best, but it took guts for him to stop her like this. If their mission had been purely to save one life, Alexa might have reconsidered and planned to go with Kinkaid on her own. She would have been concerned for the lives of her men, too. His honesty made her realize he deserved the truth—even if it cost her his trust.
“I want Kate rescued. I know how much she means to you. You’ve risked your life many times since this whole thing began, but don’t worry about the commitment of my team. With Sayed behind this abduction, we’ve got more at stake. We’re in this together.”
She hoped he would have accepted what she’d said at face value, without question. No such luck.
“What do you mean?” he asked. “There’s something you haven’t told me. I thought you didn’t know much about this son of a bitch.”
With Kinkaid’s trust issues, she knew telling him the truth wouldn’t be easy, but she had to do it. And although she knew Garrett wouldn’t have approved, that didn’t matter now. Kinkaid had to know.
“We need to take Sayed alive. We think he’s planning another attack on U.S. soil similar in magnitude to 9/11. If that’s true, there’s more to this mission than one life.”
“So…you’ve really been after Sayed all along, not Kate. Is that it?” He tightened his jaw and glared at her. “Garrett’s behind this, isn’t he? He gave the order. How sure are you that your boss is telling the truth?”
The truth? Alexa hadn’t even questioned what Garrett had told her. She trusted him. And if she doubted intel from her own boss, it was time to quit. Kinkaid knew that. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have argued the point—but nothing was normal about this mission.
“We’re going to rescue Kate. Are you in or out?”
She forced the issue, knowing his only real choice was to join them. Kinkaid clutched his weapon and put distance between them without saying a word. That was the only answer she’d get.
When Alexa turned, she found Jessie watching her. Her new partner had slipped closer when she’d been distracted by her argument with Kinkaid. The bounty hunter had a concerned look on her face.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll mind your own business, Beckett,” Alexa said.
“Since when have I
Jessie got her wish. She didn’t have to wait.
The night sky lit up like a Fourth of July in hell. A rocket-propelled grenade struck the front gate and blasted it apart. Armed guards were blown off their feet. Their bodies hurtled through the air like macabre and broken dolls. Using more than one RPG launcher, Hank’s team fired two more explosive warheads from their shoulder-launched weapons and struck the main house. Ghazi’s men scrambled for cover, taken off guard by the sudden and vicious attack.
With precision, Hank and his men engaged the remaining guards, drawing fire. The assault had begun. And Alexa had a bird’s-eye view.
“Martini One…on the move.” Alexa spoke into her com unit and headed out with Kinkaid and the rest of her team.
