Jude looked up, as if sensing her perusal, and when their gazes met, Ella had to lock her knees to stop from going to him. He undid her.
His eyes narrowed, but something King said drew his attention again. He’d lost weight, and it showed in his face. He wasn’t gaunt by any stretch of the imagination, but he was leaner…meaner. His face would never be classified as beautiful, unless you spoke with Ella.
To her, he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. There was a scar bisecting his right eyebrow and one just above his lip from a bottle he’d taken to the face in a bar fight at seventeen. She still didn’t know what he’d been doing in a bar that young.
What she did know is that she loved licking that scar because it made Jude’s hands clench on her body. And that scar in his eyebrow was proof that he’d fought hard and taken his fair share of licks. Yet here he remained. Strong. Stalwart.
Hers?
Ella shook her head. It was folly to head down that path. She had to get back to Dresden. But first?
She changed clothes, balling up the Givenchy gown and stuffing it into the tiny closet. She put on her own pair of black cargoes and a black thermal, and paired them with an equally black sweatshirt. She sat down on the bed and pulled on thick socks and combat boots. Then she located her sat phone, took a deep breath, and dialed Dresden.
He answered on the first ring. “So Markov is dead?”
“He is.”
“And Segorski? Did you take care of him as well?”
“He escaped.”
A long pause. Never good with Dresden. “I’m going to have to kill Jude.”
Her heart stuttered. “Do what you must.”
“Did you really think I wouldn’t know what happened in that meeting as it went down?” he asked her softly.
“I know you have eyes everywhere, Dresden. I did what I could. Markov was handled, and your interests were protected as you requested. Your deal with the prime minister will go down exactly as you want.”
“If I hadn’t had eyes on that meeting, you would already be dead. As it is, I know you used Endgame to escape. You’re better alive than dead to me, so I appreciate their help. But he will die, Ella. He’s an end that must be tied up.”
“Again I’ll say, do what you must.” She rubbed her chest and wiped the single tear that escaped. She had to get Jude to safety, and that meant returning to Dresden. “I have more news I can’t share right now.”
“What is it?” Dresden demanded.
“I’m not secure. I’ll be home”—she almost choked on the word—“tomorrow evening.”
“Yes. Come home, Ella. We need to talk.” Then Dresden disconnected.
She threw the phone down and walked back to the window. The three men of Endgame were still there, talking.
Ella would take tonight, talk with her former team, give Jude some truths. But come tomorrow, she’d have to continue the game. She needed a name. Just one. So she would walk once again into the lion’s den.
And this time she might not survive.
Chapter 10
Darkness had fallen, and with it, more snow. Ella had thrown together a quick meal of rice and beans for herself and the men, and now they all sat around a hastily constructed fire outside the house.
“Dresden is worse than any of you know,” she said as she stared off into the darkness.
No one replied. So she continued.
“When the Piper approached me over a year and a half ago, I had no idea what I’d be stepping into. I only knew that everyone I’d ever loved was in danger—hell, my country was in danger—and I potentially had a way of mitigating that danger.”
She took a drink from her water pack and leaned her head on the tire she was reclining against. “I was recruited by Gray Broemig for the CIA while I was still in college. When the opportunity to insert me into Endgame showed itself, he jumped on board with both feet. Broemig wanted access to Endgame via one of his own—someone on the inside who was willing to manipulate Endgame Ops to be a tool for him. I wasn’t that person. Once I settled in, actually became Endgame, he recognized my allegiance had shifted and he backed off, but the expectation hung over me.
“Instead, he settled for having another one of his analysts on your team, under the guise of sharing information with the Piper, but Broemig’s ultimate goal was always to gather as much information as he could from Endgame so he could activate me to go after and eliminate Dresden. It’s why he allowed the Piper to put Nina into Endgame as well. He’d doubled down on Broemig’s bet that he could turn Endgame and make it his. There’s a story there, boys. Something deep, dark, and dirty about why the Piper allowed Broemig—no, asked Broemig—if he could have analysts for Endgame. We’ll have to tackle that soon. But not today, right?”
She shrugged, took another pull on her water, and continued to stare out into the darkness.
“I knew Dresden was moving the pieces on the game board, and I knew my time evading the Dresden situation was running out. See, what you may or may not have figured out by now, is that the Piper had recruited me for a little side job. Something similar in nature to what Broemig wanted but a bit different. The Piper didn’t want to kill Dresden; he wanted to insert me into Dresden’s operations. He wanted me to gather as much information as I could so he could begin to dismantle Dresden from the inside out. The Piper had already planned to insinuate me, but it’s important you understand that I never had any idea it would be on that Beirut op. I had no idea that was going down.”
Silence reigned for long moments. She’d lost her best friend, Nina, another analyst she’d suspected of being a
