It took her less than five minutes to empty the bowl. The heat initially stung her bruised tongue, but nothing could stop her from shoveling in the food. The whole time she ate, Jude’s perusal was a tactile caress. When she finished, she turned and found him holding a glass of water and three small white pills in his hand. Aspirin. He wouldn’t drug her again. He’d get no information out of her that way.
She took the glass and the pills, drinking them down before she handed the glass back.
He took it and placed it on the nightstand. Then he sat back down and waited.
She realized then that she was nearly naked under the covers. She tucked them tighter around her body, using her arms to hold them close.
Ella heard him chuckle, and then he said, “I’ve seen everything you’ve got, Ella.”
But he hadn’t. Her body was nothing like he’d known it. She’d been marked irrevocably by Vasily Savidge—had the scars on her back and thighs to prove it. Jude had obviously stripped her, leaving her some coverage with her bra and panties. Had he seen her scars?
She guessed not. His first question upon her waking would have been about them, if he’d seen them.
Instead of responding, she lay back on the pillows she’d stacked behind her. Fatigue was threatening to pull her under, much like the drugs had. How long had it been since she’d slept deeply? Safely?
Since the last night she’d spent with Jude at the beach—and even that had been short because she’d preferred to spend the time loving him.
“You’re going to have to talk to me, El,” she heard him murmur. Her heart stuttered.
His voice when he called her El made her want to weep. He could destroy her…weaken her resolve to finish this thing with Dresden, make her want to just stay holed up here with him and forget the world.
But she didn’t have that luxury. She had Anna Beth Caine to save and a name to glean from Dresden. Didn’t look like rest was coming anytime soon.
“Sleep now, baby. We’ve got all the time in the world,” Jude said as he tucked the plaid duvet around her. His smell—cedar and nothing but man—sank into her pores. She licked her lips, wishing she was licking his.
She heard his declaration and allowed herself the pain of hope for a few precious seconds. Warmth stole over her, combining with her exhaustion to pull her under. She wanted to believe his words but knew the truth.
Ella’s clock had been ticking down for two years. She had hardly any time left. But Jude? Jude was a different story.
She’d make sure he had plenty left. Or she’d die trying.
Chapter 13
“I’ve got her,” Jude told King via a secured sat phone connection.
“When you know anything, I need the specifics. She’s got information on Dresden’s locations and hideouts—hell, his whole operation—that we need to take him down,” King reminded him.
Jude didn’t need the reminder. He’d given King Dresden’s location. Rook, Knight, and Black were all over that location now. Only Brody Madoc and Vivi remained at Endgame’s base in Port Royal, Virginia. Chase had been sent to Burundi, Africa, two weeks ago and was gathering intel on Abrafo Nadege.
“Chase reported in?” Jude asked.
“He’s got eyes on Nadege. Says the bastard is a sadist who enjoys two things: killing and diamonds. We don’t know the nature of the connection to Dresden yet, only that it’s there,” King responded.
Jude heard the weariness in his team leader’s voice. “How’s Allie?”
“Lobbying in DC. She’s determined to get to the root of what’s going on. Woman swears it comes from higher up than we realize and is working every angle like it’s going to straighten at any moment. She’ll be the death of me,” King said, a laugh in his voice. And love.
Had Jude sounded that way before Beirut a year ago?
Probably.
“When I know, you’ll know, King,” he said.
King sighed. “Be safe. We’ll be back stateside tomorrow morning. We know he’s probably there, in that big mansion in Ukraine, but he’s not moving, and he’s added more men to his security force. The prime minister of Russia has gone to ground, and Segorski is nowhere to be found. Oh, we did find out something that might be of interest to you.”
Jude went on alert. “Yeah?”
“Lo-Lo Bernstein was sighted in DC yesterday. Apparently, she enjoys visits to Gray Broemig’s residence where she sits outside on the hood of her car and stares at the CIA director’s house.”
“What the hell?” Jude asked, confusion spearing him.
“Yeah, weird right? When one of Broemig’s men made contact, she left. Didn’t say a word, just got in her car and drove away each time.”
“Allie safe?”
“I’ve got Madoc on her.”
“Wise choice,” Jude affirmed.
King grunted. “It bothers me that Lo-Lo was with Baron Meadows in Russia. There’s an angle there that Brody is working on. Oh, and Brody has requested to speak with Ella. Give that some thought, yeah?”
“Sure,” Jude replied. When hell froze over. Brody had known how much Ella meant to Jude. Hell they’d all known—the entire team. And he hadn’t even given Jude a hint that she was alive. He would have to answer to Jude for that eventually. Maybe there was logic in there somewhere that Jude simply couldn’t see because of all the emotion clouding things.
But right now, he’d be damned if he’d let Brody talk to her without him having access to the entire conversation. She wasn’t hiding anything else from him. Not until this was over and he could walk away.
If he could walk away. Which he doubted, but he was giving himself some consolation that the choice was his.
“I’m out,” King said. “Check in with me, Dagan. Don’t keep me in the dark on this.”
“I’ll check in,” Jude promised. He’d kept King in the dark for too long.
But he was unwilling to do anything right now except relearn Ella Banning.
He leaned back in
