Ella needed her laptop. Hell, what she really needed to do was pick Vivi Granger’s brain and resources. Nobody infiltrated information like Vivi. Ella was good, but not Vivi good.
The Piper had originally wanted to put her into Dresden’s organization so he could watch Dresden from the inside. He’d seen a way to do that when Endgame Ops team’s mission in Beirut went bad. He’d been lucky they’d survived the rocket-propelled grenade that had taken down the helicopter. He’d hit the jackpot when Dresden hadn’t allowed Savidge to kill Ella.
There were so many things the Piper hadn’t been able to control on that mission—so many potential outcomes, most of them really bad—that his willingness to go ahead and give up Endgame stank of desperation. There was also the possibility he hadn’t given up Endgame; he’d just gone with the flow.
And now Ella understood why. His daughters were on the playing field too. What was the Piper’s endgame? She’d only be able to figure it out if she knew his motivation.
Ella bit a nail as she ruminated. She really needed her laptop and a sat phone.
“Stop biting your nails,” Jude said from the doorway.
Ella allowed her smile to show as she turned her head to look at him. His arms were raised, his hands holding on to the doorjamb as he leaned casually with one leg bent at the knee. He’d showered and now wore jeans and a long-sleeved dark-green T-shirt. A sliver of tanned, muscled abdomen peeked out at her. There was something so innately sexy about that space between his jeans and the bottom of his shirt that she had no choice.
She licked her lips.
His gaze zeroed in on her movement, and he licked his own.
She almost groaned.
“I need to borrow a satellite phone,” she told him.
Jude started to shake his head, but she cleared her throat. His gaze snagged on hers, and he stopped.
“Seriously. I need one now. There’s a woman in trouble, and somehow, some way, I need to get word to someone to help her.”
“Who?” he asked succinctly.
“Brody would be nice,” Ella responded, mentally crossing her fingers that Jude would let her contact the man who’d helped her survive Dresden.
It took him a long moment of staring her down, but eventually he left and returned with a satellite phone.
“Do not tell him where you are. Make it quick,” Jude demanded.
“You’re bossier than His Highness,” Ella muttered.
“Brody is speed dial number 4.”
Ella hit 4 and waited.
“Yo, Keeper. What’s up?” Brody’s broken voice was music to Ella’s ears.
“It’s me, Brody,” Ella said around threatening tears.
What they had been through together…sometimes it promised to rise up and choke Ella.
“Goddamn it, Ella-Bella! You haven’t contacted me in a week! A week! Where the hell are you?”
Ella smiled. Brody took that whole handler moniker pretty seriously. When the Piper discovered Brody had survived as well, he’d immediately recruited her big teammate to become her handler. Once he’d agreed, Brody couriered information between the Piper and Ella when they were unable to meet in person. He’d also stepped up into the role of bodyguard. Hence the anger she was getting from him now.
“Stop yelling at me, Madoc. Big girl here. I’ve got this,” she told him firmly.
“Then what do you need? Word on the street is that you’ve left Dresden, and he’s got the hard-on of all hard-ons looking for you. Where are you, Ella?”
“Safe,” she whispered, sneaking a glance at Jude.
He made a wrap-it-up motion with his hand.
“Look, Dresden has a woman in the cellars. She needs evac immediately, Brody. He’s going to end up killing her if we don’t get to her soon,” Ella pushed out.
“I need more than that, Ella. Who is this woman? Why is she important?” Brody asked.
“Hurry up, El,” Jude growled, now standing in front of her.
“I don’t have time for that now. Do what you do, Brody. I’m going to send you some information when I disconnect, and I’ll touch base with you in a few hours and give you more. Right now, I need you either prepping a resource or getting your ass to Ukraine to help her yourself.”
“Damn it,” Brody said on a heavy sigh. “You’re a pain in my ass, Banning.”
“One more thing, Madoc.” Ella breathed out. “Tell the Piper that Dresden has Anna. He’ll know who you’re talking about. Hell, he may even give you the details I haven’t amassed yet because that’s the woman Dresden has in the cellar. Ring this phone once you’ve landed in Ukraine, okay?”
“You owe me, dropping this in my lap and hanging up,” Brody said darkly. Then, “It’s good to hear your voice. I worry.”
“No need, Madoc. We’ve survived worse.”
Ella disconnected and let out a long breath.
“I need a laptop,” she said baldly.
“No.” Simple answer.
It pissed her off, his continuous resistance to letting her have the tools she needed to do her job. “I need a laptop, Jude,” she reiterated.
“No,” he answered again.
“Damn it, Jude!” she said, coming to her feet in a rush.
He walked into the room and stopped in front of her. “Give me a truth, Ella.”
She huffed. “I need a laptop. There’s a truth for you,” she bit out in frustration.
He laughed at her and then reached for her, tracing her lower lip with his forefinger. Then he stepped closer to her, bringing them chest to chest. “Why do you need a laptop? And what’s going on with this mystery woman Brody needs to save?”
“I need to search, and I’ll tell you everything once I have it all together,” she replied automatically, the need to find the truth damn near making her shudder. Or was that the proximity to Jude? Both maybe?
Yes.
“For what?” he asked, continuing to trace her lip.
“Huh?”
“What do you need to search for?” he asked again.
She stomped her foot. “You’re like a dog with a bone!”
“Only if the bone is five four and curvy as hell, with eyes that melt like frost in the sun,” he responded calmly.
“Do you have any chocolate?” she asked suddenly.
He threw back his
