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  Rye pointed to Harper. “So, what’s your mission here? I know you aren’t here to play hostess to the bunch of us.”

  “No, I’m here to assist you in getting Qamar. I’m also to make arrangements for the hostages, once released, to get transportation back to the US.”

  “What else?”

  “I want to catch who’s really behind the drugs and the money. It isn’t Qamar as we suspected. No, he’s just a damn terrorist who’s Karzi’s second in command. The money is separate.”

  “How can that be?” Rye asked, his brow wrinkled. “We were tipped off that Qamar would be getting the payoff. That’s why we were in that dark alley. We knew he’d be handing the money over to Karzi. Your men were at least able to keep the exchange from happening.”

  “Then why didn’t he? And why hasn’t anyone made any attempt to come in here and take that money?”

  “It’s not an easy task. They’d have to go through a lot of Marines to get to it.”

  “Or maybe the money man isn’t Qamar or Karzi,” Rebel noted.

  “No, no,” Rye corrected. “Both those men are terrorists. They need money to pull off their attacks. Weapons cost a lot of money, in case you weren’t aware.”

  “My guess is the money man gives those men a share, but his people tend the fields, harvest the poppies and turn the latex into opium. That takes a big operation. Lots of working parts. Warehouses, mules, transportation, and distribution. There is a lot of work in making opium and I don’t think Qamar, or Karzi, are involved in that part of the action,” she said, practically begging them to believe her.

  “Why not?” Rye continued to argue. “They own and control this land.”

  She appeared desperate. “They do, but wouldn’t it be easier and simpler to let someone else do all the labor, and just pay them a percentage?”

  “Do we know who that is?”

  She shook her head in despair. “I have no idea and none of the intel I’ve worked does either.” She glanced at the safe. “I believe that man will come for his millions of dollars and he will use Qamar’s and Karzi’s men to launch that attack. That’s why I need you all here and not running around worrying about a wedding.”

  “Been nice if you’d said that in the beginning,” Rye scoffed.

  Chapter Nine

  Harper couldn’t pretend the bitterness in Rye’s eyes didn’t cut to the quick. She realized now she should’ve gone against her orders and told him everything. How did she expect him to work in the dark? How could he do his job not knowing all the facts?

  Why hadn’t she stood up for the truth?

  Because, like a good CIA Asset, she’d done as told. Now it came back to bite her. No doubt he wouldn’t have anything to do with her after this. She’d been tempted on the way from the airport to lay everything on the line for him so there would be no walls between them.

  She hadn’t and now he returned to not only being unable to trust her, to he didn’t even like her anymore. That hurt worse.

  Her memory moved back to last night and Harper’s arms circled her waist and she cringed. She did everything imaginable to keep from hanging her head in shame. No doubt he remembered everything they’d done and probably regretted it all.

  Sully came forward. “I have to get Karzi to lead me to where they’re holding the hostages, then get them back here alive and on a plane home.”

  “You’re getting help tomorrow, right?” Rye asked.

  “Yes, a contingent of Marines are going with me, but that doesn’t mean I won’t get my ass shot off.”

  Rye looked at Harper. “You’ve received proof of life that the hostages are still alive?”

  “Yes,” she hissed. “And we have an approximation of where they’re being held.”

  “How long have they been held?”

  “Two weeks.”

  “And you’ve spoken to them recently?”

  She nodded. “Yes, two days ago. Both were okay without serious injuries.”

  He looked at her and then at Sully. The anger rolled off of him in wave after wave. Harper knew she had crushed any chance of them ever being together. As much as she cared about him, she had not been able to bring herself to tell him exactly what was going on.

  Didn’t she trust him? Or didn’t she trust herself? Either way she came out the loser. The days of being alone for her continued.

  Rye stood in the middle of the floor and pointed at her then Sully. “This is exactly how it’s going to go. Sully, how far away are the hostages?”

  Sully scratched his head and lowered his brows. “I don’t know, maybe three to five hours.”

  “Is that there and back?”

  “Yes, if he is holding them where he claims. You and I both know he’s a liar. And he can’t be trusted. He’s lied to us many times before.

  “Well this time we’re going to go with what he says. But we’re not waiting. We’re leaving at 1600.”

  “Wait a minute,” Sully said standing from his desk. “The exchange isn’t for two more days. If we leave tonight, the hostages may not be there and we won’t have the money.”

  “He’s right,” Harper said. “Leaving tonight could be a complete waste of time and would be breaking the agreement. Karzi isn’t going to like that.”

  “If the hostages aren’t at the pickup site,” Rye said, “then we look until we find them. Once we have them we head straight for Kandahar Airbase. Get them on a flight and out of here.”

  Sully shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re doing. Face it, Rye, you’ve been out of the game a long time. We both have. We’re not as young, sharp, and fast as we used to be and what you’re suggesting could get us all killed.”

  “You’re right, Sully. We’re old and slow. While I don’t know about you, I have a lot of fight left in my belly. I’ve lived with this over my head for the last eight years. It’s with me every damn waking minute. I want to leave this hellhole with nothing behind me. I want to finally be free.”

  Sully didn’t look happy, obviously he didn’t want Rye sticking his nose into his op.

  “We all understand how you feel, Rye,” she said. “But at the same time, we all have to follow protocol here. We can’t just go off the grid and do what we damn well please. There isn’t a man here who doesn’t understand there are ramifications for that. Serious ramifications.”

  “I don’t really give a damn. I’m not staying here for weeks on end waiting and hoping someone makes a move. Not when I can finally take down the man responsible for murdering my men.” He slammed his fist against the wall. “It gets finished, and we leave tonight.” He looked at Sully. “If you want to stay here with your thumb up your ass, be my guest. But me and my men are going after those hostages. Karzi can play games with someone else.” Rye thumped his chest. “For right now, I’m calling the fucking punches.”

  “If you’re going after those hostages,” Sully said, “I’m going with you. But I want it on record that I’m not happy with you taking over the whole operation. I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but when we get back stateside, Crash is going to have your ass.”

  “When we get back stateside, he can have my ass, because I’ll be through — finished.”

  Harper didn’t know what to think. In a way she admired Rye for making those serious decisions, even though she didn’t agree with them. He could be risking the hostage’s lives, stirring up a hornet’s nest with their negotiations, and getting the locals so angry that they might destroy everything in sight. It could be another Benghazi. But she’d take that chance. A chance on Rye. A chance he knew more than her and Sully. She knew him to be the bravest man alive and willing to stick his neck out for what’s right.

  She looked down as sadness settled in her chest. All of her years with the CIA, she had followed the rules, done her job to the best of her ability and made a difference. What Rye suggested could cost all of them everything. Yet she still trusted his judgment over anyone else’s.

  She walked over to th
e intel Comm Center. “If you’re leaving tonight I’d better get all the information I can. You’re going to need it. Also, do you need the extra Marines? I can have them here in an hour.”

  “No,” Rye said, glancing behind him at his men. “I have no doubt that the four of us can take care of this. Too many hands can ruin a good mission.”

  “I’m on the record,” Sully said. “I don’t agree with this and I think it’s dangerous. And it’s not part of the agreement we made. Like Harper said, if we start reneging, they’ll never believe us. All trust will be lost.”

  “I seriously don’t care,” Rye said. “I want to get this mission over with, and then I want to get the hell out of here. That’s my goal.”

  Everyone left as they began to get ready for nightfall, leaving her and Rye alone, staring at each other, his chest heaving with anger. She spoke first. “I’m sorry, Rye. I wanted to tell you the truth, that your mission had nothing to do with Sully’s or mine. I thought it was best if you just took out Qamar and left.”

  He put his hands on his hips and cocked his leg, staring at her hard and dangerously. “You should use your damn head, Harper. What does he think is going to happen when they break in here to take that money you’ve been dangling in front of them for years?”

  “I imagine they’ll get it, but at least then we’ll know who they are.”

  “That’s if you’re still alive. What happens if they decide to take the money then blow this place off the map? Destroy everything.” He pointed at her. “Even you. Have you stopped to wonder why they would leave a witness behind? You think they want you to be able to go back to the United States and testify about who took that money?” He shook his head and dropped his gaze to the floor. “Harper, if you stay here, you’re dead. No one’s going to walk out of this alive.”

  She leaned back against her desk. “You think I should just leave the money and go? Maybe take it back to the United States and never know the kingpin behind all this? If I do, he won’t be stopped.” She chuckled. “Hell, he won’t even be slowed down. He’ll keep shipping drugs into the United States and people will continue to die. I want to cut off the snake’s head, too.”

  He walked over and stood in front of her, inches from her knees. “How do you plan to stop all this?”

  “I’ve got a plan.”

  He took her hand. “Care to share it?”

  She shook her head. “No, when this is done I’ll take full responsibility. I don’t want anybody else dragged through the mud for what I’ve decided to do.”

  He put his index finger beneath her chin and lifted her eyes to his. “You don’t have five million dollars in that safe, do you?”

  He knew.

  “Maybe. Maybe you’re just guessing, Rye. I could have every dime of that money in there.”

  He shrugged one shoulder, and grinned. “You could, but why would you? Why have all that money laying around, when they’re just as likely to come after an empty safe not knowing the dollar amount?”

  “I’ve made it well-known around here that I still have that money.” She dared him to argue with her. She may be a woman, but she knew her job. She knew how to play this game. “Men tend to believe what they want to. Right now, they want to think I’m sitting on top of millions. And they want it. Bad.”

  He braced his hands on her knees and smiled. “You pulled an old switcheroo, right? You led them to believe all along that money was here, when in reality, Harper, there was no need for it to be here. It isn’t like you had to take it out periodically and wave it in front of their faces.” He shook his head slowly. “No, you just had to keep reinforcing the lie.”

  She smirked. “So, what if I did? What if there’s no money at all in the safe? Doesn’t that make me smarter than the average CIA Asset?”

  “I don’t know about that,” Rye said, his warm eyes searching every inch of her face. “I think you’ve been playing a very dangerous game. One that can get you killed.” He gripped her chin, looking deep into her eyes. “I don’t care how smart you are, I want you alive, Harper. I want that more than anything.”

  “But you’re still pissed at me, right?”

  “Oh, you’re damn straight I am.” He leaned forward and kissed her quickly on the mouth, sending her senses into a tailspin. “And you’re going to pay for that, young lady.”

  Now he had her attention. She wondered what kind of punishment he had in mind. Could it be one she wouldn’t mind at all? Rye had always been surrounded by a little mystery of danger. He’d never been a hard man, not insensitive to anyone’s needs, but he could be a bad boy. A good bad boy.

  She squirmed slightly at the thought of them being together again. Could it happen tonight? Would they have a few hours together before he went out on the mission to get the hostages? She didn’t know and the temptation to ask him overwhelmed her mind and had her biting her bottom lip.

  She had never been a woman to beg. And refused to start now.

  “I think Sully may be a little upset with you, Rye. He has the right to run his mission the way he thinks it should be. From what I understand, while stateside, he worked with several people on the transfer of the hostages. It’s important you don’t screw this up.”

  “I won’t. But I’m not going to sit around here and wait. Do nothing for days on end. SEALs don’t work well in an uncertain environment. We have to be on the move, on a mission, carrying out an op. Sully’s doing nothing but standing around twiddling his thumbs. I’m a man of action, I always have been. And I get the feeling if I wasn’t, Crash wouldn’t have picked me for this operation.”

  She looked at him. “You talk about me dying. You going after those hostages could get you killed easier than me, and you know it. I can’t help but wonder if you like deliberately putting your life on the line, or maybe you want one more dance with death.”

  “No, that’s not the reason, Harper. Look around you.” He nodded toward Sully’s area. “Has he even resembled a man ready to go on a mission to recover hostages? He’s not running any intel, he’s not communicating with anyone stateside, that I know of. Yet, he has all this information about what’s going on here. How would he know that?”

  She had wondered the same thing, more than once. Something had to be off about Sully. She had worked with him before and considered him a good SEAL. He knew how to carry out a mission. Never seeming to back down. However, right now she didn’t get it. Did he think the hostages were going to magically appear?

  When she had requested the additional use of Marines, he didn’t allow enough time for them to go over their perspective jobs or discuss when they’d be going for the hostages.

  Sully hadn’t prepared properly. Harper feared the whole thing might fall apart and the hostages would never make it out alive. Not if it were left to Sully, and Sully alone. He needed Rye. He might not like it, and consider his approach condescending, but in her professional opinion, Sully wasn’t the man for this job.

  Rye shoved away from her and walked toward the door. “I have to get the men ready for the new assignment. Sully has kept everything pretty close to his chest. My men need to know where they’re going, who has the money and who they will be dealing with during the exchange.”

  “Wouldn’t Sully know that?” she asked. “It’s his mission. He should’ve set this up a long time ago.”

  “He may have, and just not bothered to share.” Rye grinned as he stepped out her door. “Now I have to convince him to tell me everything I need to know to make this mission a success. I won’t settle for less.”

  “I know you won’t. Completing a mission successfully has always been your strongest trait.”

  He glanced back over his shoulder. “Don’t wait up for me, I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”

  Harper started praying.

  Chapter Ten

  Rye hated having that little bit of doubt about Harper rattling around in his mind. His feelings for her ran deep. Deeper than he wanted to admit, but could he love a woman he couldn
’t trust? One notorious for keeping secrets.

  He tried to look at it from her point of view. She simply had a job to do and being a CIA Asset could destroy the best of them. Yet she had excelled where others struggled. His problem with the whole situation is she didn’t trust him enough to confide in him. Not enough to let him know the plan so he might be able to pull off his mission easier.

  Rye left Harper’s office and met up with his men. They joined Sully at the intel Comm Center. “Where are the suspected hostages?” Rye asked, knowing he wouldn’t get a complete answer and the very idea frustrated him.

  “In a small village outside of town.” Sully sulked like a two-year-old as evident by the pouty look on his face. Rye knew he was interfering in Sully’s mission, but he didn’t care. He wanted results.

  “Let’s pull up the drone and see what’s going on in that area.” He looked at Sully. “The area has been monitored right?”

  Sully nodded. “Yes, but we were unable to find out anything. We don’t know where the hostages are being held in the area. All I know is the rendezvous area where the exchange is due to take place.”

  Rye went to the visuals and instructed the operator to move drones overhead of the suspected area. They watched as feedback ran across the screen. Nothing looked unusual about the scattered village. He counted four vehicles, approximately twelve dwellings, and little else.

  If they were holding the hostages there, with so few people guarding them, it would be very easy for Rye to go in with his Team and extract them. Of course, he didn’t know exactly which house the hostages were being held in, or if they were even there.

  Rye notice something and called out. “Stop. Stop there and rewind.” He leaned closer to the screen. “Isn’t that food?”

  Roper moved up next to him. “It appears someone is taking food into the building several feet away from the village. Unless there was someone there who couldn’t cook and take care of themselves, there would be no reason to carry food to another location.”