Hollywood jerked awake from a dream of battle, of turning over a mangled body and finding Eze’s brother’s face, his bloodied hand reaching for him in condemnation—but when his knife plunged in defense, the face turned into Joe’s, and Hollywood couldn’t stop the weapon; it tore into his belly and, sick with dread and guilt, jerked him into panting consciousness.

He lay still for a moment, holding his stomach, trying to find reality. He didn’t know why he thought of that woman back in San Diego, the one he’d snagged in the bar who tried to kick him out the morning after.

Maybe he should examine more closely why he was working his way through women with unsatisfying one-night stands. Then he thought of Ashley and his gut clenched, which only added to his agony. She had gutted him, ripped out his heart and stomped on it. Love was an illusion and belonged to other people, just not him.

The loneliness, the unfulfilling relationships and his rule about never sleeping with a woman twice kept him safe from ever going through what he’d been through with Ashley.

As the muscle spasm passed, he heard the double doors opening. Scarface and Ugly were at the bars, and Hollywood had no idea if they were going to honor Eze’s agreement with Kat.

Speaking of women. Damn, Kat was such a badass babe! She had been a freaking rock, backed Eze into a great corner where Hollywood got to live, and they got the triggers. It would only be a matter of time before they got Eze. The CIA was obviously motivated, now aware that Eze had every intention of doing something nuclear. He would have to be stopped as one of his targets had to be the United States. His hatred of the West made it clear they had to alert NATO and band together to neutralize this threat.

“Get up,” Scarface snarled, obviously pissed that Eze had capitulated with Kat. He wasn’t out of the woods yet. Hollywood worked his battered body out of the bunk, climbing out in agonizing increments. A sharp pain sliced his side, so intense it made him gasp. He had a feeling his rib was broken.

They entered the cell and gave him his uniform, but not his body armor. He had to wonder why. He didn’t trust them or Eze. The exchange was going to be the hairiest, most dangerous moment in Hollywood’s life. He was as exposed and vulnerable as he was here in this cell and in that room where they had negotiated for his life.

They hustled him out of there and into a car, his hands still bound, a hood over his head. It was a precaution to prevent him from leading anyone back to their hideaway. The car trip didn’t last long. When they came to a stop, he waited, itching for action, wishing for his semi-automatic in his hands.

All he knew was that his life was in Kat’s and his team’s hands. That was enough for him.

All of them were crowded in TOC, briefing on the upcoming conflict. True to his word, Eze had contacted them one hour after he’d abruptly cut off communication. He’d given them the coordinates of the prison where they had captured Rafiq. They were rendezvousing with Eze in one hour.

Wicked thought back to when Ruckus and Brandon had barged in on him and Kat. So much for keeping their relationship on the down low. It wasn’t an issue they were intimate, but he just didn’t want people to know just yet. Their relationship was still being worked out, was still fragile and was something he hadn’t wanted to share.

He was sure his LT wouldn’t say anything to anyone. He wasn’t so sure about Brandon. It was clear the man was sour about them being together. Wicked often caught Brandon glaring at him with undisguised hatred.

Ruckus was talking, and Kat was listening intently. He was so impressed by the way she’d expertly handled Eze, and that threat at the end had made him want her even more than he had before.

“Kid and Dragon will be on overwatch. The prison is a good way to box us in, and I’m not keen on the location, but we have limited say in the matter. Rocking Eze’s boat any more than we’ve already rocked it might put him over the edge.”

He turned to a layout of the prison. “The gate is the only way in or out, except the hole we blew for egress. Another possibility if we need to bug out quickly,” Ruckus said.

“I don’t trust Eze to keep his word. I have every expectation he intends to take us all out. Our priority is Hollywood and the triggers. Once the exchange is complete, I’m relying on our snipers to handle Eze and his men.”

Dragon and Kid stood side by side, both the same height, both dark-haired and steely-eyed. But although Dragon’s features were an Asian-American blend to Kid’s boy-next-door-looks, both were lethal snipers who had earned sharpshooter medals. If it moved, they’d put it down.

“It’s time,” Kat said.

“Keep your eyes open and your weapons on the ready.”

They moved out of TOC to the waiting vehicles. Ruckus, Kat, Wicked, Brandon, and Dragon piled into the first one. Behind him, Tank and Bronte, Scarecrow, Dozer, Cowboy, and Kid climbed into the second SUV. Blue and Rafiq finished off their part as they settled into the third with their extra gear.

In the backseat, Wicked’s attention focused on Kat as she turned on a small laptop and queued up the tracking device she’d pressed on the inside of Rafiq’s light jacket. It beeped, showing them that it was working. “They’ll lead us right back to their compound, and we’ll take them out.”

Wicked nodded, watching the red dot on the screen move with them. After fifteen minutes of driving, they saw the city to their left. A giraffe was munching on an acacia tree in the far distance. It was the middle of the day and just warming up.

Kat curled her hand around his. Dragon’s attention remained focused outside the window as the empty, brown dried stalks of the grasses flew past, along with an occasional copse of trees or lone acacia.

“That was a jarring way to wake up this morning,” she whispered. “So much for keeping this quiet between us.”

He nodded and squeezed her hand. “As long as I have time to explain things to Susan, Dad, and Selene, I’m fine with it. Ruckus won’t spill the beans. I can’t say the same for Brandon.”

She sighed. “He was under some illusion that we had a chance to get back together. He still has feelings for me. It could get messy for me with the CIA, but I’ll deal with it.”

“Does this mean you’re interested in moving forward with…us?” he said.

“Yes.” She smiled at him, leaning into him as they navigated over some bumpy road. “It does. We still have a lot to talk about, though. But we will, in time.”

He could see the prison walls looming as they approached. The convoy stopped, and Dragon exited the vehicle. Wicked looked behind him to see Kid melting into the overgrowth. Once the doors closed, they moved forward, slowing, passing through the gates.

The lead vehicle did a quick U-turn, and the other two SUV’s followed suit, facing away from the gate in hopes of making the getaway quick and easy.

They didn’t wait long before Eze’s caravan drove through. The lead SUV held five of his men, and the second Eze, Hollywood, and two more men including the driver.

“Dragon, Kid?”

“Set,” Kid said, and Dragon confirmed seconds later. “Took out their sniper, LT. I got a nice bird’s eye view.”

“Copy that,” Ruckus said.

They all got out of the SUVs, taking cover behind them and the doors. Eze’s men filed out, a man with a scar on his face holding on to Hollywood’s arm.

Ruckus shouted across the area that separated them. “Send him over with the triggers, and as soon as he gets halfway, we’ll send Rafiq.

Scarface shoved a case into Hollywood’s hands and propelled him forward. “Go,” he said harshly. Wicked didn’t like the rigidity of his body, the tension telling him that this guy was on a hair trigger.

He glanced at Eze, who watched, his face expressionless.

Hollywood made it to the center of the space between them. Kat walked back to Rafiq and pulled him forward. “Try anything, and I’ll kill you myself,” she said, her voice low and threatening.

She pushed him forward, and he started to walk toward Hollywood. As soon as Rafiq made it to the middle, passing Hollywood, men came pouring out of the prison. “Look out,” Ruckus shouted. Hollywood started running, but then he went down, the case with the triggers sliding across the dirt.

“Son of a bitch!” Ruckus shouted. Kat and the rest of them took cover, except for Dozer who bolted from the safety of the SUVs and ran toward Hollywood. He grabbed him and dragged him behind one of the burned-out vehicles.

“Kid! Cover Dozer!”

“Koreans, LT. Too many of them, but copy that.”

“Take out as many as you can, Dragon!”

Dragon and Kid kept them at bay, picking them off when they could. “Scarecrow, Cowboy, and Tank. Flank them and take them out of the equation,” Ruckus ordered through the mic. Wicked, Brandon, Kat, and Blue returned fire.

Dozer was pinned down with Hollywood’s still body. Wicked moved, running toward them. When he reached them, he saw Hollywood was breathing. “Get him out of here! I’ll cover you.”

Dozer manhandled Hollywood onto his shoulders as gunfire raged around them. As soon as Dozer was ready, Wicked said, “Go.”

Dozer took off with Hollywood. Wicked kept Eze’s men busy while Dragon and Kid kept the Koreans at bay. Wicked moved toward the front of the burned-out husk, deciding on more cover as the hood of the car was more intact than the back. As soon as he came around the charred fender, someone thrust a gun in his back and said, “Drop it.”

He shoved Wicked toward the cars. Rafiq had made it to them and was already inside the bulletproof car.

Wicked looked over his shoulder to see Scarface, his face intent. He had the trigger case in his hands. “Move or I’ll drop you here.”

Wicked had no choice. He glanced back at the SUVs, but Kat wasn’t in sight. Dammit. There would be no trading him for anything. Eze had what he wanted. Rafiq, the triggers, and now a Navy SEAL he could make an example of.

When he got to the car, he tried to stall by pressing his hands against the doorframe, but a sharp blow to the back of his head sent him spiraling into darkness.

Kat had run for the opening in the wall, slipping through and making her way back around to the gate. As she dropped to her stomach, crawling to the vehicles, an explosion ignited as one of the Korean troops had tried to get off an RPG. But their overwatch had dropped him, and the rocket had gone off in the midst of them.

While everyone was distracted by the backlash of the explosion, Kat picked the trunk lock and slipped inside. It smelled like gasoline, but through the break between the seats, she could see Wicked. His eyes were closed, and his head lolled.

In her earpiece, she heard Kid. “Koreans down, but Eze has Wicked!”

“Copy that.”

“They’re bugging out, LT.”

“Damn, our tires are flat. Brandon, call in a chopper. Where the hell is Kat?”

“Trunk,” she murmured into the mic. “Eze’s trunk.”

“Dammit, woman!” Ruckus yelled into the mic so loudly she was worried that they could hear it in the car.

“You’ve got the tracker. Follow it.” She was all about making a difference, and nothing was going to keep her from this mission. She wasn’t going to abandon Wicked, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let Eze get away with Rafiq and the triggers.

As they moved farther away from Ruckus and the SEALs, her earpiece started to go staticky. Inside the vehicle Eze got a call and said, “They put a tracker on him.” She watched as a man found the tracker and turned it off, pocketing it.

“Be…advis…tracker…. Do…copy? Tracker not…” They were getting out of range. She would be on her own until she could get to her cell to call Ruckus. Someone had tipped them off, but the only people who had been present were the SEALs, Dozer and the people in TOC. Who had betrayed them? She would make that her priority after all this was finished.

The car bumped over some rough terrain, then it came to a stop. They exited the vehicle, Scarface hefting Wicked over his shoulder, staggering under all that hard-packed muscle. She only caught a glimpse of his still face, but his features galvanized her. She couldn’t lose him, too. Pushing back her anger and fear, she couldn’t give into any of it. If she was to save him, she would have to be smart, not rush into danger and either get them all killed or lose her advantage.

Ruckus must be going out of his mind, but she waited patiently until everything died down and darkness fell. She gingerly popped the trunk lid from inside the vehicle, and, leaving it open just a sliver, checked the surroundings. She was in a garage. She could see the doors in front of her. To the side was a silver SUV and a very snazzy red sports car.

She lifted the trunk lid and slipped out of the vehicle, careful not to make a sound as she closed it with barely a snap. Now that she was out of the shadowed trunk, she could see more cars, a stretch of wall-to-wall luxury. There were at least fourteen cars in this garage.

She shook her head. Pulling her weapon, she screwed on the silencer. All she needed was the enemy.

She set the gun on the trunk of the car and pulled out her cell phone. She called Ruckus, and he answered, “Kat, sitrep.”

“I’m at the compound.” She’d already calibrated the coordinates while she waited in the trunk. She gave them to him. “Hurry. I don’t know what they’re going do to Wicked.”

“We’re on our way.”

She slipped out the side door of the garage and crouched near some bushes. She blinked a couple of times at the opulent place that was his compound. Surrounded by a towering wall with an iron reinforced gate and roving guards, the mansion was lit up, bright patches through the night vision goggles. It was a modern square design, the backdrop of the mountains framing it in spectacular views. This was Eze’s rebel base? Ha! He was bleeding his people dry just like any two-bit-wanna-be-king-of-the-world-asshole.

It seemed that wealth was what Eze wanted, and maybe all he wanted to do with the triggers was extort for more obscene wealth. She rose slightly. The house was in the distance, past a beautiful garden and a wooded area with a round fountain, the water a crystal turquoise, lights illuminating the men who walked the curve and disappeared onto the grounds. Beyond the fountain was the house. That must be where they were keeping Wicked and where they had taken Rafiq.

She stripped off her armor, was all the way down to a black catsuit that covered her completely once she raised the tight black hood. She reached down and covered her hands with mud, coating her face. Buckling the holster around her waist like a gunslinger, she tied the holster tight around her thigh.

The guard never saw her coming, never heard the soft footfalls from the specially made soft-cushioned soles of the sewn-in booties on her feet. She pulled the knife from a sheath sewn into the back of the suit. Moving up behind him, she dragged his head down, exposing the carotid artery, and sliced, accomplishing all of it in seconds. He was dead before he hit the ground. She picked up his semi-automatic rifle and slung the strap over her head, so it rested against her back.

Silent and deadly, she moved toward the house, eliminating any threat from the guards. Time was of the essence now. She had to free Wicked before all hell broke loose. Rafiq’s life was measured in minutes. As soon as she freed the man who was embedded in her heart, she was going after the physicist. She would eliminate any way Eze could extract the codes and make those triggers hot and lethal.

She passed the pool, lit up like the fountain, the same crystal-clear water like glass. Creeping just at the edge of the shadows, she went to the door closest to the kitchen. It was unlocked.

She smiled. God, she loved a confident asshole. Slipping inside, her eyes adjusting to more light, she discarded her sleek night vision goggles.

She crept to a door with a lock on it. She pulled off the faceplate and quickly disarmed the door, and it gave a slight click when it opened. There was a musty smell as she descended in the dark. She passed a wooden door and peered through the small window. A wine cellar? The monster had his wine cellar right near his cell block?

She blew out a soft breath.

Moving forward on soundless feet, she neutralized three guards before she got to a door. It wasn’t locked, and she turned the handle and pushed only enough for her slim body to get through.

“How am I not surprised?” Borkov said, and Kat stiffened.

“How?” They had been compromised, that was for sure. Someone had sprung Borkov, and that wasn’t an easy task.

He moved and pointed a gun at Wicked, who was locked in a cell. Next to him was Rafiq. He’d been roughed up. Eze had been after the codes. Kat had her weapon up in a split second. “You kill him. I kill the professor.” She moved closer to Rafiq’s cell. “I told you they didn’t play by the rules, Doctor.”

He gripped the bars. “Take me with you, or he’ll kill me,” he begged.

Borkov smirked as he moved slowly toward the cell.

“Kat,” Wicked said. “Where is everyone else?”

“They’re on their way.”

“You came here alone! Dammit.”

“I don’t have time to argue. You need to leave.” She slid her finger to the trigger and stepped even closer to Rafiq. “Let him out, Borkov, now, or he dies!”

Borkov unlocked the cell but kept his gun trained on Wicked. “Go, Rion. They should be here any minute.” She pulled the semi-automatic over her head and tossed the rifle to him.

“I’m not leaving you here.”

“It will be all right. They need someone to open the gate. Go, Wicked, or they’ll be picked off.” The agony on his face made her heart contract.

“Kat…”

“Tell me later,” she said softly.

“Later.” His face contorted at his reluctance to leave her.

But he did as she asked, and she was alone with Borkov. He ordered, “Lower your weapon.” She backed up, planning on shooting Borkov, but before she could move, he barreled toward her. She brought her weapon to bear, but he slammed into her. They tussled, and she got in a few good punches, but ultimately, he clipped her on the jaw, and everything went unfocused. When she got her wits back, he was holding the gun on her.

He grabbed her hair and pulled it hard, bowing her back as he straddled her hips. “I had a deal with Eze. I get to trade you for my family, and that’s the only reason you’re breathing right now. You had a target on your back ever since you entered Kirikhanistan. You got sold out but good. My orders were to kill you once I got what I needed, but you are a resourceful little Kat. My inside contact at the CIA has proved invaluable to both Eze and me. Too bad you were such a trusting fool. When I have my family back, I’m going to kill you slowly, bitch.”

Rafiq was blubbering in the corner, knowing that he was between a rock and a hard place right now. She was his only hope, and now that was dashed.

Outside, gunfire erupted, and she could hear a chopper, its rotors warming up.

They had her, the triggers, and Rafiq. But she could only hope Wicked was safe.

He slammed her face into the concrete, and it was lights out.

Wicked took out three more guards. He ran to the gate, hitting the lever. It started to open. He turned, using the reinforced gate as cover to take out more guards. The convoy came through, and his teammates poured out of the vehicles, their weapons up and discharging. He heard the rotors, and his head snapped to the west. The dome on top of Eze’s home was opening, and a helipad rose up from the depths.

He saw Eze, Borkov, who was carrying a limp Kat, Scarface, and Ugly, who was leading a terrified Rafiq, get into the chopper. There was no way he could get to her in time. They still had to get through a wall of guards. The helicopter rose into the air. He shouted Kat’s name, his chest exploding with anger and terror for her.

“Wicked! Focus. We can’t go after her until we clear this compound. Birds are inbound.”

He looked at Scarecrow who had just shouted in his ear. He nodded, his gut filled with dread. He couldn’t lose her.

They moved forward as one group, Kid and Dragon providing sniper cover. The helicopter came in, guns blazing, mowing down guards. After two runs, the firefight was over. Brandon surged forward as the two choppers landed. All of them piled inside, and they took off.

“We have no idea where they’re going,” Wicked shouted.

“Yes, we do,” Scarecrow said as he turned his laptop around and there was Rafiq’s tracking device showing on the map.

“How the hell did that get turned back on?” Wicked said.

Scarecrow responded, “I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.” He shouted through his headset to the pilot, and they were in hot pursuit.

After traveling at top speed for ten minutes, the pilot said, “Target in sight. Small airfield, setting down.”

“Prepare for infil,” Ruckus said.

Just as the chopper was about to land, the doors opened. When the runners touched down, everyone exited. Scarface and Ugly opened fire, taking cover behind the vehicles. Wicked sighted down his scope as Rafiq, Eze, and Borkov, who was still carrying Kat, ran for a waiting private jet. If they got her on the plane, she would be lost to him.

He took a breath and let it out, then held it as he squeezed the trigger. Borkov went down, and Kat hit the ground. He shifted his rifle and sighted in on Rafiq, repeated his previous action, and Rafiq hit the ground.

Scarface concentrated fire toward the team as Eze ran for the jet’s steps. He had the case with the triggers. But Wicked had to duck to avoid the concentrated gunfire his way. Kid ran forward and fell to the ground, his tripod open to support his weapon. Wicked automatically gave him cover as he lined up his shot, and Scarface’s head exploded. He disappeared out of sight. Ugly dropped his weapon and started to run across the field away from the plane, but he dropped from one of the SEALs guns.

They broke cover, pelting full out across the airway. Wicked could hear the engines firing up. Eze made the stairs, but he cried out, and the triggers dropped out of his hand. Several more bullets hit the plane, and Eze abandoned the case, ducking inside.

He saw Kat on one knee, a weapon in her hands. But it wasn’t enough.

Fuck! The small plane started its takeoff, and there was nothing they could do as the plane accelerated and rose into the sky, quickly disappearing into the horizon as the sun peeked over the mountains.

He reached Kat and she looked up. He offered his hand, and with a smile on her stunning face, she stood.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him hard. “Rion,” she said softly. He let his rifle go and hugged her back, his hold fierce. He met her mouth in a brief but searing kiss. Scarecrow retrieved the triggers with a huge smile on his face, partly for the win and for the way Wicked had kissed Kat. The other guys were smiling and nudging each other.

“How the hell did that tracker get activated again?” Scarecrow asked as he handed the case to Kat.

The whole team’s attention focused on her with expectant looks on their faces. She smirked and laughed. “Borkov had it in his pocket. When he knocked me down, I swiped it, turned it back on and swallowed it.”

They burst into laughter as Kat walked over to Borkov. She crouched down. “Now you’re going to give me the name of the backstabbing bastard who sold us out.”

Borkov gasped out, “My family—” he said, starting to bargain as a shot rang out. The sniper struck again. His body jerked, and a hole in his forehead made them all look behind them.

But it was too late. Borkov was dead, and when they checked Rafiq, he had died as well.

Kat opened the case, then swore softly. Two of the triggers were missing, and now they had no idea if Rafiq had given up his codes or where in the hell Eze was heading.