“Gregov has a room on the fourth floor. He’s due to check out tomorrow,” Xander said. Alexa and Jake had just arrived, freshly showered.

“Did he keep his audio jammer on?” she asked.

“We got the code. Saw the bastard punch it in myself when he tucked his computer into the safe twenty minutes ago . . . right after we got Gregov on camera leaving his room, heading to his own suite,” Xander said.

“Thank God. And where is Reza now?” It was almost ten p.m., and twilight had given way to utter darkness. Of course, Barcelona was only just starting to wake up for the night.

Xander looked over his shoulder at Randall, whose dark brown eyes shifted to meet Xander’s. Randall nodded. “Reza just entered the casino.”

“And Gregov?” Alexa asked.

“Still in his room. He actually flew in from Istanbul under a different name,” Randall said.

Alexa sat on the sofa, wanting to stay as far away from Jason as possible. He was leaning against the breakfast bar in the kitchen, his arms crossed, his eyes pinned to her. It made her skin crawl. And she didn’t have to look at Jake to know how he was feeling. His anger radiated off him like the heat of a summer day on the Mediterranean. Waves of tension speared the room, its silent vibrations ebbing back and forth between Jake and Jason with increasing intensity.

“You think Gregov met with Bekas?” she asked, pulling her attention back to the mission.

Xander reached for his 9mm, tucked it into the waistband of his pants, and then slipped a black blazer over his shoulders to conceal the weapon. “We have agents scrubbing traffic cameras all around Istanbul to see where Gregov was before he came here, and whom he met with there. Hopefully we’ll find a connection to Bekas.”

If only Parliament had given them the go-ahead to capture Bekas and his men a year ago . . .

“If we’re going to do this, we need to get it done now. You ready?” Xander was eyeing Jason. How the man could work side by side with that monster was beyond her.

“Not going to wear a vest?” Alexa swallowed, pushing thoughts of Copenhagen out of her head, the story entirely too fresh in her mind with Jason there.

Xander’s lips curved down as his shoulders arched up as if she were being ridiculous. “It’s a quick in and out. We’re good.” Xander flashed her a smile to comfort her, but it didn’t do much to adjust her nerves down to the fine tune of normal. Not even close.

“You in place, Alpha team?” Randall waited for the bug in his ear to respond. Then he nodded at Xander, giving him the go-ahead. “Beta team is outside the hotel,” Randall added.

Alexa slipped next to Seth at the table and studied the screen of her laptop, which was already hacked into the hotel’s surveillance cameras. “I’ve got you,” she finally said to Xander, hoping she came across confident.

“Jake, why don’t you come with us?” Xander asked, now standing near the door.

Alexa immediately looked up, her eyes wide. “Wait. What?”

“He can back me up.” Xander looked to Randall as if he were asking permission.

“Up to you, man.” Randall unsnapped the Glock from his side and placed it in his palm, offering it up to Jake. “I know you remember how to use one from that stunt you pulled in Montana.”

Jake was staring at the gleaming black metal in Randall’s hand, and then he looked over at Jason for a brief moment. Alexa knew exactly what had crossed his mind—did he not trust himself with a gun in the same room as Jason? Would he want to take revenge for Alexa into his own hands?

No—she knew his heart. He wouldn’t really kill someone in cold blood, would he? Even if the thought had crossed her mind about every other day of the week since Jason had been arrested.

“I don’t think you need Jake with you,” Alexa rasped. She stood, bracing her palms against the table.

“He needs to get back in the game. Things might get ugly soon, and I need to make sure he can hold his own.” While Xander had a point, she didn’t like it. And she also didn’t see how watching Jason upload malware would get Jake all that comfortable with missions again.

“I understand, but isn’t there—”

Xander held up his hand, and Alexa fell silent. There was a glimmer of something in Xander’s eyes. It wasn’t fear, but . . . he wanted Jake to come. Maybe it was Xander that didn’t trust himself alone with Jason. He’d lost a friend the day Jason had sabotaged their mission, seven and half years ago.

“I’m good, Alexa. I can babysit this piece of shit.” Jake’s voice was laced with a bitter iciness to it.

She didn’t know what to say, and she knew none of this was her call anyway. “Be careful, the both of you.”

“What—no well wishes for me, love?” Jason had the damn nerve to wink at her.

“Fuck you,” she responded without hesitation.

Her gaze flickered to the gun Jake was holding in his hand. He looked over at her, his mouth tight and jaw locked. He gave her a slight nod, his brows drawn together, and her heart sank as he turned his back. This was why she’d never been able to date an agent—the not knowing if he’d come back alive. Her teammates who’d died had families . . . and had left behind widows and fatherless children.

Once they left, she swallowed back the lick of fear that blew across her skin like a cold chill as she studied the image of the men on her computer. They became a blur before her as they walked down the hall to Reza’s room.

* * *

Don’t kill him. Don’t do it. But his body was on fire, his fingers trembled at his sides, dying to destroy the man who had inflicted so much pain on Alexa. He should have had the death penalty for what he’d done . . . although, now that Jake thought of it, the U.K. may not even have a death penalty.

“You good?” Xander asked as they made their way into the stairwell.

“Could be better.” Jake glared at Jason’s back.

“Agreed,” Xander said as they reached the sixth floor.

When they entered Reza’s suite, Xander gestured to one of the doors off the main room. “I’ll go get the computer. Keep an eye on him, will ya?”

“Of course.” Jake reached for the gun tucked beneath his shirt and held it tight, but kept his arm hanging loose at his side. He didn’t think Jason would make a move, but as the guy was a scumbag criminal, there were no guarantees of good behavior.

“How is she?” Jason sank on the couch and pressed his palms to his thighs. “As feisty in bed as I remember?”

Jason was just trying to rattle him, and Jake had to try to stay calm. They needed the son of a bitch, after all. For now.

“Shut your fucking mouth,” Jake bit out—that was about as close to calm as he’d get.

“You don’t even have the balls to try and come at me, do ya? I read your file earlier today. You’ve lost your mind, so it seems.” Jason tapped at the side of his skull.

Jake wondered what information MI6 was keeping on him and why the hell they would let Jason look at it. Of course, Jason’s skill as a hacker gave him access to whatever he desired.

“Do you even remember how to shoot that thing?” Jason tipped his chin up, his eyes on Jake’s Glock.

Jake raised the weapon in front of him, extending his arm and cocking his head. His breathing was more controlled than it should be for someone who couldn’t actually remember having ever shot a man.

“What’s wrong?” Xander asked.

Jake glanced up as Xander entered the room, laptop in his hand. “Nothing,” Jake finally said while lowering the weapon.

“We don’t have much time.” Xander handed the laptop to Jason.

Jake crossed the room and went to the window, which had a view of his hotel across the way. He rubbed the butt of the gun against his forehead.

This situation seemed eerily familiar.

A black curtain of darkness appeared behind his eyes as memories tugged at the corners of his mind. He resisted, gritting down on his teeth and keeping his eyes open as he took in shallow breaths. He narrowed his focus to the street down below.

It wasn’t the time or the place for a memory hangover.

Jake must have been standing in a daze for longer than he realized. Before he had fully recovered, Jason’s voice sounded behind him: “I’m done.”

It was the first time Jason had said anything that gave Jake a sense of relief.

“You’re sure Reza won’t detect—”

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing,” Jason interrupted.

Jake turned to face the two men. Xander’s back was stiff as he glared at Jason.

“Sure . . .” Xander drawled and started to reach for the laptop, but his hand went to his ear as his brows pulled tight together. “Say that again.”

Jake took a step closer to Xander. Worry crawled across Xander’s face.

“Shit.” Xander pulled his sidearm from his holster and extended his arm. “Did you help them?” He aimed his gun at Jason, and Jake followed suit, even though he had no idea what the hell was going on.

“What are you talking about?” Jason rose from behind the desk and lifted his hands, palms up.

Xander came around to the side of the desk and jerked his chin up. His arm moved like lightning, bringing the gun closer to Jason’s temple. “You know what I’m talking about.” Xander’s jaw locked tight as his gaze narrowed.

Jake stepped to Xander’s side and pointed his gun at Jason as well. If Xander was upset, clearly he had a reason to be. And if his anger was directed toward Jason, Jake was more than willing to get on board.

“Shit, mate. I don’t have a bloody clue what you’re talking about. You guys brought me here. I did what you asked, now back the hell off.” Jason took a step back and pivoted to face Xander full-on. The gun was no longer at his temple, but right in the center of his forehead.

Xander was absolutely still for a moment, but before Xander could make another move, the lights flickered off, and the room was swept by darkness.

“Fuck. You there?” Xander cursed under his breath. “We lost comms.”

Jake tried to adjust to the dark room, which was lit only by lights from the streetlamps outside and the soft glow coming from the windows of the hotel across the street.

“Now I know you did this.” Xander surged toward Jason, pushing him back until he was against the wall.

Jake focused his eyes on the two figures, and moved to press his forearm against Jason’s throat. He cocked his gun and found Jason’s cheek—pressing the nozzle there.

“Are you working with Anarchy, dammit? Did they get to you somehow?” Xander asked.

“How the hell would that be possible? Drop your guns,” Jason pleaded.

Instead, Jake shifted his gun to Jason’s mouth. He’d ram it down the man’s throat if he had to.

“Shit!” Xander yelled. “Get down.” A pin-sized red light speared the room and landed just over Jake’s shoulder on the wall.

Jake dropped to the floor, dragging the son of a bitch, Jason, down with him as a bullet shattered the glass and tore at the wall.

Jason was cowered next to Jake with his hands over his head. The big guy wasn’t as tough without a computer in his hands.

“We need to get out of here,” Xander said.

But Jake couldn’t move.

“Jake!” Xander shouted. “Come on, man.”

Jake’s eyes shut—he was unable to do a damn thing.

Memories surrounded him. All he knew were the blinding moments of his past.

“Semper Fi! Ooh Rah, brother.”

Enemy fire.

IEDs.

Quantico.

Tombstones.

. . . Alexa.

Loud, screeching noises grated against his skull as the gun slipped from his hand. He pressed his hands to his temples, trying to work through the memories that drilled from one side of his skull to the other.

“We’ve got to move,” Xander urged, but Jake could barely hear him. “Fuck. We’ve got company,” Xander whispered as Jake opened his eyes at the sound of a gunshot.