FRIDAY. ABANDONED REFINERY, Huancavelica, Peru.

Adam tapped his fingers on the steering wheel of the truck, never taking his eyes off the old factory. This was a prime example of Mother Nature taking back the terrain from man. The once imposing factory was in a state of disrepair. It was obvious locals had begun dumping large items here from the buildup of garbage. A gravel path was new, marking a few improvements the interlopers had made for their stay, but even that wouldn’t last. Weeds and grass grew despite the attempt to choke them out. How long until the building crumbled and became part of the rough terrain?

“In position,” Riley said, his voice coming through the headset.

That was the last man.

Now all they had to do was wait until nightfall to breech the perimeter, proceed into the building and find Heidi. It sounded simple. These jobs were never so cut and dry. In truth, they were likely to remain hidden for hours, waiting for something to happen. It was best to go in under the cover of night when the darkness would work in their favor.

Adam wanted to be right up on the building where Riley was, but Kyle had pulled rank and told Adam to stick to his primary duty. He’d always been the team’s get-away driver. It wasn’t about to change because they were rescuing his wife.

“Any sign of that truck that left?” Kyle asked, his voice crackling.

“Negative,” Adam replied.

He peered in his rearview mirror, but the plume of dust was long since gone.

These were going to be the longest hours of his life.

Heidi was right there, through a little brick and concrete, but she might as well be across the world. He couldn’t get to her, not right now. He hoped she was okay that whoever had her hadn’t hurt a hair on her head. But he knew Heidi. She wasn’t the sit down, shut up, follow rules kind of girl. That had always driven him nuts. She was determined to do everything in the most difficult fashion.

The first thing he’d do when they got Heidi was hug her. He wanted to bury his face in her hair, then squeeze the life out of her. What was she thinking getting involved with some secret witch hunt? She never did see reason.

He’d thought when he retired and went into the privet sector he might try to look her up. Working with Aegis, he had the resources. Truth was he was scared of what he’d find out. He cared for her, but he also knew that they’d grown into different people with a lot of years between them. Maybe after this they could set the record straight and decide what to do about them.

Legally she was his wife, and yet he hadn’t seen her since the day they signed the marriage license. The girl who’d always been there when he came home vanished into the big beyond. He’d gone after her once, months after they’d gotten hitched, and seen her so happy. Being in her life would change that. Heidi deserved a shot at something better. So he’d done one of the hardest things he’d ever done—and left her alone. It was what she wanted.

“Hey, guys...”

“What is it, Riley?” Adam clamped his lips shut on a sigh.

“East side, windows—see that?”

Adam picked up a set of binoculars from the passenger seat and peered at the line of blacked out windows.

A head and shoulders popped out from under the heavy pane of glass. He would never mistake that shade of deep, auburn red.

Adam’s mouth dried up, and he watched in stunned silence as Heidi dropped out of the window, twisting mid-air. She went down heavy, the dust billowing around her.

“Shit,” Adam muttered.

Heidi scrambled to her feet.

He cranked the engine and slammed his foot on the accelerator. He shifted into gear and the all terrain Jeep lurched forward, its wheels gaining traction on the rocks and sand.

“I’ve got lights at the loading dock. Two guys are running for a hummer,” Grant said.

For a moment, a stand of scraggly trees blocked Adam’s view of Heidi’s escape. The nose of the Jeep dropped along with his stomach as the vehicle crawled down the slick rocks to the valley floor. Once all four tires were on the gravel he punched the accelerator, driving it harder into the factory lot. Heidi came into view, sprinting, her arms pumping, fists clenched tight—headed straight for Kyle’s hiding spot.

Adam had a sick sensation in the pit of his stomach.

She’d never make it. The hummer was too fast.

“I’m going for her. Riley, Grant, stop them if you can,” he said.

Bullets pinged off the hummer. Grant clearly wasn’t waiting to take a tactical shot.

Adam focused on the woman. His first sight of her in years and she was neck deep in trouble. Typical Heidi.

The Jeep ate up the distance between them.

She caught sight of the Jeep and skidded to a stop. He was close enough he could see the whites of her eyes.

Adam jerked the front end of the Jeep around, putting himself between Heidi and the hummer, sending up a wave of gravel. He lifted his weapon aimed out the open side of the vehicle, directly at the oncoming Hummer, and fired.

“I’ve got her,” Kyle yelled.

The Jeep rocked under the weight of two bodies landing in it.

“No! Get off of me,” she wailed.

“We’re here to rescue you.” Kyle grunted. “Fuck.”

“Heidi.” Adam said her name, the sound of it slicing through everything. How long was it since he’d spoken that sweet word out loud?

She was there. She wasn’t safe, none of them were, but at least now they could focus on getting away instead of getting to her.

Adam emptied the last of his Glock into the Hummer’s radiator.

“Go, go, go,” Kyle barked.

“What the fuck? Adam?” Heidi’s shrill voice was music to his ears.

Adam shifted again and accelerated, shooting backward, past the Hummer.

Riley and Grant sprinted for the Jeep.

They were damn lucky she’d made a break for it when she did.

Adam stomped on the brakes. The Jeep skidded backward a good ten feet, then lurched as two more bodies vaulted in the back.

“We’re in,” Grant called out.

“We really kicked the hornet’s nest,” Riley yelled.

Adam shifted into drive and the Jeep shot forward, spitting gravel and dust in its wake.

“You ready, Riley?” Kyle called out.

“Get over the damn bridge.”

Adam spared a glance in the rearview mirror at Heidi. Grant and Kyle had her sandwiched between them, protecting her with their bodies but her eyes were locked on him.

Bullets made a trail behind them as yet more vehicles peeled out in pursuit.

Adam had a sizeable lead.

He cranked the wheel, and the Jeep drifted in a large arc before finally straightening out and getting a grip on the old, partially paved road that marked where the lane in and out of the factory used to be. Ahead, trees encroached on the road and in some places had broken up the pavement so as to force them down to one lane.

“How close is the bridge?” Kyle called out.

“Almost there.” Riley crouched in the bed of the Jeep, the detonator in hand.

Adam stared at the ancient bridge ahead of them. There was no way they’d get out of this without a chase unless they did it Riley’s way.

They passed over the bridge in the blink of an eye.

“Now, Riley,” Kyle yelled.

“Get down,” Grant barked, leaning over the top of Heidi.

Adam hunched in his seat and kept his gaze on the road ahead of them.

Riley squeezed the hand held device and his whole body jolted.

For the span of a single moment, nothing happened.

The boom came first, followed by the concussion wave which caused the road to shudder and the Jeep lurch forward. A tall plume of dust rose up behind them.

“Suck on that.” Riley howled and pumped his fist.

Adam glanced from the guys to the too-pale face of Heidi staring straight at him in the mirror.

After years of wanting to be in the same time zone as her and failing, he didn’t have the foggiest idea what to say to her.

I love you?

I miss you?

How could you?

I hate you?

The things Adam and Heidi had to say to each other needed time and privacy.

FRIDAY. HUANCAVELICA, Peru.

“Everything going okay?”

Léo glanced at his assistant and driver, Crane. Between the two of them, they kept this ship running. It was a leaky boat after the on-going India disaster, but Léo could fix it. He had to, for the boss.

“Don’t mind me.” Crane splayed his hands on the wheel and directed his gaze at the road ahead of them.

“Sorry, these last few months have been exhausting.” There weren’t many people Léo could be real with, but Crane had been Léo’s man since they’d grown the operation from a two person gig to what it was now. If he couldn’t trust Crane, he couldn’t trust anyone.

“You have to believe in the boss,” Crane said.

Léo resisted the urge to cringe. He did believe, but he knew more than the others that the boss’ will was not always driven by the best intentions. What had happened to Léo, saving him like that, was the work of an angel. But the boss didn’t have the same kind of clarity anymore.

“I do believe,” Léo said softly. His belief didn’t change the fact that the boss’ obsessions had nearly caused an outbreak the likes of which could not be contained or cleaned up. And for what? To free a woman who did not want to be free?

The boss was slipping and Léo had to hold things together.

“Hey Crane? Do me a favor?” Léo was feeling the strain of the boss’ mistake, the multiple labs, the stacked jobs, handling the business and boss’ side projects. He needed what help he could get.

“Hm?”

“If you hear anything, let me know?” Léo had known Crane long enough he hoped he didn’t need to expound on what type of chatter he wanted to hear.

“Something on your mind?” Crane didn’t miss a beat.

“I don’t know. What have you heard?”

“About India? Same thing as you.” Crane glanced in the rearview mirror. “Those French mercs that got away talked.”

“Our people took care of them.”

“And died in the process. I’m not blaming you, but cost of business has gotten steeper. Not everyone working here believes in the boss. A lot of them believe in money. Results. Things were better when it was just us.”

Didn’t Léo know that?

He missed the days when the people who came to work with him were fanatical about the boss to the point of worship. Now, half their employees preferred the almighty dollar.

Léo turned to stare out the window. He had a growing, unsteady feeling rooted in the upcoming East Coast job. He still knew nothing about it. The boss had decided to oversee that one without Léo’s help. That concerned him. The boss was good, their whole enterprise was built on the foundation of what he’d begun doing, but the truth was that the boss sometimes lost sight of the big picture. Of course Léo couldn’t have that talk with the boss because it would be a distraction. The boss needed everything perfect or no forward motion would happen. Léo couldn’t manage the job which meant anything could go wrong, and then where would they be?

After the Siberia gig everything took off. Léo hated the idea of so many labs and locations to manage. He couldn’t be in South America, the US and India all at once. The boss had told him to not worry that the growth was good for them.

That was Léo’s problem. He didn’t care about the business. It was a means to an end. What he cared about was the same thing he’d always put stock in—the boss. Ever since the day when a doctor in a lab coat told Léo he could save him from his abusive parents, Léo had believed whole heartedly in the boss. The boss needed this business, so Léo would do what was needed to keep it going, no matter what. Even if it cost him his soul. For what they did, he knew he was damned. It didn’t matter. So long as he served the boss.

“Just so we’re clear?” Crane glanced over his shoulder. “There’s a lot of us who believe in the boss. A few setbacks aren’t going to scare us away. The rest? They don’t belong here.”

Léo nodded.

Did people like Crane know who—and what—they were pledging their lives to? Did they understand?

Léo had been the first recruit. There’d been others before him, but Léo was the first one the boss had truly worked with. The boss had put a toe outside his routine. Léo liked to think it was because he reminded the boss of himself, but that was too much flattery. The boss didn’t care about him that much and believing otherwise was folly. No, the boss’ goals and plans were his own. Léo would remain by his side no matter what. If the others understood him, Léo wasn’t sure they’d have the same kind of faith.

His phone began to vibrate. The head of security’s name for the South American lab flashed across the screen.

He’d just fucking left.

What the hell kind of emergency did they have now?

He sucked down a breath and prayed it wasn’t anything like India.

“Yes?” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The pressure was building, his head throbbing, thanks to the impending storm and all the plates he was juggling after the India disaster. He wasn’t that old, and yet after having most of the bones in his body broken they ached whenever the pressure changed.

“The woman, she got away,” the man on the other end of the line said.

“She—what?” Léo sat up and twisted in his seat, as though he could see the factory behind them.

“She got out through a window. A Jeep was waiting to pick her up. It wasn’t any of our people. What would you have us do?”

“How the hell could you let her get away?”

Heidi Novak was the boss’ latest obsession. Without her work could not progress, the boss wouldn’t eat or sleep until they’d converted that woman to their case. Then there was the uncomfortable fact that they needed her. After the India lab went sideways, they were short on manpower. The boss was not going to like losing his latest pet, especially after his last one had tried biting the hand that kept it alive.

“She got away while shift was changing.”

“Did she take anything with her?” Léo had to think fast. Just because she was gone didn’t mean they’d lost her. They could still recover her.

“No, nothing.”

Léo doubted that. Heidi Novak was annoyingly resourceful. He’d bet money that she’d thought to leave with something in her possession.

“Pack everything, get out of there, and torch the place. Call me when you’re mobile.” Léo hung up, muttering curses under his breath. If they hadn’t just lost the India lab, he might not be this paranoid. But the truth was they were walking a tightrope of disaster between their lost manpower and the upcoming jobs, they couldn’t afford another fuck up. He was already worried about their clients. They needed to nail down details, target sites, windows of opportunity—and the clients were radio silent.

His boss would not be pleased with this development.

Instinct said to turn around and oversee the move himself, but he couldn’t keep micromanaging everything. That was the point the boss had driven home during their last, long visit.

Léo leaned back and sucked down a deep breath.

He needed to think. To relax a little.

The Peru lab was blown. Nothing he could do would fix that. The best thing for him right now was to see the Buenos Aires job through to the end. A well executed plan would go a long way in helping reestablish their credibility on the black market. Léo had to be there personally to select the contamination zone, vectors and ensure it was done properly. He couldn’t trust the others to do it.

The South American team could manage moving the equipment. It wasn’t the first time they’d done this. Outside of the American lab, these were their most dedicated people. He could trust them.

“We’re going to need some extra back-up in Argentina,” Léo said.

“I can call Julie. I know she’s available,” Crane replied.

Fuck.

Julie was on Léo’s short list of least favorite people. She’d drank the boss’ kool-aid to the point she’d become a fanatic which made her hard to work with. Still, she was damn good with a gun at any distance and loyal to the boss, which was what Léo needed right now.

“Fine. Have her meet us there,” he said.

He scrolled down through his contacts to his boss’ number. He could wait awhile and see if the security team found Heidi. No, it was best to keep the boss abreast of every development.

He jabbed the call button and waited.

“What is it, son?”

“Good afternoon—”

“Son, I’m busy. If this is a social call—”

“I’m afraid the Peru lab has been compromised, and the virologist is gone.”

“I know. I heard. It’s unfortunate.”

“You heard?” Léo swallowed, not sure what he was most shocked about, how well the boss was taking this, or that someone in the lab was running to the boss over Léo’s head.

“Yes, I know a team was sent after her. It couldn’t be helped. If I’d tried to stop them or warn you, it would expose me. We’re in a delicate situation here. Moving the lab is an annoyance, but it was time. I’ll handle the virologist. You stay focused on work.”

“Yes—”

The line clicked, going dead.

He peered at the screen and grit his teeth. This was how all conversations went lately. Short, cut off and abbreviated. Léo knew it was because they were all under a great deal of stress, but if he couldn’t talk to the boss he couldn’t help.

“Everything okay, sir?” Crane asked.

“Yes.” Léo placed his hand on the cooler next to him. “Everything is going according to plan.”

The boss always had a plan in place. It’d been years since those plans had failed, but Léo recalled a few close scrapes that had almost ended both of them. The others would know nothing about that period or the boss’ history, but Léo did. He knew every sordid detail from the very beginning. It still didn’t change the cardinal rule:

Always trust the boss.

FRIDAY. CHINCHA ALTA, Peru.

Adam turned the Jeep into the hotel they’d booked into earlier in the day. Cindy and John had been left alone out of necessity. With such a small team they didn’t have the manpower to leave a guy behind to act as a body guard. Adam pulled into a parking spot and killed the engine. He turned and his gaze snagged on the top of Heidi’s head. Her hair was still fascinating, the way it glistened with so many shades of red. The last time he saw her it wasn’t quite this dark There’d been more red.

Heidi glanced sideways at him, then snapped her head back into place. She hadn’t spoken a word to him since they’d scooped her up. Almost an hour in the Jeep and she still couldn’t look at him. That did not bode well for the future.

“Adam, get Heidi inside. We’re going to swap the Jeep out for a different vehicle, then meet in your room to figure out our next step. Good?” Kyle asked.

He was trying to throw Adam a bone. A few moments alone with Heidi before they switched into problem solving mode. He wasn’t convinced that was a great idea right now.

Adam got out and circled the vehicle to the passenger’s side. He opened the door, and Heidi slid out, wavering a bit on her feet. The other guys didn’t offer further comment.

What did he say to a woman he hadn’t seen in almost ten years?

Heidi glanced up at him, but their gazes never met.

“Where, to?” Her voice was a little tight, the pitch too high.

It’d been a long time since he heard that tone, and it had never been directed at him. Hearing it now cut him. What did she think he’d do to her?

Then again, maybe she was nervous about being alone with him as he was her. He’d take nerves over fear.

“This way,” he said.

Adam took the lead, setting his sights on the royal blue structure slightly apart from the rest of the hotel. Typically Aegis Group booked a private residence for security reasons. Given that they hadn’t known where they were going once they touched down in Lima, they’d been taking what they could get when it came to accommodations.

Kyle and Riley loaded back into the Jeep while Grant headed for the hotel, probably to touch base with Cindy and John now that they were back. They still didn’t have a grasp on what was going on and the open Jeep wasn’t good for conversation.

Adam unlocked the suite and entered first. He scanned the room, but nothing was out of place, not even the crumpled napkins left on the coffee table. He shut and locked the door behind Heidi. They couldn’t be too careful. Though they’d prevented anyone from following them, whoever these people were could still locate them.

Heidi walked a couple steps into the room and stopped, shifting her weight to her left foot, hands down by her side. She still favored boots and cargo pants with enough pockets to hold all her odds and ends. Purses tied up her hands. She’d never been one to carry anything she didn’t have to, even when they’d dressed up for a proper date. That was what his pockets had been for. He wouldn’t even begin to count the number of times he’d accidentally washed her lip gloss in his pocket.

Heidi turned to face him. That wrinkle in her brow was back, the one she got when she was particularly frustrated.

“Nothing? Not a word?” She planted her hands on her hips, ready for a fight.

Adam’s shoulders slumped, and he wondered yet again where things had gone wrong. All this time apart and the first thing she wanted to do was fight with him. She’d always been prickly. He assumed it was a byproduct of having been picked on for so long. She wanted to draw blood before someone hurt her, but it’d been different between them. Or so he’d thought.

He picked up the bracelet they’d left on the kitchen counter and held it out to her.

“Tracking device, in case anything happens. Wear this and we’ll be able to find you.”

“You aren’t speaking to me? Is that it?” She snatched the bracelet from his fingers.

“What do you want me to say?” he asked.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Her voice softened, and she shoved a hand through her hair.

“Saving you. That’s what you meant to happen, isn’t it?”

She glanced away and didn’t answer that question.

Bingo.

Heidi didn’t want to speak or have anything to do with him, but he was supposed to be there when she needed him. During the time since his boss had spilled the news to him and now, Adam had a lot of time to think about why Heidi would have kept him as her emergency contact. It made sense once he’d set their complicated past aside.

He was her safety net. Her insurance. She knew that, no matter their history, he’d pull her ass out of trouble.They’d been best friends before they dated. He knew her pretty damn well, and one thing Heidi had always figured out was how to take care of herself. She was a product of her parent’s negligence, but she’d thrived. Because she was brilliant and amazing when she wanted to be, but this was cruel. Through all of their on-again-off-again days, there’d never been any malicious intent.

This had nothing to do with them and everything to do about her being irresponsible and jumping into danger.

“When did you change?” He’d blinked and missed the evolution of the girl he grew up with to this woman he didn’t know.

“I’m not the one who changed.” She lifted her chin and stared back at him. There was hurt shining back from the depths of her eyes.

He’d hurt her? How? When? She’d been gone when he came home. No note, no number or address, just gone. How was it he was the one who’d hurt her?

A rhythmic knock at the door broke the moment.

Heidi turned away from him and walked to the sliding glass doors.

It was going to take a lot longer than a few minutes for them to work through their problems.

“Don’t open those,” he said. If she needed to get away from him, he could leave. She had to stay safe and out of sight.

Adam checked the peephole as a formality.

Grant, Cindy and John waited outside. The things Adam and Heidi had to say to each other would have to wait until later. They’d already waited years, what was another hour or two?

He opened the door, and the others filed in.

“Kyle called to say they’re picking up dinner and will be back in a few minutes,” Grant said.

“Heidi—you’re okay?” Cindy stopped just inside the door and gaped at the other woman.

“Thank God.” John rushed over to Heidi and looped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a brief squeeze.

Adam bit his tongue. Heidi winced, no doubt feeling the fall from earlier. He glanced away and swallowed down the surge of jealousy. It wasn’t John, specifically. The old guy was probably closer in age to their parents. What rubbed at Adam was that Heidi accepted this man’s comfort when she could barely speak to her own husband.

All these years he’d honored his vow to his wife, and now he was wondering why? Why keep up the farce that they were anything to each other? He’d just saved her life and she couldn’t talk to him.

Adam opened the door and stepped out onto the stoop. He breathed in a deep breath and listened to kids splashing in the nearby pool. Someone not that far away was grilling something, and music played on a stereo.

The job was more or less done. He could escort Heidi home and turn her over to be someone else’s problem, with any luck.

An SUV pulled into the small parking lot and Riley climbed out, bags of food in hand.

“What are you doing out here?” Riley strolled toward him.

Adam tapped on the door and pushed it open, choosing to not answer the question.

The smell of food reminded Adam that he hadn’t eaten since the early morning hours when they’d struck off to check out the old refinery on the off chance the rumors they’d heard were the tip they were looking for. He couldn’t eat right now, not with the way his nerves were wound so tight.

Kyle followed slower, juggling food and his phone. Adam crossed the lot to lend a hand, which earned him a stare from Kyle.

“Guess it didn’t go well?” he asked.

Adam shrugged.

He’d come here to rescue Heidi. Now that she was safe, they could go their separate ways again. All this time, he’d harbored ideas what being reunited with her might be like. He’d never imagined this.