Tuesday. Military Headquarters Nouakchott, Mauritania.

“This is live?” Zeina leaned toward the screen. Thousands of people were on the march from the refugee camps to the palace. They swept past PPM blockades like the tide wiping away footprints in the sand.

“Yes. We’re operating on backup generators, directing what we can to key areas while keeping the palace cut off.” Papis crossed his arms over his chest.

“They’ll take care of Samba without you having to lift a finger.” She hadn’t anticipated this.

“And turn on us next? No.” Papis shook his head. “We need to get to the palace before the people do. Give them something to believe in instead of hate.”

Zeina wasn’t as sure about Papis’ plans. When that mob reached the city center and joined with those already amassed around the gates, it would take more than one person to calm them down. The military had abandoned the city. The general population had no reason to adore their savior general and every reason to hate Samba for throwing them into this state of unrest.

Her play for a coup was a failure in all but one way.

The people would take the city, there would be chaos for a while before a leader emerged to put things to rights. And all the while, the Davis mines would continue to produce quietly in the background.

It was time to abandon her play for legal rights and take what she wanted. When the dust settled, and she ran the mines, if she had enough leverage, she could keep them.

Which meant it all came down to Jackie Davis. Again.

Zeina was beginning to hate the woman’s name.

“Samba has members of parliament in custody who would be on your side. I can get them out before the mob gets there.” She gestured to a man waving the Mauritanian flag. “They’re upset because the one leader they got to elect is gone. Give them their parliament and they’ll be happy again.”

Papis frowned, his moustache practically quivering.

He’d waited, biding his time, so he could look like a savior and instead had wasted the opportunity.

No one was going to come out of this situation with what they wanted. Except Zeina.

“I could get you in through—”

“I don’t need anything from you except to know you’ll uphold your end of the bargain.”

Papis straightened, his glare icy cold.

“Fine,” he said.

“Good.” She turned on her heel and strode out of the door. Her mercenary captain waited for her in the hall. “You still have your bird?”

“Ready and waiting, ma’am.”

“I need it to take me to the palace as soon as possible. And someone should tell Samba I’m coming back for a visit, so if he would be so kind as to not shoot us out of the sky, I’d appreciate that.”

Zeina could get in, get the girl and be gone before the mob swarmed the capital. The rest of her mercenaries would either make it out alive, or die in the press of people. She doubted the general populace would be too welcoming to the same men who’d blocked their streets and caused general chaos for weeks.

If her captain was to be trusted, the helicopter could get them to the closest gold mine. From there she could take it by force and leave the Davis companies no recourse to regain control.

Tuesday. Streets of Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Duke pulled the cord on the generator again.

Nothing happened.

Without power, they couldn’t project the president’s video. Without the video, they’d aimed an angry mob at the palace with no direction or orders.

“Why isn’t this working?” He bent to examine the generator.

It had fuel. It was in working order. What the hell was the problem?

“Please let it work,” he muttered and pulled the cord again.

The engine sputtered to life, rumbling at a steady pace.

“Play it!”

The aid who’d accompanied him hit the button and an image three-stories tall of the president cleared his throat against the backdrop of one of downtown’s tallest buildings. His voice echoed through hundreds of speakers they’d plugged into. He’d have to thank Samba for that one. Without his tip, calling for the surrender of Jackie, they would have been limited to the speakers they’d brought with them. Now the whole city would hear the message of freedom.

“Stay here.” Duke strode toward the stairs.

His men were down there. With any luck, they’d be some of the first through the PPM lines and into the palace. He’d like to take Samba Hamadi and Zeina Razqa alive so they could face their fate, but more than anything he needed to protect the Americans. After being terrorized by mercenaries, the people of Mauritania weren’t going to see anyone with pale skin as a friend.

Tuesday. Presidential Palace Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Felix pressed the bundle of fabric to Isaac’s thigh. The wound was still bleeding though it was more sluggish. Felix didn’t want to say it, but he feared the femoral artery had been nicked and Isaac would slowly bleed to death unless he got surgery and a transfusion soon. They needed Jackie’s friends or Kyle or someone to come through for them soon.

Shane was in somewhat better shape though not by much.

Adam glanced at Felix, his gaze grim.

They could lose both men today.

Jackie paced the cell. She’d taken turns speaking to the others, the political prisoners, but nothing seemed to bring her anxiety down.

How much longer could they hold out?

“Shit like this makes you think about what you’d do differently,” Adam said. It was perhaps the longest sentence Felix had ever heard him utter that wasn’t work related.

“Tell me about it.” He peered at Isaac’s face. There was no witty quip, no sarcastic remark. He was out cold. And there was nothing Felix could do about it.

“Hey, Felix?”

“Yeah?” He felt for a pulse. It was still strong if a little slow.

“If only one of us makes it out alive—”

“Don’t even talk about that,” Felix said.

“Tell Heidi I’m sorry?”

“Heidi? That’s the wife I didn’t know you had?” Felix had all kinds of questions.

“She’s not really my wife.”

“Was there a ceremony and a piece of paper?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Sounds to me like you’re married and you should tell her you’re sorry yourself.” Felix had one woman to sort out, he didn’t need the burden of whatever the hell Adam had going on with his wife.

“She won’t talk to me. Hasn’t in years.”

“What the hell is wrong with you? Why haven’t you apologized already?”

“It’s...complicated.”

“I’m getting the picture. How long you guys been married?”

“Thirteen years?”

“Thirteen? What the fuck? I’ve known you for two years and you’ve never mentioned your wife.”

“Haven’t seen her since the wedding.”

“Okay, we’re all getting out of this, then you’re going to have to start at the beginning of this story.”

“What story?” Jackie strolled closer and peered at Isaac. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s out.” Felix hated saying those words, but there was no denying they were into bad territory.

“Shit. Where are they?” Jackie turned toward the cell doors.

“Any idea when your friend is coming back?” Felix asked.

“No.”

“I don’t want to say this, but if they aren’t here soon—”

“Don’t.” Jackie shook her head.

“Jacqueline Davis,” a woman called out.

Felix’s first instinct was to grab Jackie and push her behind him, but he couldn’t take his hands off Isaac.

“Get behind me,” Felix said.

Instead, Jackie stood directly in front of him.

The cell door clanged open and some familiar faces in all black stepped in, guns up. The politicians skittered backwards, out of the way, clearing the path for the woman Felix was growing to hate.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jackie demanded.

“Get her.” Zeina flicked her fingers at Jackie.

“No! Jackie—”

Adam stepped in front of her where Felix couldn’t. Not that it did them a lot of good. Two uniformed men moved in, one brandishing a Taser of all things.

“Stop.” Jackie grabbed Adam’s arm. “I don’t want anyone else hurt because of me.”

“If you go with her, people are still going to get hurt, Jackie.” What Felix wouldn’t give to have his hands free.

The closest uniformed man grabbed Jackie by the arm and hauled her toward the door.

“Jackie!” Felix yelled, his voice echoing in the cave like chamber.

“They’re gone.” Adam crossed to the bars and peered out.

“Right or left?” Felix asked.

“What?”

“Right or left? Did they go right or left?”

“Left...I think.”

Then they were headed into the palace. The crowd outside was too thick to drive through now, which meant Zeina had another plan for escape and exploitation. But what?

“We’ve got to get out of here,” Felix said. “Isaac’s not going to hang on much longer, and we have no idea where they’re taking Jackie.”

“This one’s a bust. We’re going to have to let her go.” Adam stopped next to them, staring down at Isaac’s ashen face.

“Don’t say that,” Felix snarled.

They’d never lost an asset while he’d been with the team, and they wouldn’t start now.

“Look, I know you’ve got feelings for this girl, but look at us.” Adam gestured at Shane, who wasn’t looking so great, and Isaac knocking on death’s door.

“I’m not losing her. Here, hold this.” Felix straightened, leaving Isaac in Adam’s hands.

Felix crossed to the bars and leaned his face against them, the better to see out. He could hear a distant roar, like the call of the ocean. It wasn’t a soothing sound. The bars wouldn’t move and they appeared to be sunk into the ground and ceiling. The walls were at least a foot thick. He crossed to the door and shook it.

This was their only way out.

“Hey? Hey? Anyone out there? Anyone?” He yelled. “If you’re going to help us, now’s the time.”

“Don’t bring them back here,” one of the politicians said in thickly accented English.

Felix clanged the door in the lock, the bars amplifying the sound.

“Sh.” Another man grabbed Felix by the arm and pointed at the stairs.

Felix stilled and stared.

The rustle of fabric.

The hint of a sound.

It was the light that gave the newcomers away.

Three men and one very familiar face headed straight for the door.

“Kyle? What are you doing here?” Felix gaped. Right behind Kyle was another very familiar and out of place face. “Grant?”

“Getting your asses out of here.” Kyle hung back while another man fitted a key in the lock.

The leader of Lepta Team grinned and thumbed over his shoulder at the rest of his five-man team holding the stairs.

“Couldn’t let you guys have all the fun now, could we?”

Felix couldn’t put into words how relieved he was to see Grant and the others.

“Jackie? Is Jackie with you?” Val pushed past the others.

“No, Zeina and her mercs just took her through the hall.” Felix gestured behind them. “We’re losing Isaac.”

“Okay, we’ve got to get out of here. Fast.” Kyle glanced behind them. “Long story short, this civil war is about to get put on its ass by the people, and we don’t want to get caught on this side.”

“The helicopter!” Val pushed past the man with the key and slid into the cell the moment the door was open. “I bet that worthless bitch was going for the helo we saw land.”

“Shit,” Felix muttered.

“Felix, Adam—you two come with me. The rest of these guys can follow with Isaac and Shane. We need that bird.” Kyle passed handguns to both Felix and Adam.

“Good to have you back.” Felix pulled the slide and loaded a bullet.

“Good to be back. You know where we’re going?” Kyle asked.

“Close enough. Come on.” Adam jogged out and pivoted toward the hall. The three of them jogged in a tight formation

They bypassed the first floor and proceeded to the second.

“You hear that?” Kyle asked.

The blast of gunfire sounded from overhead.

“Shit.” Felix took the stairs two and three at a time to the third floor.

The service stair let out onto a landing. The elevator doors stood open, likely pried apart by whoever was unlucky enough to be inside when the power was cut. The mercenaries stood inside, taking what cover they could from a pair of PPM guards standing at the double doors leading to what had to be the roof.

The mercenaries were doing their job, and wouldn’t stop because Felix asked them to nicely. The PPM guards wouldn’t stand down because they needed to get out fast. The one thing Felix knew, without a shadow of a doubt, was that he would get Jackie back. The rest didn’t matter.

He took aim at an unsuspecting mercenary and fired at his outstretched shooting arm. The man pitched backward, gun falling from his grip.

Kyle stepped up beside Felix and fired off another shot before one of the mercenaries called out an order. They flattened themselves against the walls of the elevator, out of sight, but unable to fire on the PPM guards at the stairs.

A bullet whizzed by Felix’s head—and this time he wasn’t wearing a helmet.

He ducked, going to a knee and returned fire.

“We take those two guys out and they go for the chopper.” Kyle stood with the metal door as his shield.

“Yeah, well, what do you want us to do?” Felix slid to the left, then peered behind him at Adam. “Any suggestions?”

“We fire, you go for the stairs. We cut them off.” Adam’s expression was grim.

“Okay, let’s do it.” Felix couldn’t think about things too long. Not with Isaac likely right behind them.

“Wait—what?” Kyle ducked as another bullet went through the glass framed in the door.

“You and Adam take out those two guys on the stairs, keep the mercs busy, I’ll hold the choke point,” Felix said.

“No,” Kyle said.

“On three.” Felix shifted again, further to his left.

“Ready,” Adam said.

“Shit.” Kyle groaned.

“Three,” Felix yelled.

Kyle leaned out from behind the door and fired in quick succession.

Felix charged out, Adam hot on his heels, taking up a better position behind a support column. At least one bullet tore through Felix’s jacket, searing his flesh, but both men holding the stairs were down by the time he reached them. He couldn’t be sure, but he might have caught a glimpse of Jackie.

“Zeina, we’ve got you surrounded,” Kyle called out. “Any minute now, that crowd outside is coming in here. Do you really want to be here when they do?”

Felix stood poised on the stairs, ready to go either way if necessary.

“We can all get out of this alive. Give us Jackie and we can all walk out of this,” Kyle said.

“How about this offer?” Zeina yelled back. “You clear a path, or Jacqueline dies. You get in my way, or I kill Jacqueline. You shoot one more bullet, and I make sure Jacqueline gets one, too?”

Shit.

“You do that, you get rid of your leverage.” Kyle didn’t miss a beat.

“And the Davis company will understand what lengths they push us to,” Zeina replied.

Adam caught Felix’s eye, mouthing, The bird.

The helicopter?

What about it?

Felix took a step back and then another one until he could peer out the security door onto the roof. Sure enough, a helicopter sat idling. One merc lay dead at the base and a second crouched poised inside. Judging by his helmet Felix was willing to bet this was the pilot.

Zeina was going to walk out of that elevator with everything she wanted and Felix would never get the chance to fix things with Jackie. Their team wouldn’t sacrifice Jackie’s life, but Felix could make it near impossible for them to leave. He didn’t like it, but he felt a lot better about their odds if they stuck together.

He aimed at the man crouched in the helicopter—staring right back at him. Felix fired on instinct. The flash of muzzle fire was the only warning Felix had. He threw himself sideways and tumbled down a few stairs.

Feet hit the ground behind him, several men clothed in all black rushed past. One even paused to slam Felix’s head into the concrete so hard he saw light splotches and time slowed.

“Felix!” a woman screamed

He blinked at the concrete. Why did it seem to glitter? What was the purpose?

“Felix!” Kyle yelled.

“I’m good,” he said, his mouth working a little too slow.

Felix pushed up and groped for his gun, but it was gone. Didn’t matter. He’d use his hands if he had to.

“Did you kill the pilot?” Kyle asked.

“I think so.” Felix shook his head and peered out onto the roof.

The mercenaries milled around the bird. They weren’t rushing off and away.

“I’m guessing those were their pilots,” Kyle said.

“Hope so.”

“What are you guys doing?” Val’s voice echoed up after them.

Double shit.

Felix glanced back at her group carrying both Isaac and Shane. They were totally out for the count.

“We need that bird,” Felix said.

Kyle took aim and fired, Adam a moment behind them. They shot to wound, hitting arms, legs, taking the mercenaries out but not killing them.

“Enough!” Zeina turned toward them, Jackie held in front of her, a gun pressed to her temple. “Who flies?”

“That’d be me.” Felix climbed the last stairs and marched toward them.

He didn’t have a fucking clue how to fly a chopper, but if it got him closer to Jackie, he’d take whatever opportunity came his way.

She was down to two able-bodied mercs. The rest were barely standing. With any luck, they were running the numbers on this op and seeing it for the disaster it was.

“You think I’m letting you fly me? Hell no.” Zeina pointed the gun at Felix.

He stopped, hands up.

“No,” Jackie wailed.

She turned in Zeina’s grasp and grabbed the other woman by the hair.

“Jackie—no!”

Jackie swung her fist and hit Zeina in the jaw. The other woman stumbled backward and swung her gun arm up. Felix dove for Jackie, wrapping his arms around her and turned not a moment too soon. The bullet ripped through him—but Jackie was safe.

Kyle and Adam rushed in.

Neither of the mercs even tried to stop them.

Jackie collapsed on the roof, clutching her side. Blood coated her back.

“Ja—Jackie?” He went to a knee, searching for her wound.

She rolled over and blinked at him, her face so beautiful and perfect.

It was the last thing he saw before everything faded to black.