Diavolos grabbed her as they heard the sound of gunfire in the hallway. He dragged her through a door and out into the night. She shivered in the cold and her hands and feet were still bound, so he was just dragging her behind him before he stopped and cursed.

Tossing her over his shoulder, he lifted his free arm to his mouth, speaking into his watch. “Southwest helipad. Now.”

It started raining, a cold, hard rain that hurt her neck and shoulders as he moved through the night.

“Just let me go,” Ella said. “You can escape. I’ll distract them.”

He didn’t answer her, simply kept moving across the yard, and Ella squirmed, trying to throw him off balance, but he just punched her in the side. She moaned and saw stars.

She knew if she got on that chopper she was going back into a world that she’d never be able to escape from again. She pitched her body around and he punched her again in the same spot and this time she blacked out a little bit.

“Keep still,” he ordered.

He kept moving at a quick pace, and she tried to pay attention to where they were going, knowing that if she was going to get away from him, she’d need an idea of where to go.

She saw men moving behind them, shadowy figures, and she wanted to believe it was Linc or his team but she had given up hope of that. The amount of gunfire that had been going off in the house as they left, she didn’t know how anyone could survive.

She shifted again and remembered the weapon that Linc had insisted she take with her. But how the hell was she supposed to get it out while her hands were bound? She started trying to free her hands again, gritting her teeth against the pain in her wrists as she did so.

She was dumped on the ground, landing hard on her hip and then rolling to her side. They were in a copse of trees and she saw a small lighted helipad a few yards away.

“Cut her feet free, Winston. I don’t want to have to carry her again,” Reece ordered.

His men were all armed with automatic weapons and wore some kind of dark camouflage that made them hard to see in the dark night. The wind and rain picked up and Ella shivered as she sat on the ground. Honestly, she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.

One of his men—Winston, she guessed—the one who’d originally tied her up, came over and cut the cords on her feet. She started to kick him, but he held her ankle to the ground and subtly shook his head.

She took a deep breath as feeling started rushing back into her numb feet. The pins and needles sensation hurt and she almost cried out, but kept silent. “Can you free my hands too?”

“No,” he said, reaching around her to check the knots on her binding, but she felt them loosen before he stood up and turned back to Reece.

He’d helped her? She carefully moved her numb fingers. The knot loosened a little more and she was able to slip her wrists free of the binding.

She didn’t say anything, just kept her head down. She was in a lot of pain from the repeated punches that Reece had delivered, so she knew that she wasn’t going to be able to run very far or fast. But maybe she’d be able to disappear into the trees and bushes that were behind her.

She kept her arms behind her back, not wanting to give away that she was free. The men were talking, but she wasn’t paying any attention to them. Just scooting back, trying to get far enough away so she could lose herself in the wooded area. The ground against her backside was cold and wet.

She kept pushing herself backward until she felt the branches of one of the bushes against her back and then she scooted even farther into them. She felt the scrapes on her arms and legs as she moved, but didn’t care. She was finally hidden for a few moments.

She knew that she wouldn’t have long to get her weapon out of the small wallet it was hiding in and then…she’d just have to shoot him.

Ella heard someone moving in the bushes behind her, had started to scream when she felt a hand on her shoulder and then one over her mouth. She turned her head to see Linc crouched beside her.

Ella wrapped her arms around Linc, hugging him to her for just a quick minute. Tears burned the back of her eyes and she knew she should let him go and fight Reece and his men, but she needed to hold him.

“I’m so glad to see you.”

She’d thought she was going to die out here, either from Diavolos’s bullet or from the cold, and yet here he was.

He was dressed all in black and the look on his face was lethal. She’d seen him in many different roles—as the heir to Garrison Manufacturing, as Cockram the street thug, and now as a highly trained special forces operative. She was starting to realize that, in a way, all of the personas were the real man.

She needed to let him know about the helicopter and the fact that one of Diavolos’s men had loosened her bindings before Diavolos noticed she was missing.

Linc rubbed his finger carefully over her lips. She shivered and realized how much she’d needed to see him again.

“I thought you were dead,” she whispered, then wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she buried her face against his neck.

“I’m not,” he said, rubbing his hands down her back, and she flinched as his touch brushed over her side.

“What happened?”

“I’ll tell you later. First, there’s a chopper coming and one of Diavolos’s men helped me, sort of,” she said.

“We’re ready for the chopper,” he said, rubbing his hand lightly over her cut lip, then he pulled her to him and gently kissed her. A warm feeling that she could only describe as safety went through her. “And that man is on our team..”

“He’s the one who took me,” she said.

“He had to keep up appearances,” Linc said.

The fear that had been a stone in her gut was gone now. With Linc by her side, she felt like he’d keep her safe from Diavolos.

“Is the rest of your team close by?” she asked, keeping her tone to a whisper. She needed to know what was going on. Would she need her gun?

She lifted her skirt and took it from the leather holder, but Linc put his hand over hers.

“You don’t have to use it. I’ll take Diavolos from here,” he said. “You’ve already had to do more tonight than we ever asked of you.”

“As long as he doesn’t get away, it will all be worth it,” she said, swallowing hard.

Linc pulled her back into his arms. “I’m going to keep you safe.”

“I know,” she said, believing it now. There were parts of him that she was never going to be able to understand, but she did know that Linc’s word was his bond. No matter what he looked like on the outside, he was hers on the inside.

* * *

Linc drew his weapon and eased out of the bushes. He’d had a lot of training over the years, and he’d always been able to shut out the rest of the world while he was on a mission, but knowing that Ella was hiding in the bushes made the stakes higher.

He still hadn’t recovered from watching her run out of the house while he was lying on the floor trying to regain his strength. All of his life he’d protected others, but he hadn’t been able to save her.

But that ended now.

Something whooshed past his head, and he heard the swishing sound of a bullet fired from a weapon with a silencer on it. They had a sniper. It was a good guess that Ella wasn’t safe hiding in the bushes.

“They’ve got a sniper,” Linc said.

“Direction?” Mick asked.

“Southwest,” Linc said.

“Three on it,” Cory said.

“See if you can distract him while we find their sniper and Four gets into place for his shot,” Mick said.

Linc straightened from his crouch and walked out into the open. Bracing his gun hand, holding his weapon in front of him, ready to fire.

“Reece Hammond?” he called. “We’ve got you dead to rights, there’s no escaping this time.”

“We’ll see, Lincoln Garrison. I know a lot about you now. I bet you enjoyed feeling superior to everyone else with your secret identity,” Reece said.

“Not so secret. Many people knew I was special ops, it’s just that I like a good time, so most don’t take me seriously,” Linc said. He’d figured his identity had been blown after the information his father had given him. This was simply confirmation.

“Find the girl, Winston,” Reece said. “She’s got to be near him.”

Winston was really Cade, so Linc felt safe enough letting him search for Ella.

“Four is moving into position to take him out,” Mick said via the earpiece. “Keep him talking.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Linc said, firing a shot at the ground in front of Winston and the other man stopped, waiting.

“I gave you an order,” Reece said.

Cade moved off toward the bushes in the wrong direction, and Linc stayed where he was, standing between Reece and Ella, prepared to use his body as a shield.

Reece didn’t hesitate for a moment when he saw Linc standing there, he brought his gun up and aimed it at Linc. Reece narrowed his eyes and fired, hitting Linc in the center of his chest.

He wore a bulletproof vest, but the impact knocked him backward as he heard the chopper coming. Ella yelled from the bushes, distracting Reece and giving Linc the opening he needed. Aiming for the other man’s gun arm, he hit him in the shoulder, making him drop his weapon.

Linc moved quickly to Reece. Leading with his left foot, he stepped diagonally toward Reece, keeping his shooting arm directly in front of him. He grabbed Reece’s wrist with his left hand, bringing his weapon up toward Reece’s face.

Reece brought his left hand up in a punch that knocked Linc’s head back. He held tight to Reece’s wrist, the other man hit him again, pivoting on his left foot and breaking Linc’s grip on his arm. Damn, the man was a better fighter than Linc had anticipated.

“Get out of the way so I can take a shot,” Frank said in Linc’s earpiece.

“I’m trying,” Linc said.

“Trying what?”

“To kick your ass,” Linc said.

“Nice try,” Reece said, bringing up his weapon. Linc was in point blank range. He took two steps back, bringing his handgun up.

“This looks like stalemate to me,” Reece said.

Linc went in low, kicking the weapon out of Reece’s reach. Reece scrambled for it, palmed his gun and rolled to his feet, bringing his weapon up.

Linc fired, aiming for Reece’s head. Reece fired at the same instant; and Linc turned sideways to present as small a target as possible and felt the bullet enter the fleshy part of his upper arm. His own shot grazed Reece’s temple.

“Take him out,” Mick said in Linc’s ear, but they all hesitated as the door to the chopper opened and a big, burly man stepped out of the helicopter with a woman in his arms. The woman was Ella’s height and build, and had long black hair that was worn in a braid. Her hands were bound behind her back and the man had a gun held to her temple.

Ella screamed and he heard the rage and fear in her tone. This time it wasn’t for distraction.

“Let her go!” Ella said, running past Linc toward her sister. She had her gun drawn, and Linc tried to grab her, but she was too quick for him.

“Take out the man holding Bri,” Linc ordered.

All of their concentration was on the chopper and Bri and the man holding her. Linc turned toward Reece, slamming the older man to the ground before he could go after Ella, who was running toward her sister.

“Keep her out of my shot,” Frank said in Linc’s earpiece.

Reece was down, so Linc turned and dove for Ella, grabbing her around her waist and rolling so that his body took the impact of the fall.

He heard the whiz of a bullet over his head as the man holding Bri was shot between the eyes and fell to the ground. Bri ran away from the collapsed man, in the opposite direction of Ella.

One of Reece’s men had him up and over his shoulder, running for the chopper. Linc fired again, hitting the man carrying Reece in the back.He stumbled but managed to toss Reece through the open chopper door. Cade ran toward the helicopter and got in right as it took off.

Linc looked around for Ella and saw her running after her sister.

Linc finally understood why it had been so important that he protect Ella. He loved her, and that wasn’t something that he did easily, but she was the woman he wanted to protect and keep safe for all of his days.

* * *

The rain was falling heavier now than earlier, and she was bruised and battered, her clothes torn, and she knew she looked a mess, but she didn’t let that stop her.

“Bri,” she yelled. “Bri, it’s me, Ella! You’re safe.”

Her sister finally slowed and turned to face her. It had been so many years since she’d seen her in person that Ella started to cry. This night had stolen the last of her defenses and she was ready to collapse, but she was so happy to see her sister.

They both started moving toward each other at the same time, and Ella was vaguely aware of Linc behind her, watching over her and keeping her and Bri safe. She knew Mick and the rest of Ares Team were there somewhere too.

She caught her close and held her tightly. She’d missed Bri. Tears were running down her face, and Bri didn’t say anything out loud but their eyes met and suddenly she knew that going back into hell was worth it. She’d faced her fears and her demons and she’d thought she was doing it just for Bri. So that Bri would never have to face Diavolos again. But she knew now that she’d had a more selfish reason. She’d been half alive without her twin in her life. She’d needed this.

And she’d needed Linc too, even though she didn’t know it at the time. The chameleon who could change his looks with ease, but whose heart was solid and steady.

“He got away, didn’t he?” Bri asked.

“Yes. But there’s no place for him to hide now. And you and are I going to be in a safe house until he’s arrested,” Ella said. She couldn’t lie to Bri. “There’s a man I want you to meet. He protected me while I was on this mission, and he’ll keep us both safe.”

Bri hesitated, but Ella kept her arm wrapped securely around her sister. She felt the tremor that went through Bri and knew that this journey wasn’t over yet.

“Linc, this is my sister, Bri,” Ella said, and she held her hand out to him. He pulled her close to his side and Bri came with her. “Bri, this is Linc.”

Linc untied Bri’s hands and then stepped back.

“Linc. You know, I sensed there was someone,” she said. Bri had always been more sensitive to her emotions that Ella had been to her sister’s.

“He’s the one who helped me through. He had to choose between going after Diavolos and saving me,” Ella said, still unable to believe that Linc had made that choice so easily. He was the only person to put her first in living memory. Even Bri expected Ella to take care of her. Ella was used to be strong, so she was still trying to allow Linc’s actions to sink in.

“I couldn’t let you die,” Linc said. Their eyes met and she knew that it hadn’t been chance that had brought him into her life, but fate. They’d needed each other to get out of the purgatory they’d been living in since they’d escaped Diavolos’s lair the first time.

Together they’d make sure he was captured and sent to prison for a very long time.

“I’m glad you saved her. She thinks she’s the only who can protect the world,” Bri said. “But she needs someone to watch over her.”

“I’m going to do that. I’m going to watch over both of you,” Linc promised.

“I don’t—”

“Bri, I am not leaving you again. We split up because there was a bigger risk of being caught if we were together, but now he’s been outed. He can’t come after us, he’s on the run.”

“What do you mean outed?” Bri asked.

“We’ve confirmed that Reece Hammond is Diavolos. And Grimaldi Global is using all of their resources to apprehend him,” Linc said.

“Let’s get you two out of the rain and cleaned up,” Linc said. He had taken off his button-down shirt and draped it over Ella’s shoulders. He lifted her into his arms, carrying her carefully over the ground, with Bri walking next to her.

Her sister wouldn’t let go of her hand as they walked into the house. She saw Kaylee and Mick waiting for her, and Antoine—Cory—as well. Everyone looked as if they had lived through hell, which she knew they had.

“We need a medic,” Linc said, setting Ella down on a fluffy couch in the main living room.

“We have one on the way,” Mick said.

Linc moved off to talk to Mick and Cory, but she noticed all three men kept their eyes on the entrances to the room, and she knew they were ready for trouble. Bri hadn’t let go of her hand and settled on the floor cross-legged next to Ella.

Kaylee came over to her. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea it was going to get this rough.”

“It’s okay. I knew it wouldn’t be simple,” Ella said, smiling at her friend. “Kaylee, this is Bri.”

The two women smiled at each other, but both of them were used to keeping others at arm’s length, so Ella knew it would take time for them to become friends. “Are you able to track his chopper?”

“We are.”

“How did they find Bri?”

Kaylee shook her head. “I think someone leaked the location. I know that the director believes there’s a mole in Grimaldi. But we don’t know who it is. Mick is sure it wasn’t his team, since none of the guys knew Bri’s location.”

“Who did?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll find out,” Kaylee said.

Ella knew that they would. Linc came back over to them. “Once the medic checks you out, I’m taking you both out of here.”

“Where to?” Bri asked. “I really don’t like being here.”

Ella sat up and hugged her sister with one arm. “We’ll find a place where you can be safe.”