Wicked and Kat walked into the small barracks that Hollywood had shared with Scarecrow. Crow was waiting for them.

“How long has he been gone?”

“Only about fifteen minutes. The time it took me to go to the head, get back, and call you.”

“They don’t have much of a head start,” Brandon said as he came through the door. Kat had called him the moment they hung up with Scarecrow.

“If only we knew who took him and where they were going,” Kat said. She looked as worried as Wicked had felt when Blue had gone missing. They were such a tight-knit group, and even though Hollywood was a knucklehead, he was their knucklehead. They were going to pull out all the stops to get him back alive.

“I think I can help you with that.” Scarecrow handed her something folded into quarters. “It must have gotten dislodged during the fight.”

Wicked looked over her shoulder as she unfolded it. He swore softly. It was a flyer, and on it was a picture of Hollywood. In the box, underneath his name, was a bounty on his head. It was a substantial amount of money, and any greedy bastard would have tried to cash in on it. Kat looked stricken and then pissed.

“Son of a bitch!” she growled. “Eze has him. How the hell did he know we were even in the country? He couldn’t have possibly known unless he was tipped off. Did someone here recognize him? Any personnel missing?”

“The translator,” Ruckus said entering the room with the rest of the team in tow and Dozer bringing up the rear.

“We cleared that son of a bitch,” Brandon said. “Definitely not an Eze follower, but with that kind of cash, he was swayed.”

“Apparently, you weren’t paying him enough,” Dozer said, deadpan.

“Dragon, Tank, recon.”

The two men left without a word, Tank holding tight to Bronte’s lead.

Scarecrow said, “The translator? LT, Hollywood has like fifty pounds on that guy, not to mention he’s a trained operative. This guy kidnapped him?”

“Yeah, I’m wrestling with that one, too. Although a weapon in anyone’s hands can be very persuasive.”

“True, but this place is trashed. Hollywood fought with someone, and if he can’t take that guy, I’ll eat my mag.”

Ruckus nodded. “Someone else helped.”

“Bingo,” Wicked said.

Kat turned to Ruckus. “This is dire. We have to find that lab and Rafiq immediately.”

“If we have a bargaining chip, it will outweigh his hatred of Hollywood? Is that your thinking?”

“Yes. He went to a lot of trouble and expense. Our only course of action right now is to find Rafiq and the triggers. They will outweigh whatever he has against Hollywood. His cause means more to him than anything. Do you have any more information about what kind of grudge he has against Hollywood?”

Cowboy stepped forward. “I just got his file downloaded.” He handed his laptop to Ruckus, who started to scan the after action report, or AAR, regarding Hollywood’s insertion and subsequent heroism in Mobutu.

Ruckus groaned, then handed the laptop back to Cowboy. “He killed Eze’s brother, Sage, during that attack. There’s a note on the file that command was keeping an eye on where Hollywood was sent, worried about repercussions against him. Eze was just biding his time, but he had people watching.”

“How did he get cleared for this op?” Scarecrow asked.

“He was briefed on the plane, and he refused to stand down. He’s an operator. That’s what he does.” Ruckus said, then turned to Kat. “You try to find Rafiq and the lab. Keep us posted.” He pulled out his phone. “We’ll try to see if we can find Eze’s compound.”

“LT,” Tank’s voice came over the comm. “We found the translator. He’s dead about a mile outside of the compound. Back of the head.”

“Copy,” Ruckus said and relayed the information to Brandon. His mouth thinned, and he nodded.

“We have some experience in getting intel out of reluctant people,” Wicked said, looking over at Scarecrow, remembering what they had done for Blue. The glint in his teammate’s eyes told him there would be no quarter, just like there had been zero mercy for the people interrogated to find Blue.

Kat took a deep breath and started pacing. “Eze is a monster. He will mock and taunt us. We need to have everything in place before he makes contact.”

“How do you know he’ll get in touch with us?” Wicked asked.

That stark look was back in her eyes, and her face paled. “He’s an egomaniac. I put together the package on him. I know him. It’s just a matter of time. His profile tells me he will let us stew, make us feel like failures. He’ll make us watch him execute Hollywood. I guarantee it.”

Tension tightened Wicked’s jaw. “There won’t be anywhere that bastard can hide.” He didn’t have to look around to know that every one of his brothers had the same set faces, the lethal, determined eyes, and the fear for Hollywood’s life in their guts.

“Hoo-yah!” came the reply, then the team went into action. Kat started out of the barracks.

Dozer said, “I’ll work on my contacts. Keep you posted.” He pulled out his cell and started pressing.

“Go with her, Wicked,” Ruckus said. “She still has a target on her back. Watch your six.”

“Copy,” Wicked said, following her out.

Brandon rushed past Wicked and grabbed Kat’s arm. “Where are you going?”

“To TOC to get the address of the field office here. We need local assets for this. They will have them and can help.”

“I’m not sure that’s feasible.”

Wicked’s attention jerked to Brandon. Was he saying the CIA wouldn’t help find Rafiq? Leaving Hollywood out to dry like they did Amanda?

Kat put her hand in the middle of Wicked’s chest before he could move or speak. “Let me handle this,” she said softly.

Damn if he didn’t like that tone, and he could get used to her touching him every damn minute of every day. He trusted her with his life. He didn’t trust Brandon as far as he could throw him. His hands itched to mess him up, but Kat would get much further than his fists could. Logic would dictate letting her, but even with the anger banked, he wanted to punch Brandon anyway.

“Once again, you’re ignoring the major question here, Michael. How did they know we were here? How did they know about Hollywood? Because we missed something and hired a guy who could be bought. It’s apparent that Eze has a bone to pick with Hollywood. They put a bounty on his head!”

Brandon didn’t bat an eyelash. “I’m not sure what we can do.”

Kat stepped into Brandon’s space. This was already bordering on insubordination, but Kat could handle her own self. “Who’s in charge of the office here?”

“Kat, you can’t go stirring up a situation that’s already volatile. You need to play by the rules just like your old man.”

“You’re bringing my father into this? Yeah, let’s do that.” She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing. “Do you know who my father’s best friend in the agency is?”

Brandon’s mouth compressed into a hard line. “I was his protégé, Kat. I knew everything about him.”

“Then you know who Tom Sharpton is.”

“I know who he is, but I’m the senior officer right now. He will defer to my expertise.”

“In not doing everything to save a Navy SEAL? How do you think the big boys at the Pentagon are going to feel about that?”

“The world is a hard place, Kat. Going rogue isn’t good for your resume.”

“Are you telling me to stand down, Michael? Because if you are, you’d better be prepared to do more than write me up. We have been burned and burned bad. We have one of our operators in a terrorist’s control. We need to get aggressive here.” Her shoulders tight, her gaze didn’t waver from Brandon’s, and the man…he was intimidated. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. Kat might be fired up, but she was as cool as a glacier. “You have two choices. Get me what I want and let me take the heat or explain to Tom how you hired an asset who turned on us. That won’t look good on your resume.” Her eyes bore into Brandon’s, and he blinked. “The name and address. So, help me God, I will get it myself and I won’t care whose toes I step on.”

“The name and address, Brandon,” Wicked said through gritted teeth. “Because if you don’t, and Ruckus finds out you’re blocking us from getting Hollywood out of there, he isn’t going to be very happy. The response from the Pentagon won’t be favorable.”

He sighed. “All right, Kat. This is on you.” He stepped back and pulled out his phone, making a call. He talked for several seconds.

Kat’s phone beeped, and she pulled it out of her back pocket. “Neil Shannon and the address. He’s at the embassy.” She pocketed her phone as Brandon turned away. “He’s expecting you,” Brandon said caustically.

“My dad spoke highly of you, Michael, and I’m wondering whatever happened to that man.”

Brandon hesitated, but didn’t turn back around. His silence followed him all the way into the building.

They commandeered an SUV, and Kat never even said a word to him. She went directly to the driver’s seat and climbed in. Damn if he didn’t like the way this woman worked. There was no mistaking her beauty whether she used it to her advantage or not. She had the face of an angel with red silky hair, except when seen from the muzzle end of a sniper rifle or her H&K. “Angel” wasn’t the word that came to mind in those situations, especially with the slim tactical knife sheathed in her boot. He knew she could breach a door like a SEAL, using a shotgun like a pro. But she was being hunted by one of her own. As a member of a SEAL team, he had no idea how that might feel.

At this point, he doubted she was worried about that right now. All her energy, the kind that could power a city, was focused on the road in front of her. They were on a deadline with the emphasis on dead. If they didn’t get leverage against Eze, Hollywood would…die.

He was damned and determined that he wouldn’t watch that happen.

“You’re sure about Eze, Kat?”

She was rigid, her hands tight on the wheel. “Damn sure,” she said, her voice brittle as broken glass.

He reached over and rubbed her shoulder. “Ease up, babe. We’ll get this done.”

Her chest expanded, and she looked like hell. She seemed on the verge of something awful.

“Kat,” he said softly. “What’s going on up there?”

Normally, she would have nailed him with some sharp, witty comeback, but she just drove, a self-condemning look in her eyes. She blinked rapidly and shook her head. “It’s not happening up there…it’s happening right here.” She tapped her chest. “I wish I didn’t like him so much. It would be so much easier to focus on the facts instead of panicking over the logistics. If we make a wrong move—” She swore, shifted harder than was necessary, then had to brake so quickly it threw them both forward. A herd of gazelle came out of a copse of trees, prancing across the road in an elegant flow that was almost surreal.

“Are you thinking this is all your fault?” he asked.

She jammed the stick into park, the engine rumbling. She got out of the vehicle, then she covered her face with her hands and simply fell apart. Feeling as if he had inadvertently broadsided her somehow, Wicked got out, readjusting the handgun at the small of his back. He was just about to grab her when Kat stuck out her arm, as if blocking him. “Don’t,” she said. “Don’t be kind, Wicked. I might have to kick your ass.”

It’s exactly what Kat would say, and it stopped him in his tracks, not sure what in hell he should do. He’d had emotions zipping around him, trapped in his chest, heavy on his mind and thick between the two of them for several days. He was in complete overload. He had never felt so out of his depth in his whole life. He’d rather be doing something, anything other than dealing with a breakdown, not because he didn’t want to comfort her, but because he was so damn clumsy about it.

“How the hell should I act? We don’t have time for this. We don’t have time for ourselves. I’m done with walking on eggshells. Fucking get back in the car and let’s get this done.”

She visibly pulled herself together and roughly dried her face on the sleeve of her shirt. Then squaring her shoulders, she lifted her chin, daring him to say anything more.

As the herd thinned out, a few stragglers following, three lionesses burst into action out of nowhere, cutting off one of the gazelles and running it right into an ambush, two more lionesses lying in wait. Their coats blended perfectly with the vegetation. It was over in just under a minute, a clean, well-executed, well-coordinated effort.

He pointed at them dragging the animal away. “You see that? We’re the lionesses. We’re a team, and that’s going to be the outcome for Eze.” This woman was running on sheer grit and not a whole lot else, and he wasn’t going to stand around and watch her lose it. He was going to make some critical decisions here, whether she liked it or not.

Making sure his expression was a whole lot calmer than he felt, he pointed toward the SUV. She stiffened, and she changed before his eyes, attitude in every line of her body, angle of her face, and deep in her devastating eyes.

He fixed her with a steady stare, their clashes legendary.

She gave him a sour look, but she started toward the vehicle. She turned to say something, but he held up his hand, giving her a warning look. “Plant that butt in the driver’s seat.”

He leaned forward, determined as he fixed his gaze on hers.

She tried to generate some indignation, her chin coming up. Then she took another look at the lionesses, and her eyes hardened. She got into the vehicle, and Wicked went around and settled in the passenger seat.

“Let’s go rescue Hollywood.”

After a moment, she said, “I would have gotten it together, Rion.”

Wicked laced his hands tightly together to keep from touching her. She was fighting her little fight, and he respected her for that. And he knew it just wasn’t in her to go down without a struggle. He wasn’t the enemy here. “I know that. I just gave you a little nudge.”

She glanced at him, a hollow look in her eyes, then she took a deep breath, as if fortifying herself. “You’re tired of walking on eggshells, huh?” she said, the cant to her chin and light in her eyes speaking to her usual stubbornness.

Knowing exactly where she was going, Wicked decided it was time for him to draw his own line in the sand. His gaze fixed on her, he leaned back and folded his arms. “Yeah, I’m too damn big and ornery. I only use ninja skills when I have to. I much prefer brute force with no damn emotion involved.”

His response obviously caught her by surprise. Kat gave a huff of uneven laughter and shook her head. “Ah, God, you are so sexy when you’re being straightforward and pushy.” Her voice dropped an octave. “I know what you’re doing. Riling me up could be dangerous.”

A twitch of amusement surfacing, he watched her, not giving her an inch. “We both know I’m too damn sexy for my uniform, and I know you, babe, now inside and out. All I want is compliance.”

She gave him a heated, dirty look. “You know where you can stuff your compliance, Cross.”

He grinned as his senses went on alert when he saw the city in the distance. He said, “We’re in this together. It doesn’t matter if we’re working in different branches of the government, we’re united in this mission and saving Hollywood. That’s all that matters now. No blaming, no taking the blame. Just doing the jobs that need to be done. Are we in agreement?”

Clearly struggling with a whole bunch of emotions, she nodded. “I’ll show you, Rion, how good an operative I am. Hollywood isn’t going to die at Eze’s hands, not while I’m still breathing, no matter what it takes.”

“Hoo-yah,” he yelled.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re one hell of a grumpy bastard?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I believe that was you.”

She chuckled and slowed as they hit city traffic. Navigating the streets like a pro cab driver, she pulled up to the embassy.

She showed her credentials, and when asked why she was there, she told him it was classified.

“I see, ma’am. Who are you visiting?”

“Neil Shannon. He’s expecting us.”

He handed her back her identification. “I see you on the list. Open the gate,” the guard said.

She drove through and parked, and Wicked tossed his weapon into the glove box.

Once in front of Shannon, Kat explained what had happened and why they were there. Her request made his brows arch.

“I understand your dilemma, but you have to understand. We have a tenuous relationship with this government,” Shannon said. “Eze’s been up their butts causing trouble left and right. He has a lot of pull, and his followers are growing.”

Kat looked deceptively accepting. Wicked knew what was churning behind her mask of calm and collected. “I don’t care if they’re in bed with him. I need the intel. I have a scientist and lab to find.”

He rose from his desk as if their conversation was over. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Kat stood and stepped into his space. “You’ll do better than that. You’ll get me the names of the assets who can help us, and you’ll do it now.”

He stiffened, apparently not liking Kat’s forcefulness. “I handle the situation in this country, not you. I said I’ll see what I can do.”

She stepped closer, got into his face. Wicked rose, a heavy, hard presence behind her. “If I make waves with the next guy over your head, that’s not going to be good for you or for me. I don’t give a flying damn about your diplomatic mission. I’m here to stop something bigger that will impact many lives. A Navy SEAL’s life depends on what we do in the next hour, so save both of our careers and get me the names of the assets who can help me track down a covert lab.”

He stared at her for several seconds. “Give me a moment.”

He left the office, and she took a breath. Wicked stepped up close behind her. “I’m glad I’m on your good side.”

“Who says you are?”

He stifled a laugh as Shannon came back in the office. He handed her a piece of paper. “You’re not making friends, Ms. Harrington.”

“I’m not here to make friends, Mr. Shannon. I’m here to kick down doors, and I have big boots.”

He glanced at Wicked and nodded. “I can see that. Good luck with your mission and getting your man out.”

Eze’s Hidden Compound

Somewhere in the Bush

Hollywood woke up, his mouth feeling like cotton wool. He tried to move, but he was on his stomach, his hands flex cuffed behind his back, his ankles as well. At least Borkov had the decency to dress him.

He turned his head to discover that he was in a small room with nothing but a wooden table and two chairs. The floor was tile and cold against his exposed skin. He rolled over, tucked his hands under his butt, and pulled his legs through the hole. Propping his back against the wall, he made an abrupt move and broke the flex cuffs with barely an effort. Loose, he rubbed his wrists and fixed the botched button job Borkov had done on his shirt.

With a kick and a snap, he broke his ankle binding. He had no boots, but bare feet wouldn’t stop him from escaping.

He went to stand, the drug in his system making him woozy, and he lost his balance, grabbing onto the chair to get fully upright.

The door opened, and he faced it, his fist clenching on the back of the chair when Vyncent Eze walked through. Borkov followed and went to the back of the room, keeping Hollywood in his gun sight the whole time.

“Mr. Lock. It’s been some time since we met on the battlefield.”

Hollywood didn’t say a word.

“Ah, I see your training is kicking in. Have a seat.”

When Hollywood didn’t move, Borkov gestured with the weapon, keeping his distance. Hollywood sat down.

“What do you want, Eze?”

“To avenge my brother’s death, of course. I’ll need the name of your bald friend. Both of you are responsible. But more so, to make an example of you and the West’s interference in our affairs.” He slid a piece of paper across the table.

Hollywood glanced down at it and sneered. “I’m not reading that, not denouncing my country, and I’m sure as hell not going to further your agenda, Eze.” Hollywood picked up the paper, crumpled it, and threw it in Eze’s face. “I won’t ever give up a brother. You can go fuck yourself!”

A guard came into the room and hit Hollywood with the butt of his rifle, knocking him out of his chair and cleaning his clock.

Reeling, unable to focus, Hollywood tried to rise, but the guard put his boot in his chest. Eze rose, crouched, and grabbed Hollywood’s chin, forced his mouth open and shoved the paper inside while the guard held his hands. Slamming his mouth closed so hard Hollywood’s teeth hurt, he said, “You’re going to die for my cause. That will be your last act on this earth. You will give me his name and learn everything you’ve done was in vain. I get what I want two times over. Pray to whatever god you hold dear. You’ll soon be seeing him.”

Hollywood spit the wad of paper out of his mouth right into Eze’s face again.

“Save us all time, you fucker. Kill me now. I’m never going to read that crap!”

“All in good time,” Eze said, wiping his face on his sleeve. “All in good time.”

It was Eze’s boot to Hollywood’s face that put him out.