EMILY WAITED FOR MUSTAFA TO LEAVE. She sat and sipped her water for a good fifteen minutes, her mind boiling with all she’d learned. Had she really just promised him half a million dollars for information?

She had, and Ian was going to kill her. But, dammit, the thought of Linda Cooper and her unborn child suffering at the hands of the Freedom Force was just too much to bear. Ian had an arsenal of expensive equipment, he never lacked for money or supplies, and for once he was working with the US government on this particular op.

So, yeah, he could get the money. He had to get the money.

But could Mustafa deliver? Was he merely jerking her around, or was he really going to find out where the hostages were being held?

Then again, maybe he’d known all along and he’d been waiting for just such a moment—her desperation to know where the hostages were. Had she played into his hands? Had she promised him the moon when she could have gotten away with less?

Emily took a deep breath and finished her water. Then she stood and wove her way between tables. Once outside, she started the long walk back to the compound. She scanned her surroundings, looking for anything out of place. There was nothing but people going about their daily tasks. Women with baskets of groceries, children playing in the dusty street, vendors with market stalls selling everything from vegetables to touristy gadgets. Not that Acamar had many tourists these days, but the excavation of the Lost City had brought hope they would have more—until the kidnapping.

It was always a shame when certain radical elements ruined opportunities for everyone. If the Freedom Force was spilling out into Acamar, that could be a sign they were regaining strength. It could also be a sign of discontent in the organization.

Speaking of which—a woman in charge? That was practically unheard of, or would have been just a few months ago. None of the women she’d known while she lived in Qu’rim had struck her as having even a remote chance of taking over the organization.

It was definitely a puzzle and one she couldn’t wait to share with Ian and the HOT operatives. This was what being out here was all about. Making a difference. Being useful to her country.

Emily didn’t see any sign of her bodyguard detachment, but she knew they were there, following along like the wake to her ship. Sweat rolled down the inside of her abaya and her heart pounded. She wanted to get back to the compound, but she had to stop for a minute. She walked in the shade of the buildings as much as possible, but the dust and heat were stifling nevertheless.

She pulled up and leaned back against a mud-brick building, wishing she could pull the abaya off and get more air. People passed her by without pause. Her mouth was as dry as the sand beneath her feet, and she wished she had more water.

Oddly enough, she also had to pee from all the water she’d drunk at the café. She stood there for several minutes, breathing evenly and cooling down, before she pushed away from the wall, determined to continue. The minute she was back at Ian’s place, she could take this abaya off and stand in front of a fan with a bottle of cold water in her hand.

She just had to get that far. But her head swam and she stumbled as she felt suddenly light-headed. She reached out and caught herself on the hood of a car parked on the street.

Dammit. What the fuck was this?

Hands settled on her shoulders. She started to scream, but the hands turned her in time to see blue eyes staring back at her.

“Ryan, you have to let me go,” she choked out. “Someone could see us.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” he growled. “You’re sick.”

Before she could stop him, he swept her into his arms and strode down the street. She protested feebly, but he wasn’t letting her go, so she tucked her head into his chest and clung to him. In truth, it felt nice to be moving down the street without having to do the work herself.

Soon they reached Ian’s compound and Ryan passed into the interior courtyard. He still didn’t put her down. Emily kicked her legs, though her stomach boiled when she did so.

“Put me down, Ry. We’re here.”

“Like fuck.” He turned his head and barked at someone. “She needs medical attention. Now.”

Emily clutched his tunic in her fists. “No, I’m fine. Just hot. Makes me light-headed.”

This was not the triumphant return she’d been envisioning. But Ryan didn’t stop, and he didn’t put her down. He carried her up the stairs and then stopped in the darkened hallway.

“Which one’s yours?”

“How do you know I have a room up here? I could be in one of the other buildings.”

He snorted. “You’re here. Now tell me which one before I start kicking in doors.”

Emily steamed. “Second on the left.”

Ryan strode over and opened the door, then he carried her inside and laid her on the bed. She promptly sprang upright, intending to shove him out the door, but her stomach rebelled and she went down again.

“Goddamn it, Emily, why are you fighting? You’ve got a virus or something, and you need to be still.”

“I don’t need you here to do it.” She ripped at the abaya until he came over and caught the edge, lifting it up and over her head.

He dropped it on a chair and continued to loom over her. It was nothing like the night he’d loomed over her in his apartment, all sexy and naked and hard.

“I have to pee,” she said, trying to shove the thought of a hard Ryan from her mind.

“Need help getting there?”

“No.” She stood, more carefully this time, and made her way down the hall to the bathroom. She knew Ryan was standing in her open door and watching to make sure she didn’t disappear in the other direction.

She would if she didn’t have to pee—and if she didn’t feel like hell.

When she opened the door again, he was still standing there watching her. She made her way slowly back to her room, then sat in the chair in front of the fan. There was air-conditioning, but she also kept a fan for when the AC just didn’t get the job done.

Boots clomped on the stairs, and then Jared appeared in the door along with Ian.

“What happened?” Ian asked, and Ryan sneered at him.

“You sent her out there when she’s sick. What do you think happened?”

Ian growled. “I wasn’t talking to you, fuckwad.”

Emily’s heart thumped. Jared ripped open his medical kit and pulled out a blood pressure cuff.

“I got light-headed again. I’ll be fine after I sit here for a bit. And I could use some water. Someone want to get it for me?”

Ryan didn’t move. Neither did Ian. Jared looked up from where he had the cuff around her arm. He pressed the stethoscope to her veins and lifted an eyebrow.

“Well, I can’t get it,” he grumbled.

Ian swore before whirling and disappearing down the stairs. Then he was back with two bottles of water. Emily took one and twisted off the cap before drinking gratefully. God, that felt good.

“Pressure’s up,” Jared said, “but that’s not surprising. Tell me what’s been going on, Emily. Don’t leave anything out.”

Emily glared at Ryan and Ian. “I don’t need an audience for this.”

Jared turned to look at them both. “True. Why don’t you two give us some privacy?”

Ryan’s jaw tightened. Ian shrugged.

“I’ll go,” Ryan said, “but I’ll be right outside.”

“It’s none of your business, Ryan. Just go away.”

He looked militant. “Not happening, sweetheart.” Then he stalked out of the room, and she knew he’d taken up residence in the hall.

Ian started to follow Ryan. “Let me know what’s up, Jared.”

He left the room and closed the door behind him. Emily let out the breath she’d been holding.

“Wow,” Jared said.

“Yeah, wow.”

“Anytime you’re ready.”

She began to recite her symptoms while Jared listened. He nodded and frowned a bit. When she finished, he only stared at her.

“Emily, when was your last period?”

Her cheeks flamed. “I can’t be pregnant,” she hissed. “It’s impossible.”

“Doesn’t sound impossible. Have you had sex in the past three months?”

“Yes.” She shook her head. “But I’ve been tested. When I was married. The doctor said I’d never get pregnant.”

“Doctors aren’t perfect. I think, before we go any further, you need to take a pregnancy test. We can eliminate it as a cause.”

Eliminate it as a cause. She didn’t know why those words made her panic, but they did. “I’m just hot. And tired.”

Jared’s expression was patient. “That may be, but your symptoms are consistent with the first trimester of pregnancy.”

She appreciated that he kept his voice low, but frustration hammered at her. She shoved her hand through her hair. Her scalp was still damp, but she was feeling much better now that she had water and a fan.

Emily lowered her head and stared at her lap for a long moment. She couldn’t deny that a tiny part of her wanted to believe it was possible. But submitting to a pregnancy test, getting her hopes up—though being terrified too because she wasn’t really ready for a baby in her life—and then being let down when the doctor’s diagnosis was confirmed? Soul crushing.

She’d been there before, so to go through it again? To be told, again, she couldn’t do the most basic thing a woman’s body was designed to do? It was almost too much. But yes, she had to do it. If there was even the slightest chance, she needed to know. No matter how painful it was to submit to something that would call up all her old feelings of failure and inadequacy.

“Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

Jared reached into his bag for a cup. “If you can get me some urine, I’ll test it for HCG.”

Emily snatched the cup and stood. She’d just gone, but she’d drunk enough water that she could definitely go again.

“Sorry, Em,” Jared said.

“It’s okay. Best to get it out of the way and find out what’s really wrong, right?”