Ben chucked a phone at Jake the second he opened the door to let him in. “Look at it.”

Alexa rushed to Jake’s side, pressing down on his forearm so she could have a look. On the screen was a Facebook live video of three men with their hands tied and their mouths taped. And they weren’t strangers.

Xander.

Seth.

Randall.

There was no sound. And no one else.

All three agents appeared to have been roughed around, with bruises and small cuts showing on their faces. But there were no gaping wounds and nothing in their posture that would indicate they were in any great pain.

They were staring directly into the camera, an image that would haunt Jake for the rest of his life.

But they didn’t look defeated. No—these men had known what they had signed up for when they made an oath to their countries. This possibility had always been forefront in their minds.

Xander’s alive . . . “What the hell is going on?” Alexa’s skin blanched, and her hand covered her heart, pressing against the thin material of her white blouse.

“Give it a second.” Ben raked a hand through his dark, unruly hair.

Then the scrolling text appeared at the bottom of the screen.

“Jesus.” Alexa turned away from the screen, her hands going into prayer position in front of her lips.

“Did this son of a bitch really hashtag his terrorist attack?” Ben reached into his pocket for another phone. “Shit. It’s already trending.”

“This is what he wanted—global attention.” Alexa’s head dropped forward.

“Yeah. It looks like Bekas is sharing the case file of the drone strike against his family.” Jake handed Alexa the phone as images flashed across the screen. He watched over her shoulder as photos from the drone strike appeared briefly then drifted away.

They were classified documents.

There was a picture of his wife and daughters before the strike . . . and then after.

Alexa pressed the phone back into Jake’s hand and hurried to the computer. “They’re still alive, though,” she said stubbornly.

“The Anarchy bastards are going to take out a cruise ship,” Jake said to Ben.

“With our damn drone?” Ben’s eyes widened.

“Yeah. The Air Force doesn’t think the Reaper can be hacked, so they aren’t pulling back. They said the air strike is too critical to halt,” Jake answered, disbelief echoing in his words. “But the cruise liner has been notified and it’s heading to the closest port. Of course, the closest port is three hours away.”

“Anarchy is at least ten kilometers south of us,” Alexa told Ben.

“Alexa identified the plane that the Anarchy members used to bring Xander and the others to Italy—then she accessed the video footage outside the airline hangar. Two black SUVs pulled away from the hangar shortly after the plane pulled in. She used traffic camera footage to track them until they reached the outskirts of town,” Jake explained. “We don’t know where they are from that point on, though.”

“Damn, she’s good,” Ben said with a nod.

Jake came up behind Alexa and studied the screen as she switched over to the Facebook profile used to release the live video. “Can you trace it?”

“I’m sure he has it rerouted a half a dozen times, if not more. But I’m on it,” she answered.

“Good. You can give us an updated location while we’re en route.” Ben tapped Jake on the shoulder. “Let’s roll, brother.”

Alexa looked up, her gaze soft and unfocused, and then she stood. “Wait. You’re leaving?” Jake saw her swallow as her eyes flitted back and forth between the two.

“We’ll head south, taking the last road you had them on, and then you can call us,” Ben said in a calm voice as if he were explaining that he was about to go have a beer with the boys, and then he tossed her a phone.

Jake was getting the feeling this was the most intense OP she’d ever been on. And it wasn’t even a regulated mission.

“Only you can tell us where they’ve gone,” Jake reminded her.

Ben lifted his wrist and eyed his watch. “You’ll let us know in ten minutes, okay?” He winked at her. “No pressure.”

But Ben was not as nonchalant as he seemed. Four tours in the Middle East had hardened his heart and given him a live free or die mentality. A couple of Jake’s other buddies had been like that until they had fallen in love. Maybe Ben needed someone to slow him down a little . . .

Jake glanced over at Alexa, wondering if she would be the one to change him. God, how he wanted to leave so much of himself behind. The loneliness. The nights assailed by memories of the desert. If it wasn’t for his friends, Jake didn’t know how he would have survived the punishment of those memories. But his friends understood—Marine to Marine, veteran to veteran.

But Alexa had her own painful past. She’d been the only survivor of a mission, just like Jake had. And she’d been betrayed by a man who was supposed to care for her. Alexa could relate to Jake. She could empathize. And maybe they could help pull out of the darkness together. Together, they could rise into the light.

“Jake?” Ben nudged him in the shoulder with his fist.

Shit. Of all the times to have his head in the clouds. “Yeah?” He blinked and looked at Alexa.

“I should go with you,” she said softly. “I can create a Wi-Fi hotspot and work from inside the van.”

“No.” Jake shook his head and took a step back from her.

“Why? Because I’m a woman?” Her arms folded across her chest.

“Guys, we don’t have time for this.” Ben angled his head toward the door. “I have my number programmed in that phone.”

“Give me a second, will you? I’ll be right out,” Jake said.

Ben sighed but nodded. “Okay.”

Once the door closed behind Ben, Jake pressed his hands to Alexa’s shoulders. He could feel the light trembling of her body. “I have no doubt you can handle yourself. But if we can’t stop them, you should be here. If we can’t contain Bekas, it’s up to you and the Air Force to stop that Reaper.”

Alexa’s lip wedged between her teeth. “And what if there isn’t enough time? They have Jason.” Her shoulders started to arch forward, but he gently pressed them back, needing to see her confident.

She pulled away from him. “No, I need to be on-site. The best way to stop them is the most obvious, isn’t it?”

His lips parted as he studied her, but he didn’t know what to say.

“Once we find Bekas, I think I know how to end this. But I need to be close to him. Within sixty meters close . . .” She swallowed as her gaze lifted to meet his.

Was she crazy? Sixty meters? “I can’t have anything happening to you,” he said with a firm grit to his voice.

He moved back closer to her and her chest lifted with a deep breath. “Tell me what to do, and I can handle it.”

She was shaking her head before he could even finish. “No. If something goes wrong, I might need to adapt. This is too important, Jake.” She closed the gap between them, bringing her hands down over his chest. “We’ve got each other’s backs, okay?”

He closed his eyes as his heart pumped harder.

“Kiss me one more time, Jake.”

“Once more?” He shook his head as his eyes flashed open. “This won’t be the last time, Alexa. That I can promise,” he said roughly. He drew her in close, and his tongue roamed her mouth. Her breasts pressed against him, hard peaks against his taut flesh.

When he stepped away, he kept his hand cupped around the back of her head and the other on her cheek as his lips brushed a kiss along the top of her forehead. “Come on,” he said almost inaudibly, even though everything inside him begged to keep her safe in the hotel room. But he couldn’t—country first, right? That’s what they had to do. They were built like that, dammit.

If Alexa could help protect innocent lives, he had to let her come, and it burned him deep to the core.

“You act like I’ve never done this before.” She turned away and began to gather her equipment.

Jake caught her by the arm, and she bowed her head slightly. “Nothing is going to happen to you, Alexa. You’ll be okay.” He wasn’t sure if he was asking or telling . . . but he needed to say it. To make it real.

“I promise I’ll be okay,” she said so softly that he wasn’t sure he could believe her.

But against his better judgment, he replied, “Okay. Let’s do this.”

He helped her pack the laptop and other gadgets that she said she’d need, and they left the hotel without saying another word. What could they say, after all? They were about to go into enemy territory, and there was no guarantee that they would make it out alive.

Ben was standing in front of a black van when they came outside. His brows pulled together as his head cocked to the side when he saw Alexa.

“So . . .” Ben stepped back and opened the back doors of the van. He reached for her hand and helped her climb into the back.

“Plans changed,” he muttered to Ben and slapped him on the chest, following Alexa inside.

“Hi,” Alexa said.

Steel benches lined the interior walls of the van, each one with a guy sitting down at the end. In the center aisle, AK-47s, M-16s, and pistols were spread like presents beneath a Christmas tree, and Jake watched as Alexa navigated to a bench.

There were also grenades and canisters that were probably filled with tear gas. Thank God for Ben’s friends.

Jake shook the hands of the two new members of their team and sat next to the door as Alexa reached inside her bag for her laptop.

“I’m Jake. This is Agent Ryan,” he said, looking over as Ben closed the door and positioned himself across from Jake. They had Special Forces written all over them. Maybe former Seals, possibly Rangers. Of course, maybe it was just the bulletproof vests, black boots, and all black clothing—accompanied with black face paint—that gave him the impression.

“Tanner,” the one guy said with a nod, his dark brown eyes meeting Jake’s.

“Pat,” the other guy announced.

“Thanks for coming.” Jake looked through the rectangular glass that separated the driver from the ammo.

“This is Tom, and I’m Steve,” the driver said, glancing at Jake in the rearview mirror. Tom turned around in the passenger seat and nodded as the van began to roll away from the curb.

“Appreciate your help,” Jake said as Alexa looked up from her computer screen, her eyes already slightly fogged with the task at hand, and smiled at the crew.

Ben tossed a bulletproof vest to Jake, and another to Alexa.

Jake strapped it on, rolling his shoulders when the compression squeezed his scarred back. It was a painful reminder that they were heading directly to the men who had done this to him.

“You think you got this?” Ben tipped his head back until the base of his skull pressed against the metal interior of the van. His eyes slid to the side, glancing at Alexa.

Alexa’s lower lip quivered as her eyes flicked up to Ben’s. “Yeah.”

“It’s been a while since I was on a mission like this,” Ben said as Alexa began to type again.

“Maybe you ought to change careers if the private security gig out in Vegas isn’t exciting enough for you.”

“It has its moments. Can’t beat living in Sin City.” He flashed him a grin. “Maybe you’re the one ready to slow down, though?” He tipped his chin in Alexa’s direction—and Jake got the message.

Jake scratched at the stubble that was starting to grow back on his jaw. “Since when have you ever known me to do anything at half speed?”

He heard the soft sound of Alexa clearing her throat—discreetly, but he wondered what she was thinking at that moment.

“Oh, come on now. You’re a good ole Southern boy. I bet you’re dying for a slower pace.” Ben was trying to distract him. Maybe he was worried about him. Did he think Jake was getting too old for this? Christ, they were practically the same age.

“And what the hell are you? You grew up in Alabama,” Jake said.

“But I’ve got Vegas blood now.” He laughed as he looked at the weapons at his feet.

“You’re such an ass.” Jake smirked.

“Well, this ass is trying to save yours . . .”

Jake looked back up at his friend. How many times had they saved each other? He was beginning to lose count.

“We’re going to be okay,” Ben said, glancing around the van before his eyes once again found Jake. “All of us.” He raised his hand and curled his fingers into a fist. Jake bumped knuckles like they used to do.

He and Ben had made it out of the desert alive.

Why not now?

* * *

It was like a fist had formed inside her stomach and was steadily punching its way out. There were too many lives on the line. She couldn’t let anyone die.

“This is the best I can do. He’s not exactly using internet dial up. He’s either bouncing off someone else’s connection or using a hot spot, like me. Either way, I can put him about here.” She flipped the computer screen around to show Jake a spot on the map.

“That’ll have to do,” Jake said, and nodded at Ben.

“Hey Boss Man,” Ben hollered up to the driver. He shouted the coordinates. “Keep your eyes peeled for two black SUVs, crazy looking fuckers standing guard outside a house, and whatnot.”

How are you so calm? Alexa studied Ben. Her nerves were pinched so tight that she thought she might be losing oxygen.

“You did it,” Jake said, and then nudged her with the vest, which she still hadn’t put on.

She shook her head. “Just a minute.” She handed her laptop to Ben and reached into her bag.

“Once we find these guys, I need you to call Trent and give him the location.”

Jake’s words had her snapping her head back up.

“And what if he orders Hellfire missiles to take out the place?” It would probably create a major international incident, but who knew what Trent thought was an appropriate countermove?

“He won’t. There are three agents streaming live over the internet right now, and the video has millions of hits already. The world would witness their deaths,” Jake answered.

“Isn’t Bekas planning to kill them on camera anyway? Trent might weigh his options and choose to save the cruise ship.” God, she still couldn’t believe this was happening. Parliament in London, a whole cruise liner filled with people . . . all to kill the family of a general and send the world a message. Oh yeah, and a fecking hashtag. She wanted to pull the trigger and take out Bekas and his men herself.

“Don’t call Trent until we’re inside. That gives us enough time to do what we need to. But I’ll feel better knowing we have back-up in case—”

Her stomach tightened. “In case what?”

“Either way, we’ll need to escort them to the base, right?” Jake countered. “Even if it’s just their bodies.”

“Shit, you’ve got to see this,” Ben said, and the growing swell of nausea that pooled in the pit of her stomach churned. “That’s you, right?”

Alexa took the phone from Ben and stared at the image. It was her security clearance photo from the agency.

Her hand covered her mouth as her body tensed. Her life as an agent was now officially over.

It was the least of her concerns right now, but it was still a knife in the back. The decision to stay or quit had been taken from her. Her whole life’s purpose had disappeared in a puff of smoke.