Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Viktor Dashevsky’s mountain house was ridiculously easy to infiltrate.
Probably because he didn’t expect to spend much time there and hadn’t upgraded the security yet.
There was security, but nothing that would keep out a determined black ops team.
There was an iron gate meant to keep out unwanted visitors, and a camera on the gate to record those who drove up to it as well as perimeter alarms.
But Ghost and his team didn’t turn into the driveway.
They left the big Suburban they’d brought on a side road nearby and went through the woods, disabling any cameras they encountered, until they emerged near the house.
There was an alarm system on the house, but also easy to disarm.
Seth hacked in and silenced it, then unlocked the doors with a keystroke.
On the way over, the team had studied the architectural drawings. They intended to search the lower floors before heading up, but the sound of voices coming from the kitchen area changed the plan.
The big dude in the assault gear put his hands in the air as Blaze jammed the barrel of a rifle in his back. Ackerman, Gannon, and Dashevsky stood in shocked silence, hands in the air. The team relieved all of them of their weapons and zip-tied their hands together behind their backs.
Ghost relieved the commando of his—there were a few—and wrenched his hands behind him to zip-tie him before Blaze dropped the barrel of his rifle.
Everything had happened fast, but finally he was free to go to Diana.
She huddled in a chair, her eyes big as she watched them.
They’d grease-painted their faces and geared up like they were about to face Dashevsky’s entire army, so maybe she didn’t know who’d come to her rescue.
It was entirely possible she hadn’t recognized Blaze’s voice when he’d threatened to blow the big dude’s brains onto the granite countertops.
“Diana,” he said softly, going to her and dropping to one knee at her side. He cupped her cheek, fury blazing hot at the swelling and blood on her beautiful face.
“Alex, oh my God,” she cried, throwing herself at him. He caught her and she yelped.
“Baby, where are you hurt?” he whispered.
“Everywhere. My wrist is broken. My ribs might be cracked. Oh God, it all hurts—but you came. You’re here.”
“I’m here.” He held her to him, not too tightly, and thanked God she was alive as she dropped her face into his shoulder and pulled in deep breaths. Like she was trying not to cry.
He wanted to sweep her up in his arms and get her out of here, but he had things to take care of first.
“Colonel Bishop,” Dashevsky said. “We can make a deal. Don’t be a fool, man. You can lead a revolution, be richer than you ever dreamed.”
“Surest way to make me shoot you here and now is to keep talking,” Ghost said. “I’m not interested, Dashevsky. In anything you have to say.”
“I know who you are. Who all of you are. You will never know a moment’s peace if you don’t make this deal. You think I can be contained by your government? You may walk out of here today, but I will find you. They will not keep me, and I will be free. That’s when I will come for you.”
“What makes you think you’re walking out of here alive?
” Ghost asked. “Any of you except her? You think I’m gonna let what you’ve done to her stand?
That you will ever threaten the people I care about again?
Not happening, motherfucker. Excuse me, honey,” he said softly to Diana. “I need to deal with this.”
He disentangled himself from her arms, leaving Seth to watch over her, and stalked to Viktor, putting his barrel against the man’s temple.
“The plan, douchebag. All of it. What you intend to do with your army, what precisely you’re after at the Arsenal, and what you think you’re gonna do when you get it.
Tell me how the plan works, who’s involved, and I’ll consider not putting a hole in your head. ”
“You’re making a mistake,” Dashevsky said.
“No, but you’re about to if you don’t talk.”
Sirens screamed up the side of the mountain by the time Ghost took his pistol from Dashevsky’s skull. The man’s eyes flashed as those sirens wailed into the courtyard.
“I will not forget this,” he spat, his accent thicker and coarser than when Ghost and his men had arrived.
“Neither will I.” He leaned in closer, until Viktor’s eyes grew very wide. “Do you know why they call me Ghost?”
“I don’t care.”
“You should. I can walk through walls, Viktor. Through iron bars. I can find you before you even know I’m coming, and I can end you. Today, I found you. Be thankful you’re still alive. You won’t get another chance.”
Police in full tactical gear boiled into the house a moment later, taking custody of the men who were restrained.
Ghost stood beside Diana’s chair, his hand on her shoulder.
The team fanned out behind them. Diana climbed to her feet when Viktor was hustled out, her face lined with pain.
It killed him to see her like that, but he had to let her have this moment.
“You know what, Viktor?” she asked as the man holding him stopped so she could have her say.
“You are still nothing to me, Diana,” Viktor said, sneering at her. “Less than nothing. You are not important.”
“Not what I asked, but okay.” She leaned toward him, her beautiful face bruised and swollen.
“You shouldn’t try to be an evil mastermind when you don’t quite have the brains to pull it off.
And you definitely shouldn’t kidnap and torture an FBI agent if you don’t want to spend some time in the prison system. ”
“I will not spend any time there,” he snarled. “And I will come for you. All of you.”
“Oh my.” She laughed, a tinkling sound filled with happiness.
“Threatening a federal agent and a special military team with law enforcement as witnesses. I’m not sure it will go quite how you expect, but maybe you’re right.
Maybe you’ll be released back into Putin’s loving arms. He isn’t going to like it when he understands how you planned to make yourself king of the world, is he? ”
For the first time since Ghost and his team had captured these men, he saw real fear on Dashevsky’s face. The law enforcement officer holding him hustled him away, and Ghost put an arm around Diana. She sagged into him, trembling, and his eyes stung with emotion.
Fucking hell.
“Proud of you, Princess. That was fucking amazing.”
“Think I’m going to pass out now,” she said. He guided her into the chair and Kane appeared with a medical kit. Ghost held her good hand while Kane examined her wrist, checked her eyes for concussion, and administered a pain killer.
“Sorry,” she said. “Sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for?” Kane responded. “This is what we do for our fellow soldiers. You fought the good fight, and now you let us take care of you.”
The team gathered around. Diana closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.
As the sun came up over the mountain, the bruises and blood on her face were more apparent.
There was a knot above one eye. Ghost shook with rage.
He wanted to storm after those men and do what he’d promised he wouldn’t when he’d made the deal with the voice on the other end of the phone.
“I didn’t mean to tell them,” she whispered. A single tear slid down her cheek. “Dammit, I swore I wouldn’t cry.”
“Go ahead,” Seth said softly. “I damned sure would.”
She cracked an eye at him, one corner of her mouth lifting as if she wanted to smile. “Not you,” she said. “No way.”
“Way. Nobody likes to be in pain, and some shit hurts worse than others.”
“It’s true,” Chance said. “Crying is allowed in black ops. Hell, it’s encouraged. Beats spraying gunfire at a wall while screaming like a Viking warrior.”
“I dunno,” Ethan said. “That option sounds kinda fun.”
Diana laughed, and then winced. “God don’t make me laugh. Hurts my ribs.”
“We need to get you an x-ray,” Kane said. “Fortunately, I know a good doctor who is also discreet.”
Diana turned to Ghost. “I t-told them who you were, what I knew about you. I’m sorry I wasn’t stronger. B-but Boris broke my wrist, and the pain didn’t stop, and I’m not you. I couldn’t take it.”
Ghost dropped to his knees beside her again, lay his palm against her good cheek, caressed her as gently as he could.
“You’re alive, Diana. That’s all I fucking care about.
You held out as long as you could, and swear to God I wish you hadn’t even tried.
I’d rather you were unhurt and that you’d told them every damned thing they wanted to know.
Because it doesn’t fucking matter. Dashevsky’s going down.
It’s real. You got him, baby, just like you wanted. ”
Her eyes widened for a second. Then she shook her head. “I didn’t get him. You did.”
“We helped. Without you, it wouldn’t have happened. And I don’t mean because he kidnapped you, either. Your investigation, your determination. It’s you who started the chain reaction. Kidnapping you was the nail in the coffin, but it would have happened another way if not today.”
He wished it had. He’d give anything not to see her in pain. She looked broken, but she wasn’t. There was fire in those eyes. Good.
“Maybe you’re right,” she said, sounding weary. “Can we go home now? I’m hungry, tired, my body hurts, and I need a bath.”
Ghost lifted her in his arms, careful not to jostle her. She was precious to him, and he wasn’t letting her go until he had to. “Yeah, we can go home.”
She lay her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. He strode out of that house filled with anger, but also with happiness. Diana was alive, she was in his arms, and the future was ahead of them.
“Still don’t like you,” he murmured in her ear. “But you’re growing on me.”
She tipped her head back to look up at him. “Same, Magic Man. Same.”