Chapter 3
Ace put on his best poker face as he and Jasmine approached the security checkpoint to get into the airport. Inside, he was tense, ready to... What? Run? That was a surefire way of looking guilty or getting shot.
“Go ahead of me,” Jasmine whispered. “Like we’re not together. That way, if I don’t make it through, you will.” She slid the burner phone into his hand. “No matter what happens, you have to find that satchel. The people holding Eli will contact me with instructions regarding the exchange. If I don’t make it through now, they’ll contact you.”
She squeezed his hand. “Trust me when I tell you Eli is worth saving. He’s special.”
The intensity of Jasmine’s tone hit Ace in the gut. She loved this man so much she’d do anything to get him back. What would it feel like to have someone love him that much? He’d spent four years looking and wondering what had become of this woman, only to find that she was in love with another man.
Her desperation and the strength of her emotions for Eli made Ace jealous. At the same time, it made him all the more determined to find the scroll and make the trade to ensure the survival of the man who meant the world to her. He didn’t wish for Eli to die. Jasmine would be heartbroken. Even if she ended up with Ace, he’d only be second best or a consolation prize. He wanted to be her one and only love. Either way, if he could help her reunite with Eli, he had to do it because he loved her, even if she didn’t love him.
Ace pocketed the burner phone and showed the security guard his boarding pass and passport.
The guard looked at his passport and then at him, comparing his picture with his face. He snapped the passport closed and handed it back, tipping his head, indicating Ace could go through.
Ace moved into the fast-track aisle Swede had gotten them in on their boarding passes. He didn’t have to take off his shoes, belt or jacket to pass through the metal detector. He dropped the burner phone into a bowl, along with the change in his pocket and his watch. They went through the scanner while he walked through the metal detector without setting off any alarms.
After clearing security, he kept walking as if he wasn’t with Jasmine, stopping when he reached the corner to put on his watch. Out of the side of his eye, he could see Jasmine placing the suitcase on the conveyor belt and waiting for her turn to walk through the metal detector.
When she finally reached the detector, his breath lodged in his throat. He fully expected the alarms to go off and armed guards to rush in.
Nothing happened. She walked through, no problem. Her suitcase remained under the scanner for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, it moved through, emerging on the other side.
Ace let go of the breath he’d been holding the entire time. He walked around the corner and waited for her to catch up.
Jasmine sailed into sight, a smile stretching across her face as if she was a woman on vacation, not a thief on the run from Jordanian law enforcement agencies and maybe even their military.
They walked silently to the gate. Boarding had already begun. They blended into the mob and moved slowly to the boarding pass scanner.
Not until he and Jasmine were seated on the airplane did Ace’s tension ease. But only a little.
Jasmine reached for Ace’s hand and squeezed it. “See? No one’s looking for me.”
Though he liked having her hand in his, he couldn’t help but think they weren’t in the clear yet. They still had to get off the ground and make it to and through Athens’ airport.
Most of the people had boarded, placed their carry-on luggage in the overhead bins and had taken their seats when there was a commotion at the front of the plane.
Two men dressed in security uniforms, wearing armor-plated vests and carrying guns came on board.
Jasmine’s hand tightened around his for a second, but then she released her hold and folded her hands in her lap.
After a brief stop with the flight attendant, the guards marched down the aisle toward Ace and Jasmine.
Ace fought for calm and an innocent expression as the guards neared his seat.
They slowed, fierce frowns on their faces.
Drawing in a deep breath, Ace held it, waiting for them to yank him and Jasmine out of their seats and take them to jail.
One guard looked at Ace and Jasmine, then up at the seat number. He and his buddy moved past Ace and stopped at the seat immediately behind them.
The trailing guard said something in Arabic. The man in the seat behind Ace replied in Arabic, speaking urgently.
Again, the guard spoke sternly in Arabic and jerked his thumb, indicating the man should get up and go with them.
Instead of going quietly, the man behind Ace grabbed the back of Ace’s seat, pulled himself up and dove past the guard. In his hurry, he tripped and fell against Ace.
Ace grabbed the man to keep him from knocking into Jasmine, giving the guards time to get a grip on the man’s arms.
They yanked him out of Ace’s lap and dragged him struggling down the narrow aisle and off the plane.
Once the drama was over, someone clapped, another person joined in and soon all the people on the plane were clapping.
A flight attendant came down the aisle smiling and stopped beside Ace. In heavily accented English, she said, “Thank you for helping. To apologize for the disruption and to show our appreciation, we’d like to offer you and your wife a seat in first class.”
The last thing Ace and Jasmine needed was to be the center of attention. He opened his mouth to decline the offer.
“That’s so very kind of you to offer,” Jasmine said in her weird American accent. “We’d love that, wouldn’t we, dear?”
Ace nearly choked on his own response but managed, “Yes, of course. Thank you.” He rose, collected the suitcase from the overhead bin and followed Jasmine up the aisle.
The flight attendant led the way to the first-class section and showed them where to sit. She was back a moment later, offering drinks as another attendant closed the cabin door.
Jasmine opted for wine.
Ace asked for whiskey and downed it in two swallows.
The plane moved back from the terminal and taxied out onto the runway.
Not until they were in the air and well on their way to Athens, and the whiskey kicked in, did Ace’s pulse return to normal.
Jasmine leaned close to him, the scent of her shampoo reminding him of a time when life had been a whole lot simpler.
He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, his memories carrying him back to his hotel room in Athens with her lying beneath him, warm, soft and so very sexy.
“You haven’t changed much in four years,” she whispered. “The beard is new, but you’re still...you. By the way, I like the beard.”
He touched a hand to his chin; glad he’d had his beard neatly trimmed before joining the Brotherhood Protectors.
He’d let it get shaggy while on missions as a Navy SEAL. After he’d tried and given up hope of ever finding Jasmine, he hadn’t much cared how he’d looked. For the first few weeks after he’d left the military, he’d stopped working out, rarely showered and wondered what he’d do with his life.
When he’d gotten the call from Hank Patterson, offering him a job, he”d cleaned up, gotten back into a workout routine and purchased nicer civilian clothes. He’d reported for duty, looking less like a homeless guy and more like a man ready to provide security services for whoever might need it.
As he sat beside Jasmine, he was glad he’d shaped up. At least he represented himself well if she happened to compare him to her guy, Eli.
Not like she would. Jasmine was so worried about her man she hadn’t mentioned much about their time together four years ago.
“Do you remember that little restaurant where we met in Athens?” she asked as if reading his mind.
“Antica Café.”
“It was the best,” she said. “Best food. Best view.”
“The best,” he agreed. Ace remembered the café, the day, the way the sun had glinted off Jasmine’s dark hair. He couldn’t remember the food they’d eaten or the view, other than Jasmine. He wasn’t sure he’d eaten at all. He’d been too busy staring into her pretty green eyes, watching how they sparkled when she laughed.
She turned to meet his gaze, her brow creasing. “Do you ever think about that week?”
Every day since.
He nodded, biting down on his tongue to keep from saying the words. She had a new man in her life. She didn’t need to know he’d spent over a year looking for her, haunting the places they’d been together.
“So, why would someone take your guy and force you to commit a crime?” he asked quietly enough no one else could hear him over the noise of the aircraft engine.
Jasmine sat up straighter, her gaze shifting to the window overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. “A lot has changed in the past four years,” she said quietly.
“Why you?” Ace persisted.
She sighed, still looking out the window. “When we were together, did I tell you what I did for a living?”
He had to lean toward her to hear her words. “Not really. You said you worked for a very demanding boss and that you were on vacation, trying to remember how to relax.”
She chuckled. “I wasn’t lying.” Jasmine turned to face him. “After you told me you were a Navy SEAL, I didn’t feel comfortable telling you that I was a member of the Sayeret Matkal.”
He frowned. “The Israeli special forces?”
She grimaced. “I don’t know why, but I didn’t want you to act differently toward me. I was on vacation. Just a girl with a cute boy.”
He sat back in his seat, stunned by her confession. “Wow.”
“See?” Jasmine shook her head. “Even now, you’re probably thinking I’m not a woman but a soldier.”
Ace breathed in and out for several breaths before he could respond. “Not at all.” He pressed his lips together for a moment, then continued. “I’m disappointed you didn’t feel like we’d made a connection. You didn’t feel like you could tell me you were a badass special ops type.” He snorted. “That would explain why you were in such excellent physical condition and could easily keep up with me when I jogged in the morning. I thought you were just a health-conscious woman who worked out in your spare time.”
“I was. Or I am.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “After I returned to my unit, I left the military.”
He frowned. “Why? Leaving the Navy was one of the hardest decisions in my life.”
Jasmine lifted her head, looked him in the eye, then pressed her lips together. “That’s a story for another day.”
He wanted to press the issue, but he recognized the hard set of her jaw and let it go—for the moment.
“After the military, I tried to find work. The only skills I had were the ones I’d learned for combat, along with my ability to speak different languages.”
Ace nodded. “I know the feeling. I had the same struggle coming off active duty.”
“It’s hard to sell yourself to a corporation when all you know how to do is shoot, kill and repeat.”
Ace’s lips curled on the corners into an ironic smile. “Civilians don’t value that kind of resume. Never mind you served your country, putting your life on the line.”
She nodded. “I needed money. I had to work. So, I took on work as a private investigator, as well as providing security for wealthy people and some jobs recovering stolen jewelry and artwork. I never advertised. My reputation and abilities spread by word of mouth. Mostly through the ranks of the rich and extremely private. I was good at blending in. Recovering stolen objects was walking a fine line between theft and legitimate retrieval.”
“I can see that,” Ace said. “Then again, that could be a bonus. Stealing from a thief makes it hard for the original thief to call the police.”
Jasmine’s lips twisted. “But no less dangerous. I researched the jobs before I agreed to take on the more difficult assignments. I studied the location, the people and the security. Then I got in and out before anyone knew I’d taken anything. No one knew who’d done the job except the ones who’d hired me.”
“Apparently, one of your clients spread the word to someone with less scruples and a proclivity toward violence,” Ace concluded.
“They studied me, found my weakness, and now they hold all the cards.” She sighed. “And I have none.” She stared straight ahead, her eyes glazing over with unshed tears. “And because of my life choices and the work I performed, Eli could die in less than forty-eight hours.” She shook her head slowly, side to side. “I can’t let that happen. He deserves a long and happy life despite my failings.”
“What failings?” Ace took her hand and held it gently. “You’re doing the best you can to get him back. What more could a person ask?”
“To actually get him back alive,” Jasmine whispered. A tear slid down her cheek. She didn’t lift a hand to brush it away. “None of this would’ve happened if I’d settled for a job as a secretary or full-time interpreter.”
“After being a member of the Sayeret Matkal, I can’t imagine you being content to sit in an office for hours on end. I’d go insane.”
She laughed. “I tried and couldn’t do it. But I should have,” she said, her voice fading. “For Eli’s sake.”
“We’ll get the scroll.” He squeezed her hand. “And we’ll get your Eli back.”
She stared at where their hands connected. “There’s something you should know,” she whispered.
Her voice was so soft that Ace leaned toward her. “What?”
She hesitated for a moment. “About Eli?—”
A voice sounded over the intercom, announcing that the plane would be landing soon, and passengers should take their seats and fasten their seatbelts.
The first-class flight attendant appeared beside Ace to gather their glasses and take any trash. “Is there anything I can get for you?” she asked, smiling.
Frustrated by the interruptions, Ace smiled tightly and shook his head.
The attendant left, and he turned back to Jasmine. “What about Eli?” he asked.
As she opened her mouth, the airplane shuddered and shook, hitting thermals like speed bumps or ruts on gravel roads.
A voice on the intercom directed the flight attendants to take their seats.
By the time the announcement ended, they were approaching the airport in Athens.
Ace turned back to Jasmine. “You were saying?”
Jasmine shook her head, her lips twisting. “It can wait.” She looked out the window as the ground seemed to rush up at them. A crosswind made the plane’s tail shift to the left as they came in for the landing. At the last moment, it righted itself, and the tires hit the ground hard.
The reverse thrusters engaged, slowing the aircraft and forcing the passengers to lean forward in their seatbelts. Then, they were taxiing to the terminal.
Ace tensed. If word and an image of Jasmine had spread, it was possible they might have a security team waiting as they disembarked from the plane.
The aircraft rolled to a stop, the Fasten Seatbelt sign blinked off and passengers rose to gather their belongings from the overhead bins.
Ace couldn’t relax until they’d cleared the airport. His breath caught and held as the aircraft door was pulled open. The flight attendant stepped back with a smile. “Thanks again for helping.”
Jasmine smiled, passed the attendant and stepped off the plane.
Ace followed, ready to make a run for it if the need arose.
It didn’t.
They made it up the ramp, through the airport and outside, following the signs for ground transportation.
“Where to now?” he asked.
Jasmine’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know. I need to know who the men were who attacked me.”
As if on cue, Ace’s cell phone chirped. He fished it from his pocket along with the burner phone Jasmine had given him before they’d boarded the plane. He handed her the burner phone and glanced at the screen on his cell phone, a slow smile pulling at his lips before fading again. His gut knotted.
“What?” Jasmine’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Ace.
“Swede ran your guys through several facial recognition databases.”
“And?”
“He got some hits.” Ace shook his head. “Your guys are Boris Sokolov and Artyom Petrov.”
Her brow twisted more. “Russians?”
He nodded. “But they’re not working for a Russian. “They’ve been seen in connection with one of the most powerful Greek mafia bosses.”
Jasmine’s face paled. “Demopoulos.”
Ace’s eyebrow cocked. “You know your mafia bosses?”
“It pays to know who’s who among the rich across the Mediterranean,” she said softly, glancing around as if expecting bad guys to leap out of nowhere. “Athanasios Demopoulos took over the Greek criminal underworld after Vangelis Zambounis was gunned down in Athens. Rumor has it that he was behind the killing and answers only to the Ndrangheta.”
Ace frowned. “Isn’t the Ndrangheta mafia organization the most powerful in the world?”
She nodded, her lips pressing into a tight line.
“Do you think this Demopoulos dude stole the scroll for Ndrangheta? Or could he be working on his own?”
She shook her head. “The only way to find out is to ask Demopoulos.”
“And where do we find him?”
She nodded toward the taxis. “Here in Athens. Only it won’t be easy getting to him, especially after he had Zambounis murdered.”
“We need a plan,” Ace said.
Jasmine shook her head. “We have—” she looked down at her wristwatch, “forty-two hours to recover that scroll. We don’t have time for a plan.”
Having been a Navy SEAL, Ace was used to moving on limited information, getting into tight situations fast and hitting hard. He texted Swede.
Ace: Need everything you can find on Demopoulos, his address, his personal connections, preferences and anything else that will lead us to him. We have a less than forty-eight hours to recover the scroll, or a man dies.
Swede: On it. Will pass on anything I find, as I find it. Do you want backup?
Ace glanced at Jasmine. “Do you want me to call in for backup?”
She bit down on her bottom lip, her brow twisting. “I’m afraid that if we get too many people involved, it’ll raise a red flag for those who are holding Eli. I don’t want them to know I don’t have the scroll.” She lifted her chin. “And Americans are too easy to spot in Europe.”
Ace nodded and sent a text in response to Swede’s question.
Ace: Only if we could get people who aren’t so obviously from the US.
Swede: Will see what we can do.
Ace cast a glance at Jasmine.
They were next in line at the taxi stand. She raised a hand to wave for the next taxi.
While her back was to him, Ace sent another text to Swede.
Ace: Also, run an identity check on a guy named Eli, connected to Jasmine Nassar from Israel, former Sayeret Matkal.
Swede: Jasmine, the woman who took the scroll?
Ace: Yes.
Swede: Eli the person who could die?
Ace: Yes
Swede: On it. Stay safe.
As a taxi pulled up to the curb, Ace pocketed his cell phone, guilt gnawing at his gut. He should direct his questions about Eli to Jasmine, not Swede. If she wouldn’t share information about him, he’d be justified in asking Swede to look for information about the man.
That tug of jealousy kept him from openly questioning Jasmine about the man she’d fallen in love with. If he asked about him, she might realize he still had feelings for her. And damn it, he did.
That one-week affair hadn’t been a fluke easily forgotten. Being with her again reminded him of all the reasons why he’d fallen for the woman.
As Ace held the door, Jasmine slid into the back seat of the taxi. He slid in beside her, wanting to be open and honest with her.
Deep down, he could sense she wasn’t being completely open and honest with him. She was holding back secrets.
What was so special about her man, Eli? Why couldn’t he defend himself? Why did he need a woman to come to his rescue? Then again, Jasmine wasn’t any woman. She was a trained Sayeret Matkal soldier, with skills most women didn’t possess. Or men, for that matter.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Until I can get more information on our destination, I want to get away from the airport. Any suggestions?”
Oh, he had a suggestion, all right. It immediately popped into his head. Ace leaned over the back of the seat and spoke to the taxi driver. “Antica Café.”