Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
EGYPTIAN-SUDANESE BORDER – TWENTY-FOUR HOURS LATER
Finn made his way over to a collapsible table, the only furniture in the small space.
On the table, alongside a wide range of weapons, there were a few bags of pills.
Finn had no clue who had occupied the bunker-like compound before they arrived with Carter and his men, but he was certain Carter had had a team of people “clear it out” beforehand.
He also assumed the previous occupants were taken by surprise, considering the drugs and weapons sitting on the table.
From this location, Finn and the others were thirty minutes from Amin El-Baz’s compound, just over the border in Sudan. And now, Echo Team knew why those mummy coffins weren’t headed to the airport the other night—they were supposed to go to Amin in Sudan.
Having been denied a green light for this op, Bravo and Echo were on their own.
Well, technically, they were assisting Carter, which was a bizarre twist of events in itself.
But from the moment Asher knocked on the bedroom door announcing they were rolling out, Finn had felt as if he’d blinked away the last twenty-four hours.
And he’d barely had a chance to talk to Julia about anything other than the mission since they’d left Dubai.
Bravo and Echo had spent all of their time with Carter prepping for the op that’d be happening in an hour’s time.
Finn’s teammates, both Bravo and Echo, were in the main quarters of the property, and at some point in the last few minutes, he’d found himself wandering down a corridor and into the room where he now stood.
Not the best room to wind up in. The reminder of who he’d lost and how much was on the line stared back at him from those bags of pills.
How many lives would be saved if they were able to keep all the drugs off the streets?
Amin now knew all the major drug trafficking routes in and out of Europe, and he planned to ruin the West. Destroy them by way of drugs. And that didn’t take into account phase two of Amin’s evil plan. Regardless of what it was, they’d end this now. Tonight.
Finn lifted one of the small bags of pills and noticed smears of blood on the table, most likely due to whatever happened before he’d arrived.
He had no clue how many pills were inside the clear bag. He’d never been great at that candy corn guessing game as a kid, and he wasn’t about to try now. And why does it matter? He shook his head and grimaced when another memory of his brother surfaced, this one from the year 2000.
Jaden was having a party at the house he’d recently rented in Beverly Hills with all of his stardom money.
Most of the partygoers were at the pool outside, where a DJ had just queued up a new song by Darude, Sandstorm.
Jaden hadn’t been among them, so Finn began wandering the sprawling property, a sick feeling in his stomach.
He’d just entered the house for another look when he heard his brother singing upstairs.
More like rapping, actually, which wasn’t the norm for him.
These circle pills of heavenly devotion. Green, blue, but usually white. Pop one. Pop two. Pop fifty-two. Just do what ya gotta do. They taste so sweet and sometimes sour. Within each pill comes a special kind of power . . .
Finn had opened the bedroom door to find Jaden, wearing a bathrobe, letting go of the song lyrics he’d probably made up on the fly while three women lay naked and asleep, or passed out, on his bed.
Finn had looked away from the three blondes and to his brother. What are you doing? You have a party downstairs. People are looking for you.
I was having a little fun. You want one? Jaden jerked his thumb toward the bed. You still a virgin, or you pop your cherry already?
What are you on? Finn had asked instead, shutting the door behind him. Tell me that’s candy.
Jaden looked down at the bag in his hand, then up at Finn. I’m rolling, baby.
Rolling?
MDMA.
What’s that? But he’d known whatever the hell it was, it couldn’t be good.
Ecstasy. And relax, they’re a feel-good drug. Doctors used to give them to patients to get them to talk in therapy. He’d casually set the bag down on his dresser, and Finn recalled contemplating stealing it and flushing every last pill.
That had also explained why his brother had been so chatty when normally he’d be yelling for him to get the hell out of there.
Did I invite you tonight? Jaden had asked in surprise.
No, I was checking on you when I heard through some friends you were throwing this party.
Jaden had stepped up to Finn, pulled him close, and rubbed his knuckles against Finn’s head. Always so worried about me, brother.
I wish you’d stop. You’re going to get hurt. You can’t keep doing this to yourself.
I’ll stop when I’m dead.
Finn opened his eyes and let go of the painful memory. The beats to Sandstorm now stuck in his head.
His brother had died the following morning. A combination of various drugs together with alcohol. If only he’d stayed at the party that night, maybe Jaden would still be alive.
“Hey, you okay?” The soft sound of Julia’s voice from behind had Finn dropping the bag and seeking out her beautiful face.
She stood with her back positioned to the wall near the door, her head tipped to the side as her attention journeyed to the table covered in drugs and weapons. She had on jean shorts and a plain white tee with sandals, and she was a refreshing sight after his painful trip down memory lane.
“I’m fine.” At least, I think I am. He placed his hands on his hips but didn’t make a move.
He wasn’t sure why he didn’t immediately go to her, other than the fact he was still unsure which way the wind would blow when it came to her decision about a possible them post-op.
He needed to keep his head together for the sake of the mission, though. Attempt to override.
But how was one supposed to override and forget, even for a night, someone like Julia?
“This all happened so fast.” She pushed away from the wall but didn’t approach. “I guess that’s good since Oliver is running out of time, and from the sounds of it, your teammates seem to think Amin plans to start pumping drugs into the streets soon.”
“I guess it’s a good thing Carter showed up, or we might not be here now since Amin is off-limits, and his target isn’t the U.S.” Not that that should have mattered.
“Can you run the op details by me one more time? I feel like I’ve heard you all discuss the plan a million times, but I still have an uneasy feeling.”
He lowered his arms and removed the distance between them, unable to stop himself from going to her when it was clear she was worried.
“Carter has three Black Hawks, no idea how he procured them, but Echo Team will be flying in one, Bravo in the other, and Carter’s men in the third bird.
” Finn lightly braced her arms, the memory of the last time he saw his brother alive now clearing from his mind with Julia before him.
“We’ll fast-rope into Amin’s compound at zero dark thirty, similar to the Bin Laden raid. ”
“But one of those choppers crash-landed.” She sounded like a young girl instead of the strong woman he knew she was. She was scared, and it crushed him that her fear might be too paralyzing for her, which could ruin any chance at a future together.
“We’ll be fine.” He tried to reassure her by running his hands up and down the sides of her arms. “Choppers won’t be landing inside the compound, so we’ll be moving on foot to the HLZ a few klicks away after they wrap up their work at the compound.”
“Once you’re inside the compound, then what?”
“We destroy the drugs and clean house.”
“Clean house?” Her eyes met his. “Kill everyone?”
Rules of engagement were a little different tonight since they weren’t operating as SEALs but rather alongside a rogue CIA operative. “Most likely, they’ll try and kill us, so we’ll have to kill them instead.” That was the best answer he could give, and he hoped it didn’t escalate her worries.
Julia’s eyes fell closed, and he stopped moving his hands on her arms.
“And as promised, after the op, Carter’s men watching over Kaira and Tariq will take them to the police and share the truth about Oliver.” He needed her to focus on the positive, on one of the outcomes of his mission tonight. Her friend’s freedom.
“And what if the price of saving Oliver is losing you?” She opened her eyes and released a shaky exhale.
“I’ll be in full kit. Eighty pounds of gear on me. Lots of protection.” Lots of weapons. “You don’t need to worry. This isn’t like the last time we were in the desert. We have way more guns and backup.”
“And the next time?”
Here we go. Fuck. “There’s going to be a lot of next times,” he admitted. “You need to decide if you can handle that.”
Her mouth pinched tight, and her eyes crinkled around the edges as she stared at him as if unsure how to answer.
“You two lovebirds ready?” A rap at the door drew their attention to find A.J. there. “We’re prepping now.”
“Yeah, okay. Be right there.” Finn nodded and waited for A.J. to leave.
“Focus on making it back safely. Right now, that’s all that matters, okay?” she whispered, pressing up on her toes and throwing her arms over his shoulders. He caught tears in her eyes before she pinned her body tight to his, and this was by far the hardest damn goodbye he’d had pre-op.
He pulled back and found her lips, brushing his mouth over hers before her tongue parted his mouth and met his. His hands slid down her back and to her ass as he held her firmly against him, kissing away her worries. Kissing away his own.
It took them a few minutes to detach themselves and make their way to the main quarters where Bravo, Echo, and Carter and his men were assembled.
Everyone was already in their gear, except Knox, who was holding down the fort with Harper and Jessica since he was still “grounded” from operating.
But it was a bit too crowded there for Finn’s liking.
More cooks in the kitchen than he was used to.
“Four horsemen, huh? Sounds apocalyptic,” Chris was saying when Finn reached for Julia’s hand and kept her at his side.
He trusted Carter, but he didn’t know his men, and he’d done his best to keep Julia as close to him as possible while in their presence since the plane’s wheels touched down that day.
“Four horsemen?” Finn asked, trying to find out what he’d missed while sharing a hot but hopefully not a forever-goodbye kiss with Julia.
“Thermal imaging from the drone shows a guard on horseback posted at each corner of the compound,” Luke said, taking point even though his people were “helping” Carter and he wasn’t taking the lead on this one.
“Not much movement inside, but Tariq says Amin will be wherever the most people are. He’ll have himself surrounded by men willing to die for him. ”
Carter stroked his beard as he stepped alongside Luke, his eyes moving to the map on the table at the center of their temporary command center. “Thirty heat signatures inside, and we have no clue if his boys there are doped up on those drugs.”
“Zombies,” A.J. hissed. “I knew all of our playing Call of Duty: Zombies would pay off.”
“Leave it to you to joke at a time like this,” Harper said while elbowing A.J. in the side with a smile.
“What’s a mission without a little humor?” A.J. winked. “But seriously, if the sand starts turning into that mummy guy from that movie because we’re cursed, I’m—”
“Running?” Chris cut him off.
“Damn straight. Not sure why I’ve got that Mummy movie stuck in my head.
Well, maybe it’s because of Rick and Evie over here.
” A.J. grinned, and why was this so helpful to Finn right now?
Why did their kidding around make it easier for him to handle the gritty reality that they were going to take down Amin and his possibly drugged-up men while Julia stayed behind, terrified he wouldn’t return?
“Too bad Bear isn’t with us tonight,” Chris said, referring to their new K9, and yeah, he would have made a great addition tonight.
“Tariq says there won’t be any women or children inside, but be on the lookout anyway,” Wyatt noted. And how was he doing? He looked a bit steadier and appeared more level-headed than during their last desert op, but nothing had changed since then, had it?
“Oh, and one more thing,” Luke said in a grave tone. “There’s a known Hamas terrorist cell not far away from Amin’s compound, and it’d be best if we don’t draw their attention tonight.”
“Not that I wouldn’t mind killing two birds with one stone,” Carter began, “but we’re not prepared for dealing with a second enemy.”
“Roger that,” Chris responded. “Don’t wake the other beasts.”
“I hate I won’t be rolling with y’all.” Knox swiped a hand over his shaved head.
“We’ll be okay. Plus, I’ll feel better about you staying back with Jessica and the others,” Luke said, lifting his chin toward Julia. “Michael would prefer his sister stay away from the gunfire.”
“Of course he said that,” Julia softly said, and Finn tightened their united hands.
“Let’s go take this son of a bitch down and get your boy out of jail,” Carter said, turning his focus on Julia.
But when Finn peered at Julia, her eyes were set on him. “Promise me you’ll be okay?”
He looked around the room as if seeking help from his buddies who had experience with these types of goodbyes, but they were all busy with op details.
The last mission they’d been on like this was to save Jessica and Luke from a traitor in Afghanistan not too long ago, and now they were going after an off-limits Saudi royal who’d taken up drug trafficking as a new form of terrorism . . . when would it ever stop?
It won’t. It won’t ever stop.
“I can’t promise that,” he confessed. “I wish I could, but I can’t.” He had to be honest with her. She had to know the risks and fully understand them if they had a shot at finding out if there could be anything between them after tonight.
Her free hand went to the pendant around her neck that he’d given her, and she closed her eyes. “Then at least promise you’ll do everything in your power to make it back to me.”
He smiled and turned her into him, not caring about any onlookers. His free hand went up her spine and to the nape of her neck. He lightly gripped, tipping her head back to look up at him. “That’s a promise I can for damn sure keep.”