Chapter 33
ETHAN
I was led through the side door back into the hangar, under the watchful eye and grip of a man built like a linebacker. The handcuffs weren’t tight, but I wished Olivia and my friends didn’t have to see me in them.
More Polezei arrived every second, and some were trying to pry open the hangar doors so the ambulance had better access to Jason.
Laurel knelt on the ground beside her husband, her hands pressed to the wound, her face determined. His hand covered hers, his wedding band wet with his blood.
“It’s okay, L,” he said. “It hurts less than getting shot with the vest on.”
His lie sounded convincing, but I knew better. I’d learned how painful a gunshot wound was, in almost that exact same spot, during my botched op in Syria.
Kara and Shawn stood close by, her hand resting on Laurel’s shoulder as if to offer comfort and connection. I had to put my focus elsewhere.
It landed on Olivia, and her gaze swept down over my body as if evaluating me for bullet holes. She noted the hands behind my back and the officer attached to my arm. Her gaze slowly worked its way back up, meeting mine, and her green eyes were full of relief.
“Are you okay?” she asked. When I nodded, her eyebrows pulled together. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either. Something’s gone wrong.”
The hand on my arm squeezed and reminded me in German to produce the permits and ID. That was going to be difficult to do since it was a lie.
“Is this man,” the officer asked Shawn in their native language, “part of your security team?”
“Yes,” Shawn said instantly.
“Where is his documentation?”
His gaze flicked to mine, silently asking what he should do. What he could do to help me. But there was nothing. It was a fucking mess, and I’d only gotten the Polezei to bring me here to do damage control.
“What can I do?” Olivia asked. “What do you need?”
“I don’t have any documentation,” I announced in German, then switched to English. “Get out your phone and start dialing this number. Tell the man who answers everything that just happened.”
I spat out the number for Daniel, and then I was seized with an emotion that was much stronger than I’d felt in years.
Fear.
What was going to happen to us now? My handler was going to know I’d broken protocol. He could be furious enough that he’d make sure I never saw her again.
The angry hand tugged on my elbow, wanting to pull me away.
“Stay at the hospital. Stay with Kara and Shawn,” I ordered, but it sounded oddly like a plea. “I will find you.”
Her worried expression was haunting, but she nodded in acceptance.
I spent my time in the holding cell considering what could have happened, and what the Abramos’ next move would be. The attempt to assassinate the Dunns had failed. My cover was blown, revealing I stood against the Abramos. And Olivia was back on the table.
Which of those would attract their attention first?
Two hours after my booking, an officer appeared at the cell door, handcuffed me, and led me down a hallway.
“What’s happened?” I asked.
“You’re being extradited to Switzerland. An Interpol agent has arrived to take custody and transfer.”
A door swung open, revealing a small holding room and a man seated behind the table. Fletcher shot me a dirty look. “Bloody hell, Ethan. What are you doing?”
There was no response to give because I didn’t have a damn clue myself.
Paperwork was filled out, bagged evidence submitted to Fletcher, including my SIG, phone, and the ‘prescription eyedrops’ I always carried which contained enough tranquilizer to put down a horse.
Once we were seated in the Interpol agent’s car, he removed my handcuffs and handed everything back to me. “Just so you’re aware,” he said, “my orders are to drop you at this location.”
He flashed the screen of his phone, displaying the address of the Munich field office.
“I need to go to the hospital first.”
His head turned slowly toward me, his expression skeptical. “Are you ill?”
“My cover’s blown. By now, both the CIA and Vitale know Olivia’s still alive. The only thing left to do is turn her over to my handler and get her safe.”
The Brit put the car in gear and pulled out into traffic. “That’s a pity. I rather liked her.”
“Yeah,” I said, bitter. “Me, too.”
Much more than I cared to admit to him.
But this was the best option for her. She’d come too far and survived too much. I’d put her safety above my own personal desires. The man inside me always lost, and I needed to get over it. Get used to it.
When I called him, Daniel answered immediately. “How the hell did you allow yourself to get taken into custody?”
I ignored that. “What the fuck’s going on? Did we move on the Abramos or not?”
“The order’s dragging Stateside. You know how they can be at Center Ops.”
Holy fucking hell. The Abramos were still operating like normal. “You’re telling me nothing’s happened?”
“Oh, it’s going to happen, now that you’ve gone and fucked up their timetable. Imagine my surprise getting a call from the Abramos’ former pilot, when you told me Giovanni took out the entire flight crew.”
There were no other options but the truth. “I faked her death to get her out and put her with the Dunns to lay low.”
“Are you insane? Why the fuck did you do that?”
“Because . . . shit, I got involved.”
Fletcher threw a glance my way, but there wasn’t judgment in my friend’s eyes.
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” Daniel snapped, “and that I’m just hearing it now.”
He paused, probably expecting an apology, but I wasn’t going to give him one. The Agency had never offered me one, not even with all the shit they’d put me through.
My handler sighed. “Your cover’s blown. It was the last thing we heard on the device in Vitale’s office before it stopped broadcasting. You should have laid low until the op was completely finished.”
“Oh, this is my fault?” Rage nearly slammed my fist into the dashboard. “You released me. It was supposed to be done! And if I hadn’t fucking been there, what about the Dunns? They’d be dead, Daniel. Fucking dead, all because the company decided to drag its goddamn feet!”
“Calm down.” His tone changed immediately to a reassuring one.
He must have sensed how close I was to the edge, and knew the last thing the Agency needed was for me to make an even bigger mess.
“We didn’t know about the kill order on the Dunns, but the company’s going to handle it. Be patient. Come in for a debrief, and we’ll get it sorted out.”
My swelling anger made it hard to see straight. I struggled to get a grip on my emotions and focus on what had to be done. “Fine,” I spat out. “But I’ve got a stop I need to make first.”