Some promises were meant to be broken.
Done. That one word sums up the past two years of former Delta Force soldier, Logan Bishop’s life. First his relationship, then his honor — his entire career — and he’s vowed to put the past behind him and move on.
Relocating to Fool’s Gold with the rest of his team is a good start. Working for Hank Patterson’s Brotherhood Protector’s division as part of a new, elite training crew? Even better. And for one shining moment, he seems to be on track.
Until his past comes knocking in the form of his ex-girlfriend, CIA operative Harlow Mathis. The same woman who’s been MIA in his life since a cross-over mission went sideways. The fact her father is the CIA director who got him and his team booted from the military, only adds fuel to the fire. The kind of history that’s guaranteed to go nuclear before they’ve spent five minutes in the same room.
Having an endless contingency of rogue agents gunning for her might be the only reason they can work together without killing each other. Assuming he can keep his hands off her long enough to get the job done. Because it only takes her stumbling through the door to confirm Logan’s nowhere close to moving on. Not without her.
Uncovering why she’s being targeted might save her life. Convincing her they’re worth another chance might be what gets him killed. But failure is not an option. And he’ll break whatever promises he needs if it means he’ll spend the rest of his life keeping the only one that matters.
Undisclosed location, Colombia, two years ago…
“Cap. LT. We’ve got a problem.”
First Lieutenant, Logan Bishop, pressed against the side of the building, blending in with the shadows darkening the road. He left enough room for his best friend, and Delta team leader, Captain Darius Ford, and their ordinance specialist, Chief Warrant Officer Simon Britton, to move in beside him. Logan kept his weapon at the ready — focusing on the long stretch of crane grass off to their left. If they were going to get ambushed, the bastards would be hiding in that field.
Darius tapped his comm. “Talk to me, Cooper.”
A hiss of static, followed by Cooper’s deep voice. “We’ve got multiple vehicles inbound. They just passed checkpoint three and are moving fast.”
“Police?” At the noticeable pause, Darius huffed. “Christ, don’t tell me it’s ARSOF.”
Army Special Operations Force was Colombia’s elite squad. Top-notch soldiers dedicated to helping fight the war against terrorism. They were considered allies, except… not tonight. Not when Logan’s team was on a Black Op their allies weren’t privy to. What could easily turn into an international incident if they weren’t careful.
“Okay, Cap. I won’t tell you.”
“Well, shit.” Darius sighed. “ETA?”
“You’ve got about six minutes… if they drive like Britton. If they drive like you or Bishop… Less.”
Britton elbowed Logan. “I don’t drive slow.”
Logan rolled his eyes. “Please, my nana goes faster in her wheelchair.”
Darius gave them both a scathing look, though Logan knew it was more for show. So the rest of the team couldn’t bitch about how Darius always sided with Logan. The bromance the others liked to tease them about.
“Well, this fucks shit up.” Darius glanced at his watch. “Scheduled detonation isn’t for fifteen minutes. And our target won’t be onsite for another ten. If we blow it before he gets inside, it’s gonna set off a whole chain of ugly. Have more of these labs cropping up.”
“Simon and I can head back in — round up the charges until the ARSOF guys leave, then set them up, again.”
“While I realize you guys are pretty fucking fast, we don’t have that much time. And there’s no way we can risk having any of them see you. Period.”
Darius ran his hand through his hair, jaw clenched. Brow furrowed. Another shining example of why Logan preferred being the right-hand-man instead of the guy making the decisions. Not that he lacked the balls to make the hard calls. It was more of a lack of desire. Ever since he and Darius had met at West Point, became roommates then best friends, he’d been happy to be the other guy’s shadow. His moral compass of sorts, because… His buddy definitely needed reining in when his emotions got involved. Someone to remind him why starting a fight wasn’t in his best interest. Then back him up when shit inevitably went sideways. Like now… when neither option was going to give Darius the win he’d been planning on.
“Shit’s gonna hit the fan either way, Darius. The ARSOF guys aren’t gonna buy the lab had a catastrophic chemical explosion if they actually see it implode. They’ll recognize a strategic drop. But if we don’t blow it and wait them out, they could discover the charges… maybe get innocent people hurt if they accidentally set them off.”
Darius nodded along, grunting the entire time before glancing at Simon. “Can they trace this back to us?”
Simon scoffed. “When have I ever let it get traced back to us? Please, I’m a professional. Anything noteworthy will be unrecognizable. As long as they aren’t onsite when it goes, they’ll believe our friends in there accidentally blew themselves up. But Logan’s right. If they’re standing outside…”
Darius stared at his watch, again, probably hoping the damn thing would give him some kind of miraculous insight. How to salvage the op without blowing their cover, or worse… getting good men killed. “They still on target, Cooper?”
“Coming up on checkpoint two and gaining speed, boss.”
“We did not come all this way just to go home with our tails between our legs. The least we can do is see that this lab burns. Worry about the fallout, later.” Darius nodded at Simon. “If we’re gonna pull this off, you’ll have to reset the timers remotely.”
Simon grinned. “Give me sixty seconds, and I’ll have them primed and ready.”
Darius jumped on the comms — called out the change in plans. Waited until the rest of the team checked in, then muttered under his breath. The guy hated leaving assets hanging in the wind, and not eliminating the bastard responsible for manufacturing a new method of dispersing toxic pathogens was definitely a lethal target they didn’t want biting them in the ass, later.
Logan nudged his buddy. “I know adapting sucks, but…”
Darius snorted. “Just remember that when we’re humping it through the jungle in a couple weeks, hunting this asshole down.”
“That’s what I love about you, bro. You’re always a Brightside Barbie kinda guy.”
“Beats being a Ken-doll like you. Must be why Harlow’s still hanging around. All that pretty boy shit you’ve got going.”
“So, the new girl, Fenmore, is attracted to your brains?” He blew Darius a few kisses. “If you’re as smart as you think you are, you’ll hold onto her.”
“You know it’s only been a few weeks, jackass. You were there when Harlow introduced us. It’s nothing serious, yet. But thanks for jinxing it.” Darius tapped the comm. “Sit rep, Cooper.”
Another hiss of static. “Thankfully, that piece of crap road has slowed them down, but… four minutes before they’re on top of us.”
“Roger. Simon?”
Simon glanced over at him. “Locked and ready. But… once I override the failsafe, there’s no turning back or undoing it without physically going down there and changing every charge, so… That building’s coming down.”
“Understood. All right, team — T minus ninety seconds, mark.”
Simon hit the button, then they were up and moving — heading for their rendezvous point. Ten seconds in when Cooper was keying up the comms, again.
“Shit, we’ve got another problem, Cap.”
Logan detoured them into the next pocket of shadows beneath an overhanging roof, taking up point as Darius cursed behind him.
Darius shook his head. “Lay it out, Cooper.”
“I’ve got a three-man stealth team breaching the perimeter and moving fast. And there’s something about the way they’re operating that makes me antsy. Like I’ve seen this kind of formation before.”
“What? Christ, it’s like a fucking dinner party down there. I’d better check the damn tracker — see what kind of code they used.” Darius removed his comm vest and started scrolling through some data. Ten more seconds, and he was cursing, again. Looking Logan in the eyes. “Well, crap. It’s CIA.”
A cold shiver wove down Logan’s spine. Surely, she wasn’t part of that team. “How can you possibly know it’s a CIA code?”
“Don’t ask, brother. Just believe.”
“Our code breaker have a name?”
“Still cross-checking the ID with our database… Shit.”
Darius gazed up at him, and Logan knew it was Harlow Mathis. One of the CIA’s most successful field operatives, and the woman he wanted to spend the next fifty years with.
And just like that, the entire op changed. Went sideways or maybe it imploded. Like the damn building was going to do with Harlow and her team still inside.
Logan glanced at Darius then took off. No discussion, no hesitation, just Darius growling, then giving Logan a harsh, “Go,” as the man started barking out orders — Cooper to keep a path open. The others to back Logan up as he ran flat out toward the lab. No hiding, this time, or running amidst the shadows. Moving like a wraith in the night. This was a no-holds-barred gauntlet run for the door Harlow had just bypassed. The one he had less than a minute to reach.
Darius would try to warn her — protocol be damned. While they attempted to follow orders, if the situation warranted it, and it meant saving lives, they’d break whatever rules were necessary. The fact it was Harlow’s life on the line…
Forty-five seconds, and Logan was still about four hundred meters away. What would be a damn world record if he managed to grind it out in time to get her and her team clear. Not that he’d stop. Possible or not, he was going in full throttle.
Having to dive to his right when a tango popped up from behind a hut definitely didn’t do him any favors. Not when he hit hard, rolling in an attempt to absorb the shock, but jarring his shoulder, just the same. He jumped to his feet and ducked behind a vehicle when a soft whoosh filled the air. There was a grunt and a thud, then Cooper yelling in his ear to move — get his ass in high gear.
Logan didn’t even check to see if the area was clear, just darted out and picked up speed. Trusting his team to have his back — keep that path open like Darius had instructed.
A hundred meters back, and there was movement inside. A few shadows rushing past a dimly lit window, heading for the exit. A glimmer of hope that maybe this wouldn’t end with her crushed beneath a ton of concrete.
He called out — yelling at her to run — praying there weren’t a dozen sentries within earshot, but… He needed to warn her. Get her and her team moving because they were out of time. Whether it was Logan’s internal clock counting down or an imagined ticking inside his head, he knew there were only a few seconds left. Just enough to clear the building. Maybe not the blast zone, but if they could get even a few feet away…
One more step, then the building exploded. Everything burning white hot as the windows shattered, shooting glass out in every direction. The sheer force of the blast knocked him back, tumbling him across the ground like a damn rag doll. He wasn’t sure he was even touching the grass before everything stopped, nothing but the inky sky staring down at him.
Was that a siren? Or were his ears still ringing? Maybe bells chiming in the distance. He didn’t know. Couldn’t quite place the noise as dust and debris swirled around him, covering him in a light layer of dirt.
Footsteps vibrating the earth beneath him, roused him slightly. Had him opening his eyes — blinking against the rush of vertigo. He tried to roll — get his hands and knees beneath him — but nothing was getting through. As if the signals got cut off partway from his brain to his limbs.
That, or he was dead.
Sucking in a lungful of smoky air convinced him he wasn’t. Not with the amount of pain burning a line down his throat and into his chest. Having someone grab his shoulder — squeeze various parts of his body — escalated that pain until he wanted to pummel the asshole inflicting it. But it got his eyes fully open — his focus on the guy staring down at him. What the hell was his name, again?
“Shit, Logan. Christ, I thought you were dead.”
He squinted, Darius’ name finally sifting through the haze, as Logan tried to sit up, only to groan when the world slid sideways a few times. Threatened to empty his stomach on the grass. “Don’t be so quick to judge. Maybe my head hasn’t caught up, yet.”
Darius simply grunted, continuing his body sweep.
Logan gave his buddy a shove. “I’m… fine. Harlow…”
“Got half the team scouring the site. If she’s there, we’ll find her.”
Dead. They’d find her dead if she hadn’t gotten clear.
Darius huffed. “I broadcast a warning on every damn CIA channel out there. They had to have heard it.”
Logan wanted to nod but knew it would only set him off. Have him puking his guts all over the grass, just like he’d envisioned. “I think I saw some movement but… It was close. I don’t know…”
“We’ll figure it out, just breathe.”
“How can I breathe if she’s…”
He wouldn’t say it. Wouldn’t voice it out loud in case Fate decided to finish the job — screw them all completely over. He held out his hand, clenching his jaw when Darius helped him upright, bracing his back with one strong leg.
Darius offered him some water, giving him one last once-over, before bodily lifting Logan up. All but carrying him across the ground to the impact site. And fuck, just seeing the extent of destruction sucked out any air he’d managed to gasp in. Had those spots and streaks sliding across his vision, again.
Darius tightened his hold. “Don’t you dare lose it on me now, Bishop, or I swear I’ll shoot your sorry ass, myself. Save me the trouble of carrying it out of here.”
Logan elbowed the man, somehow balancing on his own when Darius released him. It wasn’t pretty, and Logan wasn’t steady, but he managed not to fall. Completely embarrass himself. “Well?”
Simon raced over, shaking his head. “No bodies, but we’ve got a blood trail. Scully followed it, but it dead ended in the middle of the street a few blocks over. They must have procured a vehicle or had one waiting.”
Logan shook his head, tripped against Darius, then finally righted himself. “We need to know for sure. I can’t—”
A click of the comms cut him off. Had Darius tapping his mike. “Cooper.”
“Those ARSOF guys are only two minutes out. The explosion stopped them for a few while they reevaluated their firepower, but they’re coming in hot. You need to move, or you’ll be having that discussion with a dozen heavily armed men watching from the sidelines.”
“Copy. Cover our backs, then meet us at checkpoint echo.” Darius locked his gaze on Logan. “I know this is tearing you apart, but we can’t risk getting caught. Not here.” He held up his hand. “We’ll contact Langley. Get it all straightened out, but for now, we’re gone.”
Logan pushed his buddy away. “You go. I’ll keep searching…”
“If she was dead, we would have found her body.”
Or parts of it.
Not that Darius said that out loud, but Logan read it in his buddy’s eyes. Knew exactly what the other man was thinking, whether he voiced his concerns out loud or not. That connection they had.
“Maybe they—”
“They what, Logan? Carried her to the car but then dumped her body along the way? Not finding any corpses is a fucking win in this case. Besides, we don’t even know if it’s her blood—”
“Hate to interrupt the bromance, but… You’re seriously out of time, Cap.”
“Copy, Cooper.” Darius gave Logan his best death glare. “We don’t leave brothers behind. We’ll get to the bottom of this. Find out what the hell a CIA op was doing here, and why that asshole Wally didn’t bloody well inform us, especially when it was his own daughter at risk. I’m used to a director of the CIA screwing us over but…” He shook his head. “We’re gone.” He leaned in closer. “Don’t make me slug my best friend, Bish…”
Logan gave Darius a hard punch to his arm, then started moving, hating that he needed his buddy’s help to walk. That, even if he’d wanted to break ranks — keep searching — he wouldn’t have gotten more than a few steps in before he’d passed out. Hell, he might still pass out before they reached their extraction point.
Darius sighed. “She’s gonna be okay. You, on the other hand…”
Logan grunted, picking his feet up a bit more. He’d be damned if he died there, but he couldn’t shake the shiver that wove along his spine. The rash of goosebumps that spread across his skin. While Darius was right, and there was no way her team would have carried her off if she hadn’t still been breathing, Logan couldn’t quite shake the uneasy churning in his gut. The one that had nothing to do with being tossed twenty feet by the explosion. And he knew, no matter how the rest of the op played out, he’d already lost his most important asset.
He’d lost her.
And he doubted he’d be able to get her back.