No Woman Left Behind (18 page)

Chapter Thirty-Three

My vision had partially returned as we made our way to the plane. Several guys hopped off the plane, running out to meet us. Two of them got on either side of me and actually lifted me off my feet and kept running, while two others offered cover, facing outward and running backward with their rifles drawn. When we got to the plane, they hoisted me up into Hulk’s waiting hands. Then the guys on the ground hopped in and the plane took off. Hulk deposited me in a jump seat and then lurched as the plane swerved. We were taking fire from below. I could hear the plinking of the bullets against the plane and prayed none of them would find the gas tank. After a moment, the engines revved louder and we climbed too high for the villagers to reach.

I closed my eyes and hoped it was too dark for anyone to see my dirt, sand and tear-streaked face. A thump sounded in front of me. I opened my eyes. Hands stood there, his hands on his hips, glaring at me.

“Why the hell didn’t you count to fifteen and run to the plane like I told you?”

“I stopped to catch my breath. Then there was gunfire. I got scared and I wasn’t sure it was safe to run. The flash grenades went off. Things were moving a bit too fast for me. I’m sorry. Apparently I need more training.”

“You’re joking right now?”

“It seemed appropriate, given your dark mood.”

“Don’t ever do that again.”

“Fine. I’m not that good at jokes anyway.”

“Not that. Risk your life by playing target.”

I stared at him. Green dots still danced around my eyes. “That just makes no sense whatsoever. We’re all risking our lives here.”

“Pentz could have killed you.”

“He could have, yes. But he didn’t. It was the right call.”

“It wasn’t yours to make.”

“I know. I’m sorry for that. I understand the military culture and the importance of following orders. I also understand that my actions may have inadvertently undercut your authority as a team leader. That was not my intention. But the alternative was having all of you get killed for nothing.”

Even with impaired eyesight, it was impossible to miss his fierce scowl. “Damn it, Keys, it wouldn’t have been for nothing. It would have been for the mission.”

“While that’s an admirable thought, it’s also highly illogical. Your deaths would have been completely unnecessary and tragic. Everyone on this plane, back at the base in Djibouti, and in the control center in Washington knows full well that Pentz would have picked you off one by one going out that door if we hadn’t pinpointed his location. You can yell at me all you want, but the facts speak for themselves. It was the right call.”

Hands opened his mouth to say something, but instead made a strange noise in his throat and stomped across the aircraft toward the cockpit. He opened the cockpit door and slammed it shut. I suspected he had more to say but that he’d moved away before he strangled me.

I glanced around. The entire aircraft was silent except for the hum of the engine. I didn’t know what else to do, so I shrugged out of my pack and put it between my legs. I leaned back, closed my eyes and thanked all the stars above I was still alive. After a few minutes, I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to my left. Hulk sat there, his long legs sprawled out.

“I’ve never seen Hands so mad,” he said in his deep voice. “It took a lot of guts to stand up to him like that just now, kid. Leave it to a woman to make him lose his cool.”

I wasn’t certain of the appropriate response, so I said nothing.

Hulk tried again. “He’s pissed because he never had a chance to engage Pentz and then you took the risk instead of him. Give him time to cool off.”

“I will. But this was about the mission, not his beef with Pentz.”

“Yeah, which pisses him off even more.”

“So, I guess I screwed up.”

He punched me lightly on the arm. “No, you didn’t. I’m saying you did dayum good, kid. Cool head under pressure. Hooyah.” Then, he laughed in his deep baritone voice.

Others in the cockpit started laughing and cheering. I was glad they hadn’t seen me blubbering like a baby when I thought they had taken off without me.

It was as if all the tension of the mission suddenly released. I wasn’t sure what I felt. Relief mixed with worry and sheer exhaustion as the high of adrenaline faded. My fingers itched to take a closer look at the data on the computer. I wanted to examine it right then and there, but my eyes were still wonky from the flash grenades and they needed a rest, along with my brain and the rest of my body.

Someone from Charlie Team walked through the cabin, throwing us bottles of water and energy bars. I took a bar and downed it in three bites. I was ravenous, so they tossed me another one. Who knew mortal danger made a person so hungry?

I drank the entire bottle of water, gulp after gulp, until it was gone, not caring that water dribbled down my cheeks and chin. Water had never ever tasted so good.

After that I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. Despite the noise and bumpy ride, I dozed. Except for that following-orders thing, maybe I was becoming a decent SEAL after all.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Gray was waiting for us when we got off the plane. She shook her head as Hands stalked past her without a greeting or a look, a huge scowl on his face.

Then she saw me. To my surprise, she ran over enveloping me in a big hug.

“Oh my God. I’m so glad you’re okay, Lexi. You gave all of us heart failure when you stepped out of the house to face Pentz. Seriously, Captain Bischoff had to sit down and I heard audible gasps from the brass in Washington. What a brave thing to do.”

“Why would that give any of you heart failure? It was a completely logical action. You said Pentz wouldn’t shoot me.”

“Well, yes, but I’m just an analyst—a junior one, at that. It was a best guess, not a certainty.”

“Wow.
Now
you tell me. Oh well, a best guess is all we had time for. Thanks, Gray. I owe you dinner. Looks like your work was solid.”

She slung an arm around my shoulders. “God, after that performance I need a serious drink. Come on. I’ll walk you back to the barracks. How are you feeling?”

“Exhausted, grimy and hungry. I need a shower and some fuel. I’m pretty sure I suck at being a SEAL. But just the fact that I survived tells you volumes about
their
skills.”

She laughed. “Oh, God, that’s funny. Hands looked seriously pissed. Let me guess, he’s furious because you played target without his consent.”

“That would be the winning scenario, although the fact that I paused to catch my breath and almost missed the plane home would be the second strike. I got disoriented and couldn’t see where I was going. Jeez, I was totally the weak link in the operation.”

She laughed. “I don’t even know why I think that’s hilarious, but I do. We must all be wound too tightly.”

“No kidding.”

Captain Bischoff spotted me and walked over, pumping my hand. “Good work, Ms. Carmichael. Hell of a thing you did.” He thumped me on the back, knocking me forward a few steps. “Not sure what else I can say.”

I shrugged out of my backpack and handed my laptop to him. “I downloaded all the information. Hands has the flash drive.”

He took the laptop from me. “Great. I’ll transmit the data immediately to Washington. We have a team standing by to receive it.”

I knew exactly who was at the head of that team, and I missed him more than ever at that moment. I wondered what Slash had thought of the mission.

“Did you get a signal from Pentz?” I asked. “Was he broadcasting to Broodryk as expected?”

Bischoff nodded. “Yes, he was. Just as Ms. Grayson anticipated. We got a lock on the coordinates.”

A smile spread across my face. “Oh, man, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day. You trace it?”

“He jammed us with some pretty sophisticated stuff. But we were expecting it, so they’re working on it in Washington now. I’ll give you an update at the briefing in an hour. Go hit the showers, sailor.” He paused and then coughed. “I mean... Ms. Carmichael.”

I chuckled. “Yes, sir.”

He started to walk away when I called out to him. “Wait. Ah, Captain, did you ever find Fennie?”

He nodded. “Yes. Apparently he ran off and got into some trouble. He met up with someone or something that beat him up pretty badly.”

I winced. “Maybe it was just an accident.”

“I don’t think so. He suffered a few broken bones and some internal injuries, but thankfully he was found and rescued. Fennie is resting now and should make a full recovery.”

“Wow, that’s great news. About the recovery, I mean.”

“It certainly is. It’s turning out to be a good day. Or night, I should say.”

“Certainly can’t argue with that.”

* * *

I’d just left the shower and was headed back to the barracks when Gray ran out to meet me.

“Lexi, hurry.”

I had no idea what was happening, but I ran after her without question, my wet hair plastered to my T-shirt. I dashed into the barracks and saw Gray had set up her laptop on the coffee table.

“Sit,” she said.

I sat and she angled the screen toward me. She pushed a button and, with a pat on my shoulder, left. I watched until a beep sounded and then I saw his face.

Slash.

I grinned like an idiot, and for a moment he just stared at me. We reached out and pressed our hands against the screen at the same time.

“Cara.”

“Slash. Oh, God. It’s so good to see you. I... I miss you so much.”

He smiled. “I miss you, too.”

“Were you following the activities of the mission?”

He nodded. He had a five o’clock shadow on his cheeks and chin and black circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted and clearly hadn’t been sleeping much.

“You look so tired.”

“I’m fine. How are you?”

I ran my fingers through my wet hair. “Scared, exhausted, exhilarated. It all happened so fast, Slash. I jumped out of a freaking airplane! Sort of. I still can’t believe I did it. We got the next clue. Have you seen it yet?”

“Not directly. Captain Bischoff just sent it. The team is reviewing the data as we speak. Good work.”

“You, too. I heard we got a lock on the coordinates from Pentz’s helmet cam.”

“Yes. We’ve already broke through and analyzed them. They put Broodryk in a mysterious compound in Gabon. We’re checking it out. It could be him. Just in case, Bischoff is mustering a SEAL unit there at Camp Lemonnier as we speak.”

“That’s excellent news. I’m headed to the debrief soon, so I hope to get more info then.”

“I’ve been working on some things of my own. I’m following a system’s trail regarding Pruxrat. There are some things about this situation that don’t add up for me. I’m chasing those anomalies. I’ll update you as time permits.”

“Okay.” I was intrigued, but we didn’t have time right now for that kind of detail.

He fell silent, staring at me.

“Slash, what’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. I just want to look at you and thank God you’re safe.” He slipped his small gold crucifix out from beneath his shirt and kissed it.

“You know what I did. Stepping out in the line of fire so the team could get a fix on Pentz.”

He closed his eyes. “I know.”

“You don’t approve.”

“No. I don’t approve of you putting yourself in harm’s way.”

“It was the right thing to do, Slash. I wasn’t going to stand by and let Pentz pick off the SEAL team one by one.”

“It was dangerous, reckless and risky. It was also quick thinking. If anyone else had done it, I’d have approved. But not you. Never you.”

“At least you’re speaking to me. Hands isn’t.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“I have to figure a way to make it right with him before the next mission. Doing that kind of thing is not my strong suit. Any advice?”

“Let him come to you. As a leader, it’s his responsibility to make sure his team is right. Give him time to work it out. He will.”

“Okay.” I felt relieved that I wouldn’t have to make the first move. “Can you update me on Xavier?”

“Of course. His condition has been upgraded. He came through the latest surgery on his spleen with flying colors. He’s still in serious condition, but he’s stabilized.”

“Wow. That’s great news. Have you contacted Basia?”

He smiled. “She calls me about every two hours to make sure I stay on top of the situation.”

“Thanks. That’s really nice of you.”

“I’m fielding calls from your brother Beau, as well. He’s keeping your parents updated. They know nothing except you’re hard at work on the case and are currently unavailable for visits. I’ve told them you’re fine.”

I rubbed my temples. “I appreciate that more than you know. I don’t want them to worry. It’s hard to think about them and the mission at the same time. I don’t know how service men and women do this. But it’s important. Family is important.”

“
Si
, family is everything. It’s time for the briefing,
cara
. Go now. We’ll talk again soon.”

“Okay. Hey, Slash?”

“Si?”

“Thanks again for sticking with me.”

“You won’t get rid of me that easily.”

I smiled. “I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is to hear that.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Gray and I were headed toward Bischoff’s conference room when Hands intercepted us.

“Can you give us a minute?” he asked Gray.

“Sure.” She raised her eyebrow at me as she walked past.

Hands had showered, shaved and dressed in a fresh T-shirt and camouflage pants. He seemed struggling with something he wanted to say. He stuck his hands in his pockets and shifted on his feet.

I waited.

“Damn it,” he finally said. “I’m really pissed at you.”

“Really? I hadn’t gotten the memo on that.”

He kicked at the sand. “Okay, that didn’t come out the way I’d intended. Look, I’m pissed about a lot of things, but mostly at myself. The mission didn’t go like I thought it would.”

“We all came home alive. We got what we went for—the clue. We’re another step closer to Broodryk, with a boatload of new data. I’m not a military analyst, but I’d call that a successful mission.”

“Everything is carefully planned for a reason.”

“I know, but part of being a good leader is being adaptable. You brought us home safely, Hands. That’s on you, no matter what any of us did or didn’t do. I guarantee you there isn’t one member of the team who isn’t thankful to you for that.”

“You deserved the dressing-down, but I was out of line on the plane. I lost my cool.”

“It’s okay. I appear to be a master at pissing off people lately.”

He frowned. “What the hell did you do to this Broodryk guy?”

“What didn’t I do? I put a big crimp in his illegal cyber operations. Possibly cost him hundreds of millions of dollars in the process. Guess that was enough to cause him to blow his top.”

“Yeah, I guess that would do it.” He rubbed his forehead. “Look, just for future reference, I need you to follow my orders, okay? We have to act as a seamless unit and I can’t do that if you don’t obey me.”

“I understand, but do you?”

“What?” He narrowed his eyes. “Wait. That wasn’t an answer.”

“No, it wasn’t. Look, Hands, I trust you with my life, which is why I’m still here. But I’m not going to let you or anyone else sacrifice their lives needlessly if there is another logical option. I know Broodryk, the way he thinks, the way he does things. You need to trust me on that. I understand you have to protect me, but I don’t want to be a burden on this team. I want to be a valued team member, which means my opinion has to count, too.”

His mouth dropped open. “You want to be a member of the team?”

“Of course, I do. You just said we had to act as a seamless unit. So, technically, that makes me a part of this team. I realize I’m a liability in the sense that I’m not properly trained and have a few—okay,
a lot
—of drawbacks, but I’m not just deadweight. I’m more than an asset. I occasionally have ideas, too.”

He considered my words and then nodded. “Fair enough. But from now on, final decision rests with me.”

“I’ll agree to that as much as I can without knowing the exact parameters of each situation.”

He studied me, then narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t agree to anything, did you?”

“Not really.”

“Hell, I figured as much.”

I smiled. “But I will defer to you most of the time. Just so you know, I think you’re a good leader and I’m glad you’re on my side. Plus, after that tandem jump, I feel much more comfortable with you. Especially since you didn’t unhook me and let me plunge to my death.”

He grinned. “It crossed my mind.”

I grinned back. Thankfully it seemed as if we were making a bit of progress in terms of a working relationship. “So, are we cool, Hands? At least for the time being?”

He sighed. “Yeah, we’re cool, Keys.”

We walked the rest of the way to headquarters and filed into the conference room. Hands and I were the last to arrive. I sat at the table in that last empty chair next to Gray while Hands leaned back against the wall next to Wills.

Bischoff stood. “We’re all here. I want to congratulate everyone on a successful mission. We got what we went for and more. The analysts in Washington were able to isolate the coordinates from Pentz’s helmet camera to a military-style compound in Gabon. Initial satellite imaging indicates that it’s a secure location—guarded, isolated and wired to the max. It would fit the parameters of the set-up required by Broodryk.

“You really think it’s him?” Hands asked.

“It looks promising. That’s all I can say at this point. We’re mustering another SEAL team for the Gabon compound from here. Meet Echo Team.”

I twisted around in my chair and saw several new guys leaning against the wall.

Gray flipped through her papers. “Broodryk has used Gabon as a launching ground before, but not this particular compound. What if he leaves before we get there?”

“We’re now monitoring all comings and goings from the compound. If he leaves, we’ll know it.”

I didn’t think it would be that easy, but I wanted to know where they were going with this. “So, what’s the plan?”

“The plan is, we send in Echo Team to Gabon to extract Broodryk while you’re keeping him busy and distracted at the shack.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Extract him?”

“If possible. We’d like to question him on certain things.”

I didn’t want to know what those things were or how exactly they would question him. “What if it’s not Broodryk there?”

“We’ll handle that when and if we have to.”

I didn’t ask how they would handle it. No one else did either.

Hands pushed off the wall. “So, what was on that flash drive we got from the village elder?”

“A location where Broodryk wants to meet Lexi next.”

“What? Where?” I asked.

Bischoff exhaled. “Somalia.”

There was audible murmuring in the room.

Hands shook his head. “Somalia. Goddamn bastard.”

“It fits.” Gray closed her file, rested her hands on top of the papers. “It’s dramatic, over the top, and summons images of the horrific situation that went down in the book and movie
Black Hawk Down
. Plus the SEALs have been hitting extremists and pirates along the coast lately. It’s so him. He probably amused himself thinking it up. It wouldn’t be hard to recruit local help against Americans. It’s cagey, but let’s not forget he’s a raving lunatic.”

Wills set his water on the table with a frustrated thump. “So, we have to keep playing this stupid game?”

“We do,” said Gray. “If we don’t play, or he thinks we’re not following his directions, he’ll set the virus loose.”

“He’s going to set it loose no matter what,” I clarified. “But the key is to distract him into thinking we don’t know that so we can take him down before he actually
does
it.”

It all seemed impossibly complicated. I wished more than anything I could wake up in my own bed and realize this had been nothing more than a nightmare. The comfort and anonymity of cyberspace called to me and I ached to respond. But I couldn’t help either one of the twins if I escaped into fantasyland. There was much more at stake than a mythical kingdom of Xenath. I had to stay focused in the here and now—the brutal cold reality.

“What do we know about the location of the shack in Somalia?” I asked.

Bischoff had Jason pull up a map and narrow in on the coordinates. “Not much without a current satellite photo. We have a lower resolution Google Earth photo while we await the next satellite fly over. Won’t have anything for another two hours at the earliest and even then we won’t get the best sun angle.”

“What about the geography and the politics?” Hands asked.

“Well, the geography around the site is semi-arid. Sandy soil, scrub brush, low acacia-type trees. Few mountains, but the terrain is somewhat rough and broken. Few roads except near the coast and they aren’t in good condition or are probably mined. This area shot was taken about four days ago. Politically, no one owns this area. It is a site of dozens of excursions by the Kenyans trying to keep the Arab extremists from setting up camps near the border. As the Kenyans have been pushed back behind their border this week, I can tell you upfront, this is no friendly zone. Still, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is the target location is close to the border with Kenya and they are willing to assist us.”

I waited, but no one else asked, so I made myself do it. “If that’s all we get for good news, I’m afraid to ask what’s the bad news.”

“The bad news is since the Kenyans are back on their side of the border, the brutal extremist group,
al-Shabaab
, has probably returned to the other side, right where you are heading.”

Wills shook his head. “Great. So, what’s the latest on
al-Shabaab
, beyond the usual beheadings, torture, suicide bombers and mass murder?”

Bischoff sighed. “Well, the Kenyans are noticing less activity than usual from them. They are more silent now on the intercepts. In the past, that has indicated a big operation was afoot. As a result, everyone is on high alert across the region. Something big is happening. I just hope it is you guys and not something else we don’t know about.”

I pressed my hand against my forehead and looked at Gray. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair had fallen loose from her usual tight bun. We all looked like we’d crawled out from under a rock, and we were tired of Broodryk’s sick games.

Bischoff walked with his hands behind his back as he spoke. “I’m not understating the political situation when I say the situation in Somalia is about as bad as it can get. There is no US presence in terms of an embassy or consulate. The situation, particularly in the southern part of the country where you are headed, is highly volatile and unstable. Terrorists and armed gangs roam sections of the country unchecked. There is fighting among clans, factions and families, not to mention political and regional organizations. It would not have been difficult for Broodryk to find allies to support his efforts, especially if he’s willing to throw money or weapons around.”

“Or,” Wills noted, “if he offered them a bunch of Americans as a present, all tied up and packaged with a ribbon.”

I swallowed hard. “Jeez.”

Hands leaned forward, seemingly undisturbed by what Bischoff had just said. “What do we know about his intentions?”

“The game is we have forty-eight hours to stop this madness or it’s over. He gave us coordinates and an exact time to show.”

Hands jerked his head toward me. “What about her?”

“What about her? She’s what Broodryk wants. We have to get her to that shack in the next forty-eight hours.”

“What about me?”

“Nothing about you this time, Hands. You’re off the hook.”

“Pentz is going to be there. I guarantee you.”

“We don’t know that.”

“He missed me and he went out of that mission without a single kill. He’s pissed. He won’t be absent from this opportunity, I promise you.” Hands glanced over at Gray. “What’s your take, Suit?”

Gray considered for a moment. “It’s possible he’ll be there, but I can’t be sure. Somalia is a pretty unpredictable and dangerous place right now for Westerners, even bad guys. Pentz himself might not want to risk it despite the prize. As this is supposedly end game, Broodryk might not want him there either. I assure you, Broodryk already has every single little detail planned out for the final denouement. He’s likely had it planned out for days. He may have ordered Pentz to stay out of it.”

Wills spoke up. “So, how do we go in?”

“Our plan has to be two-pronged attack,” Bischoff said. “One mission in Somalia and one mission in Gabon. Hopefully that’s where Broodryk is sitting and masterminding the operation.”

“How do we do that?” Gray asked.

Bischoff sat down. “The first question is
who
we do it with. Washington thinks we should swap out the SEAL teams. We’ve got enough men here in Djibouti for fresh teams.”

“What?” Hands said, his face incredulous.

“We need clear-headed boots on the ground, Hands. Like the last mission, Washington wants two small insertion teams on this operation. Small groups—fast in and fast out.”

Hands stiffened. “Permission to speak candidly, sir.”

“Granted.”

“If there is even the slightest chance Pentz will be there, I should be on that team. I know him and his methods. If anyone could take him out, it’s me.”

Bischoff shook his head. “You just heard Ms. Reese. We don’t know that he’ll be there. In fact, it’s highly unlikely he will. At this point Lexi is the only required player in the game.” He softened his voice. “Besides, even if you were there, Hands, you wouldn’t be able to engage Pentz on that level. Here, just like last time, the mission is about the asset, not your long-standing feud. You’d need to be light and mobile instead of carrying a heavy rifle and scope. Plus we won’t have enough men on the ground to spare you for the hunt.”

“Yes, sir, I understand that. But it’s not always about the rifle. It’s a mind game, too. It’s about how he will think, how he will act. No one knows that better than me. No one knows
him
better than me. Besides, the asset has just gotten comfortable with me, with all of Alpha Team. Bringing in a new team creates an unnecessary and untried dynamic that we don’t have time to work out at this point in the game.”

All heads in the room swiveled toward me.

“Ms. Carmichael?” Bischoff said. “What do you think?”

I looked between Hands, Gray, Wills and Hulk. Hands was the only one not looking at me. He stared straight ahead, so stiff I thought it would be possible to bounce a basketball off his chest and he wouldn’t move an iota.

I nodded. “Hands is right. I’m comfortable around the Alpha Team. If they are willing to risk their necks again, have time to get a decent rest, and are up for another shot at Broodryk, I’d like to stick with them. They’re my unit. I trust them with my life...and this mission.”

The room was silent for a full minute before Bischoff said, “Alpha Team. Are the rest of you in agreement with this?”

Wills gave a thumbs-up. “I’m in.”

Hulk nodded. “Me, too.”

I saw a slight smile touch Hands’s mouth, but he said nothing. He didn’t have to. His gaze met mine and I knew we had an understanding.