Rising Hope by Edie James

43

“I hopehe doesn’t do anything dumb. Please, God, don’t let him do anything dumb.” Sarah squeezed her shaking hands together between her knees, wishing she could propel the bright blue helicopter faster toward their destination.

Paulson had taken the bait. He expected her to deliver the jewels to a private hangar, and he expected her to believe he’d allow her and Enzo to walk away.

Uh. No.

While Jack piloted the craft, he discussed the plan with Rollo and Austin for their next move, bouncing ideas back and forth, their voices calm and professional over the headphones. Sarah sat next to Rollo, fuming silently. She had plenty to add to the conversation, but the team seemed intent on leaving her out of the details. Finally, Rollo felt the force of her gaze and his voice trailed off mid-sentence as he met her eyes.

“We better think of something fast. We’re almost there,” he finished with a nod.

Grateful for his acknowledgement, she tried to smile, but her facial muscles were frozen.

“We got this.” He patted her hand and stared into her eyes, his own deep, dark brown. Soulful. Like his brother’s. “No way my baby bro gets hurt. Or you.”

A hard lump bloomed in her throat, making her eyes water. How lucky for Enzo to have such a loyal family. People who had his back, no matter what. She literally couldn’t imagine. And she’d never expected that ferocious protectiveness to extend to her.

If she were a religious woman, she would have prayed for that. And why shouldn’t she? Enzo would. The man was filled with faith.

She reached out, afraid, yet exhilarated, by the possibility of feeling the kind of connection Enzo felt with his Savior.

“So we let Paulson take off with the jewels.” Jack mused over the comms. “We can have him intercepted once he lands.”

“He won’t be dumb enough to put down anywhere he can be found,” Austin pointed out.

Rollo shrugged. “So he gets the jewels. He won’t have them for long. These types always mess up. I give him a month before he’s caught.”

“Or the Tambov Roka find him,” Sarah couldn’t help adding.

The men raised their eyebrows. She shrugged. “They’re not going to want him talking to the FBI. Plus, I doubt they’d mind taking back the jewels.”

Rollo nodded. “Right. Makes sense.”

Austin grimaced. “And it’s not like they mind killing people.”

Indeed. Neither did Paulson, apparently. She knew now that Wenmark must be dead. And Munson. Probably Panetta, too. Why else would the agent disappear before the big payoff?

Austin tapped his fingers on his thigh. “What about Halliburton, and Sarah’s contact at the DEA, Ames?”

“We have to assume they’re in on this, until proven otherwise,” Rollo cautioned.

The thought of Gray betraying her made her sick, but she owed it to the team to keep an open mind about everything.

“Absolutely,” she agreed, reluctantly. Much as she disagreed with Halliburton about everything that had to do with law enforcement, she hated the thought that he, too, might have been seduced by the cartel into trading lives for a fortune in jewels.

Jack nodded, his gaze focused on the mountains rushing past. “So no contact with any outside agency until we have time to retrieve Enzo and retreat to a secure location. We can figure out who’s on which team later.”

“Copy that.” Rollo fiddled with his seatbelt, the only outward sign that his nerves were getting to him. “I’m the best shot here. I’ll stand backup.”

Austin made a sound. “I’d argue that, on a different day. But it’s your brother. Your show. I’ll take point and deliver the goods, if we get that far. You and Jack can watch my six.”

“What about me?” Sarah couldn’t help interjecting. “Shouldn’t I be the one handing over the stash? I’d rather have three of you ready to draw down on Paulson and whoever he’s got with him.”

Austin responded first. “Negatory.”

“We’ve done hostage exchanges before,” Jack added. “You’re a high value target. Paulson’s not going to want you walking away from this. And we can’t afford to hand him another hostage. We need you to stay in the background. We’ll be figuring this out as we go. You copy?”

She nodded reluctantly. “Yes.”

Ceding control didn’t come easily to her, but these guys were former Special Forces. And they weren’t wrong. She might be an exceptional undercover operative, but they faced down armed militias and terrorists. Michael Paulson, and whoever else awaited them, would be seriously outmatched.

Still, if she found a way to jump in without endangering the op, she would.

She pressed sweating palms to her thighs. The pendant in her pocket scraped against her skin. The urge to wear it overcame her. She took it out and secured it around her neck.

Rollo’s eyebrows rose. “That’s pretty.”

She touched the delicate glass, wondering if she’d ever get to tell Enzo how much his thoughtfulness meant to her. “It’s a talisman. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“Roger that.” Rollo copied her gesture, touching the thick hammered silver cross at his throat.

She gazed out at the city now looming below. Her heart hammered in her chest, the familiar nausea rising in her throat, making it hard to do anything but pray. Enzo was down there, facing danger. Alone.

Forehead pressed to the window, she wished she could assure him they were on their way

And then she realized she could. She smiled softly and lifted a prayer.

Lord, show him a sign. Tell him we’re coming. And Lord, please keep him safe.