“Seems there’s a lot I don’t know about you,” Ella found herself saying, joining in on the conversation.
“I was just, uh, giving Jesse a few pointers about how to operate when you’re navigating a maze of ancient tunnels,” A.J. said hesitantly, obviously unaware that Ella had been within earshot.
But she and Jesse had no more secrets. Right now, the only barrier between them was his insistence she not go anywhere near the salt mine, which she refused to obey. If she didn’t show up, Yuri promised to detonate a bomb somewhere in Hallstatt.
The horrific image of an explosion destroying the village and killing the innocent residents had her stomach flipping yet again. She quickly pushed those thoughts away, terrified she’d manifest the scene into reality if she hung on to it for too long.
But no way would she choose herself over a city of innocent people, and Jesse knew that about her as well as the fact it was pointless to argue with her. She’d just as willingly sacrifice herself for a village of strangers as she would for her niece, McKenna. In her mind, there was no choice.
“I can’t believe you’re taking her into that mountain, but I know you’d rather die than put my sister in harm’s way,” A.J. said, reading Ella’s thoughts, and Jesse’s jaw clenched at his words.
“I don’t want to, but she’s—”
“Stubborn,” A.J. finished for Jesse, and she needed to change the direction of this conversation fast before they both teamed up against her.
“How’s Beckett?” she deflected. That wasn’t the wisest choice of subject since Beckett’s vow to never forgive Jesse still hung problematically in the air, but there weren’t exactly any rainbow-sunshine type of conversations to be had right about now.
“Grumpy. Pissed,” A.J. quickly remarked as if wanting to get this talk over with fast. “But physically, the burns aren’t bad. He’ll be okay.”
“And McKenna?” Her young niece had experienced a truly frightening ordeal, and witnessing her father and uncles take lives only made it that much worse. She’d be needing therapy, and that’d be another nail Beckett would hammer into Jesse’s coffin when they returned.
“She’s a tough kid, you know that. I think once you’re back home, she’ll feel better. We’ll all feel much better.”
Ella searched Jesse’s gaze, but his attention was fixed on the old, slightly beat-up wood floors.
“And you, are you . . .” Mad? Angry again? Want to throttle the man I love?
Ella’s unfinished question had Jesse dragging in a deep breath, his focus zipping to the phone as though A.J. were standing there.
“My job comes with risks too. The work I do has the potential to put everyone I care about in danger at some point.” A.J.’s answer had Jesse releasing a breath. Because A.J.’s response was the same as saying, No, I don’t blame Jesse. “I’ll try and talk Beckett down. Just focus on . . .”
“Staying alive?” she sputtered, and there went Jesse’s jaw again, working double time.
“I don’t like the situation, but I know you’ll be okay. If I didn’t trust Jesse to keep you safe, you know I’d already be in Austria with you,” A.J. said, his voice suddenly breaking when he added, “I love you, Sis.”
“I love you too,” Ella choked out, then cupped a hand to her mouth, tears welling in her eyes even though in her gut she was certain this wasn’t a final goodbye. Everything was going to work out because she refused to believe the bad guys would win.
Yet, the events of the last few days unfolded in her mind—the DGSE holding room, the attack at Rochella’s estate, the B&B in Versailles where plans to take down Yuri had been formulated, and finally the attack on her family back home. It sounded like an action movie.
Her thoughts returned to Yuri and images of an explosion, death, and destruction. She wished it really were a cinematic experience and not real life.
“Jesse, take me off speakerphone so I can have a word with you,” A.J. said a heartbeat later.
Jesse brought the phone to his ear and set a palm on the windowpane. His bicep flexed, stretching the fabric of his shirt as he leaned forward a bit, head bowed.
Ella sat on the bed, her legs too wobbly to support her, and placed a hand over her heart, hoping to calm herself down.
“Yeah, okay. Roger that,” Jesse said a minute later, then lowered the phone from his ear and joined her on the bed. “I’m so fucking sorry,” he apologized straight away, reaching for her hand.
She turned toward him and leaned closer, brushing her lips over his for their first kiss since Beckett and McKenna had been under attack.
“Stop apologizing. That’s not what I need from you.” She pulled back to find his eyes. “I didn’t just get you only to lose you. Or for you to lose me.”
He quietly studied her, his lips drawing into a tight line, his forehead creased with worry.
“Hey,” she said while palming his cheek when he’d yet to talk. “I’m too stubborn to die. Got it?” She did her best to keep her voice steady, so he wouldn’t hear the panic trying to strangle her words.
Jesse’s brows pinched as he brought his nose almost to hers. “Roger that,” he rasped before drawing her back in for another kiss.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“We ran a lot of subterranean ops back at Fort Bragg,” Oliver commented, dragging a hand through his brown hair, his back to the wall inside Carter’s suite where the team was all gathered.
The room felt small and tight to Ella, with the operators and their gadgets and weapons scattered about the space. It wasn’t exactly Marriott-sized like the rooms back home.
It was just after midnight, and the team anticipated they’d soon be hearing from Yuri. They’d go after Zoran once Yuri was no longer a threat. One mark at a time, Carter had said. The most dangerous first.
“But what y’all will be doing is different than the situations we prepped for at Bragg, and unlike the ops we ran in Afghanistan,” Oliver went on, eyes on Carter. “Plus, you can’t breach with explosives, or you’ll risk creating instability when you’re inside the mine.”
More disturbing images muscled their way into Ella’s mind—a mineshaft caving in, boulders crashing down and trapping them. She cringed and shifted closer to Jesse on the couch, and he set his hand on her thigh and lightly squeezed.
“We won’t have earpieces. No radios. No way to communicate once we’re underground as well,” Carter announced, sharing the bad news Sydney had already told Ella on the train.
Right about now, Ella missed Savanna like crazy. She needed her friend to distract her and make her laugh in the midst of this chaos like she’d done the other day. Of course, she was relieved that both Savanna and Griffin were back home and no longer in danger.
“So, once we’re inside, Yuri will give you the location of the bomb?” Ella spoke up, still a bit unclear on what they expected to happen tonight. “And what if Yuri’s lying about where he hid it?”
“He won’t lie.” Zoey was on her knees in front of a duffel bag sifting through its contents alongside Sydney across the room, and she stopped what she was doing to put eyes on Ella.