She pulled back, demanding that he look her in the eyes.
“I can’t help but feel guilty.” He shook his head. “But right now, I need to focus on the op. And then I’ll spend my life apologizing for all of this.” He brushed the back of his hand along the contour of her cheek. “But if anything happens tonight,” he slowly began, “I need you to remember how much I love you. So fucking much.” He swallowed. “But don’t remarry some banker boy like Brian. I—I couldn’t handle that, even in death.” His one hand on her hip squeezed a bit tighter. “You’ll always be mine. Even if it’s from the grave, you’re my forever.”
She chewed on her lip at his words, the tears crashing down and hitting the hand still cupping her face. “Soul mate. That’s what you are. You’re my forever-forever. In life and in,” she said around a thick swallow, “death.”
He set his forehead against hers for a moment before guiding her chin up to look at him again.
“But don’t you dare piss me off and die, Jesse McAdams,” she cried before he kissed her, and his tongue slipped between her lips, dueling with hers. “And besides,” she said between kisses, “you’re the best, right? This Chechen has nothing on you.”
He stopped kissing her and eased back, seeking her gaze. “So, you want me to be a killer tonight?” His forehead tightened in surprise.
“No, he’s a killer. You’re a hero. There’s a big difference.” She stabbed his chest while sniffling. “And tonight, you’re saving lives.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
“I made her a promise. I said I’d come back, and I plan on delivering.” Jesse lay flat on his stomach, a blanket of fresh snow beneath his body, awaiting orders from Gray and Carter to advance away from the cover of the tree line and to the castle. Thatcher was at his three o’clock, kitted up in his own gear. He was the last man Jesse wanted alongside him, but what choice did he have?
“And I plan to make sure that happens.” Thatcher adjusted his night-vision goggles, shifting them up and away from his eyes, and Jesse ignored him.
The castle was a hundred meters away from their location, and his team had already heard from Sydney by phone, confirming via drone there were armed tangos on-site.
They’d split up into two assault squads. Alpha Team was at the backside of the castle, and Carter had his guys who’d been previously keeping an eye on Dragan’s home, now converging at the side entrance as Bravo Team.
Jesse knocked his NVGs up, drew the stock of his fully blacked-out rifle against his shoulder, and leveled his aim up at one of the towers where he’d spotted movement. He went for his radio and transmitted, “This is Alpha Five. I have two tangos with AKs on the tower in my line of sight.”
“This is Alpha One,” Gray answered. “That’s a good copy. We’re weapons hold until we’re breachers up.”
“Roger that,” Jesse replied.
“This is Bravo One. My team is in position,” one of Carter’s guys transmitted. “I have two armed tangos near the boathouse. Confirming visual of the tango Juliet spotted walking along the front of the target location.”
Juliet was Sydney’s call sign, and right now, she was their saving grace with her small drone keeping watch for them. But the flying time of the drone was limited, and they’d be losing the signal soon.
“This is Alpha Two,” Carter responded a moment later. “Roger that.”
“I made a mistake,” Thatcher quietly said. “I didn’t realize that until Versailles.”
“I don’t want to hear anything from you,” Jesse growled, wanting nothing more than to punch him in the jaw to shut him up. He hated that Ella was in Austria and anywhere near the danger. He knew Sydney would protect her, but if it weren’t for Thatcher, she wouldn’t need protection. Period. She’d be safe at home.
“I thought if Ella were in danger, you’d be more motivated to take the mission, but I neglected to take into consideration that . . . she can also be a distraction for you. She was why you missed killing your mark eighteen months ago, so I’m here to make sure Yuri is handled tonight in case you’re distracted again,” Thatcher went on anyway, and Jesse cursed under his breath.
And Carter is a distraction for Yuri. “So, you don’t actually care about me. Or her. Your little declaration that you were done prioritizing the mission over the operators was bullshit. You’re here because you want to nail Yuri.” Jesse clenched his teeth and gripped his weapon tighter to keep his hand from trembling. He was not going to allow himself to get distracted by anyone or anything. And he wasn’t going to fuck up like he did eighteen months ago. “Does Langley even know you’re here? Or did you go rogue too?”
Thatcher shifted his rifle and eyed the tower through his scope, his silence an affirmative. The CIA didn’t know he was in Austria, which meant he didn’t have operational authority to be there.
“Haven’t been on an op like this in a long time,” Thatcher deflected a few seconds later. “Of course, I was usually in the sky, but the feeling is still the same. The anticipation and buildup.”
Why did he sound excited right now? Did he miss war? Jesse sure as hell didn’t miss Iraq or the sick-in-the-gut feeling he got when his team left the Green Zone and advanced into the Red Zone, one of the most dangerous areas in the world at that time.
“This is Alpha Two. Juliet’s drone spotted four people tied up inside. Bags over their heads,” Carter abruptly announced and rattled off the location in the castle.
“Alpha Five and Seven, prepare to take out their tower overwatch,” Gray ordered Jesse and Thatcher, and God, Jesse hated that Thatcher had a call sign. “Bravo One, on my mark, you’ve got the guard out front.”
“New information,” Carter rushed out a moment later. “The drone also caught sight of Zoran’s son.” He quickly provided the boy’s location. “If he’s in the castle, Zoran must be there as well.”
Which meant Carter had been right. Yuri had more than likely planned to bring the three of them to the castle after exploding the C4 in the mine to take down the rest of their teammates. Zoran wanted his revenge. He wanted to watch Jesse and Ella die.
“No innocents are to become collateral damage,” Carter commanded. “Understood?”
“Roger that,” the two teams answered over the radio in unison, and of course, they’d do everything in their power to prevent a child from dying or any of the other innocent people inside getting hurt.
“Alpha Five and Seven, send two headshots in thirty seconds,” Gray told them, and Jesse readied his rifle.
“Just like in Bulgaria, the two of us are about to fire at the same time,” Thatcher said. “But maybe kill your mark this time?”
Jesse gritted his teeth once again, ignored his former boss, and remained steady. “This is Alpha Five,” he said when it was time. “Target acquired and locked. Preparing the shot in three, two, one.” He and Thatcher fired at the same time.
“This is Alpha Two, breachers up. Clear to infil.”
Jesse quickly stood and patted Thatcher on the shoulder, signaling for him to move. If Yuri wasn’t aware that three of his men had just been taken out, he’d know in a matter of seconds that his plan had backfired because Jack and Oliver were setting the breaching charges at the backside, and Bravo Team would breach the front.