Owen and Asher were now out of the tunnels. They located what they assumed was once Adrik Volkov’s home, but from the looks of it, he hadn’t lived there in fifteen years, a decision that probably kept him alive so long.
Bravo Two and Three were now with Harper in their mobile unit, parked in a lot off to the side of the main strip by the river, as they tried to pinpoint which FBI agent had fed the two Russian teams their location.
Kyle? Was it possible that her buttoned-up, by-the-book ex was taking money from the Russians? She refused to entertain the idea, but she slouched at the memory that Porter had betrayed her, so why not the man she married? She’d gotten multiple psych degrees to prevent anyone from ever taking advantage of her again, and she’d tragically failed.
Chills erupted over her skin despite the blanket as she watched the yacht burn, and every minute it appeared to slip a touch lower in the water.
Ana’s pulse wasn’t going to slow down until A.J. and the others were off the boat and with, at least, Adrik Volkov.
“With any luck, Adrik will still be alive,” Wyatt spoke up, standing in front of her with his long gun pointed on the yacht, eye behind the scope.
“He’s going to blame himself for working with the Feds.” Her attention briefly skirted to the two FBI agents near the helm of the speedboat. She was on the starboard side, sitting on a couch, huddled in the cozy blanket, when she should have been on that yacht with the team.
A.J. had refused to put her in more danger, and Wyatt had agreed to stay on board with her to make sure she didn’t “do anything crazy.” Plus, they hadn’t ruled out the two agents on board as clean.
“Mendez demanded we work with the FBI.” Wyatt’s tone remained matter-of-fact. “We knew there was a chance someone may be on the Russians’ payroll,” he added in a lower voice, so the two agents didn’t hear them.
“But you know A.J.,” she said softly. “He’ll say he never should have taken the risk.” She clutched the blanket even tighter. “I didn’t expect two boats of armed gunmen to show up, though, or I wouldn’t have risked your team.”
He lowered his long gun for a moment and caught her eyes. “This is what we do. You’re okay, and that’s all that matters. Now, if something had happened to you, well, A.J. would probably burn down the city.” He started to raise his gun but hesitated. “But if the man does play the blame game, I’ll knock some bloody sense into him,” he added, his British accent deepening.
Of course, what happened tonight was more her fault than anyone else’s. She chose to go after the Volkovs tonight even though the translated ledger was safe in the storage area beneath her stairs back in D.C.
Leaving an operation unfinished made her crazy. Plus, it was time to end what began long ago once and for all. Thankfully, no one on the team had gotten hurt, so maybe Wyatt was right. Everything will be okay. Logically it made sense, but she couldn’t help but feel they were waiting for the other shoe to drop just as she caught sight of the dark-haired agent behind the wheel breaking leather. He was drawing his gun, and shit, from the looks of it, about to take out Wyatt.
Ana abruptly stood, going for her holster but finding it empty. Her mouth rounded in warning to Wyatt, but then a snap! sounded through the air.
The agent was hit in the arm, and he cursed and let go of his gun.
It all happened so fast, and Ana stared in shock as Wyatt and the other Fed quickly rushed the agent to the ground.
Ana twisted to find A.J. in the water, one hand gripping the boat, his rifle in the other. Thank God for his military-grade weapons ammo that allowed him to shoot a weapon after being submerged in water.
“Talk about timing,” she whispered and hurried to the side of the boat to help A.J. on board.
“You were the one to tip off the Russians?” Wyatt hissed behind her toward the dirty agent.
Ana barely heard the rest of the conversation, too relieved A.J. was safe and now with her. The rest of his team were on their way in a Zodiac inflatable boat, and to her relief, Adrik was linked up—cuffed and on board.
A.J. tossed his mask and snorkel, stowed his weapon, and pulled Ana tight into his arms.
“Grigory and Dominick not make it?” she asked, her face pressed to his slick wetsuit.
“No,” he said into her ear. “And Adrik and his guard attempted to escape. We had to take the guard out.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay. And your team,” she said as tears gathered in her eyes.
“And you.” He pulled back to hold her face, eyes meeting her eyes. “If anything had happened to you—”
“But it didn’t.” She lifted her chin. “It’s over, though. It’s finally over.” She had no doubt Winters would be taken down at some point, and then all she wanted was to move on, and with A.J.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ana stared in a daze at the flashing blue and red lights off in the distance down by the riverbank of the Danube, opposite of where the Buda Castle sat perched regally on Castle Hill.
Was it really only yesterday they were in Georgia and Porter had been shot? The Huntsman killed?
Now here she was in Budapest, a gorgeous and romantic city, and just one hour ago, Russians had opened fire on the Volkov yacht, exposing yet another dirty agent.
God, she could use a break. One that involved a pond, ice cream, and fireflies—without the weight of the world on her shoulders this time.
A mix of Hungarian law enforcement and American FBI agents worked side by side as they dealt with the crime scene down below. A.J. and his team had preferred to stay out of the limelight. Too many questions they wouldn’t be able to answer, so they’d moved out of sight.
She was standing in an empty parking lot that had a view of the scene. Two vehicles were parked behind her, which housed A.J.’s crew as they wrapped up mission details.
She’d changed into fresh clothes in the back of the van twenty minutes ago since she’d been covered in blood—thankfully not hers. Only a scratch on her forehead from when she’d hit the glass. So, not bad. Poor A.J. had been the one with a massive purple bruise on his chest from when she’d shot him. God, how could she ever erase that memory from her mind?
At the feel of A.J.’s arms wrapping around her waist from behind, she let go of a relaxed breath. “Hi,” she whispered, grateful to be safe in his embrace. She tipped her head back to catch his eyes. “Oh, this isn’t just a sweet hug, is it?” She’d learned to read the man well, and based on his tight mouth and the scowl on his face, he was upset about something.
She turned in his arms, and when she saw Kyle standing off to the side behind A.J., she knew why he was unhappy.
“Oh.” She stepped back, and A.J. tore a hand through his hair. “I’m gonna go see if we’ve heard anything about Winters yet.” He reached for her hand, checking to make sure she’d be okay, and she gave him a reassuring squeeze.
For a minute, she’d been concerned Kyle was dirty, too. Apparently, Director Mendez had sent Kyle to Hungary on special assignment to not only help with taking down Russian mobs, but to keep an eye on his fellow agents to ensure none were corrupt. And it was one reason why Mendez had trusted Kyle to lead the team tonight.