Page 53 of Operation Heartbeat

He found the car waiting right where he expected it to be. As soon as he slipped into the front seat, Mason and Steele greeted him with big-ass smiles that made Con feel like he was coming home to his family.

“Are you gonna tell us what happened after you shut off the glasses?” Mason asked.

“No.”

“Come on. Share with the class.”

“Just drive.” He fought the urge to smile even as a growl rumbled up his throat. What he did in private with Sophie was his business. It was bad enough that the guys had known something was about to go down between them. If he had to do it over again, he would have ripped those glasses off long before they ever came close to the point of no return.

As Mason navigated the streets of Istanbul, Con asked Steele for an update. Meanwhile, he swung his head left and right, taking in everything they passed. The market—Sophie would love the brightly colored fabrics and ripe produce on display. The modern architecture of a library—oh, she’d adore that.

What was wrong with him? He needed to get a grip.

They parked outside of the mosque their target was known to frequent. The low chant of the prayer echoed across the square. They’d timed it well—the chant ended just a minute later. Con scanned the group of faces leaving and immediately picked out Deniz.

“I’m on him.” He took off through the crowd of men returning to work, knowing his teammates were on his six.

As he stepped up to Deniz, the man stopped walking. His gaze flicked past Con to the others.

“Can I help you, gentlemen?” Deniz asked in impeccable English.

“This is about Zehra.”

On the surface, he didn’t react to his wife’s name. But the flicker in the depths of his dark brown eyes told Con that he understood the significance behind the words.

Deniz held his gaze. “Come to my house. After dark.”

He nodded.

“You know where I live, I assume?”

Again, Con gave a nod.

“You have to come in over the water so you aren’t followed.”

“We will.”

Without another word, Deniz continued walking. Con watched him until he reached the end of the street and turned the corner.

Tonight. At dark.

Mason stepped up beside him. “We could be walking into a trap.”

Con scoffed. “I don’t think so.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“The man loves his wife. I saw it in his eyes. He’s going to do anything he can to get her back.”

Con didn’t have a wife or even a girlfriend. He wasn’t allowed to have anybody in his life. The closest he’d gotten to having someone in his life was his one night with Sophie.

What would he do if somebody got to her? His chest grew tight at the thought.

TWELVE

Sophie struck a pose with her finger guns.

“Sophie, are you—” Con’s voice projected from two feet behind her.

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