Page 89 of Lost Hope

Her heart leapt into her throat. She lifted a prayer for their safety. And for Mrs. Knight. Because if Admiral Knight wasn’t the best actor she’d ever seen … she and Ronan and Axel might well not survive this.

Shrinking before her eyes, Knight gestured weakly. “Jack.”

“Sir?”

“Secure Quinn, Reinhardt, and Agent Chen.”

Maya’s father stepped forward, face thunderous.

“John, no—” Victoria’s protest cut through the room.

“Either shut up,” the admiral’s voice could have frozen flame, “or you can join them. In fact, you need to be secured. Maya’s father, too.”

“I’m on it,” Ethan announced, shoving back from the table. “Ma’am?” He gestured toward the exit. Ronan’s mom shot him a deadly look before flouncing out ahead of him.

“Put those two vets with them,” the admiral called out after him.

Jack and Christian stepped forward to secure the three of them while the others watched Ronan’s friends for any signs of heroics, but none of his people moved. They managed to look both concerned, and relieved.

At least she hoped their expressions were acting.

Christian whispered, “Be ready for anything,” as he secured her wrists.

Richardson swept the three of them with a critical eye before clapping his old friend on the shoulder. “That’s the right move, John. Trust me.”

Gaze haunted, the admiral pressed a hand to his belly, as if trying to tamp down a wave of nausea. Which, given the circumstances, could be all too real. “It doesn’t feel that way.”

Richardson’s satisfaction was palpable now. But he missed what Maya saw—the team’s silent communication, their practiced movements, their absolute trust in each other and their leader.

“Look,” Richardson continued. “We don’t necessarily have to turn these three over. Between your operatives and mine, it’s likely we’ll be able to rescue Minerva without making the exchange. Or my people could locate her first. Don’t give up hope.”

Knight managed a sickly smile. “Thanks for that.”

“My pleasure.” He spun on his heel, heading for the door. “I’m going to need a secure line. I want to bring my people up to speed.”

The air instantly returned to the room. The man sure did love the sound of his own voice. If things went to plan, he’d have decades to hear himself talk. Alone in a Supermax cell.

She and Ronan and Axel might be zip-tied, but they weren’t alone. Whatever game Richardson was playing, he’d just madehis first serious mistake: underestimating the loyalty of a tactical team. Even a frayed one.

Hands behind his back, Ronan swayed slightly. His skin had gone even grayer. He looked long past done.

Maya sent up a silent prayer wishing, not for the first time, that he could feel its comfort—that sometimes the strongest thing you could do was admit you couldn’t do it alone. But Ronan Quinn had spent his life relying on nothing but himself and his training. She just hoped that would be enough. Because the way Richardson was watching them, like a cat with cornered mice, told her the real fight was just beginning.

44

DEAD DROP

The August heathammered down as Christian roughly guided Ronan up the Pilatus’s stairs, his grip unnecessarily tight. “Move it, scum,” he snarled, loud enough for Richardson to hear. The tarmac shimmered in the late morning sun, making the private airfield’s isolation feel even more pronounced.

Sweat darkened Ronan’s shirt where Christian’s fingers dug into his injured arm. To anyone watching, it looked like deliberate cruelty. Only Ronan felt the gentle squeeze that followed. “Sorry,” Christian whispered without moving his lips.

Behind them, Jack shoved Maya and Axel forward, his face twisted in disgust. “Can’t believe we worked with these pieces of filth.” He steered them none-too-gently toward their seats.

Richardson had stuck close over the past two hours as he negotiated with the kidnappers and he and the admiral planned the rescue flight to Italy. Not much opportunity for anyone to confer with Ronan or Maya or Axel. Exactly what Richardson wanted, for sure. Ronan’s team feigned disinterest and stayed away completely. The admiral’s wife wasn’t their concern. Nor were Ronan and Axel. Traitors to be handed over.

That left Christian, Jack and Austin to rotate as their guards. The one unguarded moment he got, Austin assured them thatthey’d be sending reinforcements. “We’ve got an Embraer jet on standby. It’s a hundred knots per hour faster than your ride. And our ceiling’s ten thousand feet higher. Richardson will never see us. We’ll be on the ground long before you hit the Med. We’re hoping we can extract Mrs. K before you land, but stay on your toes. No idea how this is going to go down.”

The rushed communication had buoyed Ronan’s spirits. Weak as he felt, he wasn’t sure how much help he’d be when the time came. But knowing they’d have friendlies on the ground helped.

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