Page 73 of Explosive Vengeance

Chloe peeled hers off and tossed it aside, the dimly lit interior allowing Megan to see her friend’s face. Chloe’s was not happy. “Hey.” Megan nudged Chloe with her knee. “We’ll get him. But not without planning everything first. There’s too much at stake to risk everything with a knee-jerk, emotional reaction.”

Chloe shot her a dark look, but Megan shrugged. “You know I’m right.” Chloe went back to staring straight ahead, and Megan shared a look with Heath. She hoped Chloe cooled off by the time they got back to their hotels because they needed to regroup and start planning for tomorrow if Amber found anything useful in the files they’d sent.

Chloe stewed for a while on the drive back to the coast, but things improved a little when Heath got up and crossed to the other side to sling an arm around Chloe’s shoulders. Her friend shot him a quelling look but didn’t push him away, then leaned into him.

Thank you, Heath.The last thing they needed was for Chloe to go off reservation again in her vendetta to get Dubois.

About twenty minutes from their destination, Amber called. “Hey, you find anything?” Megan asked.

“Did I ever. I’ll fill you all in when you get here.”

“Looking forward to it,” Megan said with a smile.

Trinity parked behind the hotel Amber and Jesse were staying at and everyone got out.

“I hope she got something good,” Chloe muttered as they trekked inside the building, Heath holding her hand. Megan suspected to keep tabs on her as much as to be affectionate.

Amber met them at the door with a big smile. “You’re just in time. Step into my office.” She nodded behind her where she had Lady Ada and a few other computers set up on a table.

“What did you get?” Chloe asked, chomping on her gum as she impatiently scanned the various screens.

“All kinds of financial records, cash withdrawals and payments I’m guessing he didn’t want on the books. In addition to various dates, locations and ship names listed in a ledger.”

Chloe’s face brightened. “How recent?”

“Tomorrow recent enough for you?”

Chloe sucked in a breath, her gaze darting between the screens. “Show me.”

“Here.” She pointed to a line she’d isolated. “It references a shipment of jewels coming into Le Havre tomorrow aboard a boat calledLe Dauphinat seventeen-hundred hours tomorrow.”

“It’s the women,” Chloe said in triumph. “Dominic used to call them his jewels.” She straightened, glanced around at everyone. “Anyone want an energy drink before we start? Because we’re gonna have a long night ahead of us.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

“How are you feeling?” Heath asked Chloe, passing her a coffee he’d just picked up in town. They were alone in their room, having wrapped up yet another meeting with the team a few minutes ago.

They’d been up until four that morning laying out the basic plan and logistics for how they were going to rescue the women, then had gone to bed and crashed for a few hours. Amber was keeping an eye on things on her end to update them with any important new intel. If nothing major changed, they’d be heading for the port soon in preparation to meetLe Dauphinwhen it came in.

“Better now, thanks.” She took a sip, her eyes half-closing in bliss. “Oh, yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about. Sweet caffeine.”

Seeing that look on her face, Heath smiled. He’d put that same look on her face several times in the past few days, and not because of caffeine. He was addicted. To her wild, vibrant energy so opposite to his own. To the startling glimpses of vulnerability she’d given him.

To her intensity. Chloe didn’t do anything half-heartedly. Whether it was planning or executing an op, or coming undone beneath him, she gave everything her all.

She was the most complex woman he’d ever met, and the strongest. He respected her goals and drive, if not always her methods. Things might have gone to shit last night if it had been Dubois in that car instead of his wife and kids. Chloe had been ready to charge headlong at him for the chance to put a bullet in his skull, heedless of the danger she’d be placing herself and the rest of them in.

She could be wild and crazy and impulsive, but she was also fun with an adventurous side that was addictive. She made everything so vivid. His life was going to be even duller when he left for Syria soon.

After everything he’d discovered about her, and all they’d been through in such a short time, he couldn’t imagine walking away without the promise of a future with her. She was part of him now, and he wanted more than he’d ever let himself want before.

They were just finishing their sandwiches and veggies when Amber called. “Jesse and Trinity are down at the port,” she told them. “They said there’s heightened security around the area the ship is due to dock at. I’m monitoring the satellite feed of the area now.”

“Sounds good,” Chloe said.

“Has Rycroft verified everything on his end?” Heath asked. Rycroft had pulled some big strings for them from back in the States. Since Dubois might have local law enforcement on his payroll or blackmail list, Rycroft had secured a clean team from out of the area to secure the ship once it moored. From there, Heath and the rest of the team would handle getting the women out and to safety.

“Yep, Trinity just got off a call with him. Everything’s a go, so saddle up.”

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