Page 67 of Ace

Then he’d taken a long, hot shower.

When he finished, she still hadn’t come. He got another call. General West. He cleared his throat. “Hello, General.”

“Major.”

“Yes sir.”

“Are you with my daughter?”

“She’s here, sir, but not in my room.”

“Good. We’re moving in. Stay back.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, sir?”

The silence on the other made Dex grimace, but he stood taller. “We need on-the-ground intelligence. There are civilian lives—”

“You’re out of line. Just keep yourself and Gianna out of things that are outside your ability to influence. This call never happened.”

“Yes sir.” Dex hung up and dialed Gianna’s phone. It went straight to voicemail.

He made his way to the women’s quarters and knocked on her door. No answer. The knob wouldn’t turn. “Gi.” He knocked harder. When she didn’t respond, he ran down the hall. He got the facilities manager on the phone and asked for her door to be opened, but he knew. He knew she’d gone. He should have known she wasn’t going to wait.

Once back in his room, the manager confirmed that her room had been cleaned of her things. “There was a note.”

“What does it say?”

“ ‘You know where I am.’ ”

He gripped the phone. “Thank you.”

Then he threw stuff into his own rucksack and grabbed a few MREs.

Ivy saw him in the hall. “You’re going?”

“Yes. Gianna is probably there. I just heard word from her father that they are bombing the island. I’ve got to extract her.”

“His orders or yours?”

“Both.” He adjusted his pack. “Unofficially.”

She nodded. “I’ll do what I can from here.”

“Thank you.” He started to continue out the door. “Your help through all this has been vital. I promise you an easier job next time.”

Her smile started small then grew. “I’d appreciate that. I’ve loved the team we’re training. But next time, something not at the epicenter of a major international conflict would be better. Maybe Antarctica.”

He laughed. “The heat getting to you?”

“Yes, that too.”

He nodded. “Thank you. Again. I think you’ve earned yourself a new callsign.”

“I’d appreciate that, sir.”

He grinned then turned to leave.

Tracking Gi was more complicated than he’d imagined. He was already a full day behind her, and she was better at blending in than he’d expected. But he finally found the direction of her crop plane. He called in a favor and was soon up in the air in the fastest and quietest helicopter in the Pacific. The captain said little, and that was just fine with Dex.

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