Page 30 of Wild Card (The Trident Trilogy 3)

Sarajevo, Bosnia, 1994

After the team got back from the mountains, the agency switched them to another base location. Since someone apparently leaked information on their raid, George had cut his already skeleton staff to himself, Nejra, and the SEAL team. They took over a house abandoned by one of the opposition leaders. It was secluded, gated, and even had a security system.

“They knew we were coming tonight,” George said. “Until we figure out how, we’re going to stay put. We’ll be here at least a few days—maybe a week. Get comfortable. There’s a gym in the basement. Feel free to use it. If you go outside, try to stay under the covered patio. No one should be able to see us through the trees.”

“All we want to do now is sleep,” Harry said. “Where’s our bunk room?”

“This house is huge,” George said. “There are enough rooms for each of you to have your own.”

“Damn, maybe I can get some real sleep if I don’t have to listen to Harry’s ass snoring all night,” Clem said. He quickly turned to Nejra. “Ma’am, I’m sorry for my language. It’s a bad habit.”

Nejra smiled. “It must be lost in translation, but Harry is a unique man if he can snore out of his bottom.”

“Yeah, he’s unique for sure,” Chase said, shaking his head. “Are all the rooms upstairs?”

George nodded. “Nejra and I will grab rooms on this level and there’s one more down here. The rest are upstairs.”

Nejra walked toward the room George pointed out for her. She tried discreetly to figure out where Mack was sleeping.

“Do you want the room on this level?” Mack said to Chase.

“Naw, man, I better be on the second level,” Chase said, laughing as he walked toward the stairs. “You know we want the best shooters on the high ground, and that ain’t you, brother.”

Mack turned around to find Nejra peeking at him over her shoulder. She looked away quickly and ducked into her bedroom. He sighed as he walked down the hall to his room. He already knew she was going to be trouble, but he wasn’t sure what he could do about it. Frankly, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to do anything about it.

He was attracted to her—really attracted to her. She was beautiful, but it was more than that. She was smart and funny—two qualities he never found in the women who flocked around him back home. It worried him though. She was sweet and vulnerable, and he knew he would probably never see her again after they left. He decided he wouldn’t pursue her, but he was almost sure she’d show up at his room at some point in the next few days.

* * *

Mack was in bed, staring at the ceiling like he did most nights. He didn’t sleep very long when they were away on missions—maybe an hour here and there if he was lucky. This job had a way of getting in his head. He loved his work, but it definitely had its downsides.

He was about to fade off to sleep when he heard a faint knock at his door. He sprang up and grabbed his pistol off the table. He walked across the room. Just as he got to the door, he heard a quiet voice.

“It’s Nejra.”

He took a deep breath as he looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head. He knew he didn’t have the willpower to turn her away. He opened the door slowly and saw her shifting nervously as she looked up at him. Her eyes were determined. He opened the door wider and reached for her hand. She raised it and let him gently pull her into the room.

Mack closed the door and pulled her into a hug. “Are you sure?” he whispered. “You don’t have to do this. You’ll have plenty of time in your life—”

She pushed back slightly and looked at him. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

He took another deep breath as he searched her eyes for any sign of hesitation. He couldn’t find any. He hugged her again to give her time to change her mind. She raised on tiptoe and opened her lips slightly. When he kissed her softly, he could tell immediately she had never even kissed anyone before.

He let her go and looked into her eyes again. “How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-four,” she said, frowning. “I am more than old enough. My mother was married when she was seventeen.”

“We’re not married,” Mack said, walking over to sit on the side of the bed. “Why don’t you wait? Maybe you should be married first.”

“Were you married for your first time?” Nejra pulled her shoulders back indignantly.

“It’s different—”

“It’s not different,” she said, crossing her arms. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Then I am older than you. I should have some control over this situation.”

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