Page 139 of Fire and Ice

"Maia, God, Maia!" Jack said hoarsely as his warm body hit hers and she was crushed into those familiar arms that had curled into her so many times.

"Jack ...you came for me," her words came out as a sob as emotions threatened to overwhelm her. Get a grip, Pierce, she berated herself. They were not out of the woods yet.

"I'll always come for you, babe," Jack whispered tenderly. His eyes dropped to her shackles and suddenly became alert as he looked around the rest of the room.

He pulled the chain taut and ordered her to look away as he snapped a round into the metal links to separate them.

Maia quickly ran to the dresser to change into her own clothes as she divested herself of the harem attire.

"Hurry up, Maia," Jack urged her as he peered down the hallway, giving the all-clear to his partner.

"I've secured Pierce," he said through comms.

"Copy that," Viktor replied. "Alpha team rendezvous to position A for pick-up."

Jack walked over to Maia and handed her a nine-millimeter. "You ready, babe?"

She nodded, still not believing that he was here.

"Stay close."

It looked like all the hostiles from the second and third floor had been eliminated. There was a heavy din of a firefight that was coming from the first floor. This was punctuated with bouts of shouting.

"Shouldn't we help them?" Maia asked as she made a move to go downstairs. She ran into Jack's out-thrust arm catching her around the waist and holding her tightly against him.

"No! Damn it, Maia will you follow orders for a change?" Jack growled as he lugged her up the stairs where they ran into Viktor.

"Third floor is all clear," Viktor said.

"What about Edmunds and the others?" Maia asked with concern.

"They're fighting their way out right now," Viktor said.

"We have to help them!" Maia said fiercely as she shook free of Jack's hold and made a move to go down the stairs.

"No!" Viktor and Jack yelled simultaneously as each man took hold of her arms on either side and hauled her towards the waiting Black Hawk.

"What the fuck?" Maia shouted back. "Those are my men, I'm responsible!"

She was surrounded by damn Neanderthals, Maia thought furiously.

"Not anymore," Viktor informed her as he observed the mulish set of her jaw. "Some men from team Bravo are on their way now to provide backup. Edmunds and the rest will be fine. Gavlik's men are giving up. Don't worry, Maia."

Jack bundled her into the chopper and got in behind her holding her so tight she couldn't breath.

"Jack, you're suffocating me," Maia complained. He loosened his arms only to have his lips come down on hers in a deep, searching, hungry kiss ignoring all the other occupants in the chopper.

Maia was red-faced, not used to this PDA in front of people she worked with. And then she remembered something.

"Wait a minute: we're broken up, remember?" Maia whispered.

"I think that was more like a lover's spat, babe," Jack murmured huskily. His voice was so warm and gentle, Maia had trouble remembering why she had been mad at him in first place. Besides, he had crossed the Atlantic to rescue her.

***

Erik Costa took the kill shot that finished Mikhail Gavlik. In some way, he was able to avenge his mother. Edmunds, Manning and Chavez were able to get out with the help of team Charlie. With the death of their pakhan and with the imminent return of Volynsky, the rest of the Gavlik crime family abandoned their posts and disappeared into the woods of Orenburg.

"So what now?" Maia asked Alexsey Volynksy. They were back at the Samara compound, refueling the choppers and saying their farewells.

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