choose to do.
“Not happening.” Dane sat down, his arms across his massive chest. “She needs care and not to be dumped in yet another foreign country.”
Mason sighed. “I can only tell you what they are saying.”
Dane understood. It wasn’t the first time they’d helped out a civilian in trouble and had to leave. Marielle wasn’t going to appreciate not getting home. The cat was also going to cause trouble. Shit. “She’s too valuable. We can’t leave her alone.”
“No, but she could return stateside with another plane.”
“True. Except they sent her with us.”
“Exactly.” Mason was back on his communicator. “I’m working the angles.”
Dane stared out the window, his mind spinning the options. He could stash her somewhere while they chased after the boss. By the time they landed, intel would be confirmed and a plan in place. They could be in and out of Italy within a few hours.
Or days. Even weeks if things fell apart. She could not stay that long. Even healthy she couldn’t stay that long. She’d have to get a commercial flight and go home. With the cat. So more paperwork and more money to get the paperwork through fast enough to get the cat through the borders. His mind worked as the men waited on Mason.
“We’re landing in a small airport a couple hours outside of Rome.”
So much for a hotel. He’d seen some of those small airports. They were talking dirt strips if they were lucky. And that meant no airport hotel for Marielle. “What if she didn’t get off the plane?”
At Mason’s sharp look he realized he’d asked his question out loud. He shrugged. “If she stays on board, then she’ll be able to go back with us.”
“We could be days.”
“We could be hours,” he countered.
“It could be dangerous.”
“She’s a target.” The best place for her was with them.
“We don’t know she’s the target.”
“The prof is dead. She’s alive and she’s the one with the research. They want her.”
The others exchanged glances. They had a protocol in place for a lot of situations, but they also knew that every mission required adaption to make it through. They’d pushed the line many times. Sometimes to survive. Sometimes because it was the best thing to do. Sometimes it was the right thing to do.
He hoped this time fit in one of those. There was no way he felt good about dumping Marielle, injured, in a small town miles from an international airport all alone.
Hell no. Not going to happen.
Chapter 10
T HE PLANE LANDED as she was waking up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She stared out the window in confusion. Uhm, she didn’t know what time it was, but it surely could not have been time for a transatlantic flight like she’d expected. And neither did this small, flat, rundown airstrip look like an international airport.
Where the hell was she?
With Masters’ cage gripped tight in her hand, she turned to look at the men.
Only they were all geared up. Fear shot through her. What had happened? Why hadn’t they said something to her? Masters meowed in his cage. She dragged the cage onto her lap and curled up in the corner, trying to still the panic in her stomach.
The only good thing was she was feeling relatively normal. The headache was still there but less a pounding than a dull ache. But…she stared outside in the evening light and wondered what the hell she was supposed to do here.
And where was Dane. He should have explained what was going on long before now.
“How are you feeling?” Dane stood in front of her. His gaze deep, assessing.
“Fine,” she said, her voice trembling despite her best attempts to keep it firm. “Where are we and why?”
“We’re in Italy. Our flight was diverted as we were given new information.”
She nodded as if she understood, but in truth, no one could understand anything given the little information he’d given her. “And me? Where am I going?”
“That’s possibly a choice. In theory you’re
“Not happening.” Dane sat down, his arms across his massive chest. “She needs care and not to be dumped in yet another foreign country.”
Mason sighed. “I can only tell you what they are saying.”
Dane understood. It wasn’t the first time they’d helped out a civilian in trouble and had to leave. Marielle wasn’t going to appreciate not getting home. The cat was also going to cause trouble. Shit. “She’s too valuable. We can’t leave her alone.”
“No, but she could return stateside with another plane.”
“True. Except they sent her with us.”
“Exactly.” Mason was back on his communicator. “I’m working the angles.”
Dane stared out the window, his mind spinning the options. He could stash her somewhere while they chased after the boss. By the time they landed, intel would be confirmed and a plan in place. They could be in and out of Italy within a few hours.
Or days. Even weeks if things fell apart. She could not stay that long. Even healthy she couldn’t stay that long. She’d have to get a commercial flight and go home. With the cat. So more paperwork and more money to get the paperwork through fast enough to get the cat through the borders. His mind worked as the men waited on Mason.
“We’re landing in a small airport a couple hours outside of Rome.”
So much for a hotel. He’d seen some of those small airports. They were talking dirt strips if they were lucky. And that meant no airport hotel for Marielle. “What if she didn’t get off the plane?”
At Mason’s sharp look he realized he’d asked his question out loud. He shrugged. “If she stays on board, then she’ll be able to go back with us.”
“We could be days.”
“We could be hours,” he countered.
“It could be dangerous.”
“She’s a target.” The best place for her was with them.
“We don’t know she’s the target.”
“The prof is dead. She’s alive and she’s the one with the research. They want her.”
The others exchanged glances. They had a protocol in place for a lot of situations, but they also knew that every mission required adaption to make it through. They’d pushed the line many times. Sometimes to survive. Sometimes because it was the best thing to do. Sometimes it was the right thing to do.
He hoped this time fit in one of those. There was no way he felt good about dumping Marielle, injured, in a small town miles from an international airport all alone.
Hell no. Not going to happen.
Chapter 10
T HE PLANE LANDED as she was waking up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She stared out the window in confusion. Uhm, she didn’t know what time it was, but it surely could not have been time for a transatlantic flight like she’d expected. And neither did this small, flat, rundown airstrip look like an international airport.
Where the hell was she?
With Masters’ cage gripped tight in her hand, she turned to look at the men.
Only they were all geared up. Fear shot through her. What had happened? Why hadn’t they said something to her? Masters meowed in his cage. She dragged the cage onto her lap and curled up in the corner, trying to still the panic in her stomach.
The only good thing was she was feeling relatively normal. The headache was still there but less a pounding than a dull ache. But…she stared outside in the evening light and wondered what the hell she was supposed to do here.
And where was Dane. He should have explained what was going on long before now.
“How are you feeling?” Dane stood in front of her. His gaze deep, assessing.
“Fine,” she said, her voice trembling despite her best attempts to keep it firm. “Where are we and why?”
“We’re in Italy. Our flight was diverted as we were given new information.”
She nodded as if she understood, but in truth, no one could understand anything given the little information he’d given her. “And me? Where am I going?”
“That’s possibly a choice. In theory you’re
Similar Books
