“We’re gonna get out of this alive and be back on the next plane out of here.” My jaw set tight as I made up my mind. There was no fucking around this time. Our chances of getting out alive depended on it.
“We’ve gotta get in and out of this mission as fast as possible. While you’ve been moping about your girl, I’ve been strategizing, and I think I’ve got the answer.” Savage cracked open a beer and clinked the bottleneck against that of my soft drink.
“By the way, I’m wondering if a blonde woman has anything to do with your sudden desire to become a grandfather,” I said, taking the piss out of him. After Savage got dumped by his fiancée, less than a week before their wedding, he’d sworn off women. Clearly he was back in the game if he was planning on having a family.
Savage chuckled. “Gotta pass on these shit-hot genes, buddy. I mean, what a waste if the bloodline stops here.”
I had to agree with him. There wasn’t a better man than my partner when it came to loyalty. I just hoped the next woman he fell for was worthy of his heart of gold.
“What made you change your mind? You’re a confirmed bachelor with your pick of babes. You gonna give all of that up?”
Savage nodded. “Yeah. It gets old after a while. I’m a one-woman man. Screwing around may be good for my balls, but not for my heart. I want a woman to love and to grow old with.” He looked down into the neck of his beer. “Jessica is going through a divorce. Maybe I can have a second chance with her.”
“Jesus, Savage. You have to choose today to tell me all of this shit? Why didn’t you mention this in LA before we got on that plane?”
“Would you have listened? Your head is somewhere else, and I don’t blame you. But now you know we both have a reason to get out of here alive, maybe you’ll stop living on the fucking edge and do your job . . . but without getting either of us killed.”
I grimaced. We’d certainly had our fair share of narrow escapes over the years. The types of people we targeted were the hardest of criminals and terrorists who didn’t give a fuck about another person’s life, least of all ours. I’d taken pride on being number one on the underground hit list; knowing they wanted me dead spurred me to greater heights, and made me want to take bigger risks. It was all for a rush of adrenaline and to fuel my insatiable thirst for revenge.
“Let’s talk about your strategy. If we can do this job in a day and get the fuck out of Afghanistan I can focus on finding Eva. I can’t believe what an asshole I’ve been.”
Savage slapped my back hard. “Welcome back, buddy. I’m glad to see you’ve finally come to your damn senses.” His grin nearly touched his ears. “And not a minute too soon, either.”
I laughed, relief washing over me that there was a way out of this mess. “Thank you, asshole. What would I do without you? You nag worse than my mother.”
Savage just shrugged, and then started laying out his plan as if we were simply discussing the strategy of a baseball game. I listened intently, nodding and only interjecting when I wasn’t clear on a point. Everything hinged on us catching our target as soon as possible, preferably within the first few hours of reaching our destination.
This was so much better than the original MO drawn up by the team back in the States, who gave us a week to adjust and stake out the territory before we struck the enemy. There was absolutely no margin for error with Savage’s plan. Plus the element of surprise was going to knock a few more bad guys on the head than our intended target only, including the powers behind this mission who wanted me out of the way permanently.
“Know what? You’re fucking brilliant. Now I remember why we make such a kickass team. Your brains and my guts, and they won’t know what’s hit them.” For the first time in days, a surge of positive energy flow through my veins.
We’d make this work.
Fuck yeah!
“Hey, Summers.” I turned toward the voice of the co-pilot, who spoke with an Australian accent.
Pumped, my blood thrummed with anticipation. “Yeah? We ready to go?” I motioned for Savage to follow me. I was eager as fuck to get back on that plane and get to our destination. I needed a hot shower and a few hours of sleep, and then I’d be ready to go all out on Savage’s brilliant plan.
“Uh . . . sorry mate.” He shook his head and looked as if he’d just heard the news that his grandmother had died.
“What’s up?” Savage rested his hand on my shoulder and squeezed, as if he were bracing himself and preparing me for bad news. A sense of deep foreboding seeped into my bones.
“Technical problems. This plane ain’t goin’ anywhere tonight. We gotta wait for a part to be flown in. Sorry.”
“What the fuck?” I roared, clenching my fists as the implications hit me.
This is bad. Very fucking bad.
Savage hissed beside me. “Why the hell do my best plans always go down in fucking flames?”
“Captain said to tell you to go get a few beers and have a good night’s sleep, and we’ll wake you when we are ready to take off.” His apologetic tone did nothing to calm me down.
“You have any idea how long this is going to take?”
“Probably won’t be anything before dawn if we’re lucky.” His eyes were large in his face. Guess he didn’t expect this reaction. Most guys wouldn’t care that the mission was delayed—they’d have a night off with booze and a local woman or two, screwing their demons and fears out of their systems, or at the very least giving it their best damn shot to enjoy their few hours of unexpected reprieve.
I wasn’t like most guys. Not anymore.
Pacing up and down, my hand brushed through my hair as I tried to think and make sense of it.
Savage was doing his best to stay calm, but losing the battle. “Fuck, we’re shit outta luck, man. How is this even possible? Aren’t these fucking planes checked before we leave the States?”
The Aussie nodded, giving us a brave smile. “Yeah, but apparently this mission was so important we had to abort the checkup and were commissioned to fly this baby before it was all done. You must be proud.”
Christ. Seriously?
Rage built in my belly and spread through my bloodstream. “Tell me you’re fucking kidding me right now. We get sent on a dangerous mission, but there’s no guarantee we’d even make it there because our fucking plane is dodgy?” My voice was raised until I was nearly yelling, and my arms flew about as I gestured between the plane and us.
Somebody is fucking with us.
Savage paled, his complexion nearly as white as his sparkly teeth. “Holy fuck, somebody wants you out of the way—probably stone cold dead. They want it so badly that protocol was overlooked to get you out of the country. A plane crash would be the perfect MO.”
“Fucking bastards.”
“Your death wish has caught up with you, Harrison. We’re fucked, buddy.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Very rarely did Savage call me by my first name. The few times he had, we were staring death in the face. A sinking feeling filled my gut, threatening nausea. I’d stared death in the eyes many times, but that was different. I was in control then; it was through my own choice. Now, I was merely a pawn in someone else’s master plan. An expendable pawn.
My desire to live was worth shit.
And I had absolutely no control over it.
Life had just become my most precious possession.
Chapter 34 — Harrison
Twenty-four hours later, covered in dust and dried blood, tired to the fucking bone, Savage and I lay on the back of a truck as it rattled its way over potholes and rocky dirt roads.
A small commercial airplane had landed at the airstrip in Germany just hours after we were stranded and Savage and I, after negotiating a ride, took off with threats and warnings ringing in our ears for disobeying orders.