Ana twisted to find A.J. in the water, one hand gripping the boat, his rifle in the other. Thank God for his military-grade weapons ammo that allowed him to shoot a weapon after being submerged in water.
“Talk about timing,” she whispered and hurried to the side of the boat to help A.J. on board.
“You were the one to tip off the Russians?” Wyatt hissed behind her toward the dirty agent.
Ana barely heard the rest of the conversation, too relieved A.J. was safe and now with her. The rest of his team were on their way in a Zodiac inflatable boat, and to her relief, Adrik was linked up—cuffed and on board.
A.J. tossed his mask and snorkel, stowed his weapon, and pulled Ana tight into his arms.
“Grigory and Dominick not make it?” she asked, her face pressed to his slick wetsuit.
“No,” he said into her ear. “And Adrik and his guard attempted to escape. We had to take the guard out.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay. And your team,” she said as tears gathered in her eyes.
“And you.” He pulled back to hold her face, eyes meeting her eyes. “If anything had happened to you—”
“But it didn’t.” She lifted her chin. “It’s over, though. It’s finally over.” She had no doubt Winters would be taken down at some point, and then all she wanted was to move on, and with A.J.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ana stared in a daze at the flashing blue and red lights off in the distance down by the riverbank of the Danube, opposite of where the Buda Castle sat perched regally on Castle Hill.
Was it really only yesterday they were in Georgia and Porter had been shot? The Huntsman killed?
Now here she was in Budapest, a gorgeous and romantic city, and just one hour ago, Russians had opened fire on the Volkov yacht, exposing yet another dirty agent.
God, she could use a break. One that involved a pond, ice cream, and fireflies—without the weight of the world on her shoulders this time.
A mix of Hungarian law enforcement and American FBI agents worked side by side as they dealt with the crime scene down below. A.J. and his team had preferred to stay out of the limelight. Too many questions they wouldn’t be able to answer, so they’d moved out of sight.
She was standing in an empty parking lot that had a view of the scene. Two vehicles were parked behind her, which housed A.J.’s crew as they wrapped up mission details.
She’d changed into fresh clothes in the back of the van twenty minutes ago since she’d been covered in blood—thankfully not hers. Only a scratch on her forehead from when she’d hit the glass. So, not bad. Poor A.J. had been the one with a massive purple bruise on his chest from when she’d shot him. God, how could she ever erase that memory from her mind?
At the feel of A.J.’s arms wrapping around her waist from behind, she let go of a relaxed breath. “Hi,” she whispered, grateful to be safe in his embrace. She tipped her head back to catch his eyes. “Oh, this isn’t just a sweet hug, is it?” She’d learned to read the man well, and based on his tight mouth and the scowl on his face, he was upset about something.
She turned in his arms, and when she saw Kyle standing off to the side behind A.J., she knew why he was unhappy.
“Oh.” She stepped back, and A.J. tore a hand through his hair. “I’m gonna go see if we’ve heard anything about Winters yet.” He reached for her hand, checking to make sure she’d be okay, and she gave him a reassuring squeeze.
For a minute, she’d been concerned Kyle was dirty, too. Apparently, Director Mendez had sent Kyle to Hungary on special assignment to not only help with taking down Russian mobs, but to keep an eye on his fellow agents to ensure none were corrupt. And it was one reason why Mendez had trusted Kyle to lead the team tonight.
“Hi.” Kyle was wearing his FBI blue raider jacket now, paired with jeans and loafers. He crossed his arms, standing in front of her as A.J. reluctantly left to climb into Harper’s mobile unit.
Tucking her hands into her pockets, she took an awkward step closer to her ex. “Thank you for the assist tonight.”
His mouth tightened, and his eyes fell to the ground. “I vouched for those agents. I didn’t expect one of the guys on my team