Relentless (Option Zero #2) - Christy Reece Page 0,52
need for long-term surveillance. The house belongs to a shell corporation. Serena’s people are working to tie the ownership to a real person, but it’s going to be slow-going. My guess is that it’s Gomez’s property, like the other one. It’s likely he owns several such houses. I figure the group moves every few weeks to stay ahead of authorities.
“I’ll go through assignments on the plane. Anyone have questions before we head out?”
That voice.
She had dreamed of that voice, heard it in her head a million times. Could this man with the grim countenance and disapproving glare really be her Lion?
She had been all eager to hear the specifics of a rescue and how it was planned. The moment she’d heard Liam Stryker’s voice, she’d lost all concentration. Instead of listening to the content of his words, she had listened to the intonation, the accent, the sound. She had examined everything, anything she could that would confirm her belief that this was the man she’d connected with in a filthy, icy-cold prison in Syria.
How was that even possible?
Even though she had prayed and prayed that Lion had somehow survived, in her heart of hearts she had not believed that he had.
She mentally shook her head. No. It just wasn’t possible. Plenty of people sounded like other people. It had been over twelve years. Her memory could be faulty. She was tired, had had an exhausting day. There were a dozen reasons why her brain could be malfunctioning. Out of the billions of people in the world, what were the chances of her finding the one man she’d longed for? It was impossible.
Maybe her subconscious, recognizing that she was attracted to Liam Stryker, had decided to assign the absurd notion that he could be the man she’d been obsessed with for so long.
Vaguely aware that people had gotten up and were milling around, Aubrey realized that she needed to do the same. But somehow, all she could do was sit there and stare at the dark haired-stranger with the voice of her Lion.
“Aubrey, you okay?”
She glanced up at Jazz, who was standing before her with a concerned expression on her face.
Her mouth was so dry she couldn’t get a word out. She managed a nod and a grimace of a smile.
A bottle of water appeared in her vision. “Take a few sips, you’ll be fine.”
Doing what she was told, Aubrey drank from the bottle. She needed to get herself together. These people didn’t know her. Behaving like a frightened mouse who’d run at the first sign of trouble would not instill confidence.
She drew in a few breaths, and peace followed. Whatever the answers to her questions were, she would find them. For right now, these people had a mission to accomplish. And she had a job to do, too. She intended to absorb every nuance of the rescue so she could one day put the experience into words. Focusing on what she had to do had gotten her through difficult times. This was no different.
“Better?”
“Yes. Sorry. Guess the excitement got to me.”
Jazz grinned. “The first time I went on an op, I barfed.” She looked over her shoulder and then turned back to Aubrey and whispered, “All over Xavier.”
Despite the circumstances, Aubrey laughed, just as Jazz had intended. She could not imagine this überconfident young woman ever having an ounce of uncertainty about anything, much less throwing up from nervousness. However, she appreciated her attempt to make her feel better.
She took another couple of swallows of water and then stood. “Thank you. That helps. What now?”
“We all grab our go bags and head to the airport. We’ll get something to eat on the plane. I’ll—”
“Jazz, can I talk with you a sec?”
Aubrey froze in place. Liam Stryker stood before her. Though his words had been for Jazz, his eyes were on her. And they weren’t friendly. She could easily guess his thoughts. She hadn’t made the best first impression.
Reminding herself that she was made of grit and determination, Aubrey cleared her throat and said, “Thank you, Mr. Stryker, for allowing me to go along.”
“You going to be able to stay out of our way?”
Even though she hadn’t expected him to be thrilled with an outsider’s presence, the unfriendly question told her he was the exact opposite of happy that she was here.
“I promise you won’t even know I’m there.”
Though his brows rose in obvious doubt, he just gave her a nod before turning to Jazz. “I need to talk with you.”