It didn’t help that Donavan stood over him with a smug grin. “Thought you had me, didn’t you, mate?”
Instead of answering, he shifted his eyes to the glassed area where he’d spotted Aubrey Starr. She was gone.
* * *
Guiltily, Aubrey turned away from the sparring session. She’d distracted the dark-haired man, and he’d gotten clocked. She’d been frozen in shock, as she’d recognized him as the man she’d met years ago in Kosovo. She hadn’t known the name of the organization that had rescued the trafficking victims. She had asked and was told they preferred to remain anonymous. Now she knew it had been Option Zero.
And she would be going on a rescue mission with them. This was surreal.
“Who was that?” Aubrey asked.
“The one grinning like an idiot is my husband, Sean,” Serena answered with a laugh. “The one on the mat is Liam Stryker.”
Liam.
She mentally shook her head. This wasn’t the time or place to become enamored of someone.
“Come on,” Serena said. “We’ll show you around for a few minutes and then let you have some time to yourself. You’ve had a long day.”
Solitude sounded heavenly to her. The day had brought an enormous amount of shocks and surprises. She’d had hardly any time to absorb even one of them.
Her unusual reaction to Liam Stryker was pushed to the back of her mind as she walked through the underground headquarters of Option Zero. She’d never heard of such an organization and couldn’t help but wonder how many such entities existed that the public would never know about.
The place was massive. A maze of corridors led to rooms of varying sizes, some were empty, while others had chairs, conference tables, and desks.
“It’s amazing that all of this is underground, but it’s not dark or dreary like a basement or underground bunker.”
“We’ve worked hard to make it that way. Our people spend many long, sometimes grueling, hours here. Working in a bright, sunny atmosphere, even if it’s all illusion, makes the job a lot more pleasant.”
Serena stopped at a door and pressed a keypad on the wall. The door slid open, revealing a large area filled not only with computers and giant monitors, but also a half-dozen people.
“Here’s where we gather the majority of our intel.”
“Incredibly impressive.” Since she wasn’t one to beat around the bush, she asked, “Why are you allowing me to see these things?”
“You’ve answered all our questions. You’ve been vetted by both Ash and Kate. Besides, Jazz and I are good judges of character. We put in a good word for you. Come on.” Serena grabbed her arm and led her toward the exit. “Let’s grab some dinner. I think it’s Eve and Gideon’s turn in the kitchen, and they usually make something incredible. Then you can have the night to yourself to absorb everything.”
As they walked back down the corridor, Aubrey couldn’t resist a glance at the training area where she’d seen Liam Stryker. Her heart inexplicably dropped when she saw that the room was empty.
Jazz was waiting for them at the entrance to the main house. Aubrey followed the two operatives down a long hallway. The enticing scent of something spicy twitched at her nose, and her stomach growled in response. With her stomach still tied up in knots, she was surprised at how hungry she was suddenly. Along the walk to the kitchen, she kept spotting spectacular views, reminding her of her location. Maybe the mountain air had increased her appetite.
Two phones buzzed simultaneously. Aubrey watched as both Serena and Jazz pulled their phones from their pockets. They read whatever was on their phone screens and then raised their heads to look at each other in some kind of odd, silent language.
“Something wrong?” Aubrey asked.
“Looks like dinner’s going to have to wait,” Serena said. She sent an inquisitive look over her shoulder. “That rescue operation you were wanting has arrived quicker than we anticipated. Think you’re up for it?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
Adrenaline surged through Liam’s veins. Just when he was close to giving up hope…and now this. A more-than-credible lead, proof positive that those victims were still in Bogota, not five miles from the original house.
Liam stalked into the conference room. He had texted the team to meet him. They would need everyone for this op. Nothing could go wrong this time.
He was in the middle of the room before he noticed that they had an extra person, someone he definitely hadn’t anticipated. The filmmaker was here. He swallowed a curse. This op was too important to have a neophyte tagging along. Catching Ash’s eye, he jerked his head over to a corner for a private talk.
“When did we start allowing outsiders into OZ?”