Merciless (Option Zero 1)

“Why? If this is some kind of trick to—”

“Listen, I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be, but you have to get Jules out of that cabin. That’s a huge trigger for her. She’s not going to deal well with being held prisoner.”

Though taking any advice from Kate right now was the last thing he wanted to do, the urgency in her voice matched with Gideon’s assessment.

“She’s with Gideon. He said she had some kind of breakdown. He had to give her something to calm her down.”

“I’m getting on the plane. I need to be there for her.”

“No. You don’t get to run this your way, Kate. Apparently, I’ve put too much trust in our relationship.”

“Ash, I promise you it’s not what it looks like.”

“Then tell me what it is. Who is Jules Stone?”

There was a second of silence and then a ragged sigh. “She’s someone who has admired you for years. That’s all I can say for now. Let her tell you. Just promise me you’ll be gentle with her. She’s come a long way.”

Kate’s words were a jumbled mass of confusion for Ash. He had no context for them. It had been a long time since he’d felt so out of touch with reality.

“Very well. I’ll talk with Jules. After this is over, you and I are going to have a face-to-face discussion. Understand?”

“Yes, I understand. I’m sorry about this. Please make sure she’s okay.”

Ash ended the call and slumped down in his seat. Hell, he hated being out of the loop, but he’d be the first to admit he was completely confused. Just who the hell was Jules Stone? And why had she “admired him for years”?

“Should be there in a couple of minutes, buddy.”

The sympathy in Finn’

s voice barely penetrated Ash’s thoughts. He nodded an acknowledgment, his mind filled with more questions than answers.

Everything was upside down. The op that could have gotten complicated and messy had gone as smoothly as any they’d ever run. The auction had gone off without a hitch. Ash had taken note of the other items being sold and their buyers. A cache of weapons, a modified drone, a couple of particularly nasty viruses that could cause havoc—all had been purchased by individual buyers. He would send that intel to various agencies that would handle each one accordingly.

The finale of the night had been Humphrey’s offering of a biochemical weapon that could wipe out hundreds and, depending upon the financing, possibly thousands. The opening bid had been a measly five million, but that hadn’t been a surprise. What had concerned him was the number of people who’d ended up bidding. He had believed it would be a runaway between Lang and perhaps one other terrorist organization. Instead, there had been a bidding war between five of them. In the end, Carl Lang was the winner, with his bid of just under three hundred million.

Even though he’d had other plans, Ash had been left with no choice but to stay awhile after the auction ended. Omar had been in a jovial mood and had insisted that Humphrey join him in a celebratory drink. That had been the hardest part. While he’d been making nice with Omar, his team had been taking down Carl Lang.

Humphrey’s cover was secure, as was his relationship with Schrader. In a few months, depending on which country won the right to do so, news would be released that Carl Lang, the terrorist much of the world was searching for, had been apprehended. Ash and the people of OZ would never be mentioned.

When Schrader learned of it, he would, like everyone else, assume that fate had finally caught up with Carl Lang. He would never know that Humphrey was the reason and that Omar himself played an integral role in his capture.

Usually after a successful op, the OZ team celebrated their victory at a watering hole. There would be no celebration this time.

The triumph Ash usually felt at the end of a successful op wasn’t there. How could it be when everything was so messed up? If he had needed a reminder that getting involved with an OZ employee was a very bad idea, this one was a spit-in-your-face, kick-in-the-balls doozy.

The limo stopped in front of the cabin. “Need me to stay?” Finn asked.

“No. We’re good. Thanks for your help.”

“Anytime.”

Ash got out of the car and headed to the steps. Finn called out behind him, “Good luck.”

Waving him a thanks, Ash took the steps two at a time. The minute he reached the door, he paused. Weariness sat like a boulder on his shoulders. They’d found this place a few months back to serve as their fail-safe if they needed to lie low or interrogate an enemy. Never had he considered that the enemy would be Jules.

Disgusted with his thoughts, Ash pushed the door open. Delaying the inevitable never solved one damn problem.

Gideon was standing in the middle of the room, his back to Ash. When the door opened, he whirled, gun in hand.