AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good. Here’s what’s happening. You shut up and follow me out, you get to live.”
“Who are you?” he asked, fear in his voice.
Havel ignored the question. “You struggle or fall behind and I’ll snap your neck like that guy.” Havel nodded at the guard he’d taken out. “Got it?”
The boy paled, but he nodded, rushing to keep up. Havel let go of his collar, feeling guilty about intimidating a child. The kid was probably out of his mind with fear over the explosions and gunfire, the imminent arrest of his father when the military finally made it into the palace.
A month ago, Havel wouldn’t have felt guilt. Hell, his first plan would’ve been to knock the kid out and carry him out over his shoulder. Leeza and Kris were changing him. Havel couldn’t help but imagine how frightened Kris would be in a situation like this.
They made it to the tunnels without incident and rushed through to the hatch leading to the street. Havel glanced at his watch. The helicopter was going to leave in twenty-seven seconds.
Havel pulled the kid up out of the hatch, and onto the street where the chaos of a few minutes earlier was beginning to ease. They headed toward the Red Cross helicopter in the middle of the road. Ayaan was standing guard and when they reached her, she grabbed the boy and pushed him toward the open door of the helicopter.
“Let’s go!” she shouted, then her eyes widened. “Havel, watch out!”
What the hell was it going to take to get this woman to stop using her voice in the field?
The warning was too late. Something smashed into his back, sending him hurtling forward. He hit the pavement and rolled, searing pain streaking through him. He was wearing his bulletproof vest under his Red Cross T-shirt, but fuck, what the hell were they doing shooting at him? It was a war crime to target medics.
“Go!” he shouted to Ayaan.
Her features twisted with frustration, but she disappeared inside the helicopter. Seconds later, it lifted off the ground. It was heavy with the pilot, Jozef, Cooper, Ayaan, the President and his family on board, but it would make the short distance to where the family would be moved to a boat waiting for them on the coast. From there, they would meet the President’s brother in Europe.
Havel kept his hands where the soldiers could see them as they surrounded him, shouting angrily and pointing at the helicopter. One lifted a rocket launcher to his shoulder and Havel groaned, preparing to launch himself at the guy, but another shoved the man and pointed at a news crew setting up outside the palace gates.
Havel might be fucked, but his team got away with their payday intact. If he had to spend some time in an African prison, so be it. It would be a vacation compared to the six-month stint he’d done in a Siberian prison camp when he was nineteen.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Leeza gazed out across the city of Prague from Fatima’s rooftop garden, a cup of coffee warming her hands. Oliver was preparing Kris for a trip to the museum where he would join several other home-schooled children on a class trip. She was nervous as Kris wasn’t used to being around other children and could react badly if challenged, but Oliver had assured her it would be good for him.
The apartment was bustling with activity between Hilda packing lunches and Oliver arguing with Kris over how many toys he could bring. Leeza had slipped out and climbed the stairs to the roof to escape the noise.
She missed Havel.
He’d been gone for four days. He hadn’t told her anything about his mission, but she hadn’t asked. She was curious of course, but at the time had thought not knowing would be easier. Now she wasn’t so sure.
Her worry for Havel being in the field wasn’t new. Any time Havel had gone on mission in the past, she’d felt like she’d swallowed a lead ball the size of her fist. It wouldn’t go away until she set eyes on him and knew for sure he was safe.
She supposed now that they were married the feeling would grow stronger, maybe even unbearable. But she couldn’t ask him to stop going on missions. Maybe he would agree, but it would change him. Havel’s whole life had been this kind of work. It was all he knew and he was good at it.
She didn’t want to change him, which meant she was going to have to find a way to live with the risk of his job if she wanted to find any peace.
Deciding it would be better if she knew more about his mission, she left the roof and headed down to Guard Dog. Next time she would ask Havel herself, but for now, she would check in with his tech guy who was watching over the team.
Still holding her coffee cup, she stepped off the elevator and into a surprisingly active office considering one team was out with Havel while the other was on leave until Halil’s broken arm healed. It took Leeza a few seconds to realize the activity wasn’t normal. Staff were rushing around, shouting across the room at each other, and there wasn’t a single smile or hello thrown her way.
“What’s wrong?” she demanded of Benjamin, a relatively new hire.
He looked uneasy. “Uh, nothing to worry about. Can I help you with something?”
She frowned. “I’m not stupid, Benjamin. I can tell something has happened. Either spit it out or get out of my way.”
He looked like he’d rather swallow a live grenade than tell her the truth but was saved by Ali who was rushing toward them. “Mrs. Tsotsarov,” he said, his voice grim. “It’s good to see you. Please come this way.”
It was strange to hear herself referred to by Havel’s last name, but it filled her with warmth and a sense of purpose.
“Talk to me,” she demanded as she followed Ali to his workspace, a bank of computer monitors, a couple of laptops, and a pad with a joystick.
