“I should be with them,” she whispered as they moved around the massive main house. She watched their back, making sure no one came around.
“You’re clear as far as I can see. Erin, good work on that door. You’ve got two coming in at three o’clock.” Hutch’s voice was a low buzz in her ear. He’d been left in the guardhouse monitoring the security systems. The compound had a complex set of cameras that seemed to cover every inch of the grounds.
Someone was a paranoid freak, and that totally worked in their favor.
She heard a volley of gunfire and then Erin spoke. “Got ’em. Do you have eyes on Murdoch? I don’t want to blow him up. Tag would send me to the doghouse. Seriously he bought one and he’s threatening to use it. I think that violates labor laws, right?”
“I got him. You’re clear to blow up anything but the center of the main house. He’s on the move and he’s being feisty,” Hutch said.
“Is he okay?” She couldn’t help but ask.
“He’s already taken out two. Simon, if you go through the hole Erin blew, you’ll see him going across the top of the stairs.”
“On it.” Simon came through loud and clear.
She breathed a sigh of relief. They weren’t out of the woods yet, but she felt better knowing Simon was about to have Jesse’s back.
They rounded the corner. The dock was up ahead.
Ten touched his earpiece. “Kash, you can bring the boat in. We’re a go.”
The boat Kash had bought was a small speedboat that would take them to a large yacht anchored in the gulf and waiting to haul it as fast as they could to Loa Mali and safety.
To her left, Phoebe watched as a door opened and five men started out. They surrounded a sixth.
She realized what would happen in a moment. The helipad was between them and the dock. If they saw the boat coming, they could easily shoot it out of the water. If they took off, it would be simple to gain the high ground and potentially take them all out.
But more than anything, if they turned soon, they would have her and Ten outnumbered. Even if they survived, that was al Fareed they were protecting and he was about to get away. Jesse wouldn’t be safe until the Caliph was dead. He would be out there lurking in the shadows and manipulating their lives.
It was time to gamble. They obviously knew she was with Jesse. Al Fareed’s intelligence was too good to not know that she was spending her time in the same room with Jesse. She would make an awfully good hostage in exchange for Jesse’s good behavior. She had to think they wouldn’t kill her.
She touched her earpiece. “Ten, find a sniper position. We have to take him out. Forgive me.”
She took off, screaming. “Jesse! Jesse!”
“Phoebe? What the hell?” Ten’s voice became a low growl in her ear. “I’m going to tell Murdoch to beat your ass for this. Don’t you fucking die. Not until I get the chance to murder you myself.”
She dropped her gun when they turned and gave her best impression of shrinking away in fear.
“Don’t shoot her. Bring her to me and then go and find the prisoner. I’m not leaving without him.” He spoke in Arabic to one of the men around him and he turned and ran to the chopper.
One of the guards grabbed her and dragged her back to al Fareed, who immediately brought her close, putting a gun to her head and using her to shield his own body. “You’re my dog’s little bitch, aren’t you?”
“I just came for Jesse. Please tell me where he is.” She wasn’t going to argue with the man. Certainly not when he pressed that gun so close to her temple. It hurt where he held her, too. So tight, as though he wouldn’t ever let go.
“How many did you bring with you?”
“It’s just me and a couple of his friends,” she replied, her voice shaking. How long would Ten need?
“A couple of friends destroyed my house?”
There was a volley of gunfire as his guards rounded the corner to get back to the front of the house. She prayed Hutch, the all-seeing, had warned Simon and Jesse.
“When they bring him to me after killing your friends, I think I’ll kill you in front of him. Or perhaps I’ll take you with me and you can serve as another method of control. That would be an interesting experiment.” He was dressed for the conference and his keffiyeh covered her shoulder. He spoke into her left ear and hadn’t seemed to notice that her right ear had a comm buried in it. She could still hear the team speaking.
“We have the package. Fall back,” Simon’s voice said in her ear.
They had Jesse. Jesse was safe. Now all she needed was for Ten to take his shot. He could give her cover after al Fareed was dead. He would have the high ground. She would run.
She was going to run all the way to Jesse and they would get away and they would be safe.