Page 58

MARA

“ T he maintenance vehicle leaves Telvia at approximately nine in the morning with an expected arrival time of ten-thirty at Apex,” Giza stood at the head of the table in the War Room, pointing to the grainy image we had of our Trojan horse—a white van with only two front windows and lettering on the side of the vehicle that announced Telvian Technologies in crimson red .

It was midafternoon. We’d been given the morning off to decompress before the mission, and then called in to review mission parameters one last time. Our team sat in silence, absorbing Giza’s instructions. Javier slouched lazily in his chair across from me next to Matias, while Wes sat at my side.

The screen changed to an aerial image of desert hills, with one road traveling among them.

“This is our interception point. There is a collection of hills that will provide natural cover for your team while you wait for the truck. It should arrive here at approximately nine-forty.” Giza placed his hands behind his back, facing us. “Any questions so far?”

Matias lifted a finger. “How are we getting there?”

“You’ll be flown in as close as we can get you without drawing attention. A vehicle will be waiting for you. From there, you’ll drive to the interception point.”

Simple enough.

The image changed again, this time depicting the front of Apex Institute.

It was a rather interesting building, built into the side of a large hill.

The front of the institute was fenced in, with a security checkpoint, and then a parking lot.

At the base of the hill, there appeared to be an entrance into the building.

Five elevator shafts—also built into the hill, but still visible from the outside—rose to a facility built on top of the hill.

That’s where the transmission tower was, rising high into the air.

“Lieutenant, would you take over from here?” Giza stepped aside while Javi rose and replaced him.

“Claro.” Javier’s accent was always fun to hear. I didn’t need him to translate for me to know he was saying of course . The more time I spent with him, the more I was remembering bits and pieces of the language I so often heard him speak. It was all coming back.

He tossed his head, sending a swath of black hair back and away from his eyes.

Of course it was pointless, because it just glided back forward as he spoke.

“Getting into Apex should be easy. The security checkpoint will check our orders, and will then wave us through. These elevators here”—he pointed to the five shafts—“will take us right up to the top. Source says that the computer terminal is located in this building. There should also be access to the transmission tower. Senor Alvarez and I will work on planting the explosives outside while you two”—he pointed to Wes and me—“will need to upload the virus into the system.”

“What about other Apex personnel?” I asked. “Is there a possibility of people being up there working?” There was no way that there wasn’t.

“We don’t know,” Giza answered. “Raúl’s transmissions don’t require active manipulation; everything works silently in the background.

The computer doesn’t need monitoring on a consistent basis, and neither does the transmission tower, so it’s unlikely that you will run into Telvians working in the facility up top.

It would be naive of us, however, to assume he would leave the facility unguarded. I would expect security.”

So big fat question mark. Got it.

“Once the explosives are set, and the virus uploaded,” Giza continued, “your team is to go back the way you came. Reload into the service truck, and then make it to the extraction point. A Bell Valor will be waiting for you.”

“What are the explosives for?” Matias leaned forward in his chair, resting an elbow on the table.

“Distraction, Mr. Alvarez,” Giza said. “The virus has a delayed activation. The Telvians won’t know anything has happened for thirty-six hours, at which point, the virus will have made its way throughout the Telvian system.

The explosives will be set to have a remote detonation.

Just before the virus makes itself known, we will destroy the Apex transmission tower and draw Raúl’s attention to the Institute, hopefully drawing Telvian forces there.

At the forty-eight-hour mark, the transmissions will fail and no longer be effective, leading to confusion and chaos for Raúl’s army. That is when we’ll strike.”

I blew out a breath. Somehow, the whole thing sounded like a lot of variables were at play, making things weirdly complicated.

At the same time, however, it kind of sounded easy.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. It was oddly reminiscent of the Bellfire Tower mission—way too easy until shit hit the fan and everything went to hell.

“Your team will need to be ready at the interception point long before the truck arrives. To avoid being seen as much as possible, you’ll be flying in tonight, departing from Fort Warren at 0330 and establishing yourselves at the needed location before sunrise.”

I stifled the urge to groan. I didn’t think we were going in that early. I had hoped for one last good night’s rest, but if we were flying out at three-thirty in the morning, then we were going to have to get up at two to be ready on time.

“Does everyone understand? ”

We all mumbled in agreement.

“Good.” Giza clicked off the projector. “I suggest you all go to bed early tonight. I expect you ready to depart for the base by 0200 hours.”

***

WES

She slept soundlessly beside me, wisps of brown, coppery locks spreading across the pillow and over her shoulder.

Chest slowly rising and falling with each breath.

Black lashes splayed across the tops of her cheeks.

Moonlight caressing her exposed collarbone and the subtle slopes of her breasts until they dived under gray cotton sheets.

My muscles clenched at the very sight. At the memory of hours prior, and the joy I felt with her in my arms. It was a hunger not easily quelled now that I knew what it was like to have her.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts and settle the insatiable need within me.

It was nearly time to wake her, but I would let her sleep until the very last second.

I wanted her rested. She needed to focus today.

She needed to survive. I had no intention of dying, and if anything happened to her…

well, that would be the end of the line.

President or not, a life without my bride was not gonna happen.

My chest clenched at the thought.

So many times I thought of myself as a modern-day Romeo—a man in love with a woman he was fated never to have. And then I had her. She was mine. She had chosen me knowing every sin of my past, and she loved me anyway.

Chose me anyway.

And when Romeo thought Juliet was dead, he took his own life. As a boy, I didn’t understand why love would drive you to do something like that. Why would love, if it was such a beautiful thing, force someone’s hand into taking their own life?

But now I understood. Now I fully comprehended the pain of living a day without the other half of your soul.

Because every time I held her in my arms…

Every time I tasted her lips and brushed her skin and dove into the depths of her…

I discovered that I had never truly been alive. I moved and I breathed and I explored the world around me, but I was nothing but a shell filled with emptiness.

But the first day my eyes landed on Mara, she ensnared me.

And everything changed.

I found a type of breath that I never knew existed. And I was lost in the very idea of her, never wanting to be found.

I understood Romeo now. I knew what it meant to love someone else so deeply that you couldn’t see a future beyond the one you shared with them.

I didn’t want it. Refused to even consider it. I would continue to place my own life at risk to ensure Mara always survived. Because a future without her in it just didn’t exist in my universe.

So I watched her sleep. Held back the urge to feel her underneath me, wrapped around me, clinging to me, so that she could get as many extra minutes as she needed. And when the alarm shattered the quiet hour, I felt fear grip my soul.

The time had come.

Mara had to survive.

And I would make sure of it.