Page 51 of Secrets Along the Shore (Beach Read Thrillers #1)

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

“Please, remain in your seats. We will be landing in ten minutes,” the pilot informed them.

So close. They were so close to extracting their targets from Vukovar.

Yvonne had started to doubt that they would manage it.

Tyler fled and fought a small army. Viktor’s forces were trained and lethal.

They weren’t looking to spare lives, except maybe Elara and her son—but that didn’t seem guaranteed.

Viktor wanted control. That’s why he’d refused to let Elara and Rian go. And that’s why he still had his men pursue them. He wanted them back. He wasn’t afraid to kill to get them either. Why should he be? He’d killed law enforcement and threatened government officials to stay in business.

Yvonne almost regretted not being able to kill Viktor during the mission.

But he probably stayed in his fortress outside the city to ensure his safety.

He didn’t seem like the type to get his hands dirty, but he wasn’t all that sneaky either.

He used threats to manipulate people, instead of trying to remain subtle.

Maybe eventually she’d take him down. For now, her focus needed to stay on this mission.

She’d gone through so many scenarios to get Tyler and the targets out.

The main problem was numbers. They didn’t have enough men in the area.

So she’d come. So had her brother, against her wishes.

She didn’t want to have to move, but she’d rather not lose Tyler out there.

There was something about him that intrigued her.

He’d worked with a team in the military, but he’d proven tonight that he could work with and without one. That made him unique to her guys.

“Do you think our new guy will pull this off?” Amir asked as he held his phone on his leg. He’d said he thought Tyler was interesting and a valuable addition to the team. Tyler fought hard for their mission and managed to keep Elara and Rian safe.

She shifted her gaze out the window beside her seat.

“We’ll see.” She hoped so. If Tyler did pull this off, she might offer him a place on her team like Amir had hinted.

Tyler had valuable skills and proved his determination, even after the team was wiped out.

She glanced at where Gage sat silently on the opposite side of the plane.

“What do you think?” She trusted Gage, but he had difficulty working with certain people.

Koen had helped him get along with everyone.

Maybe the Australian could fix the issue with Tyler, too.

Gage shrugged. “He fights hard, I’ll give him that.” He leaned forward in his seat. “But we don’t know that he isn’t just tricking us. He went radio silent for hours. How do we know that he hasn’t made a bargain with Viktor?”

“He didn’t.” Yvonne was positive of that. The man was an honorable soldier who was everything Koen promised. “Besides, he didn’t have anything to update us on.”

Paul shifted in his seat, facing Gage. “I think you’re worried about our new guy.”

The term “our new guy” had been used a lot in the last several hours. It’d started with Amir, and now everyone was using it. They all seemed to accept the idea that Tyler might join the team, except Gage.

“I’m worried that he won’t look out for our team. Five of our guys got killed.”

“Adam trusted him,” Adele spoke quietly from her spot beside Gage .

Gage’s jaw tensed, then he shook his head as if he’d almost said something that would likely upset Adele, but he’d contained the thought.

“Anyway, I think you’re worried about Tyler because of your friend, Carter.

He’d been young. A little reckless, and that got him killed,” Paul spoke carefully, his usual cheerfulness and joking hidden by a stern mask.

“I think you don’t want him on the team because he might get some of us killed, but more importantly, he might get killed. ”

Gage glared at Paul. “He’s not Carter.”

“I never said he was, but I think you think he is.”

“I don’t.” Gage swiped a hand over his face. “I just don’t want him to turn out to be.”

Yvonne almost smiled at the admission. Nothing Tyler had done gave Gage reason to hate him. The bad memories kept Gage having flashbacks to the mission gone wrong, and he couldn’t help imagining the same with their young new guy. She met Gage’s gaze. “Then let’s try to make sure he’s not.”

June 9

4:01 a.m., Vukovar, Croatia

The soft sound of Elara’s and Rian’s deep breathing filled the van. They’d both been too exhausted to stay awake, so Tyler had told them to spread out the tarp in the back and he’d keep watch. He’d gotten used to not sleeping much while working, so he’d be fine until they left Vukovar.

Tyler monitored the road and the buildings on the other side.

Everything remained silent. Too quiet. The stores and other businesses would stay locked up for another few hours, but the lack of traffic bothered him.

They’d been sitting here for two hours, and a single vehicle hadn’t driven by.

The Rukas wouldn’t have stopped looking, and Tyler had only taken his targets about eight blocks from where they’d crashed .

He rested his arms over the steering wheel. “So where are they?” he muttered.

Maybe they were planning an ambush, but it’d be a waste of time. There was only one way out of the alley if one didn’t count the back doors on the shops on either side. The Rukas had plenty of forces and didn’t need much time to plan anything.

He glanced at where Elara and Rian lay in the shadows of the back.

The tarp covered the dirt and dust, but didn’t provide a soft sleeping area.

They didn’t seem to care though. Absolute exhaustion tended to do that.

Soon they’d sleep in a soft bed again in the safety of Koen’s home. Where they belonged.

Tyler’s SAT phone vibrated on the console. He held it up and frowned at the number he didn’t recognize. Maybe one of Von’s guys. He answered it. “Who’s this?”

“Coyote. Tell us your location, we’re in the city. The plane should already be on the ground waiting for us.”

Coyote? That had to be his callsign. The man also didn’t sound the least bit Croatian, so he wasn’t one of Viktor’s guys. Tyler gave him the name of the shop across the street.

“Hang tight. We’ll be there in five,” the mercenary hung up.

Tyler set the phone aside and turned in his seat. “Elara?”

She shifted and muttered something incoherent. Her arm tightened around Rian.

“Elara, you gotta get up.” He spoke above a whisper, but not quite in a conversational tone. She needed to be awake and ready the second the vehicles pulled up. They might have a rough ride to the airport, depending on whether Viktor’s men showed up.

She shifted upright, moving one hand to her head.

“You good?” he asked. Even if she wasn’t, she shouldn’t have to run anymore, just sit tight until they made it to the airport.

“Yeah. The floor just isn’t very soft.” She touched Rian’s shoulder. “C’mon, Rian. We gotta get up.” She pressed a kiss to his head as he stirred.

“Are we home yet?” Rian rubbed his eyes. Poor kid.

“Not yet. We’ll be there soon.” Elara licked her lips. They were probably dry. All of them were a little dehydrated. They hadn’t grabbed the supplies Tyler bought from the car after they wrecked. It’d be fine though. Coyote should have water with him and his guys to help take care of their targets.

Tyler glanced around again. He didn’t want any vehicles to pull in front of the alley. That’d trap them. He grabbed his M4 from the floorboard on the passenger side and opened his door. “Stay here.”

Elara nodded as she sat behind the passenger seat.

He exited the vehicle and headed over to the sidewalk, stopping beside the corner of the building.

Engines rumbled nearby. Several blocks down, three SUVs headed their direction.

He pressed his shoulder against the wall as he eyed the vehicles.

They drove differently. Like they were heavy.

And Von’s vehicles were since she’d had them armored.

They rolled to a stop in front of the alley. The passenger door of the first one opened. A black man stepped out and held out his hand.

“Coyote?” Tyler shook his hand.

“Kayode. Kayode Atkintola,” the man corrected. He almost sounded American, but also not. Maybe Nigerian?

“Tyler Reid.”

“Yeah, I know.” Kayode grinned and pulled his Beretta. “They’re in the van?” He inclined his head at the broken-down vehicle.

“Yeah. I’ll get them.” Tyler headed back over to the van and slid the side door open. His targets sat huddled behind the seat. “C’mon. Let’s get you home.” He held out his hand to help Elara and the boy out.

Kayode opened the backseat of his vehicle. “Your ride.” He held his fist to fistbump Rian. “You did a great job looking out for your mother, young man.”

“I was terrified.” Rian’s head hung.

Kayode gestured to Elara. “She was, too.” Then he pointed at Tyler. “So was he.”

Tyler snorted. Yeah, right. This was his life. He didn’t fear it.

“C’mon. Let’s get you in there.” Kayode assisted Rian into the vehicle.

The sound of speeding cars reached them. It was close. Way too close.

“Viktor found us!” Elara’s voice held shock but didn’t break .

Tyler met Kayode’s gaze. “Get them loaded.” He jogged to the back of the last SUV and aimed his M4 down the road. The Rukas’ vehicles hadn’t appeared yet. But they would. Any second.

“C’mon,” Kayode ordered. “No. Wait!”

Oh, crap. Elara ran past Tyler before he had time to catch her. “Elara, stop!” Did she think that she’d have to get herself caught to save her son? He spun to Kayode. “Get the boy out of here.” That kid had to get to the plane no matter what happened.

Tyler sprinted after Elara. She ran a block ahead of him.

Her exhaustion made her slow. She crossed another, then turned left.

Where was she going? Did she even know where Viktor’s men were?

He followed her down another block. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted the Rukas’ vehicles, coming down the road toward them. Maybe she did know.

Why couldn’t she have stuck with him? The last car chase hadn’t ended well, but they had more backup.

Tyler pushed himself harder. Elara stumbled across the road and down a one-lane that led to another two-lane road. He closed the distance between them just as she crossed another road.

The glare of white lights beside them barely gave Tyler a second to act. He grabbed her and threw her at the sidewalk she’d just left. Solid metal slammed into him. Pain shot through his chest seconds before his vision went black.

Elara winced as she pushed herself off the sidewalk that left scrapes on her arms. She grabbed her right arm where it had made the most impact. The rumble of an engine beside her made her turn. A Ruka latched onto her arms before she had time to protest.

“No! Stop!”

As he shoved her toward the side of one of Viktor’s vans, she caught a glimpse of something on the road. Someone. “No,” she choked out. That couldn’t have been Tyler lying there. He’d grabbed her and thrown her out of the way. Surely, he’d gotten himself out of the way in time .

But he hadn’t. He was lying right there on the ground.

Dead. Because of her. She heaved a breath as she tried to fight the killer in front of her.

“No, let me go!” He shoved her inside the van.

She landed on the hard floor. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she covered her face.

What was she thinking? That Viktor’s men would see her and go after her, leaving her son alone.

Of course, they’d look for him, but he should have been long gone before they noticed he wasn’t with her.

That might have worked, but it cost a man his life.

God, forgive me. I never wanted this.

She tried to hold in her sobs.

“You never should have left, my dear.” The voice startled her. Viktor’s voice.

She lifted her gaze to the passenger seat beside her.

Viktor peered over the side at her. “Did you miss me?”

“No.” It was the only word that made it past her lips. Her body trembled, and she prayed for courage. She frowned at the open door. Why hadn’t they driven off yet? They had her, and Rian was several blocks away. Hopefully, almost out of the city by now.

“We got him.”

Him? Tyler? Two Rukas dragged Tyler’s limp form to the door. One let him go to climb in, then he grabbed Tyler’s vest and pulled him into the van. Not bothering to ensure Tyler was comfortable, the man jumped out and closed the door.

Elara scrambled over to him. Was he alive?

He had to be. Why else would Viktor grab him?

In the dark, she couldn’t make out his injuries or his breathing.

She rested her hand on his chest, but couldn’t feel anything through his thick vest. Maybe it had protected him.

She pressed her fingers against his neck. A pulse.

“Thank you, Jesus,” she whispered.

“Who’s he? Your lover?” Viktor spat.

She glanced at him. “No. He’s…” She stopped. What came to mind would only make things harder for her rescuer once they arrived back at Viktor’s fortress.

“Fine. Don’t tell me. I’ll have my fun with him anyway.”

Elara held in a sob and rested her head on Tyler’s vest. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She’d expected to go back. She’d assumed he would have stayed with Rian. But no. Hadn’t he promised to get them both home to Koen?

That determination might have just gotten him killed.