Page 98 of Secrets Along the Shore

Right. He’d kinda expected that. She’d been young and got caught in a mess she didn’t understand. At least she wasn’t tied to him through marriage or things might have gotten more complicated. Tyler nodded and glanced around the room. “Did you?—”

“I’m sorry about your friends.”

“They’re not my friends.” Or weren’t.

Elara frowned at him.

Had he answered too quickly? Maybe. But Adam had pointed outthat developing friendships with him and the others was a bad idea since they could die at any moment. And the CIA operative had proved that true. Tyler swiped a hand over his face. Yeah. He’d lost men again. But he couldn’t let it hurt the same. If he got into this life, he’d face loss all the time. He needed to let it go. The mission came first.

“You were upset when he died.”

“Adam has a wife.”

She nodded. “I heard. But you seemed quite upset at first.”

“It was unexpected, but I can’t fix it. Right now, I need to focus on my mission.”

“Me and Rian?”

“Yeah.” He met her gaze. “Getting you two home to Koen.” And he had a long way to go, because Von still hadn’t called him. Where was she?

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

June 9

1:44 a.m., Vukovar, Croatia

Vibrationon the desk under Tyler’s arm pulled him out of a light sleep. His eyes flicked open, and he checked the dark hotel room. Everything remained still and quiet. His attention moved to the dim screen of the borrowed SAT phone that showed Von’s number. With a grunt, he grabbed it with his right hand and held it to his ear. “Yeah?” About time she called.

“Are you in a secure location?”

He shifted in his chair. “For now.” They couldn’t stay for much longer, but he hated to wake his targets up. His gaze drifted to where Elara and Rian slept on the queen-size bed. The hallway light and the lamp beside them had been turned off so they could sleep more peacefully. They hadn’t moved much since they’d fallen asleep. Rian still lay tucked against his mom, while her arm wrapped around him. They deserved to be safe. And hopefully would be before dawn.

“Good. Did they get hurt?” Von’s voice held concern.

“Elara has a mild head injury, but she’s had it for a day or two.” He’d never let them get hurt on his watch.

“Does she need a doctor?”

Tyler let his gaze rest on the closed curtains of the lone window. “Yeah, she’ll need one when we get out of here, but she’s managing alright for now.” He hoped it stayed that way.

“What about you?”

The question made him hesitate. This mission had gone wrong. He’d been pushed pretty far. His team was gone. But the pain started to fade. Deep down, he’d accepted that the team were people he worked with and nothing more. He hated to see them die, but dwelling on the loss might cost him the mission. The mission had to come first, and he still had fight left in him.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Better than he’d been in a long time. He was out here doing what he’d trained to do. It gave him something good to focus on—something to fight for, like he’d hoped for months.

Von’s sigh came through the phone. “I think I’ve figured out how to get you out.”

Tyler leaned forward in the chair. “Yeah?” That was the news he’d hoped to hear for the last hour.

“There’s another airport on the opposite side of the city. We can meet you there with another jet. More people are on the way to guard it until you arrive.”

That might work. “How long until the plane arrives?”

“Two hours.”