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Jon dismounted and brought his bike up onto its stand.
Jasmine slipped off the back of the motorcycle, and Ace swung his leg over, pulled the bike backward onto its stand and straightened.
Jasmine stood behind Ace, holding the satchel close to her body, her eyes narrowing.
Jon grinned and extended a hand to Ace. “Fearghas Gordon,” he said, his accent completely different from the one he’d used during the poker game. With the way he rolled his Rs, he sounded... Scottish. “And you must be The Hammer. As I briefly mentioned, Hank sent me.”
Ace grimaced at the call sign he’d used as a member of his SEAL team. He gripped the man’s hand. “Ace Hammerson. Thanks for getting us out of the compound.”
“You’re quite welcome,” he said. “It was a wee bit of a challenge, but we made it.”
Jasmine’s brow dipped lower. “You’re not from the US.”
Jon nodded. “No, I’m not. Born and raised in Scotland.”
Ace dropped the man’s hand, a smile pulling at his lips. “You fooled me. How do you know Hank?”
“We met on a joint mission between the SAS and the US Navy SEALS. He saved my arse from the Taliban. I owe that man.”
“Sounds like Hank,” Ace said. “Are you still with the SAS?”
Fearghas’s smile disappeared, and he shook his head. “No. I tired of the politics and left a couple of years ago. I’ve been living the life of an ex-pat here in Athens ever since. As you know, when you’re a member of special forces, you have little time to spend the money you make. What I saved, I invested wisely. It allows me to live my life the way I want. When I get bored, I take on freelance work, similar to what Hank’s organization does.”
“Security, rescue, bodyguard?” Ace filled in the blanks.
Fearghas nodded. “I’ve been following Hank since he left the Navy SEALs. I must say, I’m impressed with what he’s done. The Brotherhood Protectors is getting quite the reputation. I’m surprised he hasn’t established an office in Europe.”
“I imagine it’s only a matter of time,” Ace said.
Fearghas nodded. “Likely so. When I left the SAS, he asked me to join him. At that time, I wasn’t ready. But I must admit, getting you out of the compound was a challenge. The kind of challenge I miss from my days in the SAS. I might reconsider his offer.”
Fearghas clapped his hands together. “Now, where are my manners?” He turned to Jasmine. “Miss Nassar, tis a pleasure to meet you. I believe I’ve met my match in poker.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You know who I am.”
He nodded. “Hank filled me in. Jasmine Nassar, former Sayeret Matkal before you were ousted for sharing secrets with an American, from what he said. One of your own blew the whistle on you after your vacation in Athens four years ago. From what Hank’s computer guy said, they could never come up with enough evidence to prove it, but they let you go anyway.”
Ace’s gaze met Jasmine’s. “Is that what happened? Is that the reason you were released from Sayeret Matkal?”
She shook her head. “That was an excuse. I was the real reason I was released. I was in line for a promotion. My commander didn’t like the idea of a woman being in charge of the unit. He blamed me for a leak in information that led to a botched mission he was responsible for. I took the fall; he got the promotion.”
“That sucks,” Ace said.
Jasmine shrugged. “It didn’t matter. I needed to get out at that time.”
Fearghas nodded toward the satchel looped over Jasmine’s shoulder. “I assume you retrieved the copper scroll?”
She nodded, her hand tightening around the satchel’s strap.
“It must be important for multiple factions to want to steal and kill for it,” Fearghas said.
“Jasmine was forced to steal it as a ransom for her small son,” Ace said.
Fearghas frowned. “And you still have no idea who has your son?”
Jasmine sighed. “No. They left a burner phone with my housekeeper when they took my son. I’m to wait for a call to arrange for the trade. I had forty-eight hours to retrieve the scroll from the time they called me the first time with their demands.” She glanced down at her watch. “If they wait the entire forty-eight hours to contact me, I have less than twenty hours left to keep it safe.”
“A lot can happen in twenty hours,” Fearghas said.
