Page 23 of Russian Rescue

But now that they had his sister in their grasp, they could coerce Wes into whatever they wanted. Terrible things. Things that could compromise the world. If we’d still been on an Elite Stealth Force team and this had happened, they would have ordered me to put a bullet in Wes’s head right here and now, shutting down any opportunity of him falling into the wrong hands to save her.

But we weren’t on a government-sanctioned team anymore. We were retired. Free agents. And there was nothing in the world that could make me hurt the man staring back at me with concern brewing in his eyes.

“What’s going on, Piper?” he asked.

I lifted a finger and asked Brooks, “Any idea where they’re taking her?”

“No. And I head out for our mission in fifteen. I’m going to forward you all the footage and info I have. Now that Wes is out, he can take over hunting her down. I’m sorry I can’t stay on and help, but my team needs me.”

“I understand. And please don’t breathe a word of this to anyone else. You know why.”

A long pause confirmed his understanding of just where my mind had traveled. “I won’t. I swear. And I know you don’t want to hear this, and I don’t want to say it, but I have to. You cannot let them get their hands on Wes again. He’s too powerful to be in Russian control. He could hack our fucking country if they force him to... or worse. I’m not telling anyone at Elite Stealth Force what’s going on, but you can bet they’ll figure it out soon. He’ll have a target on him in no time if you don’t get this handled. I don’t want to be forced to hunt Wes, so get this situation resolved. Stat.”

I exhaled a sigh and looked at Wes. My heart clenched in my chest.

“Roger that. Thanks, Brooks.”

“Anytime, Piper.”

I hung up the phone and pressed my elbows to my knees, letting my head drop down between them.

“What the hell is going on, Piper?” Wes asked again.

Solutions to the problem bounced around inside my mind. I knew the moment I’d told Wes that his sister had been taken, he’d refuse to leave Russia without her. No doubt he’d want to turn himself in for her release—something I could never let happen.

For a moment, I considered not telling him and leaving her behind until we got him out of the country. Marcus, Knox, and I could come back and try to extract her after Wes was safe. It would be the smartest path to getting him out of Russia so he couldn’t fall back into enemy hands. I knew with certainty that would be the path the Elite Stealth Force would command me to take, and it would be the right one. The safe one. The one that ensured the most people would survive.

Doing unspeakable things to protect our country was the sole reason Elite Stealth Force existed. We did what no one else could so that every man, woman, and child could sleep safely at night. Kill one to save a million. Usually, that meant offing some bad guys, but sometimes it meant an innocent civilian had to be sacrificed for the greater good. I didn’t like it, but I did it because I understood sometimes saving people meant sacrifice.

But this time, the personal loss would cause irreparable heartbreak to Wes, leaving his sister in the hands of dangerous men. The chances of us getting her out safely would dwindle quickly, and knowing that would likely mean Wes lost his beloved sister wasn’t something I could bear. He loved her. Wes talked about his family endlessly, and unlike Marcus, Knox, and I, who had grown up without close families or siblings to love, he had a close circle of loved ones around him. Losing her would change him forever. He’d never forgive me for not telling him, and I couldn’t imagine those adoring eyes that had worshipped me for a decade looking at me with hatred and disgust.

I ran my fingers through my hair as idea after idea ping-ponged through my head. I considered going to the bathroom to call Marcus and Knox and get their opinion, but when I sat up and caught Wes staring at me, the look in his eyes reminded me that I may not have had a family growing up, but I had a family now. He was my family, and I would do anything to protect him... and that meant keeping him and his sister alive, even if it meant going against everything the Elite Stealth Force had drilled into me.

And I would need his help to find her.

“Piper, you’re freaking me out. What’s happening? What did Brooks say?”

I exhaled a long breath and leveled my eyes to his. “They have your sister,” I said softly.

His mouth fell open as he sat up straight. “What?”

CHAPTER SIX

Wesley

––––––––

Despite my bone-deep exhaustion, I’d barely slept a wink last night.

They have your sister.

Those words just bounced around inside my head over and over, a nightmare I couldn’t awaken from.

They have your sister.

I’d done this. Me. No one else. My dumbass just had to get bored and hack the Russians to take a look around. Just a peek. Nothing big. A curiosity to see if what the news was droning on about was true. I’d gotten a look at some interesting stuff before I’d logged off... without covering my tracks properly.

I always covered my tracks after I went poking around anywhere I wasn’t supposed to be. I’d learned my lesson after I’d hacked the FBI and got myself caught the first time. But this time, I’d gotten distracted as I’d logged out and must have left a tiny piece of breadcrumb behind—a tiny piece of breadcrumb that that had led straight back to me and got us all into this situation and put my little sister in the hands of some very dangerous people.