Page 61 of Wounded Hearts

Ava rushed to him, laying a hand on his chest as she looked up at him. “Oh, no. What will you do?”

Zack slid his arm around his wife’s waist and pulled her close, needing the comfort only she could give him. She was his calm in the storm, always had been and always would be. “Let Nazareli go. We have no other choice.”

Smithy walked in behind him and caught the last of the sentence. “What the fuck?”

Zack looked at his friend and shook his head. “We have no choice. Rhea’s threatening kids at the hospital if we don’t do it.”

Smithy locked eyes with Zack and he saw the wheels turning in his head. Zack had been impressed with him the night they’d rescued Mara. He’d been the soldier Zack remembered. Cool-headed, focused, not a single misstep. He’d even managed to keep some of the soldiers alive so Jack and Zin could question them, although it was becoming clear they had nothing to give. Their minds, without a cure, were gone, lost to a cruel woman’s quest.

“Let me go.”

Zack released Ava, shaking his head. “No fucking way.”

Smithy moved forward, a conciliatory look on his face. “Hear me out. If I take Nazareli, I can drop some trackers on her and maybe some of the soldiers. If I dress like they do, act the same, they won’t realise what’s going on. The drug impairs cognitive function and the ability to recognise people as human beings. They recognise the uniform but little else. It was why I didn’t recognise Lizzie.” Zack saw him gulp at that, obviously still tortured for the part he’d played in her kidnapping and injury.

“But surely Nazareli or Rhea will recognise you.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“It won’t work anyway. She wants Mara to deliver Nazareli.”

“Even better, I can go into the ward and bypass Nazareli, drop some of Will’s trackers and get out.”

“I don’t like it.” Zack paced as he rubbed a hand down his face in frustration. “Let me call Jack.”

Ava moved to Smithy as Zack lifted the phone and called his friend. He watched his wife talking to Smithy, her hand on his arm as she did, her gentle but firm way making him love her more. No matter what he did, she always supported him.

Jack answered and Zack explained the situation, both men agreed that with twenty minutes left they had no choice.

Jack paused when he mentioned Smithy’s plan. “I think he should do it. We’ve spent years chasing this bitch and with what we have now, if we lose her again it could take months to locate her again, and we may not have months.”

Zack agreed although it pained him to put his friend in such a dangerous position when he was still dealing with PTSD from what had happened. Zack turned to get some privacy and spoke again. “What if he has an episode?”

“I hate to say it but it’s a risk we have to take. He didn’t the other night and she was close.”

“Fine. Bring her to the east car park and we’ll have Mara meet us there in fifteen minutes.” Zack hung up and turned to Smithy. “It’s a go but you be careful, you go in, drop the trackers and get out.”

“Thanks, Zack.”

“Don’t thank me, this is a clusterfuck and I wouldn’t be doing it if I had any other choice.”

Smithy spun to leave, and Zack frowned at Ava as the door closed. “Not a word to Lizzie about this until we know he’s safe.” He knew he was asking a lot. The girls were close, and Lizzie cared about Smithy more that she probably let on.

“Okay, honey.”