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“You told me they’d stop at nothing to get what they wanted.”
“I know, but within reason.”
“I doubt the Russians are reasonable.”
“There’s one more thing that you need to promise me,” he said softly, whispering in my ear. “Whatever happens, you will get on that plane. Jeremy will be waiting at the airport. He knows what to look for. He’ll take you to safety and ensure you’ll be kept that way in my absence until it’s safe enough for you to return home.”
“I can’t do that,” I insisted, my throat tightening as a half dozen horrible scenarios crossed my mind.
He shifted forward in the seat so he could look me directly in the eyes. “Promise me, Isabella. My life is expendable but yours isn’t. You must get that drive into the right hands. Anything else will spell disaster.”
He meant the possible end of the world.
Tears formed, the feeling of suffocation increasing. “I just… I’m not strong enough.”
“Lady. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met in my life. You can do this. I have total faith in you.”
His conviction was heartfelt, but that only increased the anxiety. “Okay.”
He squeezed my hand hard, finally bringing my knuckles to his lips. His heavy breathing was an indication of how much danger we were in. I glanced out the window, trying to absorb the magnitude of the entire situation. I’d been living a dream life without knowing it, oblivious in some ways to the treachery possible around every corner. I hated that I didn’t feel like I could trust my own family. There were enough questions in my mind about whether I could trust Dane any longer. The only person I knew without any hesitation that I could trust was Cobra.
“Tell me about the time before you were captured. Anything good about the Marines.”
As the flight attendant brought my wine in a lovely crystal glass, a perk of being in first class, I tried to tell myself that this was nothing but a glorious adventure.
He laughed. “Being a Marine is a proud time in any soldier’s life. I was grateful I’d been given the opportunity, appreciating the harsh tactics used in the training methods, even if I wasn’t a model trainee.”
“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me. How many tours?”
“Four. Each one more brutal than the one before.”
“Did Jeremy serve with you?”
“He did, which is how we became friends. He survived the massacre just like I did.”
I turned my head quickly, noticing his jaw was clenched. “He was captured?”
“No, on leave given a death in his family. He’s never gotten over the guilt.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Honestly? Most of the time. I enjoyed the regimen. What I didn’t enjoy was the loss of life.” He chuckled again. “That goes without saying.”
“Keep talking. Whatever you can tell me. I just want to get to know my hero.”
Cobra flinched as soon as I’d used the words. “I’m no hero.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Not by a long shot.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I should have died along with my teammates.”
I could tell he didn’t want to talk about it, his brow furrowing and his lips pinched. Whatever he’d done was the ghost lurking in his system, refusing to allow him peace. “Were your parents proud?”
“I didn’t know my father, and my mother never got over her first love. She had a hard life, turning to drugs and alcohol to cope.”
