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Her concentration was broken as she watched the Passover Project being demonstrated in front of the curious and terrified crowd. They were all just beginning to realize what kind of position Kimball had just put them in. They’d all be working for him before long.
Tussad fell to his knees on the floor, a fountain of blood coming from his mouth and splashing onto the white tile like red paint. She watched him die without remorse, her idea of justice being well served.
“Kill Shot,” Gabe shouted in her ear. “We’re waiting on your hit.”
Grace kept her eyes on Kimball and lined her shot up once more—her mind blank and the coldness of the kill steeling her spine. She breathed in slowly and held her breath as her finger squeezed the trigger.
“It’s a go,” she said, knowing she’d made the shot as soon as the bullet left her gun.
An explosion rocked the area next to the house, and she knew Gabe and Jack had set off the bomb at the pool house where Kimball’s scientist had set up a lab of sorts that housed all of his research and the components to the formula. Debris mixed with the rain, and chaos reigned over the island as she dropped down to the ground beside Logan. She slid the strap to her rifle across her chest and took out her pistol.
“Kill Shot and Grim Reaper headed to the rendezvous location,” she said to Ethan.
“I’m in position,” Ethan said. “Eight minutes and counting until military transport arrives.”
“We’ll meet you there,” Gabe said. “Five minutes.”
The helipad exploded within the next minute, and the ferry and docks went up in flames moments later. Seven of the world’s most dangerous terrorists were trapped with no way out but by military assistance. They were going to have a lot of explaining to do.
Five minutes passed, and she gave Logan a worried look. He turned the Zodiac so they were backed into shore.
“Ghost, where the hell are you?”
“Right behind you, sweetheart.”
Gabe and Jack appeared out of the shadows, running like hell toward the Zodiac. The bandage at Gabe’s shoulder was soaked through with blood, and she could tell he was running on pure adrenaline. Logan had the boat in motion just as they cleared the sides.
Gabe collapsed against her, and she felt for the pulse in his neck, trying not to show him how worried she was.
“I’m fine,” he said, taking her hand and kissing her fingers. “But I’m probably going to pass out soon. Don’t take me to the hospital.”
Grace leaned down and kissed his brow, cradling him against her. “Payback’s hell, my love.”
He smiled, and she took his face between her hands and looked into his eyes. “It’s over, Gabe. Tussad’s gone. I thought I’d feel something—relief—peace—but I don’t. I can’t explain it but it almost feels as if I’ve lost her all over again.”
“Because you were able to let it go,” Gabe said. “We won’t forget her, Grace. And we won’t forget what Tussad did and how he paid. The future is ours.”
She leaned down to kiss him softly, her cheeks wet with tears. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Epilogue
Virginia—One Year Later
Tiny pink roses covered the marble headstone, and she inhaled their fragrant perfume, remembering there had been a time when the smell of flowers made her sick.
Grace twined her fingers with Gabe’s and squeezed. The grief grasped around her heart—she imagined it always would—but it was no longer debilitating. She no longer had nightmares of the day Maddie was killed, but her dreams were filled with memories they’d shared as a family. Good memories. And she imagined the memories would stay with her just as the grief would. Both would lessen over time. But they’d always be permanently imprinted onto her soul.
Gabe leaned down and adjusted the roses so the inscription could be read.
“An angel sent to save,” Gabe said. “Madeline Grace Brennan.”
“She did save us, didn’t she?” Grace asked, ignoring the tear that slid down her cheek. “We’d be very different people if we hadn’t had her to love. Even for the short time she was ours.”
Gabe pulled her close so she was nuzzled beneath his chin, and she could feel the emotion radiating from his chest.
“She kept us on course,” he agreed. “And she kept our humanity intact. There will always be another mission. It’s easy to lose sight of what’s important when the stakes are always so high. But we know who we are. And we know how to love. That’s the best gift she ever could’ve given us. Most agents will never experience that.”
“It makes us more vulnerable,” Grace said.
