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The men didn’t talk beyond the occasional comment or question about traffic or alternate routes. Joanne stayed quiet in the back but it felt weird to be driven around without speaking to the other people in the vehicle. Like she was a VIP being chauffeured across the city or something. Though she wanted to initiate conversation she resisted the urge, remembering Alex’s warning. He’d made it clear they weren’t going to be friends on this trip they had to act like strangers, it was hard but she knew that was the only way they'd survive, she really needed the backing of some of the notable Cuban and Russians to do deals with her company.she felt lonely at the back seat but it didn’t feel right to talk to Marshall while ignoring him. Instead she used the time it took to reach the first meeting location to review her notes and talking points she’d laid out.By the time they reached the house of the mogul, the huge building, nerves were once again jum
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Risen To The Top CHAPTER 38
She followed closely in Alex’s walk across the street through the snarled lanes of traffic, stretching out her strides to keep up with him. He kept careful tabs on her, checking on her position every few seconds.On the far side of the four lane road they hit the sidewalk and headed east toward the government buildings a few blocks away. Here it was less crowded, the pedestrians moving in opposite directions on the thin strip of pavement without any problem. She noticed Alex’s head moving constantly and knew he was cataloguing everything going on around them. Hired security or not, he was out here guarding her back. She found that sexy as hell.By the time they were a block away from their destination, sweat had gathered beneath her arms and breasts and across her face. She couldn’t wait to get inside the building and cool off, maybe duck into the ladies room to take off her thin sweater and scarf. They passed groups of business people talking on cell phones and throngs
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 39
*******A hard hand cupped her jaw, turned her head. She blinked up into Alex’s concerned face. He was saying something to her, frowning.“I’m okay,” she managed shakily, and got to her hands and knees. He grabbed her beneath the arms and hauled her upright as though she weighed nothing. When she was on her feet he kept hold of one upper arm and she was thankful because her legs wobbled. All around them people crowded into groups, gawking at the awful spectacle before them. As she watched, the first victims start to pour out of the ruined building, covered with blood and soot.Two men emerged carrying another and laid him down on the sidewalk away from the falling glass and debris. It took a moment for Joanne to realize the man was missing his right arm at the shoulder. She stared in horror at the lump of glistening bloody flesh sticking out of the sleeve, the blood pulsing out of him while someone tore off their shirt and frantically w
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 40
Joanne somehow managed to put one sore bare foot in front of the other despite the rigidity in her muscles as Alex steered her into her hotel room. The lock clicked into place behind them, sounding overly loud to her heightened senses. Her heart rate still hadn’t normalized. She took slow, deep breaths to calm herself. It wasn’t working.“Let’s take a look at you,” he said, ushering her into the bathroom with a solid hand on the small of her back. The warmth of his touch registered more than his voice did. She winced when he flipped a switch and bright white lights flooded the room. With a nudge forward he settled her on the closed toiled lid and grabbed a facecloth from the rack above it. He ran the tap and moistened it before turning back to her. “Here. Clean up your cheek while I check your feet.”Feeling stiff all over, Joanne turned her head to look at herself in the wide rectangular mirror above the vanity. Her eyes looked huge in her too pale face
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 41
Alex shook his hands in the bowl of the sink and reached for the hand towel hanging from a ring in the wall next to the light switch. In the mirror, he met her gaze. “i don't doubt it. There aren't a lot of foreign dignitaries in town, so maybe the Connery family are involved, the target was you or it was a warning to you, the buildings were a temptation too great to pass up. Whoever did it had it planned well in advance though. Packing two separate trucks with that amount of explosive and finding their way to an open route in that mess? they definitely knew we were going to be there.” He shook his head, the light casting bronze-tinted highlights in his dark hair. “Either they got lucky with the accident clogging up traffic, or they set it up that way in the first place. My money’s on the second guess.”She shivered at the certainty in his voice, in his eyes and at the the thought of what they were up against, for all the years she has built her company alone she had
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 42
Marshall was still smiling as he made his way to the door. When he opened it, Michelle stood there, fist poised to knock. Her face was pale and pinched with worry. When she saw joanne she expelled a sigh and seemed to sag in relief. The moment she stepped inside and held out her arms, Joanne rushed straight into them while Marshall quietly closed the door behind him to give them privacy.Fresh out of the shower after hitting the hotel gym, Alex glanced up from his phone when Marshall entered the room. “How is she?”“Just fine. Michelle’s with her now.”“Good.” He was actually surprised at how well she’d held up so far.she'd been through a lot and not too many women he knew could experience something like they had experienced with mass casualties without falling to pieces or becoming hysterical. Joanne had done neither. Instead she’d been silent, even on the way back to the hotel, she had been closed down. Only the trembling in her body and the pallor of her ski
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 43
The weight of responsibility on her shoulders, the grief in her eyes—they hit Alex like a kick to the gut. He squeezed his fingers around the padded arms of the chair, fighting the urge to walk over there and wrap her up in his arms. For Christ’s sake, he was only human. To see this confident, polished woman so lost and vulnerable turned him inside out. She was clearly afraid to be here, yet she’d somehow found the strength to overcome it and do what she felt necessary.“And these greedy men.” She pushed a hand through the tangle of her hair and blew out a breath, then drew her knees up to her chest and looped her arms around them. “They have taken a lot of lifes badly, your men have done enough to risk their lives by simply coming to site. How the hell can this still be happening in this day and age? I’m not brave, never have been. I’m scared to death about going into battle with them, because of what happened to my father, but if he had the courage to defy the Connery fam
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 44
In the safety of his uptown Cuban apartment, Hernandez sipped on a mug of hot coffee while he worked up the nerve to get in touch with his shadowy darkweb contact, the men that had helped him do the work he had not been able to do back in the states. After two days of digging, he had nothing of consequence to report about Joanne, the dark haired american. Except for what he’d learned in the online article he’d read less than an hour ago. Since it was in Spanish and as far as he knew his target didn’t speak it, Hernandez hoped this early information was enough to satisfy his bosses, they had been getting impatient lately. At any rate, he was out of time. He had to report in tonight.Setting the mug aside, he typed a message in Spanish and waited for a response. Three minutes later, a sharp ding announced a reply.Did you get the phone I asked you to?Yes, he answered.Log off, erase the data and call me at th
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 45
After a restless night without much sleep, Michelle answered Joanne’s door for her when someone knocked at seven a.m. She glanced up from the desk where she and Michelle had their laptops running and piles of papers spread between them to find Alex standing between the jambs.Her welcoming smile faded and her heart tripped when she saw his tight expression. Even though she’d only known him two days, she already knew that look meant trouble. “What’s wrong?”Striding to the desk, he pulled a copy of the morning paper out of his back pocket, unfolded it and set it in front of her to see. “This isn’t exactly the low profile we’re looking for,” he said, keeping his tone even despite his obvious irritation.Joanne peered down at the article. It showed a picture of her with the Cuban Minister, and the article was based on an interview he’d apparently given after she’d left yesterday. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened in denial before she
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- Risen To The Top
CHAPTER 181
Evelyn came awake slowly. Painfully. A sharp ache pulsed inside her head and made her wince as she tried to open her eyes. What? She was facedown over an animal, no saddle. The animal’s spine dug into her hips and stomach.Her hands were bound. The lack of blood flow and frigid temps meant they were like ice blocks on the ends of her arms. Dammit, what if she had frostbite and was too far gone to even know it? She wriggled her fingers, and the returning blood made her gasp. She kept moving, tried to wriggle her legs but they were also bound. The struggle shifted her center of gravity until she was in danger of toppling upside-down beneath the animal and being trampled. Hell. Who’d done this to her? What did they want?The smell of musty fur was overpowering, making her throat heave as her stomach rebelled.“I’m going to be sick.” The contents of her stomach splashed against the gray talus that the horse was working hard to cross. D
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CHAPTER 180
They’d followed the spoor for two hours but ground sign was disappearing as dust swirled in the wind. Duke was torn. Did he keep following the unknown originator of these tracks or go back to base camp and regroup. Base camp was calling his name but he wasn’t sure whether that was because Evelyn had destroyed his objectivity or because it was the smartest thing to do.Hell, right now he was going in circles.“Let’s mark this GPS position and head back,” he said to Sri luc quietly. The sound of horses hooves drumming against solid earth made him glance in the direction of the biologists’ camp. The student—Ivan—came flying into view, coat open and flapping in time to the rhythm of the horse.“What the feck?” They’d all rendezvoused at the snare where the tracks had been spotted, but he’d sent Ivan and the local man back to camp on horseback an hour ago. He hadn’t liked the idea of Evelyn being alone, although she’d managed without hi
- Risen To The Top
CHAPTER 179
He split them into three groups.“Can’t I go with the doc?” Lucas moaned. He might have the reputation of being the ladies’ man of the Mountain Troop, but after what Duke had been thinking five minutes earlier while trying not to kiss Evelyn Cox’s lips, legs, and everything in between, maybe he was a frickin’ ladies’ man too.He wanted her and he’d let his eyes tell her exactly how much he wanted her.What was he thinking? There was a time and a place for that sort of thing and this wasn’t it.“No.” He kept his voice light. None of them were here to get laid. “You’re with Sri luc. Jordan you go with the Great Dane. I’m with the doc.” He gave them a firm smile that told them this wasn’t up for debate. “We’ll get the biologists to give us a demo how to tranq and release the Polar bears before we head out. I want hourly radio checks.” He nodded to the men. “It might be a couple of days until the other guys get here. I’m
- Risen To The Top
CHAPTER 178
When she woke she was staring straight into the startling cobalt eyes of Officer Robert Duke. He looked like he’d wait all day for her to wake up.“I must be dreaming,” she croaked.He held out a mug of black tea.“Definitely dreaming.” She sat up, took it, and sipped. The warm liquid eased her dry throat. “Thanks. What time is it?”“0600.” His voice rolled over her. She blinked groggily. There was enough of a burr in his accent to make his voice very sexy and she figured he was laying on the charm this morning.His face was scrubbed and clean-shaven. She found herself studying his features. The vivid eyes shaded by thick brows, the cheeks scraped smooth, the jaw firm and obstinate, his nose too flat to be conventionally handsome. Yet the combination stirred up her insides like hot coals. She fought the urge run her fingers through his short blond hair. He was tall and lean and he looked really, really g
- Risen To The Top
CHAPTER 177
Evelyn shoved back the yurt flap. Mikado flung up his hands in surprise and gave a nervous laugh. “You’re back. You scared me.”“There’s a lot of that going around.”He smiled at her, brown eyes twinkling. “Ivan was worried when the horse came back without you, but I told him you be okay.”Mikado had more faith in her than she did. He returned to whatever he was doing with the cubs.She strode to the computer and opened her email and read the message. Christ, the Trust really had forbidden her to release the animals. She inhaled deeply and tried to calm the rage that continued to burn inside. They thought she was overreacting and had no proof, and in the next sentence they told her it was too dangerous for her and Ivan to go after a guy with a gun. Ivan came slowly into the tent. She didn’t know if he was scared or angry. He had a right to be both.“Did you reply to this email?” She was vibrating with em
- Risen To The Top
CHAPTER 176
For fuck’s sake. He spat in the dirt. Great. He’d spent his whole life fighting against scumbag terrorists and what happened? He ended up accused of being exactly the same sort of nutcase by someone he was trying to help. It stung. He wasn’t about to let her know that.“That’s right, love. That’s why they pay me the big bucks, so let’s move it.” He maneuvered her in front of him. “Step where the trooper steps if you want to keep your legs.” He let her walk a few paces ahead and spoke into his comms. “Jordan and Lucas, keep a low profile as we head back to the RV. See if this bastard’s hiding somewhere and decides to follow us.”They both acknowledged with radio clicks and he followed Evelyn through the bush and along the rocky path. The old guy must be damn good or damn lucky to have spotted them near that other collar. He must have night vision equipment to move so swiftly at night too. Or he had insider information.Duke moved cl
- Risen To The Top
CHAPTER 175
The midday sun beat harshly on this patch of barren rock, melting the inch of snow that had fallen during the morning. The woman beside him had finally stopped wriggling and fallen asleep a couple of hours ago. His team was in position and they’d been on stag duty while he caught a quick nap. Now he was wide awake and refreshed, but so far, nothing yet.What had made Vladimir jores turn his back on his former homeland? What made him defect to fight on the side of people who got their kicks out of brutalizing innocent civilians?Duke understood terrorists better than anyone this side of a suicide vest. He’d grown up with them, would probably have become one himself if not for the tragic death of his sister. That was the family business, right alongside farming. Being immersed in that indoctrinated shit from a young age meant he understood how people born into it found it hard to break free. It was so ingrained, so fecking normal. Talk about brainwashing. H
- Risen To The Top
CHAPTER 174
How many years had it been since she’d held hands with a guy? A soldier? A shiver brushed over her skin like a ghost from the past.It felt strange. As if she’d been transported back in time. And yet, here she was, relying on the strength of those long, strong, foreign fingers to guide her safely through the night. Adjusting her footing in response to subtle pressure changes, tuning her body to match his. Trusting a man she’d just met. Relying on a man, period.It wasn’t something she did.It wasn’t who she was.She believed in saving things, in using data to make her point, not violence. But data wasn’t going to save her Polar bears from their current predicament. Her fingers tightened involuntarily and he slowed to match her pace. The guy was fit, not even breathing heavily, despite everything they’d been through and how many miles they’d walked. She was fit too, she ran and worked out, but exhaustion was making her
- Risen To The Top
CHAPTER 173
As Evelyn lay down, her mind kept wavering back to years ago when she was still a child.When her grandfather was still the minister of ammunition, their family had been good friends with the Connery family so they always stood by each other.Her grandfather had hated L.j corporation because they and Connery corporation were rivals.They each made weapons for governments and L.j corporation were beginning to outsell Connery corporation.She remembered the old Mr Connery coming to visit her grandfather and the two of them talking in hushtones about the issues.During that period, a heated rivalry had begun and it all came to its peak one cold night, years ago.she remembered it clearly.Her mind went back through the years, reliving the moment.“Come away from there, Evelyn. Quickly now.”Evelyn knew better than to argue with her mother, but sh
