You Only Love Twice (Masters and Mercenaries #8)(119)

Jesse moved, forcing his body to work. He ignored the pain, ignored the fear. He focused. The scissors were in his hand and in one smooth move, he planted them in the doctor’s neck. He never gave the man a chance to scream. With aching arms, he held the doctor tight until the scissors had done their job and he went limp.

Think. Think. Adrenaline rushed through him, making it easier to focus. The doctor had a gun. Jesse pulled it from the holster on his waist. He couldn’t make too much noise, but he would use it if he had to.

The hypodermic needle was much quieter, though it could only be used once.

He glanced out the window. Too far up. He couldn’t jump and there wasn’t enough roof to land on. But he could see the ocean. If he was on the ocean, he couldn’t be far from others. Al Fareed had said he was going to the conference. That meant they were still in Dubai, and it was a well-populated city. He had a shot.

First, he had to get out. He had to find a way to communicate with his team.

There was another bang and the floor seemed to shake. Jesse flattened against the wall, holding back a groan as his back hit. The door flew open and the guard strode in. His eyes immediately went to the doctor’s body, and that gave Jesse the shot he needed. Two steps and he plunged the needle into the man’s neck. The guard turned, but his movements were already slowing. He hit his knees and then his body fell beside the doctor’s.

And Jesse had another gun. It looked like he would be making some noise on his way out, but he wasn’t the only one.

He opened the door as quietly as he could. Gunfire. No way to mistake the sound. It peppered the air around him in short volleys and then he could hear someone shouting.

Chaos. It was a soldier’s enemy but an operative’s friend.

He took a deep breath and stepped out. He looked back at the stairs. They were his best bet. He flicked the safety off both guns and made his way.

Pain flared as he felt a bullet hit his left shoulder. He went down on one knee, pivoted, and took his own shot. The second guard. He was approaching, but stopped suddenly and looked down at the hole forming in his chest. He shouted out, but Jesse was already on the move again.

He stopped at the top of the stairs and surveyed the battle that was going on below. The front doors had been blasted through and hung limply on their sides. Two men lay on the marble below, though they twitched and moved. Smoke was beginning to dissipate, but it looked like someone had chucked a grenade or two through the door.

Or C-4. Erin. She liked to play with explosives and she wouldn’t hesitate to try to rescue him.

“Are you coming or not?”

Jesse looked down and Simon strode through the wrecked door, his gaze on the stairs. Though he was wearing all black, including a black cap covering his hair, Jesse would know Si anywhere. Theo was behind him, watching Si’s back. The sweetest sense of relief pierced him. Months he’d lain in a cell, every day a pure torture, losing piece after piece of himself and he hadn’t even dreamed of rescue.

He hadn’t doubted it for a moment this time.

He wouldn’t dream about it again. The Caliph had utterly lost his power over Jesse Murdoch.

Jesse took the steps two at a time. “Where’s Phoebe?”

“She’s with Ten. They came in the back,” Simon explained. “Erin is causing as much chaos as she can, and Hutch took over the security system. He’s relaying everything he can to us.”

Jesse heard the sound of a window breaking and then the house shook again. Yes, Erin was likely enjoying her work.

Simon stopped, obviously listening to something Jesse couldn’t hear. “We’ve got incoming.”

Three men rounded the corner of the big house.

Jesse dropped to one knee and took aim, popping off three quick shots. Theo took out the one on the left.

“I have no idea how you’re standing much less firing a weapon.” Simon reached out a hand, helping him up before touching his ear. “We have the package. Fall back.” Simon nodded toward the open doors. “I think it’s safe to go out the front. Erin’s watching and we took out the guards at the gates. Do you know where he is?”

He didn’t need Si to say anything more. “No. He left me about ten minutes ago. He was heading to the conference.”

Simon frowned. “Then he likely took the helicopter. Damn it.”

“Don’t. It’s fine. We know who he is and I know who he’s working with. We’ll have to be happy with that.” Jesse followed them outside.

“I won’t be happy until he’s dead, Jesse. What the hell did he do to your back?” Simon kept moving.

Theo took Jesse’s six. “Whipped him good, and not the way big brother does it. Damn.”

“It’s fine. We need to get out of here.” He needed to get Phoebe out of here. “Where is the extraction point?”

Simon touched his earpiece again as he looked back before moving on. He frowned fiercely. “What do you mean? How the hell did that happen?”

They turned the corner and Jesse realized how wrong he’d been. The Caliph had plenty of power over him.

The Caliph stood next to his helicopter, the blades just beginning to rotate. Jesse nearly stopped breathing when he realized that Phoebe was beside him, a gun pointed at her head.





CHAPTER TWENTY





Phoebe fell in beside her brother as the first explosion occurred. She tried not to think about the two bodies she and Ten had taken out in the guard station. It had been necessary. They’d been ready to shoot, but still, it had been a long time since she’d been forced to kill a man.