Lahat ng Kabanata ng Aegis Group: Kabanata 181 - Kabanata 190

ABIGAIL KEPT HER HEAD up and spine straight. The hours since that morning were a blur; the Jeep ride, getting in the trucks, a hop over the border into Egypt on a cargo plane, a mad dash out of Cairo. Her best guess was that they were now in Marsa Matruh, a seaport on the north of Egypt, right where she shouldn't be. There were plenty who'd want her dead, especially since word of her miraculous revival would be getting out.She was still on the fence about whether or not being rescued by Luke's brothers in arms was a good thing-or very bad. Who'd given them the tip? Told them where to look? There was no reason, no logic, to put them in that part of remote Israel without some sort of assistance. Someone pointing the way.Her gut said that Baron had let them go.But, why?So he could issue a kill order on an escaped terrorist?To keep Luke's blood off his hands?Because the person behind everything wanted to make her disappear permanently?There were too many options, varia

LUKE SAT FACING THE wall, but his attention was on the door.Abigail was somewhere overhead. He wanted to be with her. Not having his eyes on her bothered him. A lot. Which was strange. She'd be fine here. Their base of operations on the coast was secure.The only times they hadn't been near each other was when she was being physically and mentally tortured. Maybe it was habit to worry about her, or maybe it was something else.Marco stepped through the doors and nodded at Zain.Luke's hand curled into a fist."How much do you know about her?" Zain turned to face Luke.All eyes were on him. He forced his hand to flatten on the worn surface of the table and leaned forward."A lot," he replied. Enough that his trust was won."I wasn't able to find much on her. The Abigail alias is good, but not great." Zain tapped at his screen."She said it wasn't that great.""What's her real name? What do you really know about her?""She's Mossad. And she's got some guilt ridding

ABIGAIL STARED AT THE linen canopy stretched over the wooden frame. A cool sea breeze stirred the curtains and chilled her still-damp skin. She couldn't move, but that didn't stop her brain from turning over all her new problems.She cared for Luke. She couldn't pinpoint when-but at some point, not long after she'd laid eyes on him-his hooks had sunk in. How had she been so vulnerable? Where had she gone wrong? There was nothing that said she couldn't care for another person, but she'd never allowed that to cloud her judgment. At least not until Luke walked into her life.Right now all she wanted was an escape. With Luke. To be near him. To leave all of this behind. Her life as Yael, her history, her debt to the world.Which was exactly why she had to leave. Why she couldn't be with him.She would always have enemies. For too long she'd lived under the false assumption that she was safe, that her presumed death protected the one person she loved. What would happen to Luke when

ABIGAIL FORCED HER HANDS to relax, her toes to not tap.She should have left as soon as Luke shut the door to go get breakfast. Her contact was ready whenever she arrived. The new identity, her money, it was a fifteen-minute jog away. And instead of doing the smart thing, she'd gotten more towels.Stupid, girl. Hearts get you killed."Zain's not going to waterboard you. I'd kick his ass before it ever got that far." Luke reached across and grasped her hand.Abigail shouldn't smile or get the warm-fuzzies from that sort of statement-but she did. What did it say about her life that professions to not be waterboarded were romantic gestures?"I prefer my ass not kicked." Zain pushed the room door shut behind him. "Morning.""You know how to knock, motherfucker?" Luke let go of her hand and stood."Wasn't sure if you'd hear it."Luke pulled one of the chairs over, allowing Zain to join them. He had a large tablet in hand and a grim look on his face."What's wrong?" Luke as

Luke stroked Abigail's hair, his mind stuck on that vow.He would make this work."I think I'm turning into a raisin," she mumbled against his neck."I'd lick your raisin." He didn't like the way she was breathing, a little too hard, a little too heavily. He had a mental countdown going until the Aegis staff doctor could look Abigail over."I bet you would." She chuckled.They sat up, and he climbed out of the tub first. He grabbed towels, wrapping them around her. Instead of letting her walk the dozen or so steps to the bed, he picked her up and carried her back to their nest of pillows and blankets, following her down onto the mattress.The way she smiled at him... It was the kind of smile that made a man want to do anything to keep it in place.He pulled her closer until they lay face to face, he stroked her hair, his other hand between hers.Abigail had lived her life shrouded in secrets, full of double talk. He couldn't begin to imagine what she'd had to survive.