Shadow in the Desert (Shadow SEALs #3) - Becca Jameson Page 0,2

more than a name, sweetheart,” Ryker stated.

Serena flinched, narrowing her gaze at him. “I’m not your sweetheart, and that’s all you need to know.” She picked up the phone, dialed a number so fast that Ajax couldn’t see the digits, and then pressed a button to put it on speaker.

As the phone rang, Serena pointed toward the chairs. “Have a seat, gentlemen.”

Ajax shot Ryker a narrow look before responding. The two of them had known each other since Ajax moved into the foster home where Ryker had already been living at age twelve. They’d been separated only once since then, and that had been for the last three months. They didn’t need words to convey what they were thinking. “We’ll stand,” Ajax stated, planting his feet wider and crossing his arms defiantly. He wanted some fucking answers and fast.

Serena shrugged. “Suit yourselves.” She made no move to sit either. Nor did she seem remotely bothered by the high heels she stood in. It looked like she wore them often. Every movement she made indicated she was more comfortable in heels than any other footwear.

“Hello?” came an unknown female voice.

“Charley, this is Serena. You are on speakerphone. I have Mr. Cassman and Mr. Tufano here with me.”

“Good.” The silky, smooth pitch of her voice confirmed she was female.

Ajax narrowed his gaze, glaring at the phone.

“Mind telling us what this is all about and do you know why on earth we were both told the other was dead? And while you’re at it, where is the rest of our team?” Ryker demanded.

“I’m going to answer all of your questions, gentlemen,” Charley responded. “Has my assistant offered you a beverage? This is going to take a few minutes. You might want to get comfortable.”

Ajax scowled. “We don’t need anything to drink. We need answers.”

“Look. I’m not the bad guy here. My goal is to help you. You were wronged. My intention is to right that wrong.”

“Who do you work for?” Ryker asked.

“Can’t tell you that. What you need to know is that I’m on your side. I know everything that happened to the two of you and the rest of your team. I’d like to hire you to do a covert job.”

Ajax dropped his arms and leaned forward, setting his palms on the table so he could lean in closer to the phone. “Hire us? Why would we want to work for you? We know nothing about you, and frankly, right now I’m two seconds from pulling the phone cord out of the wall and leaving this room. So, you better give us some answers fast before I lose my cool.”

The woman sighed. “The reason you’re going to take me up on my offer is because I’m going to make you a deal you can’t refuse, and the job I need you to do is to go back into Ethiopia and rescue the rest of your team.”

Ajax gasped as he glanced at Ryker. “You’re telling me the rest of our guys are still in fucking Ethiopia?”

“Yes. My intel suggests they’re alive. I’m still gathering data about their specific location, but I’m expecting to make contact with my source so we can get this ball rolling in two weeks.”

Ajax stared at the phone. This was insane. How could he possibly trust this woman? “Who are you?”

“You can call me Charley. Beyond that, I can’t tell you.”

Ajax jerked his gaze toward Serena. “My partner and I could easily overtake this woman you’ve sent and force her to talk.”

Serena gasped and took a step back, the first evidence that she was flappable.

Charley sighed again. “She knows nothing. It won’t do you any good.”

Ajax gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, his face dipping toward the floor.

“Listen to me,” Charley demanded. “I know everything that happened to you. More than either of you know. You were on a mission, you had the green light, you surrounded the target, and then you closed in. There was an explosion. The building blew to rubble. The two of you were knocked off your feet and thrown backward, landing hard in the street several yards from where you’d been standing. You were both knocked unconscious in the blast.”

“Why on earth was I told the entire team was dead and I was the lone survivor?” Ajax asked.

“Because someone higher up needed to cover their own ass.”

Ajax shoved away from the table and took a few steps back, leaning against the wall for support. He ran a hand through his hair, hair that