We arrived at the new destination four days after landing in Moscow. Unfortunately, the man in charge was killed during the sale and we were too late to bid on the Rangers alpha team leader. I learned from the others that his name was Ricardo Carlos Manoso. Despite being in Russia, our paths were about to cross. I found his team huddled in a cage and released them.

"You're safe," I said, speaking in Spanish. The men nodded and awkwardly climbed out of the cage on the back of the truck. I wondered why the vehicle containing the Rangers got left behind. Sybo checked the engine and grinned because someone had disabled the truck. The other trucks scattered when a man named Vlatko killed Boris Volkov, the man in charge. We arrived a few minutes later. It explained the mass exodus from the farm.

"Who are you?" the man with blond hair asked. His stance indicated he was reluctant to trust strangers appearing suddenly for the rescue.

"Bomber," I replied without giving him my name. "We have to go rescue your captain."

"Okay. I'm Lester Santos," the blond said, relieved the Army deployed a team to rescue them.

I helped Sybo connect the distributor cap and the wires someone had pulled. "Someone turn it over," I ordered.

The large black man climbed into the truck's cab to turn over the motor. I felt a shock and shook my hand. It didn't start. "What are you doing?" Manny asked.

"There's another wire loose. Someone really didn't want this truck to move," I replied before crawling under the truck. "Does anyone happen to have electrical tape?"

"Give me a second," Erik replied. The crunch from the gravel beneath his feet indicated he ran to his vehicle. I stretched my left hand from beneath the truck for Erik to pass me the tape. He dropped needle nose pliers in my hand with the tape.

"Sweet. Thanks," I said and got to work. I had to strip the plastic sheath from the end of the wire and put it back in place. Then, I wrapped the electrical tape around the wires, preventing them from getting tangled in the belts. I scraped my back on the gravel when I crawled from the space.

"How did you know what to fix?" the shorter of the two black men asked.

"Dad and Grandpa taught me," I replied. "Grandpa had the same issues with his truck's wires shaking loose."

Manny, Binkie and Sybo silently laughed behind the other men's backs. They knew my specialty was explosives, and I was proficient with fixing wires. The idiots didn't realize my dad and grandpa were my mentors. However, I shared that intel with my team. They deserved to know who I was and what I could do.

"I'm Tank Sherman," the largest man said. He shook my hand hard enough to make my teeth rattle. "Did you say your name was Bomber?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Bobby Brown," the other black male said. His grip was firm, but he didn't attempt to show his strength.

The fourth man approached. His sandy brown hair and blue eyes reminded me of my old buddy, Evan Ramsey. He was on the mission when I shot and killed Raul Manoso. "I haven't seen you in five years," the man said. I gasped. It couldn't be Ram. "You already know me."

"Ram?" I whispered. "You look different."

He pulled me into his arms and kissed my cheek. "I thought you quit the military life," Ram said.

"I quit being in the field but worked part-time offsite in intelligence. But life and other shitty circumstances brought me back," I confessed. "I'm in it for another three years."

"What are the orders?" Tank asked.

"We go after Manoso," I replied. "Emily, are you and Erik available for the remaining trek?"

"I contacted my handler when I went to the van. Emily and I are at your disposal," Erik replied. I sighed in relief. We needed all the men I could get. I needed Emily with me in case we ran into more trouble. Tank raised a brow when he realized I was the commanding officer. He quickly fell into line when I issued the orders.

"Do you have a satellite phone?" I asked.

"I tucked mine in my boot," Ram confessed.

"Number?" I grabbed my sat phone from my purse and programmed Ram's into the speed dial two—the first I designated for an emergency extraction. Ram passed me his phone so I could add my details to his phone. "Speed dial five since one and two were taken."

I leaned into the truck and checked the glovebox for a map, smiling when my hand clasped the tattered paper. The men crowded around me as I selected the route. Tank watched my face as I closed my eyes to concentrate. I suppressed a shudder and pointed to the vicinity, which I felt was the end of the road for Manoso.

"Should we trust her? She killed Raul," Lester whispered.

"Your cousin sold us to the enemy," Bobby snarled.

"What makes you think she wouldn't kill us when we turn our backs?" Lester asked.

"Remind me to leave him in the cage next time," I mumbled in Italian. Tank burst out laughing. I wasn't aware he was close enough to hear. "What can you tell me about the man who took Ranger?"

"He has a tattoo on his neck. I think it was a skull and flower," Bobby said.

I read the intel Erik received about Vlatko—the man who specialized in disembowelment. There was a possibility that Vlatko would kill Ranger before we got to him. "I need to ride with you," Tank announced. Lester, Bobby and Ram went in the car. The van had enough room for Tank. I squeezed into the nearly nonexistent space between Tank and Manny.

"Tell me what you know about Vlatko. I only know the details in his file," I said.

"So you know Vlatko's Russian intelligence," Tank replied. I nodded. Tank smiled and described, in detail, everything they had witnessed before their capture. It was enough to make me want to barf. Vlatko needed to be stopped. Vlatko was also the last of the pure bloods. His special abilities allowed him to absorb another moroi or moroaica's traits when he drank their blood from their dead bodies.

Emily, who I learned was a distant relative of mine, was needed to help me kill Vlatko. We couldn't kill him in cold blood. Something in our DNA prevented us from achieving the task. However, we could kill him in self defense. She reached back to hand me the knife I needed to ensure his death.

"How many troops was Ranger managing?" I asked.

"A twenty-man ground troop unit, including us," Tank replied. "Before you arrived, Vlatko forcibly removed Ranger from the sale. Vlatko set the trap in North Korea. We didn't realize we were walking into one until it was too late."

"Was there someone you were supposed to rescue?" I wondered.

"No. It was a ruse concocted by Vlatko to eliminate Ranger," Tank explained.

I was furious the military didn't verify the intel they received. An intrusive thought entered my mind. "Tank, why does Vlatko want Ranger? Most importantly, how did Ranger get on Vlatko's radar?" My curiosity was off the charts. Something about the Vlatko-Ranger relationship struck me as odd.

Tank looked up as he collected his thoughts. He seemed to war with what he could share. Resigned, he looked at me and said, "I'm only telling you this because you're the commanding officer until we rescue Ranger. What do you know about Ranger's brother Raul?"

I had to think for a few minutes to recall the memories I buried five years earlier. "Raul was a double agent working for the US Army and a Colombian drug cartel, selling secrets to the highest bidder," I replied. "I heard rumours of a partner, but nobody could agree on the partner's location." Furrowing my brows, I thought about the rumours circulating.

"Lester, Bobby, Ram, and I think Vlatko was Raul's partner," Tank said. "We believe Raul told his partner to go after Ranger if he died." Tank produced a recording device he had shoved in his boot when they got captured.

"Why didn't they remove your boots?" I asked.

"They wouldn't fit anyone else," Tank proudly replied. "Listen." Tank played the recording. The man I assumed to be Vlatko was speaking in Russian.

Binkie interpreted, "Your brother told me about you, Ranger. I know your real name. You have a nine-year-old daughter. She's beautiful, according to Raul. I have a picture. Once I finish gutting you, I'm going after Julie. She would make an excellent playmate."

Having understood Vlatko, Ranger replied, "Over my dead body." Vlatko laughed and went into great detail about how he would kill Ranger and treat Julie.

"Well fuck me sideways. I didn't expect this at all... wow," I replied. "We need to protect Ranger's daughter." I used my satellite phone to contact Dad. He answered on the first ring and listened as I described the situation.

Tank raised a brow when I ended the call. "You know General Plum?" Tank asked.

Shrugging, I replied, "He knows my dad." I didn't think Tank needed to know the General was my father. It was a small fib, and I prayed Tank wouldn't pick up on that fact. Tank nudged me and laughed, earning my best Burg glare. He immediately stopped laughing and apologized.

Manny chuckled and said, "That's one scary look, wifey."

"Are you two married?" Tank asked.

"Nope," I replied. "It's part of the mission parameters. I'm not sure it's necessary to continue the farce, but until we rescue our mark, Manny and I will continue to be married."

"Do you want to make it real?" Manny asked, wiggling his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes.

"No. I have a life partner," I cryptically replied. The men automatically assumed I was gay. I wasn't about to correct them. My relationship with Hector was so new that we were barely dating. It was more like dancing at a distance or loving from afar. I sighed, shaking the thoughts from my head. We didn't have time for me to get distracted by the connection I shared with Hector. I couldn't wait to get home.

The drive was incredibly dull. Erik stopped to trade places with Emily. She smiled and tossed snacks into the back for us to fight over. My stomach grumbled when someone opened a treat containing chocolate. "Would you like some?" Tank asked. I was hungry, but my mind needed to rest, so I shook my head. "I'll save some for you," Tank promised.

"It's okay, big guy. You can eat it all. I'm good," I yawned. I leaned against Tank's shoulder. He chuckled as I closed my eyes. "Wake me up in a few hours."

"Sure thing, little girl," Tank replied, making me smile. He let me sleep longer than I asked. Nothing exciting happened until I suddenly sat up.

"Stop!" I screamed.

Emily screeched to a stop. I jumped out of the car and ran. It was dark, but I kept running toward whatever had pulled my attention.

Whispering, I said, "The helpless victim walks through the dark. Shadows are reaching out to get her. She pauses and looks around, wondering if she heard something. Shaking her head, she continues on the path. A sudden noise draws her attention. Is someone there? Or is it only in her head? When is the end going to come?"

"What are you doing?" Tank whispered when he caught up to me.

"Be very, very quiet. I'm hunting wascally wabbits," I whispered. Tank chuckled softly. I pressed my finger to my lips, begging him to be silent as we moved closer to the target. A faint groan came from the shadows. I shivered. Manny passed me the pack I had forgotten to grab in my haste to follow my instincts. I patted his hand, letting him know I appreciated his thoughtfulness. We couldn't afford to talk.

Lester appeared at my side and tapped my shoulder. I tried to ESP that our target was close. He didn't seem to get the message. Manny whispered what I tried to say. Lester pointed to himself and mimed an explosion. The men were close enough to see our gestures. I couldn't risk him discovering my secret and shook my head. He pouted like a child, earning his first smile from me. I pointed to Lester and Tank before pointing to the left. Manny would follow me. Binkie and Sybo would go to the left. Bobby and Ram were left to guard the front. I needed Emily and Erik to watch my back.

We got into position around the shack I found among the trees. Manny and I went around the back to create a distraction. A man cried out in pain as another spoke in Russian. I placed the explosives on the back wall opposite the front door. Someone had covered the small window with wood, preventing anyone from escaping or entering. Manny watched as I attached a wick and snapped it between my fingers. We moved several feet away to avoid getting hit with wood splinters. I pushed Manny behind me as the wall exploded, thankful I wore the Kevlar beneath my jacket.

"Wifey?" Manny whispered, pulling me against his chest.

"I'm fine. We have to rescue Ranger," I quietly reminded him. Without thinking, I grabbed the knife from my utility belt and threw it over my shoulder. A thwap sounded as the blade hit its mark. Vlatko fell to the ground.

Tank ensured the man was dead. He dragged him inside what remained of the shack and set him on fire. We briefly watched the flames flicker over Vlatko's body before returning to the vehicles. After Bobby tended to Ranger's wound, he carried him to the truck. Bobby hopped into the back with Lester, leaving Tank and Ram to navigate to the extraction site I acquired from Palmerston.