WOMAN WITHOUT A PAST

Amnesia may be keeping Ella Weiss from remembering her past—but not from saving the little boy who’s been her fellow prisoner the last seven years. After managing to escape her cell, all she wants is to find where little Joseph is being kept. Instead she runs straight into CIA agent Kyle Jennings. Kyle isn’t sure if Ella is actually a kidnap victim or if she’s working for the gunrunner he’s been after. One thing he is certain of is her uncanny resemblance to the wife he thought he’d buried. To save a child’s life and stop a terrorist from slipping through his fingers, he’ll need to uncover the secrets of Ella’s past—and whether or not she’s really the woman he’s never stopped loving.

“It’s snowing,” she said in amazement.

Some of the worry eased from his face and he smiled. Ella couldn’t get over the feeling that she recognized that smile from...somewhere.

“It is,” Kyle said in agreement.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen it snow. It must have been...” The memory disappeared and she closed her eyes trying to recapture it. In her heart she knew it was real and important, but it was gone.

“What do you remember?” he asked.

Her face creased into a frown. “I don’t know.”

“It’s getting colder out. Let’s get you warm.”

They were halfway to the SUV when the sound of tires squealing close by captured her attention. A nondescript beige car with blacked-out windows charged through the parking lot straight for them.

“Run!” he yelled and grabbed her hand, all but hauling her along with him to the vehicle. They’d just reached the cover of the SUV when the occupants of the car opened fire.

Dear Reader,

Can you imagine being held prisoner for more than seven years without remembering anything about your past, your name or if there is someone out there searching for you? It would be so easy to give up. Lose hope. Turn your back on God, even. Yet it is in these dark times that God’s love can be felt the strongest. In our weakness, His strength shines like a beacon, guiding us through the difficult moments in our lives.

This is the story behind my latest Love Inspired Suspense, Deadly Memories.

Imprisoned for years, Ella Weiss finds herself faced with an impossible situation. Follow through with the deadly plan created by her captors, or lose the child she has grown to love like her own.

After Ella is rescued by Scorpion Agent Kyle Jennings outside a destroyed prison compound in Afghanistan, she must decide if she will take an innocent life to save the child’s, or trust Kyle when he tells her he won’t let her down.

When we are faced with a difficult situation such as Ella’s, we, too, have a choice to make. Trust in our own strength to get us through, or believe God will keep His promises. Letting go of our will and holding on to His can be so hard, but if we have faith in God not to let us down, He’ll be there for us just as Kyle was for Ella.

All the best,

Mary Alford

MARY ALFORD was inspired to become a writer after reading romantic suspense greats Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. Soon, creating characters and throwing them into dangerous situations that test their faith came naturally for Mary. In 2012 Mary entered the Speed Dating contest hosted by Love Inspired Suspense and later received “the call.” Writing for Love Inspired Suspense has been a dream come true for Mary.

Deadly Memories

Mary Alford

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:

not as the world giveth, give I unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

—John 14:27

To the men and women who stand on the front lines of our freedom and face down the enemy every day.

Thank you for your service.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

Extract

Copyright

ONE

They were coming. She could hear them arguing as they neared. After all these years, they still didn’t have a clue she spoke fluent Dari.

Ella listened closely. The reality of what they said threatened to crush her. It was the last thing she expected. They were planning to kill her.

What had changed in the past twenty-four hours? Alhasan’s orders had been clear yesterday. The men were to escort her to the location. She was being transported to the United States. She had a job to do. As long as she did it, he would let her live...along with the child.

The American. He’d visited her prison cell a handful of times, and in spite of Alhasan’s bragging, Ella believed he was the real person in charge. He’d spoken like someone who wielded a lot of power when he’d made it clear to Alhasan that he didn’t believe she would follow through with her orders in spite of Alhasan’s assurances.

If he’d ordered her death, where did that leave Joseph? She couldn’t think about what might happen to the child and not go crazy, and she couldn’t lose it. Joseph’s life depended on it.

For most of the day, she’d heard them moving things from the prison. She hadn’t seen Alhasan or Joseph again and her fear for the boy’s safety mushroomed.

Now, as the young men grew near, a new uneasiness boiled in her gut. Their conversation had become increasingly agitated. Someone was coming. They were in a rush to leave. Tying up loose ends. One of Alhasan’s young flunkies had decided she wasn’t worth risking his life to save hers.

Immediately Ella’s fighting instinct kicked in. She wasn’t about to die here in this cell. Not after all she’d given up to him. She needed help. God’s help.

Please give me strength, she prayed with all her heart as the key slipped into the lock and the door to her cell flew open, slamming angrily against the stone wall.

“On your feet.” One of the young men shouted the order at her.

Ella’s heart slammed against her chest. She slowly rose to a sitting position; the effort left her struggling for breath. Despair was close and she clamped down hard on her bottom lip until she tasted blood. She wouldn’t show weakness in front of them. Wouldn’t beg for mercy. She’d go out fighting for Joseph and for herself.

The yelling one moved closer. He had a knife in his hand. They were both so young. Barely teenagers and clearly new to Alhasan’s cause.

“I said on your feet,” he snapped as if trying to rally his confidence. He grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. A tidal wave of pain tore through her. She slumped against her captor, unable to stand on her own.

Her weakness took him by surprise. He shoved her away. “Turn around,” he demanded while slapping the knife against his leg. She was pretty certain neither of them had killed before. They didn’t have the look of hardened killers.

Concentrate!

She struggled to clear her jumbled thoughts. She would have only seconds to disarm them both and run for her life. Otherwise...

“Did you hear something?” the teenager standing guard asked in an uneasy tone. His partner didn’t respond. “I’ll check it out. You take care of her.”

Left alone, the young man grew increasingly anxious. “I said turn around.”

Ella slowly faced the wall, her pulse hammering in her ears. He moved closer. This was it. Her whole existence came down to just a handful of seconds.

He grabbed her and pulled her close. She slumped against him once more. This time it was all part of the ruse. She suppressed the revulsion she felt at being near him. She wanted him to think she was too fragile to fight back.

He raised the knife. With a final prayer for strength speeding through her head, Ella grabbed the hand holding the weapon. Surprised, the young man hesitated for a beat. It was all she needed.

Before he realized what she’d done, Ella twisted his arm behind his back. He yelped in pain as she squeezed his arm with all her remaining strength until the knife flew from his hand.

Acting on an instinct she didn’t know she possessed but could only believe came straight from God, Ella wrapped her arm tight around his throat and choked him. With every second ticking by feeling like an eternity, the young man finally lost consciousness and slipped to the floor at her feet.

Ella grabbed the knife and stumbled for the door. The effort of disarming her captor had greatly depleted her small amount of strength. Leaning against the door frame for support, she sucked in air. She had to find Joseph and keep moving. She had to get them both out of here before the partner came back. Because they would eventually kill her for failing Alhasan’s mission. Her gut instinct told her she couldn’t do what he wanted. She wasn’t the killer he’d tried to convince her she was.

Slipping from the cell, Ella eased along the dank, foul-swelling hallway that oozed water. Nothing more than a single lightbulb kept the darkness at bay.

She headed toward the right at a frantic pace, all the while hoping she wasn’t walking straight into the enemy’s arms. This was a part of the prison she’d never seen. On the rare occasions she’d been allowed to shower, her captors had insisted she wear a blindfold. Still, her sense of direction was keen. She was positive they’d taken her down the hallway and deeper into the depth of the prison.

The hall was lined with doors containing what appeared to be more than half a dozen cells just like hers. Was Joseph in one of them? Would she find him alive? Her stomach clenched at what those two young men might have done.

She tried the first door. It swung open freely and she stepped inside. Within the cell’s dark bowels she could see a crumpled mass on the floor. Joseph! She raced toward it and found the lifeless body of a man. It wasn’t Joseph. Relief rushed over her and threatened to buckle her knees.

Slowly, she knelt next to the man. He’d been dead long enough for rigor mortis to come and go. A single gunshot to his head.

Ella touched his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She could only imagine what he’d gone through during those final moments before death.

A quick check of the rest of the cells proved they were empty as well, and her concern for Joseph’s safety intensified. Had Alhasan taken the boy with him to ensure her cooperation? She’d hold on to the hope that he would keep his word and she’d find a way to save Joseph.

With every move making it harder to breathe, Ella continued slowly down the hall while holding the wall for support. In her best estimate, the man she’d disarmed should be waking in a matter of minutes. Where was the second man? Time was critical. If they captured her again, she’d be dead.

The hall took an immediate ninety-degree left turn. Ella flattened against the wall and eased along until she could see the next passage. On her right was what looked like a rudimentary office. She slowly advanced toward it. Windows! They reflected a night sky filled with stars. She hadn’t seen stars or the moon or felt the sun against her skin in so long.

As she moved cautiously toward the exit, her legs were so weak she wasn’t sure how far they would carry her. Her hands weren’t much better. They shook with such tremors that it took several tries before the door opened in her hand. Alhasan had ensured that she had just enough food to keep her alive. But not enough for the possibility that she’d be strong enough to escape. What he hadn’t counted on as her uncrushable will to live.

She stepped through it feeling like a child on Christmas morning.

Ella glanced back at the prison that had been her home for more years than she remembered. She’d suffered greatly here. She’d barely been alive when she’d first arrived. The head injury she’d sustained when captured was so severe that she’d been in and out of consciousness for weeks after she’d arrived. When she’d woken up, she was in her prison cell, her memory gone. She hadn’t even known her name. The scar across her face and the one that parted her hair were permanent reminders of how close to death she’d come.

Ella was positive she wouldn’t have survived if it were not for the gentle care she’d received from the woman who’d shared her cell. She’d been barely hanging on to life, yet she recalled the woman talking to her about God. Praying for her. Singing soothing songs.

But her memory of how the woman had looked was fuzzy. Sometimes, if she closed her eyes, Ella could almost remember the woman’s face. She’d looked much like herself—or maybe it was just her memory playing tricks.

What she could recall with clarity was the day Alhasan took the woman away. After that, Ella never saw her again. She wasn’t sure how long it was before Alhasan brought her Joseph. Weeks. Months, even.

Her love for Joseph soon became the only thing that kept her going through the years. Leaving the prison without him now felt like she was deserting him. She didn’t know what to do. The thought of such an innocent child subject to Alhasan’s cruelty ripped her heart out. But she’d searched the cells. Joseph wasn’t there.

She would have to survive long enough to find him. To do that she had to keep moving. Put space between herself and the prison.

Ella dug out her necklace from where she’d hidden it years ago inside the small pocket of her jeans. Each time they’d given her new clothes, she’d carefully hid the chain in the same pocket while terrified that Alhasan or one of his men would find it. Always surprised when they hadn’t.

A simple silver ring with two entwined hearts dangled from the chain. She couldn’t remember where it came from, but through the years she found a small comfort in knowing it belonged to another lifetime. A happier time. Ella put the necklace on for the first time and started walking.

The simple act quickly took its toll on her weak body, forcing frequent breaks just to catch her breath. After she’d covered some distance, she took stock of her surroundings. All around was desert. To her left, mountains loomed against the night sky.

Where was she? Like she’d done endless times, she tried to recall the slightest memory of being captured, but it was useless.

Fighting back the hopelessness, she headed for the mountain range. At least they would provide some cover. She could watch the prison and surrounding area safely from there. Her gut told her Joseph was still nearby. She wouldn’t leave until she found him or she died trying.

That she’d escaped at all was a blessing. She would do everything in her power to save Joseph, and she’d leave the rest of it in God’s hands.

Ella had barely covered a quarter of a mile when something unsettling caught her attention. The ground beneath her feet rumbled with the sound of an approaching vehicle. She could see its lights. There wasn’t as much as a bush to hide behind. She was in the open and exposed. What if it was Alhasan? The thought threatened to take away what little bit of courage she possessed.

She was still standing, frozen in terror, when a Humvee came to a screaming halt in front of her.

The driver jumped from the vehicle with his weapon drawn. “Get your hands in the air,” he shouted.

His voice...his voice. She recognized it!

Ella sucked in a shocked breath, imprisoned by the intimate sound. Had she heard correctly? Maybe she was delusional and this was all part of a dream?

Fragmented recollections flew through her head. No, she was positive she knew his voice. She struggled to hold her focus.

“I said get your hands in the air,” he ordered once more. Ella hesitated for a second longer then lifted her hands, the knife she’d taken from the camp soldier still in her left hand.

This new threat quickly spotted, his tone turned deadly. “Drop the weapon. Now.”

She hurriedly let it go. The man moved closer and kicked the knife out of her reach.

“Get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head,” he demanded while keeping his weapon trained securely on her head.

The faintest of memories teased her briefly then disappeared. How did she know him?

She silently prayed for the strength to do as he asked. Ella dropped awkwardly to her knees. Bile rose in her throat and she swayed back and forth, fighting to stay conscious.

She squinted through the headlights. If she could just make out his face...

The man shifted on his feet, and then she knew. With a mixture of shock and horror, her suspicions were confirmed. She definitely recognized him. She’d seen his face dozens of times in the photos Alhasan had shown her. This was the leader of the elite CIA team known as the Scorpions.

She’d seen photos for each of the team’s eight members. Alhasan had told her that Kyle Jennings had created the Scorpions after the war to fight the rising number of terrorist groups in Afghanistan and in an effort to prevent weapons from falling into the wrong hands. He’d raged on about the Scorpions’ interference in his activities and bragged about taking out key members in the past. Then he’d laid out what was expected of her if she wanted to save Joseph.

“I can’t believe it’s you,” she whispered in total disbelief, still not certain she wasn’t hallucinating.

This was the Scorpions’ leader. The man she was supposed to kill.

* * *

Somehow, Agent Kyle Jennings managed to hang on to his composure. Even weak and raspy, when she’d spoken she’d sounded exactly like...Lena. The thought struck home like a lightning bolt and he immediately rejected the notion.

Impossible. He’d buried his wife almost seven years ago when her badly burned body was discovered in the desert close to this same area. The overwhelming grief and heartache he still experienced every time he thought about losing her assured him there was no coming back from that. Lena was gone. And he had a purpose to fulfill.

He’d come here to meet Hadir after receiving an ominous text message from his asset. She was unexpected. What was she doing out here anyway, in the middle of a territory the military had nicknamed no-man’s-land for good reason? This Afghanistan desert terrain was under the control of the Fox, the CIA’s most wanted terrorist target.

Kyle recalled something disturbing Hadir had told him recently. The man had said the Fox had bragged about grooming a female operative for a critical mission that would shock the world.

And he was certain this woman recognized him. The only question was how? Because of the criticalness of their missions, anonymity was key. The Scorpion team members’ names and personal information were closely guarded. There were no pictures of the team in circulation. Their background files were kept in a safe at Scorpion headquarters in Painted Rock Valley, Colorado.

How would she know him?

With the lights at his back, he moved a little to the left so that he could see the woman’s face more clearly. Through the dust motes caught in the headlights, what he saw just about took his legs out from underneath him. She looked like Lena. Her hair—raven black—was the same color as Lena’s, although it was much longer and looked as if it hadn’t been cared for properly in a while.

But it was her eyes that really got to him. They were dark brown and soulful, like his wife’s had been.

His mouth twisted involuntarily at a memory. He recalled how he used to joke with Lena that at times it was as if she could look right through him. He saw the same expression in this woman’s gaze and it was gut-wrenching. Shocking.

He crushed the tiniest bit of hope taking life inside his heart. He couldn’t go there.

Kyle struggled to pull his thoughts together. “You recognize me?” The question came out sharper than he intended, mostly because everything about her unnerved him.

He waited for an answer she clearly had no intention of giving. She shook her head and stared at the ground.

Frustrated, Kyle glanced around the area. It was just the two of them, but clearly she believed she recognized him.

I can’t believe it’s you.

It didn’t sit well. Had she escaped from somewhere or was she part of a trap set by the notorious Fox? Her appearance certainly seemed to confirm someone who had been imprisoned. She was disheveled, her clothes tattered. Still, he didn’t like the fact that she’d appeared out of nowhere.

“Answer the question. How do you know me?” he barked, and she flinched as if he’d struck her. Kyle didn’t let up. He had to know. “What’s your name? Why are you out here alone?”

She closed her eyes. She appeared so frail—barely hanging on—so unlike his strong, confident wife.

Until he knew her true identity and why she was wandering the desert, he had to treat her as a hostile.

She swallowed visibly. “My name?” she managed, as if confused.

“Yes, your name.” Kyle didn’t try to hide his annoyance. She was fading fast and he needed answers.

“It’s...Ella...Weiss.” She didn’t sound very positive. “Please, you have to let me go. I have to find him.” Helpless tears filled her eyes. He watched her clench her hands into fists until the tears disappeared.

“Who do you have to find?” he asked, even more concerned. What was she doing out here alone? Who was she searching for?

She moaned softly, and it captured his full attention. He was losing her. Kyle rushed to her side. He wasn’t in time to catch her before she slipped to the desert surface.

He knelt next to her and felt for a pulse. It was there but weak. She had a scar that ran the length of her right cheek and another far more severe one that parted her hair. Someone had hurt her badly. He couldn’t imagine the pain she’d suffered. He turned her hands up and swallowed back anger. Her fingerprints had been deliberately burned off. They didn’t want her identified.

He couldn’t stop his thoughts from wandering back to Lena. He’d known the moment he met her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. They’d dated only a year before he’d asked her to marry him. Their five-year marriage had still been in the honeymoon stage when she’d disappeared. He shivered as recalled the horrible night he’d learned of Lena’s death.

Because of the effects of the fire, her body had been unidentifiable except for the wedding ring still on her left hand. The inscription “To the love of my life” was on the inside of the band. There had been no mistaking the ring he’d given his wife on the day they’d wed. But knowing she’d been wearing it was the most confusing part.

Lena had never worn her wedding ring on a mission before. As a seasoned operative, she knew better than to wear anything that might jeopardize her cover story. When he’d seen the band, he’d been shocked. It was a rookie mistake and one he was sure Lena never would have made. But then again, she hadn’t been herself in the days before she left for the mission. Something had been wrong, and yet she’d refused to talk to him about it.

Now, the similarities between his wife’s death and this woman left him unsettled. They’d both been found in the same area, and someone had gone to great lengths to keep their identities a secret.

Something around the woman’s neck caught his attention as it glistened in the headlights. A necklace. He lifted the chain in his hand. A small silver ring caught the light.

“What’s happening out there, Kyle?” He barely registered Sam Lansford’s voice coming through his radio. He couldn’t move. His body glued in place.

“Kyle, come in. Are you okay? Is that Hadir?” Sam said in a frantic tone. Sam had been the one to alert him to Ella’s approach.

As a former CIA agent himself, Sam was highly skilled, and Kyle trusted him to have his back. Sam’s hostage-retrieval team had been in Afghanistan on assignment when Kyle enlisted Sam’s technical expertise as a pilot so he could have a real-time view of the entire location in preparation for his meet with Hadir.

It had been through Hadir’s intelligence that they’d been able to confirm that the man in the photo that former Scorpion team member Eddie Peterson had smuggled out of a war zone was indeed the person Hadir knew as Alhasan. And the man they believed to be the Fox. For the first time they had a name attached to the notorious terrorist.

Kyle couldn’t get the last conversation he’d had with his asset out of his head. Hadir had told him Alhasan was preparing to move his entire operation. Their window to capture him was closing quickly. Was this the reason for tonight’s meet? Did Hadir have the location for the move? His asset’s message was so unusual that it had sent up all sorts of warning flags.

Kyle pulled his straying thoughts together. Too many people were counting on him staying alert.

With one final glance at the woman, he snatched up the radio. “It’s not Hadir. It’s a woman...” His voice trailed off. Although Lena and Sam had never met, Kyle had told him everything about his former CIA agent wife.

“A woman?” There was no mistaking Sam’s surprise. “Who is she? And more important, what’s she doing out here alone?”

Kyle wasn’t able to voice his suspicions. “I have no idea,” he managed while trying to shut out painful memories of his final moments with Lena. The argument they’d had. If only he’d known it was the last time he’d see her alive.

“I don’t like this.” Liz Ramirez, Kyle’s second in command came on the radio. “Something’s wrong, Kyle. Why would she be wandering around in the desert? This feels like a setup. We’re on our way.”

As much as he might agree, he couldn’t allow it. Hadir had been very specific. “No, Liz, I’ve got this. I need you to stand down until I give the order.”

Liz didn’t respond, but Kyle could read all her doubts in the silence. He shared them.

He scrubbed his hand over his eyes. Being back in the field had opened up old wounds.

With Jase Bradford running the day-to-day operations for the team, Kyle had realized he missed the action of the field and wanted to be there when the team brought down the Fox once and for all. He had a personal stake in capturing the formidable enemy—he believed the Fox was responsible for Lena’s death.

Still, nothing he’d seen to date prepared him for running into a woman who so strongly resembled Lena. He slammed the door on that possibility. He couldn’t go there and survive having his heart torn to shreds again, because not a day went by that he didn’t miss Lena terribly. Longed to have just another moment with her. Seeing this woman had brought all that back.

“Kyle, we’re picking up at least four vehicles west of you. They’re heading your way. Get out of there now,” Sam yelled into the mic.

Kyle grabbed the binoculars and spotted dust boiling up on the western horizon beyond the compound. Liz was right. It felt like a setup.

He raced back to the unconscious woman and scooped her into his arms. He’d managed only a couple of steps before an explosion split the night and shook the ground beneath his feet. The blast dropped him to his knees. Shocked, he glanced at the compound near where he was to meet Hadir. It had exploded in a firestorm.

There was just enough time to cover Ella’s body with his before a rush of ash and debris chased past them. Kyle could feel the heat from the explosion blast his back and embed bits of shrapnel into his exposed flesh.

In an instant, his misgivings for Hadir’s safety doubled. If Hadir had been anywhere close to the compound, he wouldn’t have survived...unless... An uninvited thought popped in his head, but he couldn’t let it take life. He knew Hadir. They’d grown close through the months of working together. Hadir was desperate to get out of the life he’d lived in the past. He wouldn’t sell Kyle out.

Kyle stumbled to his feet. Hauling Ella up with him, he charged for the Humvee. He deposited her in the seat, got in next to her and engaged the vehicle’s starter. It didn’t respond. He tried the radio, and his worst nightmare was confirmed. The explosion had taken out the Humvee’s electrical system. They were now sitting ducks.

“Hurry, Liz,” he murmured with urgency. Sam’s team would have picked up the explosion and Liz would dispatch a rescue team. Still, in the best-case scenario, it would take Liz twenty minutes to reach them from Bagram Air Force Base. That was the equivalent of a lifetime when facing off with an enemy. Anything could happen. He’d need some advantage to buy them time.

The woman beside him moaned softly and opened her eyes. She glanced around her surroundings and then to him. The second she saw him, she scooted as far away as possible. She was terrified.

I have to find him...

He didn’t see her as a threat. Her injuries were too severe to be faked. She’d probably escaped from the compound, just in time to save her life. As the approaching vehicles drew closer, Kyle realized, like it or not, he’d need her help if they were to survive.

He unholstered his Glock. “Do you know how to shoot?” Her brows shot together. She appeared baffled by his question.

“There are enemy vehicles on the way here now. They’ll reach us before help can arrive. So can you shoot?” His tone was short. Agitated.

She eyed him suspiciously before she answered. “Yes, I think so.”

There was no time to wonder why she wouldn’t know the answer off the top of her head. He grabbed the backup weapon he’d tucked under the seat and handed it to her. “We just have to stay alive until our exit team arrives. Okay?”

Fear chased across her face, and she shook her head. “I’m not leaving here. I won’t desert him.”

“Who are you talking about? If you want my help you’d better tell me.”

She inched farther away, staring at him wide-eyed and tight-lipped.

“We have to move now,” he ground out in frustration. With the enemy gaining quickly, they had to take cover behind the Humvee if they wanted a fighting chance.

Kyle grabbed her hand. Before he could move, she jerked free. He’d sort out the reasons why she was so terrified once they were safe.

“We’re dead if we stay here. We have a chance if we take cover behind the Humvee.” She hesitated a second longer then gave a short nod.

“Go ahead of me, I’ll cover you. Stay low.” Kyle barely got the words out before the lead vehicle reached them. Seconds later the world around them went up in gunfire.

With the enemy’s headlights aimed straight at them, it was impossible to see anything. Kyle fired off a round in their direction to give her time to reach the rear of the vehicle.

There was no time to retrieve the M240 machine gun he’d stashed behind the backseat just in case. The enemy quickly retaliated and shots ricocheted off the open door he was standing behind, mere inches from his head. Kyle tucked and dived for the back as another barrage of bullets splintered the door off its hinges. If he’d been a second slower, he’d be dead.

God was watching out for him.

Ella leaned heavily against the Humvee’s bumper as if the effort exerted by running to the back of the vehicle had taken its toll.

When he reached her side, she quickly straightened and moved away.

“Are you okay?” she asked when she got a good look at him. “Your back is burned and you’re bleeding.” She stared at him with those eyes. He realized she stood almost at eye level to him. She was tall like Lena, yet where Lena had been slim, this woman was suffering from extreme malnutrition.

“I’m fine,” he managed. “I caught some of the debris from the explosion. The compound I’m guessing you came from must have been wired to detonate.” Whatever her reason for wandering the desert, it might just have saved her life.

It took a second before what he said registered. Her hand flew to cover her trembling lips, immediately capturing his attention. An emotional reaction he couldn’t relate to Lena. Lena had already been a top CIA operative by the time they’d met. Keeping her emotions in check was critical to her survival. The only time he’d seen his wife cry was when he’d had to deliver the news of her parents’ deaths.

Another round of shots whizzed past the Humvee and they both ducked.

The additional vehicles came to a noisy halt next to the first, their high beams glaring. Kyle had no idea how many men they were up against. Adrenaline rushed through his body, buoying his courage. He’d almost forgotten how harrowing combat could be.

He flattened himself against the vehicle, fired quickly, then retreated. The noise of bullets striking metal was so loud it sounded like it was right next to them. Someone screamed in pain. He’d hit one of the enemy soldiers.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ella inching closer to the edge of the vehicle. She squared her shoulders and opened fire. Kyle couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was clearly accustomed to using a gun.

Another round of gunfire shattered the front windshield and took out the back window. At this rate it wouldn’t take long before the enemy realized they had the upper hand, if they didn’t already. When that happened, they’d charge the vehicle. He and Ella would be dead.

With still no sign of the rescue chopper in sight, he had to come up with an alternate plan and fast.

“They’re going to figure out it’s just the two of us soon enough. We need to do something drastic,” he yelled over the noise of the firefight.

As he watched, she swayed on her feet and he reached out to steady her. Immediately she backed away from him, the look in her eyes guarded.

Kyle covered his frustration with difficulty, because he was now genuinely concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay.” Her voice, barely a whisper, did little to reassure him, yet the self-confidence she clearly didn’t realize she possessed showed in the way she carried herself.

He’d seen the same determination and self-confidence in Lena. Except for that last mission. Something had been wrong from the beginning. His wife hadn’t been herself.

Kyle shoved that dark memory aside. It had eaten at him for years. Now was not the time to rehash it.

“I’m okay,” she insisted again when he appeared doubtful. “What do you have in mind?”

In spite of her assurances otherwise, he believed she couldn’t handle much more. He needed to find out why she was here in the desert. To do so, they had to survive.

“If I can reach the backseat, I have an M240 machine gun there. It will give us a fighting chance until our backup arrives. I need you to cover me.”

She checked her clip. “I’m almost empty.”

He handed her his backup clip. “On the count of three.” She nodded and he counted off. “One. Two. Three.” He barely hit the final number when she opened fire. Even weak and barely hanging on, Ella handled herself like someone who had been in this situation before. And that didn’t ease his mind one little bit. Had he managed to save one of Alhasan’s agents?

Kyle dived through the busted rear window and crawled forward. It sounded like World War III outside, and he could hear charges whizzing past his head. He located the M240 and its rounds. With the weapon armed, he used the headrest for a stand. Shielding his eyes against the glare, he fired at the closest vehicle. The rounds shot from the weapon and instantly struck their target. The vehicle went up in flames. Screams followed. He’d injured at least one man, possibly more.

Without giving them time to regroup, Kyle continued firing, taking out two more vehicles.

He stopped briefly to listen. An engine fired. The remaining vehicle was in retreat.

He slid back through the rear window, still armed with the M240, and then stepped from the cover of the Humvee. As he continued firing at the retreating vehicle, some of the rounds hit the spare fuel container on the back and it exploded. The person behind the wheel swerved and lost control. The jeep flipped on its side and dug a ditch in the sand some ten feet long before it came to a grinding halt, dust seething.

Kyle rushed the vehicle. Two men were inside, unconscious and badly injured.

“Are they alive?” Ella asked from close behind him. He couldn’t tell what response she was hoping for.

He nodded. “Yes, but just barely. We need to get them medical help right away. As well as the others.” He glanced at the ruined vehicles surrounding them, then back to her. Ella hadn’t budged. She was staring at the injured men. “Do you know them?” he asked curiously, and she whirled to face him.

“They were at the compound. They tried to kill me,” she said without any sign of emotion.

Before he had time to process what she’d told him, the noise of additional approaching vehicles vibrated the ground at their feet. They were coming from the same direction as the others. Some sort of makeshift camp? If it was, it had been set up a good distance past the destroyed building in the western foothills of the mountains. They’d evacuated the compound because they’d planned to blow it up, which told him they’d known he was coming.

He started to head back to the Humvee when he noticed the way Ella was leaning over, her hands on her knees, her breathing hard. He touched her shoulder to warn her of the approaching vehicles and she rounded on him with the weapon drawn.

“Whoa,” Kyle said and lifted both hands. “There’s more vehicles on the way. We have to take cover.”

She glanced over her shoulder briefly then back to him. She had the Glock aimed at his chest and she seemed torn. He held his breath while he wondered if he’d saved the life of an enemy combatant.

Would she shoot him? Could he reach her side and disarm her before she got a shot off? From what he’d seen so far, he knew she was deadly accurate.

“Ella, I’m not your enemy,” he told her quietly and waited for some reaction. It felt like forever before she slowly lowered the Glock.

Kyle slung the M240 over his shoulder and they raced back to the Humvee barely reaching it before the vehicles came in firing heavily. Even with the M240 they wouldn’t be able to hold them off for long.

Then in the distance, he heard it, like an answer to his prayer. Multiple choppers advancing their way. Liz would be piloting one of the machines, but she’d enlisted additional backup from Bagram, as well.

Thank You, God.

The Black Hawks ate up the distance quickly, their spotlights panning the desert surface until they spotted the enemy.

Two of the choppers homed in on newly arrived vehicles. A rapid exchange of fire ensued. Behind them, the remaining chopper tossed sand in their eyes as it landed.

“Hurry, sir,” Agent Michael Harris yelled loud enough to be heard over the battle raging around them.

“We have to go, Ella,” he told her. From her mutinous expression, Kyle realized he’d have a fight on his hands getting her on board. “We have about two minutes to board the chopper and get airborne before those guys behind us take out our only means of escape. The chopper can’t stay on the ground much longer.”

Still, she didn’t budge. She stared at him in defiance. “I told you, I’m not going anywhere. I can’t,” she insisted with more emotion than he’d seen so far.

Whatever her reasons for wanting to stay, he wasn’t about to leave her behind to face certain death. Kyle took the matter out of her hands and lifted her into his arms.

“No.” She froze for half a beat and then she struggled with all her might to be free, her fists pummeling his chest. Kyle ignored her efforts completely as he headed for the chopper. A barely audible sob escaped as she gave up. Tears soaked his shirt.

His emotions were raw and on the surface. Her likeness to Lena had him off his game. Yet he wasn’t prepared to accept this woman as anything more than a prisoner of war at the very least. She hadn’t shot him when she’d had the chance, but until he knew for certain where her loyalties lay, he didn’t trust her, and he certainly wasn’t letting her out of his sight.

Kyle raced to the Black Hawk as bullets whistled past their heads. Michael took Ella from his arms and hauled her into the chopper, where she quickly pushed his hands away and huddled in one of the empty seats.

With her safely aboard, Kyle cleared the entrance and the door was slammed shut. Seconds later, the Black Hawk went airborne.

He took the seat next to Ella and glanced her way. She scrubbed tears away with fisted hands. He didn’t buy that her being out there in the desert was an accident, but to gain answers, he’d need her cooperation.

He handed her a set of headphones and put his on so that he could try again to reach her. “Ella, let me help you. Tell me who you’re trying to save.” Her only answer was a brief shake of her head. His disappointment rose.

With Liz piloting the chopper, it made a ninety-degree turn and headed back in the direction of Bagram. They’d covered less than a quarter mile when a fireball lit up the night sky. Liz used all her skills to avoid a direct hit.

Seconds later, the radio exploded. “I’m hit, I’m hit,” a panicked voice—it sounded like Sam’s pilot—shouted into the mic, shocking the chopper’s occupants.

“What’s happening, Liz?” Kyle asked with urgency as he leaned forward to get a clearer look. In shock he watched Sam’s chopper slowly drift to the ground.

“He must have taken our hit,” Liz said in disbelief.

Kyle couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that his friend’s chopper had been shot from the sky.

“What were Sam and his team doing out here anyway?” Kyle asked in astonishment. As a civilian, Sam was forbidden to go out on military maneuvers.

“He insisted. They wanted to help,” Liz replied over her shoulder.

Kyle closed his eyes and said a silent prayer for Sam and his team. He couldn’t handle it if something happened to them because of him.

Liz veered back in the direction of the combat zone and Ella clutched the arms of her seat in a death grip.

Kyle struggled to keep his own fears from showing as he tried to reassure her. “It’ll be okay. They need our help.”

She stared at him with those soulful eyes. “You don’t understand. It won’t be okay.”

Before he had the chance to ask what she meant, the chopper in front of theirs pinpointed the downed machine with its spotlight. Kyle watched in shock as a handful of men strong-armed the occupants of Sam’s chopper into one of the waiting vehicles. With Sam’s men so close to the enemy, his team couldn’t risk shooting them from their chopper.

“Do we have a survivor count?” Kyle dreaded the answer. He didn’t want to think about losing his friend like this.

“I counted five men other than enemy soldiers. Several are injured, but they all appear to be alive...for now,” Michael added in an ominous tone.

Liz opened fire on one of the fleeing vehicles that didn’t contain the hostages. The vehicle engaged right away and a surface-to-air missile barely missed them.

“Fall back, fall back,” Kyle ordered as another missile came within a foot of taking out the second Black Hawk’s main rotor blades. “We’re outgunned. We don’t stand a chance against those missiles.”

“Sir, they’re getting away.” Michael turned to him in disbelief. “What do you want to do?”

Kyle prayed he wasn’t making the worst mistake of his life—one that might cost Sam and his team theirs.

“Call Bagram. Get backup out here right away and have Booth and Dalton airborne...now. Once you’ve off-loaded us at the base, I want you and Liz on this, as well.”

With his fear for Sam escalating, he ordered, “We have enemy soldiers on the ground. Have the remaining chopper land and make sure they haven’t gotten away or been picked up. We need every man we can get on the ground. I want them questioned. One of them has to know something, and I want to know the second you have anything at all.”

Kyle struggled to make sense of what had just happened. Why had the enemy risked coming after them so aggressively?

Ella. Somehow, it had to be because of her. She’d been at the compound. He couldn’t get the fact that he’d clearly been set up out of his head. He trusted Hadir. He didn’t believe his asset was responsible for what happened. That left the woman beside him.

I can’t leave him. Was she talking about Alhasan? The idea settled uneasily in his mind. Was it possible she was somehow responsible for the ambush?

He saw her staring down at the nightmare below, her arms wrapped tight around her body in a self-defense gesture. Still, there was no doubt about it, she was important to Alhasan somehow. Only one question remained: Was she his prisoner or was she playing the part?

“You’re safe now,” he said. She didn’t look at him.

Kyle’s first instinct was to begin interrogating her right away. They had another witness to Alhasan’s crimes. Yet from the way she’d reacted to him so far, he knew he wouldn’t get anywhere by being aggressive. He’d have to go slow. She was barely keeping it together.

As hard as he tried, he couldn’t get the similarities she shared with Lena out of his head, even if he wasn’t prepared to accept them. It was ludicrous.

If she was Lena, where had she been for so long and who had he buried all those years earlier?

TWO

The Black Hawk churned dust and debris in its wake as it landed at the base’s airstrip. Kyle had told Ella he would keep her safe, but he had no idea what he was up against or how close the enemy truly was. To save Joseph’s life, could Ella follow through with what Alhasan demanded and become the enemy Kyle wouldn’t suspect?

She’d had the opportunity in the desert and hadn’t taken it. She could have killed Kyle with a single shot, yet some little niggling voice down deep in her heart wouldn’t let her. She wasn’t a killer. She was a missionary who trusted God to see her through. How could she take another life when it went against her Christian beliefs?

There was no doubt in her mind that Alhasan had deliberately blown up the compound to get rid of all traces of his crimes there and he didn’t care if his men died in the process. He’d proven himself to be a ruthless killer.

If she didn’t do as he asked, Joseph would die. It was an impossible choice to make.

She’d lost her heart to the boy the moment she held him in her arms. She’d named him Joseph because...well, she couldn’t remember why, only that she’d just always loved the name.

Alhasan had told her the boy belonged to the woman who shared her cell. He’d enjoyed going over the graphic details of how he’d killed the woman because she refused to do what he wanted. He’d driven the point home.

Now it was her turn. That she’d escaped the compound seconds before it went up, and ran into Kyle only to have him offer her shelter was no coincidence. It reeked of Alhasan’s scheming.

He’d be watching, expecting her to follow his orders and infiltrate the Scorpion team by any means necessary so that she could gain access to their headquarters. Then she was to take out the entire eight-member unit. Even though he hadn’t said as much, she believed there was something important he needed. Through all the years of trying to brainwash her, Alhasan’s rage toward the Scorpion team had always seemed a bit too personal. There was something else going on. She’d pressed him for more answers once. Incensed, he’d insisted she knew all she needed to do her part. And that if she didn’t, Joseph would die.

“Ready?” Kyle’s gravelly voice interrupted her troubled thoughts. Shivers sped down her spine, and Ella steeled herself to face her rescuer.

Their gazes tangled, and she sucked in a breath. As she stared into what seemed to her familiar gray eyes, she couldn’t answer. She struggled to hold on to the faintest of memories the worry on his face sparked. But it was as fleeting as dust in the wind.

“You’ll be safe here,” he assured her, his warm breath fanning her cheek. If only that were true. She couldn’t imagine a time when she didn’t feel hunted.

He jumped from the chopper with its engine still running and held out his hand to help her out. After years of surviving unspeakable torture, she’d learned that human touch always resulted in pain. Joseph’s gentle hugs were the only type of contact she could bear anymore. Would it always be this way?

She ignored his hand and jumped to the ground, the effort sending jolts of agony through her damaged body.

“Let’s get you to the hospital,” he said after a moment. “Once the doctor takes a look at you we’ll talk more.”

“That’s not necessary. I just want to...” She looked away. Ella fought back despair. She had to stay strong for Joseph. She’d find a way to save the boy.

She tucked a stray hair behind her ear, her fingers rough against her skin. Beside her, Kyle pulled in an audible breath. What had she done? Did he find her appearance repulsive?

Her hair was clumped with dirt and dried blood. Her skin as dry as the desert. Her face slashed. She couldn’t even imagine how bad she must look. She hadn’t seen a mirror in years and she’d lost track of her injuries. The scars over scars. She held her palms up. The crippling pain she’d endured always resurfaced when she thought about the pleasure Alhasan had taken in removing her fingerprints. That was the last time she’d cried until today.

As if reading her thoughts, Kyle stopped and turned to her. “You’re beautiful, Ella. And no amount of torture inflicted by a person lacking in humanity can take that from you.”

She closed her eyes. She didn’t trust his kindness. She’d give just about anything to let down her guard for a second. Trust another human being to be kind. Believe Kyle when he told her he could keep her safe. She couldn’t.

She shook her head. “Kyle, I...” She glanced up and stopped when she got a good look at his shell-shocked expression.

“What is it?” What had she said?

“How did you know my name?” he uttered in astonishment, and she realized she’d slipped up. He had no idea that thanks to Alhasan, she knew lots of things about him and the rest of the Scorpions.

“I don’t know. Someone must have mentioned it.”

She could see him struggling to recall the possibility.

“The base has some of the best doctors on staff,” he said absently. “You’ll be in good hands here.”

They reached the hospital and he went inside and waited for her. With nothing left to do, she followed him in and glanced around nervously. She’d just get her injuries treated and then she’d leave the base. They couldn’t hold her against her will. She’d find Joseph and save him, because there was no way she could take so many innocent lives, especially Kyle’s.

A midfifties man wearing a doctor’s coat tossed over his fatigues came forward to greet them as if he’d been expecting them. He hid his shock at Ella’s appearance with difficulty.

“I’m Dr. Anderson,” he said with a kindly smile. “I heard you two had a close call out there in the desert. We have a team out there now,” he told Kyle.

“Is there any news yet?” Kyle asked.

The doctor shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, there isn’t. They just arrived at the scene of the attack. It could take a while.”

Kyle turned to Ella. “Doctor, this is Ella Weiss. She managed to escape from the compound before it went up.”

The doctor nodded in appreciation. “I’d say someone was looking out for you. If you’ll come with me, let’s take a look at your injuries.” When she hesitated he added, “I promise I’m going to take good care of you.” The doctor glanced at Kyle’s bloody and burned back. “Once I’m finished with Ella, I’d like to take a look at those injuries, Agent Jennings.”

Kyle shook his head, dismissing the request. “I’m fine. Look after her. She needs you the most.”

The doctor reluctantly nodded.

Ella hugged her arms around her body. She wore her mistrust like a well-worn coat. With one final glance Kyle’s way, she followed the doctor, but not before she noticed the frown on Kyle’s face. A look that jumped out of her memory as if she’d seen it yesterday. If only she could understand how that was possible.

* * *

With so many questions rattling around in his head, letting Ella go was difficult. He didn’t understand why she had been so determined not to leave the desert. Who was she protecting? Yet if he’d learned anything while being in her company this short time, it was that he had to move slowly. She carried around more than the physical scars on her body.

He glanced at his watch and his impatience multiplied. Treading slow was not in his DNA. Especially now, when every second that slipped by without answers meant the chances for rescuing Sam and his team alive were slim. Alhasan had dozens of hidden tunnels beneath the desert surface that allowed him a fast escape.

Kyle’s body ached from the minor injuries he’d sustained in the blast. He was mentally exhausted. Thinking clearly had become a near-impossible task. He needed sleep, but with so many lives on the line such a luxury would have to wait.

It felt like hours had passed before he spotted Dr. Anderson heading his way. He shoved aside his uneasiness over Sam’s safety and got to his feet.

“Is she okay?” he asked gravely. From the frown on the man’s face, he expected the news to be dire.

“Surprisingly yes, considering what she’s been through. She’s suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration.” The doctor shook his head. “I’ve given her IV fluids for that.”

So far, nothing the doctor said was surprising. It had probably been years since she’d had a decent meal. “Did she tell you anything about what happened to her?” If she wouldn’t talk to him, perhaps she would confide in her doctor.

“No. In fact, it took a whole lot of convincing for her to allow us to treat her injuries. What I can tell you is they are consistent with someone who’s suffered years of abuse.”

Kyle couldn’t imagine the terrible things she’d gone through. He’d known her only a short time, yet he’d glimpsed a will to live that not even Alhasan’s torture could destroy. Just like Lena. But she wasn’t Lena, and he couldn’t accept her resemblance to his wife as anything more than a coincidence.

Still, he had no proof she was Ella Weiss, either, and he wasn’t going to simply accept her word for who she was. The real Ella might be dead. Alhasan could have groomed her to pretend to be the woman.

An idea occurred and he asked, “Do you have the means to do a DNA test, doctor?” He needed positive confirmation she was who she said. His only hope for an ID was if Ella’s DNA was on file somewhere back in the United States, or perhaps they could track down her dental records.

The doctor watched him closely. “No, I’m sorry, we don’t. I can do the swab and send it wherever you’d like me to.” He paused for a lengthy beat. “I’m guessing Ella’s been missing for many years. Are there any family members left to test her DNA against?”

Kyle had no idea. If they couldn’t test her DNA, how could they positively confirm her story?

The doctor obviously noticed his disappointment. “I’ll do the swab. Hopefully an opportunity will arise.”

Kyle smiled his gratitude. “Is it okay if I speak with her?”

“Of course. She’s in the last room on your right. I’ve rounds to finish. I’ll do the swab once I’m done. Try not to keep her awake too long, though. She’s exhausted. Rest will be the best medicine possible.”

Kyle turned to leave and then remembered something he’d wanted to ask. “Doctor, can you tell me if Ella has a birthmark on her left shoulder?”

The question took the doctor by surprise. “I beg your pardon?”

He needed someone else to confirm she wasn’t Lena. If Ella didn’t possess the same birthmark as his wife, he’d have his proof once and for all. “Does Ella have a small, thumb-size birthmark on her left shoulder?”

“No, but then again, she has a lot of scars.” The expected relief didn’t come. Something akin to disappointment made it impossible to answer.

The doctor’s phone rang and he glanced down at it. “I must go. I’ll check in on Ella later.”

Finding out what she knew about Alhasan was critical. Hadir’s indications were certainly ominous enough and Sam and his team’s lives were on the line.

Kyle stopped outside her room and gathered his tumultuous thoughts. He noticed the door stood ajar. A male voice came from inside the room. Was one of the medical personnel with Ella? The man sounded agitated. A strangled whimper caught his attention and he shoved the door open in time to see a man standing over Ella, choking her.

Charging to her bedside, Kyle jerked the assailant off her. The man reacted with all the fury of a caged animal. He lunged for Kyle with a knife. They scuffled back and forth.

Kyle slammed his fist hard into the man’s face and he went crashing back against the door. The knife slid from his hand. Kyle went for the man once more, but he reached for a nearby chair and slung it at Kyle’s head. He ducked and the edge of the chair grazed his right side. The force sent him stumbling backward.

His assailant took advantage, grabbed the knife and raced from the room. Kyle heard someone outside scream, “He has a knife!”

He stumbled to Ella’s side. “Did he hurt you?” His first concern was for her safety. She clutched her throat and coughed and gasped for air.

Somehow, she nodded. “I’m okay.”

While he wasn’t completely convinced, the assailant was getting away. Kyle bolted from the room.

One of the medical personnel pointed to the emergency door. “He went that way.”

Kyle hit the door full force. Outside, he did a 360-degree turn. The man had disappeared into thin air. The most concerning part of the attack was that it had happened in the middle of the day at a heavily guarded military base. It was both brazen and desperate, further emphasizing what he believed. Ella was of grave importance to Alhasan.

Kyle rushed back inside. “Call the MPs. We need the base locked down. Now,” he told one of attending doctors.

The man grabbed his phone to issue the order while Kyle hurried to Ella’s room. Dr. Anderson was there with her.

“She’s all right,” Anderson assured him. “But I don’t understand how that man got on the base so easily. Especially with a weapon.”

That was a good question. Did the assailant have someone on the inside who let him onto the base? Kyle believed Ella might know the answer by the way she wouldn’t look at him.

“Doctor, do you mind if I have a moment alone with Ella?”

Dr. Anderson hesitated briefly before agreeing. “I’ll be right back.” He smiled at Ella and left them alone.

Kyle waited until the door closed. “What happened?”

For the longest time he doubted if she would respond. “I’m not sure,” she said at last. “He just barged in and started choking me.”

After what happened in the desert, he was positive this was no random attack. Ella had been deliberately targeted.

“Did you recognize him? What did he say to you?” he asked. She shook her head, still without looking at him. From body language alone he could see she knew more than she was saying. He didn’t understand her unwillingness to cooperate. Unless... The thought was unspeakable.

“Ella, help me out here. What’s going on? Why are they trying to kill you? You must know something,” he insisted as gently as he could manage.

Her brown eyes flashed anger, reminding him once more of Lena when she was arguing a cause she believed in. Like the last mission she’d signed up for. The one he hadn’t wanted her to go on.

Don’t go down that rabbit hole. She’s not Lena.

“Ella, please. Let me help you,” he implored quietly.

“No.” The word tore from her. “I don’t need your help and I can’t help you. I just want to forget this whole thing ever happened. I want to leave.” Her mutinous gaze slammed into his.

Kyle’s patience reached the breaking point. “You can’t pretend this didn’t happen. There’s a reason why they risked coming after you on a heavily guarded military base. You know something they don’t want made public. They can’t afford to let you live.”

Ella recoiled at his directness. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. He wasn’t trying to kill me, he was...” She’d said more than she intended.

“He was warning you,” Kyle guessed, and she turned away. “What do they want you to do?”

Ella stared at the wall. She had clammed up tight and wasn’t going to answer any more of his questions.

It took everything inside him to let the matter go for the moment. He was getting nowhere right now, and the last thing she needed was his irritation.

Kyle noticed her body silently quaking. Was she crying? He’d hurt her. Regret ripped through him.

She was hurting. She was like a wounded child. Whatever her true identity was, whoever she was protecting, she needed someone she could trust, and he’d give anything to be that person. The desire to take her in his arms and hold her while she cried was strong, but he still didn’t know for certain if she was a victim or the enemy.

“You should rest now,” he said in a voice rough with unexplored emotion. “I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep. I promise, we’re going to figure this out.”

Something in what he said must have gotten to her. She stared at him with what appeared to be minute hope. He’d give anything to understand the battle he saw raging in her, but if he ever wanted the chance to do so, he’d have to learn something he wasn’t good at, and quickly. Patience.

When he was satisfied she slept, he stepped out into the hall. If he couldn’t get answers from Ella, he’d check in with Liz in hopes that she had some positive news.

But Liz’s update could not have been more discouraging. She and Michael were on the ground along with the rest of the in-country team and taking an active part in the interrogations of the wounded prisoners.

“We had the location where we believed Alhasan’s men might have taken Sam’s team, but we were too late. They’d moved them.”

Not the news he wanted to hear. “Any sign of Hadir?” he asked. His gut told him too much time had passed for Hadir to still be alive.

Liz’s lengthy pause did little to ease his mind. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Kyle, but we found the body of a man some distance from the compound.” She hesitated for a second, and he knew Hadir was gone. “I was able to confirm it was Hadir. It appears he was shot in the head at close range. He’d been dead for a while.”

Hadir was dead. He couldn’t believe it. Grief made it hard to think clearly, much less get words to come forth.

Kyle thought back to the first time he’d met the man. He had been the one to talk Hadir into helping the team out with the promise that once he’d fulfilled his end of the bargain, he would be able to start a new life in the United States. Hadir had died because of his allegiance to Kyle and the Scorpions.

“He was planning a new life,” he muttered in disgust.

“I know. I’m sorry, Kyle. I know you two were close.”

A chilling thought occurred. If Hadir was dead, then who had sent the message? Had he been deliberately sent out to the desert to be ambushed?

Kyle struggled to keep back the emotions. “Thanks.” He could tell from Liz’s tone that more bad news followed. He closed his eyes. “What else?”

“Michael has been monitoring Alhasan’s recruiting website. He thought there might be some news on what happened today. Kyle, there’s a message there I think you should see.”

“Hang on.” Kyle brought up the website on the phone. What he saw chilled him to the bone and filled him with more doubts.

A photo showed Hadir slumped over and clearly dead from a gunshot wound to the head. A message taped to his chest read This Is What We Do to Traitors, Ella.

Alhasan mentioned Ella by name. What if Ella was actually one of them? Was their chance meeting deliberate? The thought was unsettling.

He returned to the call. “We need to find Sam now. If this is what Alhasan does to his own people, I can’t imagine what he’ll put Sam and his men through. Let me know the minute you have anything,” he told Liz and then disconnected the call.

With his friend’s life weighing on his conscience, Kyle slipped back into Ella’s room. She hadn’t budged. He sat quietly by her bed and opened the pocket Bible he kept with him always. He felt unsettled. He let the word of God comfort him.

Growing up and through most of his adult life, he hadn’t believed in anything beyond the job. Losing Lena had changed that. Her death had brought him to his knees. He’d hit rock bottom. There was nowhere else for him to turn except to God, and he was grateful every day of his life that he had.

He closed the Bible and stared at the sleeping woman. Why couldn’t he reach her? He was running out of time and options. There was a timetable on Sam’s and his men’s lives. Bringing them home safely depended on him figuring out what Ella was keeping from him.

I have to find him...

Alhasan’s message made it clear if she didn’t do as he asked, he’d kill her like he had Hadir. What was Alhasan expecting her to do? No matter what the truth was, he was positive it would destroy both her life and the lives of many others.

Was her refusal to cooperate with Kyle proof enough that she was planning to do what Alhasan wanted, either against her will or otherwise? She hadn’t said as much, but he was certain Alhasan was using someone she cared about to ensure Ella completed her task, and he obviously had men watching her. He’d certainly proven he could get to her any time he wanted, at least while she was here in Afghanistan.

He pulled out his phone and did a search on her name. He’d need to find out as much as he could about Ella Weiss. Was she real, or just an alias cooked up to fulfill a part in Alhasan’s deadly game?

THREE

“Ella! Help me!” Someone screamed her name and she turned. Joseph! Something was terribly wrong. Joseph was terrified.

She reached for the boy and drew him into her arms. She could feel him trembling. Before she could reassure him, ask what was wrong, someone jerked him from her arms.

Alhasan. “I told you what would happen if you didn’t do your part, Ella. It’s time for him to die and it’s all because of you.”

“No!” she screamed. Panic welled inside her. She had to save Joseph.

She could hear the boy’s desperate shrieks as Alhasan dragged him from the room.

Ella charged after them like a mother bear protecting her cub, but she was too late. The door slammed in her face. The lock slid in place. Joseph was gone and it was her fault.

Beyond the prison door, she heard Alhasan’s disgusting laugh. She’d lost Joseph, the one thing that had kept her going, and it amused him.

“No. Please, no. I’ll do what you want. Please don’t hurt him,” she screamed and slammed her clenched fists against the steel door. But as always, Alhasan was just out of her reach. If she could reach him, she would make him pay for hurting Joseph.

Someone grabbed her and held her tight. She couldn’t move. She struggled with all her strength to be free but it was useless. Yet unlike all those times in the past, the arms that held her now were gentle. Strong. Familiar...

Her eyes flew open and she stared into piercing gray eyes as stormy as the sea. For a second it threw her until she realized it wasn’t one of Alhasan’s men who held her. It was Kyle. Past cruelty had her pushing frantically against his chest until he let her go. The remnants of the dream were still close and so real that she struggled to find calm.

“It’s okay. You were having a bad dream,” he assured her. She searched his face, wondering how much she’d given away. He didn’t know the truth. Everything about the dream was real except for Joseph’s fate. She still had time to change that.

Just for a heartbeat, in a moment of weakness, she considered telling Kyle about Joseph. If she did, if she enlisted his help, would she be sealing Joseph’s fate? She didn’t dare take that risk.

Compassion softened some of the tautness from his mouth. “I know you’re hurting and I’m sorry. I wish I could take it all away.” She saw the answer in his eyes and she wanted to cry. He was being so kind. Would that change once he knew what her purpose was?

“It’s so unfair,” she murmured and turned away. She was talking about the boy, but he clearly thought she meant herself. She shoved the terrifying dream of Joseph as far back into her anxious mind as she could. She couldn’t think about what might be happening to the boy and not go crazy.

“Ella, I promise we’ll figure out what happened to you. If you have family somewhere, we’ll find them together.” His voice caught over those words and she glanced up at him curiously. He’d been so strong for her, and yet she sensed that he struggled with his own unsettled past. He’d lost someone. His grief had left an indelible mark on his life.

She glanced around the empty C-17. It was just the two of them on board. The unknown that lay ahead for her was nothing compared to the fear that gripped her heart every time she thought about what she’d left behind.

When Kyle first told her he was taking her to the United States, she’d fought him every step of the way. She couldn’t bear the thought of putting an ocean between herself and Joseph. She remembered overhearing Alhasan talking to the American about moving their operation to the United States. She believed Alhasan would want to be close to her to make sure she did as he requested. He’d bring Joseph with him as leverage. There was still a chance.

Outside her window, the ground beneath them approached at a rapid pace. The plane touched down hard and then taxied to a stop on a small airstrip in a rural area.

You have one week to fulfill your purpose or the boy dies. The man who’d attacked her had relayed Alhasan’s deadly message. Two days had passed already. The clock was ticking. Yet as hard as she tried to convince herself she could do what Alhasan asked, doubts and insecurities crowded in. She wasn’t a killer. Could she go against everything she believed in to save Joseph?

She realized Kyle had asked her something, but she’d been too caught up in her concerns to hear. He’d kept a watchful eye on her, never once leaving her side during her stay at Bagram.

When he’d first told her that after an extensive computer search, he’d found out she was from a small town in West Virginia called Mountain Song, where he would be taking her, she hadn’t been able to hide her terror. He had no way of knowing it was all because of the mistake she’d made. She should have tried to convince him to take her straight to Scorpion headquarters. Should have fulfilled the mission Alhasan asked her to do. But she’d failed and now she was terrified Joseph would pay the ultimate price.

“Ella?” There was real concern on his face as he continued to watch her.

She shook her head because she couldn’t seem to find the words to lie. Everything was far from all right.

“It’s this way,” Kyle said once they’d disembarked. He pointed to a light-colored SUV in the near-empty parking lot of the Darden County Airport. He headed that way and she followed.

She watched him retrieve the keys from the fender well and then unlocked the vehicle.

Kyle held the passenger door open for her. It was then that she noticed something for the first time, and it stopped her dead in her tracks. He wore a wedding band on his left hand. She couldn’t take her eyes off it. She...recognized it. A fragmented memory disappeared before she could claim it. She didn’t understand it. She absently touched her left ring finger and tried to hold on to the memory.

“Is something wrong?” he asked when he spotted her staring at the ring.

Stunned, Ella shook her head. How did she recognize his wedding ring?

Kyle searched for the truth in her eyes. Time lost its importance as something shifted between them. Right there in the middle of the parking lot, the moment turned intimate. She’d seen that same look...before.

Wait, how did she know that? As she struggled to untangle the truth, the color of his eyes turned to charcoal.

Suddenly it was hard to catch her breath, and Ella looked away. She couldn’t explain the confusing memories, but they didn’t matter. She had to keep her focus on saving Joseph’s life.

Once she was inside the SUV, he got behind the wheel and they left the airport.

Although he didn’t say as much, she could tell Kyle was concerned by the way he constantly checked the rearview mirror as if expecting trouble. Her uneasiness doubled. Had something happened?

She tried to let go of her fears as the rolling countryside passed her by. She put down her window. The air was crisp and fresh and carried just a hint of the winter to come. It was nothing like the dry desert breeze she’d left behind.

Soon, the scenic woods faded and the small, picturesque Southern town of Mountain Song spread out before them.

During the flight, Kyle had filled in some of the more personal details of her life. He’d told her she was a missionary, but she’d known that. Alhasan had said as much. What she hadn’t realized was that she’d been in the field for years.

According to Kyle, she’d met her fiancé, David, during one of her trips to Afghanistan. At the time she had been working with the homeless there, providing food and medicine. Kyle said her father had pastored one of the local churches in Mountain Song for most of Ella’s life. Both her father and mother as well as David and several other members of the church had gone on that fateful mission trip with Ella. None had returned alive.

Why did nothing about her life story make sense? Was it just because of the severity of the injury she’d suffered, or the years of torture and brainwashing?

Doubt churned inside her as they passed through town and Kyle pulled into the parking lot of a church from bygone days.

“This is where your father pastored,” he said quietly, and Ella turned to look at the simple white steeple shooting up into a cloudy afternoon sky, hoping something would ring a bell but not finding it.

The building itself held the quiet majesty of another time period. She noticed a historical marker on the front of the sanctuary and wondered how many troubled souls had passed through those doors to seek redemption. Kyle mentioned the original sanctuary had been standing for several hundred years.

He turned off the ignition and angled toward her. “Are you ready for this?” She knew he was only trying to help her regain her past, but all she could think about was the boy she’d left behind in Afghanistan. His life was now measured in days.

The nervousness in her stomach assured her she wasn’t anywhere close to being ready. She was terrified. Nothing about what she’d seen so far of the town where she’d grown up sparked any recollection. Why couldn’t she remember her hometown? Her family? Her life?

Kyle had told her he’d found someone from her past by the name of Tracy Cartwright. The church’s secretary had been good friends with her parents and worked with her father. Tracy was waiting inside for her now. Uncertainty crept in. What if she wasn’t Ella Weiss at all but really a cold-blooded killer?

She prayed for strength and found it. She’d get through this meeting, find a way to convince Kyle to take her to the Scorpions’ headquarters, and then it would be up to her to save Joseph.

Ella slowly looked at Kyle. She’d only known him for a short period of time, and yet he made her feel safe. Protected. Cared for.

She watched him swallow noticeably and then touch her cheek. For the first time she didn’t want to pull away. Was it just because of she was afraid of what waited for her inside and needed his strength? Her breath quickened in the warmth of his gaze and her thoughts drifted to things she couldn’t remember. What did it feel like to be kissed? To be touched by someone who wasn’t intent on hurting her.

Somewhere a horn blasted and the spell was broken. Heat crept up her neck and she moved away. For a moment...well, she’d let emotions get in the way. She couldn’t afford to do that ever again. Being in control was all that kept her alive.

A handful of awkward seconds passed before Kyle got out of the vehicle and came round to open her door.

They walked side by side into the sanctuary and Ella couldn’t think of a single thing to say to fill the void.

The moment she stepped inside and looked around, she realized nothing about the quiet old southern church felt like the home she longed for. Ella struggled to keep her disappointment from showing. She’d foolishly hoped everything would just instantly fall into place and her memory would return.

“Why don’t we wait for them up front? It looks peaceful there,” Kyle said to her silence. “After everything that’s happened recently, I think we both could use a little peace.”

They headed down the center aisle lined with dark wooden pews that smelled of polish. There were hymnals in the seats. Up in front stood an altar with the carved words do this in remembrance of me.

The podium where the minister delivered his message captured her attention. Her father would have stood in that very spot each week. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine him, but she couldn’t even bring up his face.

She was aware of Kyle standing beside her, watching her carefully. Was he expecting some flicker of recognition? They both realized that at some point the pieces of her life should start to fall into place if she really was who he thought she was.

A side door opened and two people, one a mid-thirties-looking man and the other a woman who appeared to be in her forties, entered the sanctuary.

The man stepped forward, smiled and introduced himself. “James Montgomery, I’m the pastor. And this is Tracy Cartwright, our church clerk.” The pastor turned to the woman by his side.

Tracy barely acknowledged the introductions. She appeared to have suffered a terrible shock. She covered her trembling mouth with her hand.

The pastor squeezed the woman’s shoulder then spoke to Ella. “Tracy and your mother were good friends. Losing her was hard. This is hard.”

Tracy came over to Ella and stared at her for the longest time, then she took her into her arms and squeezed her tight. “I can’t believe it’s you. Oh, Ella, you’re alive. You’re alive. I’m so glad.”

Ella stiffened and fought back the usual revulsion whenever anyone got too close.

While Tracy continued to hug her close and weep in earnest, Ella wondered why she couldn’t remember her. She was clearly a family friend.

Slowly, she untangled herself from Tracy’s grasp.

The woman had tears streaming down her face. “Do you remember me at all?” she asked with a hopeful look on her face.

Ella shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t.” She turned to Kyle for the assurances he was quick to give.

“It’s okay,” Kyle assured her. “With everything you’ve been through, it may take some time for your memory to return in full. You just have to be patient.”

“Oh, I can’t believe it,” Tracy exclaimed and touched the ring that Ella still wore around her neck. “Your engagement ring survived. You were so proud of that ring when David gave it to you. And your mother and father were thrilled when you and David announced you two were getting married. Your mother said you were the perfect couple, with you both being missionaries and all.” Tracy leaned over and kissed her cheek.

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