Well, no shit. “I know.”
“I’ve been trying to hold back since this is so dangerous and I don’t know what’s going to happen.” The more he spoke, the faster the words were coming. “But I meant what I said.”
“I know.” All of it. She was well aware of his fears and his love. Her heart hurt, and her eyes stung. But she had to be strong. For him and for Talia. “I get it, Denver.” Right now he needed to concentrate. “We’ll talk when you get back.”
He grimaced. “Okay. But—” He reached inside the case where he’d gotten the flash grenades and pulled out a velvet box.
She stopped breathing. Completely. No air.
He flipped it open to reveal a ring sparkling with alexandrite surrounded by a whole lot of diamonds. “I want you to have this. I mean, it’s yours.”
She could only blink. Emotion washed through her, stealing every thought but one. Just one. He’d bought her a ring?A ring?
“I, ah, saw it and thought of you a while back, and I couldn’t help but buy it.” He sounded bemused, and he shuffled his feet in those big boots. His voice was low and sure. Intent. “It’s a promise if I make it through this. If I don’t, it’s something to remember me by.” Taking the ring out, he grasped her hand and slid it onto the ring finger of her right hand. “For now.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them away. “It’s beautiful, Denver.” It truly was. Her favorite stone and diamonds . . . from Denver. She just stared at the sparkly gem. From Russia, like her paternal grandfather, a man who’d died long ago. It was a stone made of hard times and cold winters and strength and pressure and hope and faith. Denver had bought it for her when he wasn’t sure they’d ever see each other again. The tears went deeper than her eyes. They filled her. “You have to make it back to me.” Her voice cracked on the end.
“I will.” The promise was solid, his tone strong. He took one last long look at her and turned for the doorway, stopping right before leaving.
Her eyes filled again.
“Damn it.” He pivoted and was back in front of her, his fingers spearing through her hair. His mouth descended, and he kissed her deeply, so much emotion in his touch that he took everything she had. Releasing her, he pivoted and strode away.
In a flash, he was gone.
The freezing trek through the trees, blinded by swirling snow, took Denver’s mind off the constant ache in his side. The knife wound was healing, but the heavy gear on him kept pulling the stitches. He had no doubt he was already bleeding, and they’d just arrived in the center of the compound. The barbed-wire fencing had been easy enough to dispatch, while the traps set along the way had been a bit more difficult.
One hole holding spiked limbs had nearly taken Heath out, but Ryker had tossed him to the side in the last second.
They had to take care of three sets of two-man patrols, knocking them out and tying them up. No need to kill them. There was no doubt they were just hired muscle and not Madison’s small special force of supersoldiers. It had been too easy to take them down.
The difficult part of the op was coming up.
Finally, now they were in position.
There were three standing targets. The first was the main facility, where hopefully Madison was staying with the baby. The lab was in the same building, based on the floor plans he’d studied. The second building contained fuel, supplies, and weapons. Probably. The third was a barracks that housed soldiers.
All had to be destroyed. The remaining outbuildings didn’t concern him.
He stared at the main building and settled himself. No thinking. No feeling. Just action. Heath was at his right and Ryker at his left.
Out of the mist, without a wisp of a sound, Jory Dean appeared.
Only training kept Denver from moving back. Jesus. The guy could really come out of nowhere. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Jory shucked his pack, handing over earbuds. Then he dug deeper and brought out three pairs of night-vision goggles.
“Nice,” Ryker breathed, taking a pair.
Jory grinned. “They also can detect heat signatures. Do not ask how we got ahold of the technology.”
Denver didn’t want to know. He really didn’t. He accepted the goggles. “Is everybody in place?”
“Affirmative.” Jory clapped him on the shoulder. “Per our discussions, Shane and Nate are on the supplies depot, and Matt and I will take the barracks. The main building will be guarded, and after we take out the other threats, we’ll converge behind you to clean up. You’ve got five minutes before we blow the explosives and they know we’re here for sure.”
Denver stuck the earbud in his ear. “My priority is the baby.”
“Yes.” Jory’s gray eyes darkened. “She’s everybody’s priority.” He cleared his throat. “We’d like Madison alive.”
