Page 79 of Rafe’s Future

“Harran.”

The city’s name weighed heavily between them.

“Who’s the target?” Lena asked, though she instinctively knew.

“They’re moving in on Rami Najjar.” Director Mercer paused. “And I approved Alexei Kozlova as well.”

Lena’s fingers tightened around the phone. After Roger’s call about Caleb and Sabrina, Lena had tried like hell to convince anyone with any real power to move on Kozlova.

No one would listen. They’d labeled him a secondary target and made it clear Najjar was the priority. Which made her wonder⁠—

“What changed?”

“Officially? Nothing. Which is why this phone call is a personal request, rather than an order.”

“And unofficially?”

The man’s deep sigh filled the space at her ear. “I’m tired of burying my people.”

His words hit her hard. When tears threatened to fill her eyes, Lena tore her gaze from Rafe’s before speaking again.

“Agent Pascal is dead. Rafe Owens and I found him last night. He was holed up in a cabin near⁠—”

“Sunset, South Carolina,” Mercer finished for her. “Yes, I know. I’m also aware that the safe house at that location is no longer in play.”

She didn’t bother asking how he already knew.

“And Roger?” Lena asked next.

“Unfortunately, Roger Wilcox is still missing. Don’t worry, I have people searching for him as we speak. We will find him.”

A chill traveled down the length of her spine despite the warmth of the room. She listened closely as Mercer continued⁠—

“We’ve spent years trying to understand Kozlova’s intricate network. We’ve tolerated his movements because, as time went on and technology expanded, Najjar quickly became the larger threat. Given the recent turn of events, I can easily defend the decision to stop Alexei Kozlova as well.”

About damn time.

“What exactly are you sending me there to do?” Lena swallowed. “Am I going there to eliminate or help capture?”

“If capture is possible, take him alive.”

What if I want him dead?

“And if it isn’t?”

“I trust you to make the right call when the time comes.”

She looked back to Rafe, whose eyes were still intently glued to her.

“Why me?” Lena needed to know. “I’m sure the team you’re sending in is fully capable of handling targets.”

“You know more about Kozlova than any agent on my payroll.”

“And you know I’ll do whatever it takes to stop him.”

“It certainly doesn’t hurt that you have a personal stake in stopping him.” Mercer’s tone softened with a deep sigh. “Listen, Price. I know what happened in Syria, and I know how close you were with the agents we’ve recently lost. I need someone who understands how Kozlova thinks. Someone who knows his methods and can anticipate his movements before he makes them.”

This was it. Lena had the chance to finally put the ghosts from her past to rest. Most importantly, once Kozlova was out of commission, there would no longer be a bounty on her or Rafe’s heads.