Chapter Fifteen

E llie had thought the same. "Why do you think he'd lie to you?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to call Carter. Maybe he can shed some light on what's happening." Before he could make the call, his cell phone rang. "It's Carter." Declan looked around at each of them before answering. The noise in the background seemed to back up the story his father gave. "Hey, brother. I was just talking to your dad."

"Yeah, I know. Dad's here with me. His battery's low so he asked me to call you back and make sure I didn't need to come back for you."

Declan blew out a breath. "No, man, we have help on the way. I'm glad you were close enough to pick up your mom and dad. Where are the rest of the kids?"

"They didn't come with my parents. They're all getting older. Most are busy with college or work. It's a rare thing to get us all together on the island anymore."

"I get that. Have a safe trip back, Carter." Declan signed off and stuffed the phone into his pocket.

Even though Ellie didn't know Declan's friends, something about the story didn't ring true.

A search inside Declan's cabin proved the structure had withstood the storm without suffering any damage.

Once the storm-proofing was removed, Eli called JT and placed the phone on speaker so they all could listen and respond .

"How are you all holding up?" JT had answered first ring. "I'm here with Bryce and the rest of our family members. Things got a little hairy here. We were expecting the boardwalk to flood, but it looks like we're spared. Declan, Wynona is fine, and so is Sashi."

"That's good to hear." Declan updated them on the damage to the island. "We'll know more in the morning. I'm hoping the other side of the island didn't suffer as much damage as we did over here. The pier is gone. At first light, I'll check to make sure we have a place for you to dock."

"Sounds good. Anything new on the encryption?"

Declan told him yes. "And it's even more confusing than we initially thought." He shared what had been uncovered. "The encryption process is over. That's all we have."

JT sighed. "Gideon's fingerprints are all over this. Ellie, you know Gideon better than anyone. What are your thoughts on his loyalty?"

The Gideon she knew would never betray his country, yet if the past seven years had taught her anything, it was things were not what they seemed. She did her best to stay unbiased as she explained Gideon had been a war hero who worked his way up through the ranks to become director of Mossad.

"I can't see him betraying Israel for money." Ellie pulled out the chair next to Boone. He reached for her hand under the table and clasped it.

"I know someone we can trust to reach out to Gideon." Boone told them about his contact within Mossad.

"With your permission, I think we need to give it a try," JT said while Ellie hesitated.

Everyone waited for her to respond.

Fear trailed down her spine. What if she made the wrong decision? What if reaching out to Gideon brought everything crumbling around her.

"It'll be okay," Boone said softly and squeezed her arm. "I promise we are not going to let anything happen to you."

She'd trusted him with so much already and Boone had proved himself to be worthy of her trust. "Okay. Do it."

Boone smiled as if realizing the battle she'd fought just to give her approval. "I'll give my friend a call as soon as we're finished here."

She nodded and clutched her hands tight because they were shaking.

"Good." JT told them they were about an hour out.

Declan explained about what happened with his friend. "There was something in Robert's voice that didn't sound right to me."

Eli and Boone seconded his assessment.

"Let's hope it's just worry because of the storm. As soon as we get there, I'd say it's a good idea if we go inside to make sure. Until then, keep your eyes open. This thing just keeps getting more bizarre."

The call ended. Ellie felt as if the walls were closing in. Sitting still with so much up in the air became impossible. She stood and stretched out kinks from her shoulders then went to put on a fresh pot of coffee.

"You should try and get some sleep."

Ellie turned at the sound of Boone's voice.

The concern on his face was all for her. For the first time since she'd lost Daniel she had hope, and that scared her. Boone and the rest of the Hope Island Securities team were doing everything they could to get her answers. But what if the answers weren't there to get? What if she was destined to spend the rest of her life on the run?

"I'm too keyed up." She pointed to the coffeemaker. "The next best thing."

He chuckled. "I get it. Caffeine and adrenaline were the only things to keep me going during many of my missions."

She looked at him curiously. "Do you miss the adrenaline rush?" She hadn't had the opportunity to miss being away from the spy game. At times, she'd think about what life would be like if she wasn't running for her life.

"Sometimes," he admitted while she poured them coffee. " For a long time after I left the service I couldn't seem to settle down. It's hard going from those kinds of life-and-death situations to being a civilian."

"I can imagine." She pointed to the living room. "Want to sit for a while?" The facts they knew kept swirling around in her head, not making sense.

She and Boone sat on the sofa. Ellie leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She listened to him speak about some of the things he'd witnessed while on a mission.

Before what happened to her, Ellie never really gave much thought to those caught in the crosshairs of the spy world. She focused on her target. Believed what she was doing would make her country safer. Now, it felt as if everything she'd once believed in was about to crumble around her.

"Do you ever wonder if it's worth it?" she asked. The price for freedom and safety was high in cost in the lives of those caught in the middle.

Boone settled his head against the sofa and turned his face her way. "Every day."

The pain she witnessed tore at her heart. Though not hunted physically, Boone would always be haunted by the things he'd done for his country.

She touched his cheek. "You did what you had to do."

He closed his eyes and covered her hand with his. "I did. It doesn't make it any easier."

Ellie leaned her head against his shoulder. She didn't want to try and define what was happening between them. She just wanted to sit here with him in this moment of peace knowing that for now she didn't have to run.

He still held her hand. The voices in the other room faded into the background like the worries plaguing her mind. For this second in time, she knew peace.

Ellie wasn't sure what jarred her from the tranquility. Just the faintest of sounds. But enough out of place that it had her sitting up.

"Did you hear that?"

Boone confirmed he had.

She jumped to her feet with him. While she listened, something else made it clear the sound hadn't been a figment. "That's smoke."

◆◆◆

"We need her alive. Understood." The boss's dark eyes bored into him. The warning was as clear as if reading his mind. "Not a hair on her head will be touched until we have the information."

He dug his hands into his palms but managed a confirming nod.

"Good. Ignite the fuel. When the others flee the premises, you can kill them. We need her."

The men struck matches and tossed them onto the soaked logs of the cabin.

Whoosh. Even though the rain had drenched everything on the island, with that much fuel the house wouldn't stand a chance. Soon, flames lit up the place. He watched and waited for the first person to leave. Over the crackling fire, nothing could be heard. Men were stationed at the rear of the house in case they tried to escape that direction.

There's no way out for you, Ayla. Give yourself up. Accept your punishment. Die like you should have died the last time he and his men found her.

You've made me look like a fool for the last time.

It would be his pleasure to end her existence when the time came, and it wouldn't come quickly. He'd take his time. Make sure she begged and pleaded for her life. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. She'd understand what true pain really felt like!

◆◆◆

"It's at the front of the cabin." Boone pulled her along with him to the kitchen and pointed to the front. "The place is on fire."

"There's a hose around the side of the house," Declan told them. "Hopefully, it will reach the fire. "

Boone pulled his weapon, grabbing everyone's attention. "There's something off. The lightning passed some time ago. There hadn't been any trace of a fire before when we were outside."

"You're right. It could be a setup." Declan grabbed a pillow from the sofa and tossed it outside. A wealth of gunfire confirmed the truth.

"They've found us." Ellie couldn't believe with all the precautions they'd taken by destroying the tracking device, they'd found it too late.

"I'm calling JT. He and Bryce need to know they're walking into a trap." Boone grabbed his phone and made the call.

Eli hurried to the back entrance. "We're surrounded." He turned to deliver the disturbing news when shots rang out. The window above the sink shattered. One bullet hit its mark. Eli grabbed for his shoulder, the force of the shot knocking him off his feet.

Ellie screamed.

Declan ducked low and pulled his friend out of the line of fire.

"I've got to go," Boone said into the phone and ended the call.

"How close are they? We're going to need backup." Declan opened Eli's shirt to examine the injury. "It's not so bad, buddy. The bullet went straight through."

Boone's silence had Ellie turning his way. "What's wrong? Something happened."

"It's Gideon. He's been found dead in his hotel room. An overdose. Apparently by his own hand."