Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Wren had never been so stressed in all her life. Maybe if she was still in the dark about just how dangerous this trip could be, she might be enjoying it a little more. But all she could think about were the stories she'd read online and that she'd heard from Bo and his friends.

The week after Bo left was…hard. While she'd been relieved the threat from Matt/Barry was over, she'd still felt the urge to look over her shoulder at all times. Wolf had been a huge help in getting a new key for her car, and the locks on her apartment had long-since been changed. Remi had gone with her to the apartment one evening and helped her put away everything her new friends had bought for her, and to start looking online for some of the bigger things she needed, like furniture.

But Wren had felt lonely since the moment Bo walked out the door.

Which was crazy. She'd been surrounded by people all day at work. Communicating with Remi and Caroline via text on and off each day. She'd also heard from Mozart, who began checking in with her as soon as Bo left. It was a part of his "proof of life" plan he and Dude had put together. She was supposed to text or email one of them at least twice a day. Wren supposed some women would resent having to check in so often, but she wasn't "some women."

She'd spent most of her life alone, so knowing there were so many people out there who cared what was going on with her was comforting.

But even with all the communication with Bo's friends—now her friends—Wren still couldn't stop wondering where Bo was, what he was doing, whether or not he was okay. She supposed the latter had to be true, otherwise Wolf or someone would have told her. But that didn't make her worry any less.

Being in his house without him was weird. She missed him. A lot. Coming home to an empty space had felt much more difficult, now that she'd met Bo. She'd missed cooking dinner with him. Laughing together. Asking about his day. Watching TV. Talking.

The night before she left for South Sudan, Wren sat down and wrote a letter to Bo that she left at his house. If something happened to her, she'd wanted him to know how much she cared about him. How much he'd changed her life. It was mushy, and probably way too much information, but she consoled herself with the fact that he'd never see it if there were no problems on her trip.

And so far, there hadn't been. The flights were uneventful—Wren had been sure not to accept ice in her drinks on the planes, after hearing what had happened to Caroline, Wolf, and his friends on a flight long ago—and they were now all at the hotel in the heart of Juba.

Colby was acting like he was king of the world, wanting all the attention on himself, which was fine with Wren. She remembered Bo's warnings about staying under the radar. Not being noticeable. The two men Colby had brought along as his security, Bob and Tom—which made Wren chuckle to herself, as that was the name of a very popular morning radio talk show she sometimes listened to—stood out like sore thumbs. They wore all black, spoke to each other through little radios attached to harnesses they wore around their chests, and insisted on "clearing" each room before they entered it.

In Wren's opinion, they were acting more like movie versions of bodyguards than real ones. Not that she'd had all that much experience with real bodyguards, but she would've hoped they didn't act like these men.

The other five coworkers who'd traveled to South Sudan—Aaron, Luke, Dallas, Archie, and Oliver—had so far been pretty quiet. Archie and Dallas hung around with Colby, going where he went, doing whatever he told them to. The other three set up laptops in the room BT Energy had rented in the hotel for their briefings and meetings, to communicate with the team back in California, and to continue to do research and paperwork for the pipeline. Installation was slated to start in three months, if everything went according to schedule.

But of course, it wasn't. The fighting south of the capital was intensifying, making it difficult to recruit workers, and the exact placement of the pipeline was still under intense negotiations. There were disagreements because the government wanted it in a particular spot, and locals were protesting it being on "their" territory.

Colby hadn't been pleased when Wren had arrived at the airport back in California. Instead of the feminine skirts and pantsuits he'd gotten used to seeing her wearing at the office, she'd donned a pair of the cargo pants Bo had helped her find, a long-sleeve shirt made of lightweight wicking material, and her new boots. She'd been wearing them everywhere—except at work—for the last week to help break them in.

But it had been too late to change, and now that Wren was in Africa, she was doubly grateful for the suggestions from Bo's team. If she'd worn a skirt, she knew she would have gotten a lot more stares.

"Are you ready for this afternoon's press conference?" Colby asked.

They were all currently sitting around a table in the rented room, discussing the afternoon's schedule.

"Yes," Wren told him.

"You can't stray from the agenda," Colby warned.

Wren did her best to tamp down her irritation. "I know."

"I'm serious. If you say anything off script, you could get arrested. And we won't be able to do anything about it."

"I know ," Wren said again, impatience clear in her tone.

"I'm just saying," he said as he sat back in his chair. "And I'm not sure your outfit is appropriate. We want to portray a gentle, safe presence to the people of this country. Convince them that having this gas pipeline is a good thing, not a militaristic takeover. And seeing you in those boots and pants, not to mention that manly shirt and your short hair, will project anything but gentle vibes. I hired you to bring a feminine face to BT Energy, and I'm not sure you're doing that right now."

Wren stiffened but did her best to not let her irritation show on her face. She needed this job. But she also needed to be safe. If Colby had let Bo come talk to the group, he'd understand why she was dressed as she was. And maybe he and the others wouldn't be wearing the expensive suits and ties they currently had on. They definitely stuck out in a glaring way. Even in the luxury hotel, they didn't fit in.

"I'm sorry, but according to the experts I consulted, South Sudan isn't a safe place to be a foreigner, especially a woman. What I'm wearing is for my safety. And I doubt anyone will be thinking about my clothes when I speak. They'll be more interested in what I'm saying. How BT Energy can help them," she said as calmly as she could.

"You're being na?ve," Colby told her. "You were hired because you're a woman. Because we want people to be more interested in what they're looking at than what they're hearing. I'm going to have to insist on approving your wardrobe for future trips."

Oh hell no. That was on the tip of Wren's tongue, but she kept her mouth shut.

She'd had no idea her boss was such a misogynistic person when she'd accepted the job. If he thought she was going to let him paw through her clothes, he was very mistaken.

Flashbacks of her mom telling her over and over that she had to have long hair, because that was how girls attracted boys, almost overwhelmed Wren. She would've taken a pair of scissors to her long black hair as a child if she wasn't so scared of what her mom might've done to her. The first thing she'd done while on the streets was cut it. And she'd never looked back. She loved her short hair. It was easy to take care of, to style, and she didn't feel any less feminine because it wasn't long. Hell, the little clips she had in her hair might be practical survival tools, but in all honesty, they made her feel cute.

And now Colby was threatening to take away even that little sense of confidence in how she looked. What a fuckerhead.

Wanting to smile at the juvenile slur, Wren made sure to keep all emotion off her face.

"I kind of agree with Wren, I'm not sure it matters what she's wearing," Luke said. "I wish I was in cargo pants and a more comfortable shirt like hers. These suits make us stand out in a way that's not very comfortable."

"I don't give a shit what's comfortable and what's not," Colby said with a scowl. "When you're representing BT Energy, you will look professional at all times."

"Right," Luke said in a subdued tone.

Colby began lecturing them all about the details of the pipeline that they already knew. About how important this trip was and how much money they'd make as a result.

Wren looked over at Luke and mouthed thank you . He nodded at her, then turned his attention back to their boss.

Thankful that she was rooming with the youngest member of their team, and not Archie or Dallas, Wren sighed. Colby had leered at her suggestively when she'd requested that sleeping arrangement, but to her relief, Bob and Tom both agreed that it would be safer if she wasn't in a room alone.

The minutes crawled by as Colby went over every aspect of the pipeline. Even though they were all very well-versed on the ins and outs of the project, he still felt the need to hear himself speak.

Wren supposed he was nervous about the question-and-answer session they were hosting. Some major government officials were coming to talk to them. Well, mostly to talk to Colby, who would be giving an update on costs and where they were in regard to starting construction.

Dallas and Aaron were assisting Colby with the government officials during the session, and before it began, the others were dismissed. Wren was relieved to have a bit of free time away from Colby, who she was seeing as if for the first time. When she was hired, she'd been excited about the opportunity and had respected Colby as the CEO. Now? She just wanted to get through this quickly and go home. Get away from his overbearing countenance and disparaging looks.

The Q&A session lasted about an hour and a half, and Wren returned to the room to find the hotel workers setting up for the press conference she'd be presiding over.

The large table was cleared out and replaced by rows of chairs. A podium was placed at the front of the room for Wren and microphones set up. She didn't have a problem speaking in public, but for some reason this press conference felt different. Probably because of all the warnings from Bo and his team rattling around in her head. That, and Colby's critical remarks about her clothes and looks .

When it was finally time for her to speak, Wren was surprised at how few people had come. There were five people in the roughly thirty seats in the room. They were all men, and they looked bored beyond belief.

Clearing her throat, Wren launched into her presentation.

It went flawlessly. She detailed all the pros about the pipeline and what it would mean for the country of South Sudan. She explained how it would work and where the gas would come from and where it would flow. She thought she'd done a good job, but when she was finished, the men still had the same bored expressions on their faces.

It finally occurred to her that the government had probably handpicked who would be allowed to hear the information she was sharing. While there had been a video camera running, from one of the state-run television stations, Wren wondered if the footage would ever see the light of day.

She asked if anyone had any questions, and she wasn't surprised when no one did. Her first international press conference was kind of a letdown. The five spectators filed out and silence filled the room.

Colby pushed off the wall at the back of the room and left without a word, Bob and Tom at his heels. Archie and Dallas quickly followed.

"You did good, Wren," Oliver said when they were gone.

"Thanks."

"Did anyone else think that was…well…weird?" Luke asked.

"Extremely," Aaron agreed.

Wren was relieved to know she wasn't the only one who'd gotten weird vibes from the supposed press conference. " How was the meeting with the bigwigs?" she asked Aaron.

"Fine, I guess. Colby did most of the talking. We just sat there nodding our heads."

"Did it feel as if they were pleased with the project?" Luke asked.

"Yes? I mean, it all seemed pretty robotic to me. As if those attending didn't have any say in approving it or something," Aaron explained.

"It feels as if being here is just part of a big dog and pony show," Oliver said. "Like, it doesn't matter what we do or say, the government is going to do what they want regardless."

"Let's just hope what they want is to get this pipeline put in," Aaron grumbled. "Otherwise, we've done a hell of a lot of hard work for nothing."

"What do you think the dinner at the president's compound tomorrow night is going to be like?" Luke asked.

"There's no telling," Oliver said. "It'll either be like today, where it'll be us and a few handpicked people who wouldn't dare say anything that might be considered controversial, or it'll be a mob scene."

Wren had to agree with him. She had no idea what to expect, even with all the research she'd done and what she'd learned from Bo about the country.

"We need to stay vigilant," she blurted. The men in the room with her hadn't bothered to talk to the SEALs, but that didn't mean she didn't want them to be safe. "When we go outside of the hotel, we're vulnerable. A bunch of Americans who work for an energy company would be a very nice target for a group that wants some quick cash. "

"We aren't going to get kidnapped," Oliver said with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm not saying we are," Wren snapped back. "But we also aren't in Riverton anymore. We have to be careful."

"We will be," Aaron told her.

"We're going out for a beer tonight," Oliver told her. "You want to come?"

Wren's eyes widened. "What? Outside the hotel? No!"

All three men laughed.

"You sound so scandalized," Aaron said. "It'll be fine. Bob and Tom are coming too."

"It's not a good idea," Wren told them. "Why not stay here and go to the small bar downstairs?"

"Because. We want to experience some of the culture in this country. Are you going to be the scared American who stays holed up here?" Oliver taunted.

Wren refused to rise to his bait. "Yes."

"Your loss," he said with a shrug. Then he turned to Aaron and Luke. "Meet you guys in the lobby in an hour?"

"Sounds good."

"Okay."

Wren could only shake her head at how stupid her coworkers were being. They hadn't heard all the things Bo and his team had to say, but still. They'd gotten the same info she had from the State Department about the dangers of the country. Why they felt as if they were in some sort of safety bubble was beyond her.

She walked up to her room with Luke and the second they were inside, she turned to him. "Please don't go, Luke. It's not safe. "

"It'll be fine. Colby actually suggested it. He said it'll be a way to show some goodwill toward the people who live here. You know, spend some money, talk with the locals. Let them see that we're more than untouchable businessmen. It's our only free night."

"It's dumb ," Wren told him. "You read the same warnings I did. About not walking around, especially after dark."

But Luke shrugged. "There will be eight of us. No one's gonna mess with eight guys. It's probably better you aren't going though. As a woman and all."

For the first time, Wren didn't feel the urge to punch someone when they made a comment about how women were weaker than men.

"Seriously, we'll be cool. We have Bob and Tom with us. We'll have a beer or two, then come back. Tomorrow, we'll have that meeting with the leaders of the various ethnic groups, then go to the president's place to hobnob."

Thinking about having to moderate tomorrow's discussion made Wren nervous as hell. One wrong word and the men could be at each other's throats. The tension between all the different groups in the country was extremely high. She would be partly responsible for keeping everyone calm. It was a lot of pressure.

"I really don't think it's a good idea," she told Luke, not willing to let it drop.

"Noted," he said. "I'm going to get out of this monkey suit and put on some jeans. You're welcome to watch," he said with a lifted eyebrow.

Wren rolled her eyes and headed for the bathroom. She was aware that Luke was teasing, but she didn't want to give him any kind of encouragement that the two of them would ever have a fling.

Luke called out that he was done changing, and Wren went back into the room. They didn't talk much after that. He was checking his email on his laptop as Wren scrolled through the channels on the TV, looking for something to watch.

"Gotta go meet the guys. I'll be back in a couple hours. If not, we've been kidnapped, call the authorities." Luke was grinning as he said it.

"That's not funny," Wren scolded.

"Come on, it was a little funny," Luke countered. "Loosen up, Wren. If you want to fit in at BT Energy, you need to relax." Then he waved and headed for the door.

After it shut behind him, Wren got up and threw the dead bolt. She was nervous to be left alone in the hotel, but not nervous enough to risk going with the rest of the group.

Sitting down on the bed, she pulled out her phone and pulled up her email. She typed out a quick note to Mozart, checking in as he'd requested.

Her phone dinged with a reply email five minutes later.

You made the right decision not to go out. Safe and his team weren't kidding about the dangers. One more day, then you'll be on your way home. I'll look for your email in the morning.

Wren was exhausted. The travel, plus the stress of the meetings was catching up with her. But she knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep until Luke and the others were back safe and sound. She wasn't a big fan of her coworkers, but that didn't mean she wanted anything to happen to them.

Four hours later, Wren heard a quiet knock at the door. She leaped out of bed and looked through the peephole. Relief almost made her dizzy at seeing Luke standing there. She undid the dead bolt and opened the door.

"Sorry for waking you," he said a little sheepishly as he entered the room. He smelled like cheap beer and body odor. But Wren was still very glad to see him in one piece.

"How was it?" she asked.

"Okay," Luke said with a shrug. "We spent lots of money, drank lots of disgusting, warm beer, and now we're back. You should've gone. It was fine."

Wren went back to her bed and climbed under the covers as Luke went into the bathroom. He came out and stripped out of his shirt and jeans, leaving them in a pile on the floor. Then he lay down on his own bed, and Wren swore within seconds he was snoring.

She assumed he'd probably passed out, but she was too relieved to have him back at the hotel to care.

"She's fine," Preacher told Safe.

Safe took a deep breath and nodded. They were still in Chad, and they'd done what they'd come to do. The high-value target they'd been sent to eliminate after he'd taken over for his brother was no more. It was his twin who they'd eliminated last time. The twin no one knew about. The real terrorist leader had tasked his brother with making public appearances for him, for safety reasons. The man wasn't an idiot.

And when his twin was taken out by Safe and his team, the leader had no choice but to come out of hiding to reassure his followers that the US hadn't succeeded in assassinating him, after all. Which had been his one and only mistake.

Intelligence had quickly gotten back to the States, and the SEAL team was sent to Chad to complete the original mission.

They should've been on their way back home to California as of yesterday…but their commander had pulled some strings. Since learning about BT Energy's trip to South Sudan, he'd been just as concerned about it as Safe and the rest of the team. So they were holing up for an additional forty-eight hours. Just in case.

It was that "just in case" that was nearly making Safe go out of his mind with worry. "I know," he belatedly told Preacher.

"We would've gotten word if something had already happened," Flash agreed.

"One more day," MacGyver threw in.

Safe nodded. He wanted to talk to Wren. To hear for himself how things were going. To make sure she was all right. But he couldn't. He had to trust the intel that she was safe.

"One more day," he said under his breath. It would be the longest twenty-four hours of his life. Until he got word from their commander that the employees from BT Energy were on a plane and headed home, he wouldn't be able to relax.