She had been his one obsession, his one mistake.
Then he had lost her.
He closed his eyes and fought the emotion that accompanied that last thought. For two endless years he had believed her dead. He had grieved the loss, prayed for his own death, apathetic of his destiny without her. In their short time together she had become everything to him.
And now he’d found her again…alive and well.
His eyes opened wide with renewed determination. He would not fall under her spell this time. She was evil…a harlot. A bitch who cared for no one other than herself.
Wherever she had been hiding, whatever she had been doing all this time, mattered little to him. She was here now and now she would pay for her betrayal.
The word had traveled swiftly to him. Some imbecile had failed in his attempt to assassinate Natan Olment. The press had insisted that the American was the target, but Michal knew better. Olment was high on the list of those wanted dead by the supporters of the fallen Taliban. Though forced underground to carry out its machinations, money was no obstacle for the crippled organization. The payment for making such a kill would be substantial, the task a simple one. Olment and his security advisor were fools. Michal could have taken him out on numerous occasions, had played the scenario over in his mind and laughed at the ease with which he could accomplish the hit if he so chose.
Now that ridiculously lax security would be tightened. The security advisor replaced, as should have been done months ago. Those with less skill than Michal would bemoan the loss of potential opportunity. To him it made no difference. The reputation he had earned spoke for itself. Lucky for him, Olment had no part in his plans for the immediate future.
Of course that could change, but Michal didn’t see that happening as things stood. Olment dabbled in nothing that interested him.
The woman on the other side of the door he braced against dragged his attention back to the present. He had a more pressing quandary at the moment than what his next crusade would be. He had to decide what to do with her. His jaw tightened again. She had to die. There was no real question there. But he would be the one to decide when her fate was to be carried out.
If his heart proved too weak to exact the necessary vengeance, he would cut it out. It was worthless to him, anyway. The organ merely continued to beat, nothing more.
He moved away from the door as if her very essence could somehow penetrate the heavy wood and reach him, ultimately making him weak. He would not consider the issue further now, he decided as he moved toward where the others waited. When he was stronger, when the shock of seeing her again had passed, would be the proper time for such a course of action. He would need all of his strength, all of his powers of concentration, to do what had to be done.
She had to pay.
Just not today.
“Why is she still alive?”
The irate tone of his comrade heightened Michal’s already mounting frustration. He stared at Carlos, his right arm-the man who had proven his worth over and over again. But, to Michal’s way of thinking, in the last twenty-four hours that worth had lessened considerably. A comrade’s value could only be accurately measured by his willingness to follow his leader and/or his orders to the death.
Michal was not accustomed to being questioned where his decisions were concerned.
“She is alive,” he said to his friend, his tone lethal, his words leaving no room for discussion, “because I allow it. Do you have a problem with that?”
His defiance never wavering, Carlos openly questioned Michal’s authority for the first time. He sauntered a step closer, his posture growing even more belligerent. “I watched the effect this woman had on you two years ago.” One dark eyebrow slanted high above the other. “She distracts you,” he suggested in the thick accent that gave away his Israeli roots. “We-” he motioned magnanimously to the others lounging in the room “-were almost captured because of her.” He banged a fist against his chest. “Our own brothers despise us now, attempt to bring us down at every opportunity because of her. That is my problem!”
Tamping down his fury to a more tolerable level, Michal closed the remaining distance between them. “You have stated your objections. This-” he looked straight into his old friend’s eyes “-will be the end of it. The decision as to what will become of her is mine and mine alone.”
Absolute silence reigned in the room. No one dared to even move. The others waited for the outcome, not one had the courage to side with Carlos, yet not one would dispute him since he wanted to live to see another day. The tension built so swiftly, so thickly, that the very air evacuated the room.
“Mark my words,” Carlos said, “she will be the death of us all.”
Michal laughed softly, but didn’t relax his battle-ready stance. Staying in control was crucial. “So now you are a prophet, is that the way of it?”
Carlos grunted a halfhearted laugh. “Clearly you are not. But, as you say, the decision is yours.”
Michal turned to the others, taking his time, studying each familiar face in turn. These were the men with whom he had worked for the past three years. He had earned their respect under the tutelage of their former leader, a man known only as the Wolf. After his assassination, Michal had risen to the challenge as his successor. No one had questioned the move, not even Carlos who had worked with the Wolf for a longer period of time. Carlos claimed that he preferred the chain of command just as it was. He had no desire to lead, only to follow.
Michal had an uneasy feeling about that now. He’d noted Carlos’s need to have more of a say during recent strategy meetings. He imagined his days were numbered to Carlos’s way of thinking. Michal did not fear the confrontation. He had long ago decided that death might be a relief.
Until now.
Now everything had changed.
“Is there anyone else who would question my authority?”
Heads wagged from side to side, negative responses were grunted all the way around the room. All eyes remained fixed on Michal; no one had the nerve to meet Carlos’s unrelenting gaze as they, however belatedly, openly professed their loyalty.
“Then we are in agreement, no?” Michal turned back to the man at his side, watching and waiting for some indication of just how far he intended to take this vie for power.
The corners of Carlos’s mouth curled into a sly smile. “We are in agreement.”
Michal nodded. “A wise decision.” He surveyed the group once more. “We must take advantage of this time to rest and hone our skills. We have some time yet before our next mission. This one will be tricky. Keen focus will be the key. No one-” He shot a sidelong glance at Carlos. “No one can be distracted. This is assuredly not the time for division.”
Carlos merely stared back at him, his previous display of aggression reined in for the most part. “No one,” he agreed pointedly.
Michal left it at that and sought refuge outside in the coming gloom. The air was cool and he filled his lungs with the pleasant scents of the changing season. He closed his eyes and tried to remember how his homeland smelled. But it had been far too long since he had set foot upon that soil and, in an effort to keep his sanity, he had worked far too diligently to banish it from his mind to recall it now. A high price had been leveled on his head there; he was considered a murderer and worse. In reality, he had no homeland. But he no longer cared. He had stopped caring about anything at all two years ago.
Forcing his thoughts away from the woman inside, he surveyed the grounds for as far as he could see in the encroaching dusk. The perimeter guards moved around soundlessly, all of whom would have taken note of his presence the instant he exited the house. Michal had many dedicated men at his disposal, any of which would willingly die for him. Except, perhaps, for Carlos. Until a few days ago he would have said the same for him. But he had changed of late, particularly since Amira’s return. That, too, seemed suspect to Michal. Though Carlos’s rationale for being disturbed by her presence was sound, there was something more going on.