Dangerous Betrayal (Aegis Group Book 7) Read online

  Dangerous Betrayal

  Aegis Group 7

  Sidney Bristol

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  Inked Press

  Dangerous Betrayal

  Aegis Group 7

  Retired Navy SEAL Alec Esposito never thought he would see her again. The only woman he's ever loved. But time has changed them and he no longer knows what side the sweet beauty he fell for is on.

  Vara Price is playing a deadly game of Russian roulette with the mob. Backed into a corner, she finds an unexpected ally in him. The man who shattered her heart and left her without a backward glance.

  Chemistry isn't everything. Two broken people must learn to trust again if they're going to survive a dangerous betrayal and stop the mob from handing over sensitive tech to enemy intelligence. Vara will have to prove what side she's playing for and Alec must open up old wounds if the past is going to be forgiven. Together is the only way they'll survive.

  Explore the whole Aegis world in these series...

  It all began with the Aegis Group.

  Dangerous Attraction

  Dangerous in Training

  Dangerous Games

  Dangerous Assignment

  Dangerous Protector

  Dangerous Secrets

  Dangerous Betrayal

  More Coming Soon!

  Within Aegis Group, special teams take on special jobs, beginning with the Alpha Team.

  Dangerous in Love

  Dangerous in Action

  Dangerous in Transit

  Dangerous in Motion

  Dangerous in Charge

  Other specialized teams exist under the Aegis Group umbrella, including Lepta Team.

  Dangerously Taken

  Dangerously Involved (2018)

  Dangerously Deceived (2019)

  Dangerously Broken (2019)

  Dangerously Entwined (2019)

  In Dangerous Games it continued with the Gone Geek girls.

  Beauty and the Geek

  Mr. Purr-fect and the Geek

  The Jock and the Geek

  The Gamer and the Geek

  The Adorkable Girl and the Geek

  The Fake Boyfriend and the Geek

  When the Seattle office of Aegis Group opened the Twisted Royals took the stage.

  The Origin Story

  Alpha Prince

  Her Prince

  Bad Boy Prince

  Noble Prince

  Stay tuned for the appearance of the Troy Team and Omega Team.

  For short reads, tune in this December for the Body of Danger novella series kick-off.

  Heart for Danger

  Mind for Danger (2018)

  Soul for Danger (2019)

  The other Smith brother takes us to the Texas SWAT series, a small town suspense series.

  Fighting Redemption

  Stolen Redemption

  Reckless Redemption (coming soon)

  To the Awesome Gang.

  Thanks for believing in me, girls.

  Second chances are not given to make things right But are given to prove that we could be better even after we fall.

  ―UNKNOWN

  Table of Contents

  Prologue.

  1.

  2.

  3.

  4.

  5.

  6.

  7.

  8.

  9.

  10.

  11.

  12.

  13.

  14.

  15.

  16.

  Epilogue.

  Prologue.

  Alec Esposito knew an impossible op when he saw one. He’d been on plenty of impossible ops during his days as a SEAL. Foolishly, he’d thought civilian life would be easier. Somehow his private security days were a lot more harrowing.

  Sitting in the conference room of the Aegis Group Seattle office, he could feel the bite of danger just watching the intel unfold. His housemates were there with him, focused on the screen laying out the numerous reasons why they should not be focused on this op. And yet, they’d all promised to go. Because every military branch and diplomatic mission had failed one woman for ten years. It was a miracle the almost sixty-year-old documentary film maker was still alive after being in the hands of Al-Qaeda then ISIS. Their latest intel said that Jules Neilson had traded hands again and was temporarily in Damascus, Syria.

  There was another woman in that city. One Alec had a far more personal connection to.

  Vara Price.

  His heart throbbed and his ribs ached at the force it took to contain the knot of emotions still residing in his chest. Most days he didn’t think about her, but every so often he’d get smacked with one and all his regrets came rushing back.

  She was the one who got away.

  Not that he’d ever truly had her, and if he were being honest, he got away. Not her. No, he’d left her standing in a parking garage bawling her eyes out while he marched forward being the good SEAL he’d been trained to be.

  Alec had heard through other contacts and friends that Vara was working in Damascus. As a smuggler. That didn’t conform to his memory of the young woman he’d fallen for, but she always did have an eye for how to meet the needs of those less fortunate. Getting goods, medicine that sort of thing into an area desperate for help was the kind of thing she’d do. But from the sound of it the work she was doing wasn’t altruistic..

  It didn’t sound right to Alec. That wasn’t the Vara he’d known. His gut said there was more going on with her than simple smuggling. But what did he know? If everything went well, he wouldn’t run into her on this op. They wouldn’t share a surprise reunion followed by grabbing coffee to catch up. But she’d never been much for coffee. Vara was a tea girl.

  He had this snapshot of her in his mind. She was sitting on the wide window of their Thailand suite wearing his shirt like a dress; her legs curled under her. She’d glanced back at him at just the right moment for the sun to catch her midnight hair and make it look almost blue. She’d been holding a massive cup of tea in both hands. Her still sleepy face had spread into a wide smile and his heart had swelled.

  It was the moment he knew he was in love with her.

  Now he’d be lucky if she gave him the time of day.

  “What resources do we have? Do we know anyone working in Syria?” Ryan Scott leaned forward, intent on the screen. He was most invested in this mission given his history with Senator Joe Neilson, brother to their asset.

  “Not much.” Zain Lloyd, their direct boss and overseer of everything in the Seattle office, stared at the screen projected onto the wall. “I’m not going to lie. This is going to be tough. If any of you decide you don’t want to do this, say the word.”

  “We’re going,” Alec said. It was the right thing to do. Vara would have done it.

  “Never been to Syria. Could be fun.” Paxton grinned across the table at him, the blonde hair and blue eyes balancing out his many-times broken nose.

  “Let’s just say it.” Silas glanced around the table, his dark eyes meeting each of their gazes. “We’re all going and we all know it’s a bad idea. Cool?”

  Vito grunted. It was as much of a reply as they’d get out of the gruff guy.

  “Cool.” Silas nodded at Zain.

  “Okay.” Zain blew out a breath and turned from the screen to look at them. “Our intel says that Jules is being held in a building on the north side of Damascus still considered a sketchy area. The prisoner transfer is tomorrow. That doesn’t give us any time to get you guys in place. You’ll have half a dozen connections to get you on a smuggler’s puddle jumper and into t
his suburb of Syria.” Zain indicated a dot on the map to the north east of the city. “From there you’ll be on your own for a vehicle and the rescue. I’ve got access to a drone to give you an eye in the sky, but it’s not a lot. I don’t have to tell you guys how dangerous this is.”

  “I do know someone working in Syria, but I don’t know if she’s there on her own or if she’s working for Uncle Sam or what.” Alec crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t want to bring her up, but he couldn’t in good conscience ignore her presence. If they got into bad shit, she could be their only friend.

  “Who is it?” Zain asked.

  “Vara Price.”

  “I see.” Zain frowned.

  “Who is she?” Ryan asked.

  “Vara...” Alec cleared his throat. “Her mother worked for Army top brass—”

  “I remember.” Zain’s voice lowered. Which story had he heard?

  “What?” Paxton swung in his chair, studying them.

  “Lisa Price was her mother, right?” Zain nodded, not needing Alec’s confirmation.

  “What’s the story?” Paxton glanced between them now.

  “The story doesn’t matter right now.” Alec wasn’t sharing the sordid past with the room. “Right now, word is Vara has set up shop as a smuggler getting goods in and out of Syria. Specifically to Damascus.”

  “But we don’t believe that story?” Paxton asked slowly.

  “I don’t.” Alec’s gut was doing the talking.

  “Someone with Vara’s history and skills would make for a perfect undercover asset. She was raised around the military and mostly grew up in embassies or on bases. She speaks how many languages?” Zain glanced at Alec. “I wasn’t aware you knew her.”

  “You understand why I don’t think she’s a resource for us?” Alec wouldn’t want their rescue operation to mess up whatever Vara could be working on for Uncle Sam.

  “What if she isn’t, though? What if she’s over there like lots of other people just trying to make a buck?” Silas crossed his arms behind his head and bobbed in the rolling chair.

  “There are a lot of other ways to make a lot more money with her skills.” Alec tapped his fingers on the counter.

  “It’s too risky. For her and us,” Ryan said after a prolonged silence.

  “Agreed,” Alec said.

  He hadn’t seen Vara in years. She might not be the woman he remembered. His gut could be wrong. He didn’t think it was, but they couldn’t make decisions based on his feelings for her.

  “Here’s a picture of her.” Zain frowned at his phone then glanced at the wall as the image projected onto the space.

  Paxton whistled.

  “Damn,” Silas muttered.

  Alec balled his hands into fists.

  Vara stood with one arm resting against the hood of what looked like an ancient army truck. Her hair was covered by a scarf. Was it still long? Did she favor those high ponytails that made her hair swish as she walked?

  He’d liked sliding his fingers through that hair, winding it wound his fingers then pulling her head back for a kiss.

  In the picture she was caught mid-laugh, glancing to her right at a group of four men in similar clothes. Some kind of uniform if he had to guess by the protective gear and the logo stitched onto their shoulders. It was the same logo spray painted onto the doors of the truck. A sort of shell shaped design that ended in spikes rather than soft curves.

  A lot like the woman.

  Vara.

  Looking at her picture now Alec had to wonder if he ever ran into her again, would the chemistry still be there? Could he beg forgiveness? Or had he messed up too badly to have another go?

  He’d probably never know.

  1.

  Wednesday. Streets of Damascus, Syria.

  Alec gunned the motorcycle’s engine and didn’t slow down heading into the turn. The wheels skidded and the ungodly motorcycle-cart contraption went in a wide arc onto the next street. This late at night there wasn’t as much foot traffic, which was a blessing and a curse. He glanced down the road behind them at the truck barreling after them.

  “Hold on, Jules.” Alec gave the bike everything he had and prayed it would be enough. “Ryan? Zain? Anyone—do you copy?”

  Still no fucking answer.

  Everything was going to hell. If they made it past tonight without getting their brains splattered across the pavement, he’d call it a win. He had no idea where his team was or if they were alive.

  His focus was Jules. It had to be. He couldn’t risk thinking about anyone else until he’d secured her. How he was going to do that was a mystery.

  If Alec didn’t make it through the two security checkpoints in the next twenty minutes he’d be stuck in this area until morning. The curfew was about to drop and then they would be truly trapped. He’d have to find somewhere for them to hide in a city where he knew no one and had no connections.

  “How you doing, Jules?”

  No answer.

  The woman was in no shape to keep running.

  He had to call it.

  They weren’t making it through the checkpoints before they closed.

  He had to get them off the bike and hidden. From the moment they’d been hit by the flash grenade they’d lost the hope of getting out of the country tonight.

  Think.

  Alec had to think.

  They were in a newer part of the city, away from tourism and closer to the districts still experiencing heavy patrols to keep the peace. There were a lot of people living here, braving the conflict to hold on to their homes and a sense of normalcy.

  Vara operated out of this area.

  No, she wasn’t an option.

  Alec turned the motorcycle again, the rear wheels fishtailing as he navigated onto a narrower street. He had no idea where he was going and their eyes in the sky were useless with comms down. For all he knew, the drone was out of commission, too.

  How had this happened? Where had it gone wrong? And what about the others?

  Headlights slashed behind him. Men yelled, their words drowned out by the whine of the motorcycle. Alec spared a glance behind them. Sure enough, the truck couldn’t follow. But there were other streets and ways to cut him off.

  Alec had to think fast.

  He had money. Australian passports. Papers for both him and Jules. But there was nowhere they could go these men wouldn’t be able to follow unless he got them out of this area. If they were caught, they would both become tools in some greater plot.

  He couldn’t let that happen. Not to her. Not after so many years in captivity.

  “Jules? Jules, we’re going to have to make a run for it,” he called out over his shoulder.

  He thought the older woman groaned a reply, but he couldn’t be sure. She was frail, withered away to almost nothing. He’d carried packs heavier than her. If he needed to, he could run with her, but that would tie up his arms. They hadn’t exchanged gunfire, yet, but that was coming unless he got them somewhere safe.

  Vara was his only hope. He couldn’t break into a house or a shop where innocent people might be sleeping and bring this down on them. But what kind of trouble was he bringing to Vara’s doorstep? Could he trust her?

  The smuggler’s compound Vara worked out of was a factory that had been modified to serve as a hub of activity. All smuggling transpired at the will of one man, and from the intel Zain had pulled Vara worked under that umbrella to an extent.

  Alec and Jules would have to make it eight blocks and get inside the fortified compound, but not with the motorcycle. It was too noisy and easy to follow. They’d have to run for it, using the warren of alleys until they could find some place to hide.

  “Get ready to run, Jules,” Alec said over his shoulder.

  He jerked the motorcycle down another alley, barely wider than the one he’d been on then turned into the first space big enough for the bike contraption. It was a small gap between buildings, but it would do. He killed the engine and the lights, praying no
one had seen them go this way.

  “Come on.” He vaulted off the bike and reached through the cart attached to the motorcycle.

  Jules’ grasped his wrist. Her grip was strong, but she wasn’t moving fast enough. He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her over his shoulder. She made a grumble of a protest, but that was it.

  Voices echoed down the street and a light flicked on overhead.

  They were closing in.

  The people who’d been holding Jules were organized, well-equipped. His gut said they weren’t terrorists. More like government, and that brought about a whole new set of complications he didn’t have the luxury to think about right now.

  Alec ducked into the walkway between the two buildings and wove through them to yet another street. He glanced up at the stars, finding his bearings the natural way, then took off down his left. The narrow street had a little traffic, mostly trucks moving goods around the city when it was faster to do so. This late people were asleep or tucked away.

  Damascus wasn’t the shell shocked and destroyed city the news made it out to be. There were still problem areas of the city, but most of it had moved out into the eastern suburbs, well away from where they were to the north of the city. Word was ISIS was moving back toward the city what with part of Syria declaring independence and naming themselves Akkadia last week. Alec wasn’t unfamiliar with the developments. They were a large part of what had put his team on this path.

  More voices yelled, but they were further away now. The tension in Alec’s shoulders eased a bit.

  Alec darted across the street and through to another alley.

  He had to be close to the smuggler’s compound now. Zain had denoted the location on the map he’d given them to study. Alec hadn’t been able to help examine their different route options and how it all connected.

  Part of him had wanted this, to be sent running to Vara, even if the rest of him knew she could be dangerous.

  A wide boulevard opened up in front of him and to his left at the intersection of two well-maintained roads was a large, ugly building well-lit by security lights. A logo with a flying carpet stood out in white paint.