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Chapter One

Twelve Years Ago

Damascus, Syria

Lia into flesh It happened again, then again Jaw rigid with fury, teeth clinched, Lia at all, only spurred the bastards on He listened in silence, suffering along with his friend And knowing they would be co for him next

Dying was easy It was living that Liaive up? How did he decide he’d just had enough? A part of hiht it’d be best not to have an answer That ht ive up, to reveal all his secrets and then just die Damned if he’d make it easy for them

A cell door opened and then clanged shut The interrogation was over for the tiony in the sound sent a new surge of rage gushing through Lialad Xavier’s beating was over Liarunt, and every curse That was part of their torture, too Their captors hoped that hearing each other’s pain took a little th each tis only made them more determined to live These people would pay…they would pay with everything

“Hey, you okay?”

There was no answer and Liam closed his eyes in fear Had they finally defeated one of the strongest men he knew? Xavier had been shot when they’d been taken Lia had covered his head He hadn’t been able to see the injury for himself Xavier had told hi before infection set in? How long had they been here? Felt like a year, but he figured it hadn’t been more than a week Still, who the hell knehen your every waking hour was spent in agony?

“Hey? You hear et out of here”

“That you?”

Relief flooded Liam The bastards hadn’t won yet “Yeah Still here How you doing?”

“Been better” He snorted out a dry, very Xavier-like chuckle “Been worse, too”

“You about ready to get out of this place?”

“Yeah, I am”

“Good Been thinking…”

And with that, Liaan to tap on the wall He’d devised the secret code when he’d first started deep-cover missions He and Xavier had communicated with it on numerous ops Liam hadn’t used it in a while, but Xavier would have no trouble following Co wasn’t the problem The plan was Even as he tapped, a part of Liaet them killed But if they didn’t try, they wouldn’t survive anyway It was as simple as that

“We can do that,” Xavier tapped “I can—”

Liaht So”

Laughter