The others stared at one another in astonishment. The members of Titan were not known for their humanlike qualities. It was questionable as to whether they were even human at all except that Rio had once led the team, and he was evidence that there were at least some vestiges of what made up a human being.

“Stay on the phone, Conrad,” Sam said in a crisp, take-charge tone. “Brief us on what we need to know while I send for Maren. Then I’ll put her on the phone with you so she can assess the damage based on your findings and guide you through what has to be done.”

“I’ll make the call,” Steele said. “She’s two minutes away at regular speed. She’ll be here in less than one. I guarantee it.”

And so Conrad gave them an abbreviated, terse, to-the-point sterile recitation of their mission, their integration into Bristow’s organization and how Honor became collateral damage but at the same time provided them their best opportunity they’d had in all the long years they’d spent hunting Maksimov.

KGI was well aware of who and what Maksimov was and that most governments feared him and stayed well out of his way. They also knew of Hancock’s previous run-in with him when Maksimov had nearly beaten Hancock to death for getting Maren out danger and back to KGI—and Steele.

“He couldn’t do it,” Conrad said quietly. “He stayed the course until the day before we were set to deliver her to Maksimov and he refused to do it. His exact words were fuck the greater good. That Honor was the greater good and he was goddamn tired of fighting the good fight for a country that neither claims us nor welcomes us, for protecting the very people who have tried to assassinate us. And for what? What does it get any of us? We have no home, no homeland. No one who claims us. We don’t even exist. We’re fucking ghosts expected to clean up messes no one else will and take out the garbage that preys on the innocent. Well, fuck that. Honor Cambridge took a goddamn bullet for me. Me. A man who betrayed her by making her believe I was her salvation. That I rescued her from a terrorist organization that I planned to turn her right back over to. She has more fire, courage, heart and loyalty in her little finger than most of the men I’ve ever served with. So yeah, fuck the greater good and fuck Maksimov. We need your help, because over my dead body and over the dead body of our fallen brother and above all for Hancock—who’s sacrificed far more than any of us will ever know, if he lives through this—will I not see Honor safe and returned to her family. And I’m not too proud to beg if that’s what it takes, because I owe Honor Cambridge more than I can ever repay her and I’ll be damned if her repayment is rape, torture and pain from Maksimov only to then be turned back over to ANE to be endlessly brutalized and kept alive for as long as possible so she suffers so badly that she begs, she pleads, she prays for death because only then will she be truly free.”

“I’m with him,” Skylar muttered. “Fuck the goddamn greater good. Especially when it means an innocent woman, whose only crimes were giving aid to people nobody else in the world gives a fuck about and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, is punished.”

Donovan scowled, his legendary regard for women and children coming roaring to the forefront. He looked ready to take on an entire fucking army and take apart anyone who would so abuse a helpless woman.

“Just how the hell do we know that if we help you recover Honor Cambridge, we aren’t just finishing the job you started—and evidently failed to complete? I—KGI—won’t be used to send an innocent woman, any woman, to a fate worse than death and we all know that Maksimov, ANE, take your pick, would be a nightmare of unimaginable agony and degradation.”

“Fucking Bristow tried to rape her before passing along the used goods to Maksimov,” Conrad said in a brittle tone that in no way belied the fury laced in every word. “To save herself—or hell, maybe she really did want out—she slit one wrist and then the other and then she faced that motherfucker down holding the knife to her throat after he’d savaged her and told him if she died, then so would he, because Maksimov would kill him for not following through with his promise to deliver her to him.”

“Holy fuck,” P.J. breathed, her eyes darkening, shadowed by the past, likely not even realizing she trembled against Cole, whom she leaned into, again, likely without being cognizant of it. She was not a woman who ever showed vulnerability in front of others. Especially her team.

“Did you kill him?” Garrett asked calmly.

“Fuck yeah, I did, and I made damn sure it wasn’t quick and it sure as hell wasn’t merciful. Hancock would have done it himself. He wanted to take him apart with his bare hands, but he was the only one who had a prayer of talking Honor down, and he did. But if you could have seen him in that moment, if you could have seen him when he gave the order that the mission had changed, you would not question his—our—motives in the least bit. She means something to all of us, Kelly,” he said, using the common address for them all. “She’s ours and we are not giving her up to that sadistic piece of shit. All we wanted was to give the appearance that we were making the exchange and we were going to take him out. Fuck making it clean and tidy, building evidence, dismantling his empire and allowing countries to fight over who got what of his seized assets. We wanted his goddamn ass dead and that was all that mattered to us.

“He had more than one mole in Bristow’s organization. We knew of one. We killed Bristow because we no longer needed him and even if we had, after what he did, he was a dead man walking. But Maksimov still wasn’t quite sure and so he showed himself when they ambushed us. Hancock betrayed his emotions for Honor when he tried to keep Maksimov from taking her from his grasp. A sniper had already put a through-and-through in his left shoulder. This time Maksimov shot him in the chest with a cop killer at close range, and he’s not doing good. Not good at all. I’ve already lost a damn good man and goddamn it, I won’t lose Hancock. And I sure as fuck am not losing Honor Cambridge to that twisted asshole who thinks he’s a god.”

Maren burst in, her glasses askew, her hair in disarray as if she’d run the entire way. Steele immediately took Olivia from her arms and gently guided her toward the phone.

“Conrad, Maren Steele, our team doctor, is here and you’ll give her the rundown so she can see if there’s any hope for him.”

“I’m more interested in knowing if there’s hope for any of us. Especially Honor,” Conrad ground out.

“Cool your jets. We’ve got to think about this for more than three seconds. Talk to Maren. Let her help you help Hancock.”

At Hancock’s name, Maren’s head jerked up, her eyes widening in concern. Steele’s hand slipped comfortingly around his wife’s nape, his expression grim.

“They need you honey. Hancock needs you.” He sighed, knowing despite his misgivings over the man, he owed his wife’s and daughter’s lives to him, just as Rio did. “It doesn’t look good,” he added quietly. “You need to talk quick and help his man any way you can while we prepare to roll out.”

Maren briskly took the sat phone but turned off the speakerphone, much to Sam’s chagrin. She frowned at him and shook her head. “I need to think, damn it, Sam.”

She pushed away from the others, talking in urgent, hushed tones, her questions calm and efficient, not allowing Conrad to panic.

“What the fuck, Sam?” Garrett asked in a low voice. “This is some deep shit. This goes deeper than even we’re up for.”

“What else can we do?” Rio asked simply, his dark eyes flashing. “I get that Hancock is a wild card. But he’s got a code. It may be fucked up to you and me, but he is an honorable man. Before you laugh me out of the war room, just remember that he could have taken Grace at any time. I carried her halfway out of the mountains attached to my back, and she walked the rest of the way in unspeakable agony until she wanted to die from it. Me and my men were in no way prepared to ward off a full-scale attack from Titan. Instead? Hancock gave me a pass. Said it was my only one, but it was bullshit. Saving face. Looking like he owed me because I saved his life. It was what we did as a team. No one kept score. That was bullshit. We did what we had to do and we offered no apologies or thank-yous. And then he warned me. He gave me everything I needed to know about who and what was after Grace. All he didn’t give me was why, and you want to take a guess why that was?”