Free No Turning Back by Kaylea Cross Page B

Dec, who went in to rescue her. He barely made it through his surgery, by the way.”
    The blood drained from her face. The op. “You didn't get my text in time. Oh, God... ”
    “Yeah, great timing on your part. He and some of his SEALs were hit by friendly fire, then the chopper sent in to evacuate them was shot down.”
    Because of you.
    She winced and bit her lip. Ben didn't say it, but she knew that's what he was thinking. Poor Bryn and Dec. As soon as she got her name cleared, Sam was going to contact them and see if there was anything she could do. She rubbed her arms to restore some warmth, growing frantic to find a way to convince him she hadn't been involved in any of it, and was a victim herself. “Ben, please, I swear I wasn't in league with Fahdi, or anyone else.”
    “Then why run, Sam? Why would you run if you're innocent?”
    The reason for his chilly demeanor was suddenly all too clear. “Because they were after me! Someone, I don't know who, maybe even Tehrazzi, had sent me that package of photos,” she said, gesturing to the envelope sticking out of her bag, “along with the note saying, ‘We know what you've done.'”
    “And what was it you did?”
    “That's just it, Ben, I hadn't done anything !” The pain of it all crashed down on her. To think of all the terror she'd endured, the narrow escape she'd had at that checkpoint and the abduction today. She was exhausted and scared, sick that Neveah was in danger. Sam didn't need this from the one person she wanted to help her. “Can't you see someone was setting me up?”
    Ben's expression didn't give anything away. He was about as warm as an iceberg in the middle of the room. “And what about that text message? A little coincidental I got a text saying the intel was leaked about an hour after the team had already gone out, wouldn't you say?”
    God, what a tangled mess she was in. Sam put her hands in her hair, growled in frustration. “I was running for my life, Ben! They dragged me out of that cab and took my laptop, and would have taken me and killed me someplace if the firefight hadn't started and I ran my ass off to get away. I didn't know who was after me then, it could have been anyone! Luke, some other CIA team, terrorists, all of those. As soon as I felt safe enough I found a place to hide I checked my phone and got the e-mail from Luke about the op. I sent you the text immediately because they had my laptop, and I was worried they might find something about the op. I wish I could have sent it sooner, but at least I sent it. If I was guilty, why would I have sent it at all?”
    “Oh, I dunno... Maybe to wait until it was too late to abort the mission, with the added bonus it might make you look innocent?”
    She stared at him as a hole opened up in her chest. My God, he still didn't believe her. This was awful. She couldn't think of a single thing to add that would take that frigid accusation from his eyes.
    Shaking her head, Sam lifted a hand in a helpless gesture, then let it fall against her leg. Despite her vow not to cry, tears stung her eyes. “I— I don't know what else to tell you... ”
    When Ben didn't move or say anything, she dropped into the chair he'd been in and put her head in her hands. What was she going to do? If he walked out of here without helping her, Nev would die, and most likely she would, too. She'd die, and without being able to clear her name, everyone would think she'd gone rogue.
    “The transmitter in your phone. You left in on purposely so we could track you today, but the rest of the time you had it turned off. Why?”
    “So the bad guys couldn't trace the signal via the cell towers.” In light of the magnitude of his distrust, that sounded stupid even to her, so she could imagine what he must have thought of her answer. This was a no-win situation; anything she said was just making it worse.
    “And how about today when they grabbed you off the street and took you to that house?”
    Her head