No Turning Back Read Online Free PDF

now, it switched on and off with her phone, and as soon as she turned on the power, it broadcasted a signal to the guys back at the Tactical Operations Center so they could follow it. She'd programmed the thing and she could disable it at any time, but something made her hold off. Sam wasn't quite ready to cut that lifeline back to her teammates.
    At times she wanted to contact Luke and the others so badly she almost risked an attempt, but knew she couldn't. Not yet. Not until she knew what the hell was going on and who was setting her up. She'd seen way too many movies where the CIA lackey wound up dead to cover up someone else's mistakes. Or secrets.
    Sam wasn't interested in fulfilling that role. But damn, she'd love to hear Luke's Louisiana drawl right now, telling her everything was okay.
    Deciding to leave the device activated for the time being, she took a breath and turned the phone on, waited agonizing seconds for it to reset, and then dove into her e-mail. Funny how good the Internet and cell service was here, considering Baghdad was essentially a war zone. But then, no one used technology like the US military.
    As the e-mail loaded, her heart began to pound. Knowing the activity in her account would alert her old teammates made her feel terribly exposed.
    When it was ready she opened the file, and her stomach dropped as she saw the text and the attached photo.
    We have something that belongs to you. Everyone has a price. This is yours.
    Her muscles went rigid. Oh, shit .
    No signature, no clues for her to figure out who'd sent it. Expelling a deep breath, she clicked on the photo. And saw her personal nightmare.
    Neveah. Hands tied behind her, surrounded by three masked men holding various weapons. Her face was white, eyes wide, mouth pinched. Terrified.
    “Jesus!” Sam closed the file and shut her eyes, fighting off the fear and anger warring in her soul.
    Terrorists. Had to be, and it explained why the letter from Nev had gone missing. They'd been the ones threatening her, the ones following her. Now they had Neveah, the most precious thing in the world to her. Sam fought the rise of tears. Why had they done this? She was only a communications contractor. What could they possibly want from her that they would go to the lengths of kidnapping her cousin? It didn't make any sense.
    Sam forced herself to take a breath and think logically. At least now she could be reasonably sure the CIA wasn't after her. They might be watching her, would certainly be trying to find her since she'd disappeared without a word, but maybe they didn't have a hit team after her. She prayed that was true, because right now she needed their help. They needed to know about Neveah, and maybe they already had details she didn't. If anyone could help her now, it was Luke.
    She typed out a quick text message, intending to send it, then shut it down and move away from her location. Attaching the e-mail she'd received, she set her thumb over the send button. Then she hesitated, considering the possible repercussions of the action. What if the kidnappers found out she'd been in touch with a CIA team and killed Neveah as punishment? They hadn't told her what they wanted from her yet.
    You know you can't handle this on your own. Send it.
    Before she could change her mind she hit the send button, transmitting it to Ben. She didn't know why she chose him instead of Luke or Rhys, but it had to do with her gut, and didn't bother wasting energy worrying over it. The instant the message sent, she shut off the phone.
    Ben would help her. She didn't doubt that for a second, and yet she'd hesitated to contact him before now. He'd been so kind to her, warm and funny, working the communications equipment with her after Luke had brought him to Baghdad. Whenever she was around him she felt... safe. He was the kind of guy you could rely on when things got tough, and she needed him more than ever. But for now she had to wait until she was in another secure