Chapter 26
Blaze climbedinto the passenger seat of Chance’s SUV. “Thanks for picking me up.”
He’d asked for a ride so his truck would be in the parking lot, even going so far as to meet Chance at the corner. He didn’t want Marsh to see him leave if he was watching.
“No problem. Emma okay?”
“Yeah. Shaken up, but okay.” He scraped a hand over his head. “I’ll tell everyone what happened when we get there.”
“Copy.”
Blaze didn’t like leaving Emma alone, especially tonight, but he had no choice.
Ghost Ops wasn’t optional. When the call came, they went. And he’d known something was coming, just not when. He guessed Washington was done discussing the shipment.
He’d wanted more action. Just not tonight.
Blaze comforted himself that the police were doing extra patrols. He had to believe that was enough to keep Simon Marsh in the shadows for the time being. The police station was literally two blocks away. If Emma called, they’d be there faster than a greased pig.
The man was certainly growing bolder, showing up at the Dawg to watch her, shoving notes under the door despite the cameras in place, and now breaking into her parents’ house and leaving a grisly message in her bedroom. He was toying with her.
And with them since he didn’t seem concerned about being caught.
Rage flared in Blaze’s gut. He wanted to find Simon Marsh and double-tap the bastard into oblivion.
Not that he’d actually shoot without a stronger reason, but the fantasy comforted him.
He should be with her tonight, not flying down a country road toward One Shot Tactical and his team. But the mission came first, and it would keep coming first until the project was successfully launched and the president gave the order to stand down.
Which meant his life wasn’t his. It belonged to his country and his president. All he had to give to anyone else—to a woman he was starting to care about—was scraps of himself. Not fair to her. Not fair at all.
He clenched a fist as he thought about her asking him to take her along.
And his refusal. It had killed him to say no.
Holy gods, that kiss. She’d have given him everything tonight if he’d stayed.
Wasn’t a good idea, but he couldn’t help thinking about it.
They pulled into the parking lot, grabbed their bags, and swaggered into the range. Of course it wasn’t a client waiting for them. It was Ghost and the rest of the team.
“How are Emma and her parents?” Ghost asked. Everyone knew her parents’ house had been broken into, though they didn’t know the extent of it. Blaze gave them the lowdown.
“Jesus,” Ghost said. “Sick fucker. Is Emma safe tonight?”
“She should be. She knows not to leave or let anyone in, and the police have beefed up their presence. The outer doors are locked, so if she gets an alert they’ve been opened, she’ll call 911.”
“Good.” Ghost leveled them with a look. “Sorry to call everyone in this late, but we’re gonna need to get a closer look at what’s sitting in that cargo container. Top priority.”
“Now?” Ethan asked.
“Correct.”
“Took them long enough to decide,” Kane grumbled.
They all felt it, but they wouldn’t have gone in before this time of night anyway. And they were already prepared. They’d been planning this mission since the moment they’d been tasked with setting up surveillance.
Seth brought up the camera feed on the monitor against one wall. “We already know they have 24/7 security, but they’ve stepped it up the past couple of days with four guards rotating patrols and watching the cameras in the guardhouse.”
“Great,” Chance said. “More guards.”
“They’re predictable, though,” Ghost said. “It takes fifteen minutes to do a circuit and they go every half hour. Theoretically, we’ve got a fifteen-minute window to get inside and break into the cargo container before they start another round.”
All the team had to do was change into their assault suits and tactical gear, which they did right there in the SCIF, shedding clothing and donning equipment. It took scant minutes before they were ready to go.
“Do we have any clue what we’re looking for?” Blaze asked as he slipped his earpiece into place.
“Not until we get a look inside that container,” Ghost replied. “I know this seems like child’s play compared to things we’ve done before, but we can’t underestimate the risks. Getting caught is not an option, you feel me?”
“Hooah,” five men said in unison.
“Let’s roll, gentleman.”