Chapter 39
Ethan could breathe again. The women might not be safe, not yet, but now he and his team stood between them and Trey McCann.
The Ghost Ops team melted into the night, using the trees for cover, watching the approaching men.
Only four, including Trey. Ethan knew he was there because they’d heard him taunting Paisley.
When the shouting first started, his team figured out that the women had gotten out of the house somehow.
He didn’t know how they’d done it, but he was fucking proud. All the guys were, no doubt about that.
He prayed the women weren’t too traumatized by the experience, but no way of knowing until this was over.
He gripped his rifle tighter and waited.
The men had night vision, but HOT had more discipline.
They used the trees to their advantage, each man plastered to a trunk, waiting in silence for Trey and his men to jog into their circle.
“Fucking bitches,” Trey said. “The HOT team will be here in twenty minutes, give or take. We gotta get them rounded up and back into that house.”
“Go,” Ghost said softly through the comm.
Ethan was lucky enough to be on the outside of the circle closest to where Trey and his men entered. He, Kane, Seth, and Chance slid from behind the trees and rushed the four men from behind.
But his foot snapped a twig and slipped out from under him before he connected. The men whirled, guns lifting. Ethan’s team managed to take out three of the men, but one was left.
Trey. His rifle barrel landed square on Ethan’s chest. He was wearing a vest, but at this range it didn’t matter. He had one knee on the ground, the other bent in front of him as he’d tried to regain his footing.
“Back the fuck off,” Trey shouted, still in that nasal tone. Like he’d been hit in the face. “Or I’ll fucking kill this asshole. Drop the rifle. Hands where I can see ’em, Dragon.”
“You’re going to do it anyway,” Ethan grated, lifting his hands and letting the rifle fall. “You’ve been jonesing for it since you discovered Paisley was with me again.”
Trey shoved the barrel harder into the vest. “You’re like a fucking cockroach, you know that?
I got rid of you once before, took your woman and kid—oh yeah, I knew from the beginning the brat wasn’t mine.
Took them. Fucked your woman over and over again.
How do you like being with her now, knowing I’ve been there too?
I’ve had my dick all up in that pussy, man.
My fingers, my face. Must kill you to know that. ”
Trey wanted him pissed and reckless, but he wasn’t going to get it. “It doesn’t, actually. She’s a grown woman and she had a sex life before she met me. Don’t see why I’d be upset about you. Other than the fact you didn’t deserve her, and you hurt her.”
“Bitch needed to be taught a lesson. Thinks she’s so fucking smart with that library degree.”
Stay cool. Say nothing.
“Let my guys go,” Trey ordered.
“Sorry, Mick, not happening.” It was Ghost who materialized from the darkness.
“Oh man, the legendary Ghost,” Trey said. “Ooooh, I’m honored.”
He didn’t sound honored, of course. He sounded sarcastic as hell.
“Got a bead on your forehead. Who do you think can pull a trigger faster? And even if you beat me to it and kill Dragon, I’m still taking you down. How’s that a win?”
“Thanks, Ghost,” Ethan said. “Appreciate the love.”
Trey chuckled. “That’s the thing about Ghost. He doesn’t give two shits about you or me or anybody. He’ll fucking sacrifice your ass and sleep like a baby. Still think he might care enough to bargain when he hears what I got to say.”
“Wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Ghost said.
“A fucking HOT team in Alabama. With the deputy in charge. Yeah, I wondered about that. A lot. Rumor is you’re on a mission. Something earth-shaking. The kind of thing that keeps men up at night trying to figure out how to get control of it.”
Ethan’s gut turned to ice. He could feel rather than see his team’s reaction.
He inched a hand downward while Trey was distracted.
“I am impressed,” Ghost said. “Didn’t think you’d have the kind of connections that could break into secret servers.”
“Oh yeah, I got ‘em. Fucking pussies. Money will buy a lot. Not that you’d know that, broke ass bastards.” He snorted as he watched Ghost. “You think I’m a problem?
There are powerful people who know your name and want to see you go down.
Even if you weasel your way out of this, you’ve still got trouble coming.
But I’ll tell you this—if I’m going down, I’m taking this asshole with me. ”
Boom, boom, boom.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Dragon!” Chance yelled. “How much longer were you going to wait?”
Ethan got to his feet, the pistol in his hand smoking. Trey lay on the ground, eyes staring up at nothing. Ethan shot him point blank in the groin, the bullets traveling up through his heart and emerging somewhere around his shoulders. He’d died instantly, which was entirely too good for him.
“I wanted to hear what he had to say.”
Ghost lowered his rifle. “Much as I appreciate knowing he’s the one got to our records, you could have done that sooner.”
The three men on their knees with their hands over their heads were wide-eyed. Probably thought they were next.
If Ethan had his way, they would be. But no, they’d be bundled up and sent off to Washington for a little interrogation, HOT style. What happened after that, Ethan didn’t much care.
“So what was the plan anyway?” he asked them. “And how did you fuckers get involved?”
“Just do what I’m paid to do,” one guy said.
“Mick calls with a job, I go. He said you were a rogue spec ops team needed dealt with. Didn’t like the women being involved, but it was the only way to get you all in one place.
There’s a bomb in the house, meant to blow when you went inside for the women. ”
“Hey,” Kane said, voice cold. “We could use this. Let’s take these fuckers back there along with McCann’s body and send them all sky high.”
“I like this idea,” Ethan said. “A lot. Can we do it? Pretty please?”
Ghost sighed. “Children, children, what have I said about playing with explosives?”
“Not to get caught?” Chance said.
“Not to blow ourselves up?” Blaze added.
Kane chuckled. Ghost sighed.
“No, we aren’t blowing these dickheads to smithereens.
More because I’d rather not answer questions about the house blowing up than anything.
We’re pretty close to the Arsenal, and while a lot of folks might think it’s the usual exploding shit going on over there, people will figure it out.
Then we’ll very likely get a visit from our favorite Feds. ”
“Fine,” Ethan said. “But you never let us have any fun.”
“You people are weird,” one of the men on his knees grumbled.
“Nah, we just have a code of ethics,” Blaze told him. “Which is something I’m going to guess you people aren’t familiar with.”
“Can we fucking go now?” Seth asked. “It’s hot, I’m getting swamp ass in this tactical gear, and I need to hold my woman.”
“Amen, brother,” Ethan said. “I’m so fucking done with this shit.”
He needed a shower, Paisley and Violet in his arms—and the rest of his life to recover from the fear Trey had nearly succeeded in taking away everything Ethan loved.