CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“Everything good at the cabin?” Cole leaned his elbow on the console with one hand on the steering wheel.
“Yeah, Mark and Josh have it handled.” Eddie racked back the slide of his trusty Glock pistol to load a round into the chamber, then tucked it into his thigh holster. He’d already checked the backup piece he kept at the small of his back.
The gate to the small airstrip was already open, so Cole pulled through, sped down the narrow road, and came to a stop in front of the hangar. He put the car in park, cut the engine, and they both hopped out and went around to the back to retrieve their gear.
Lucas was prepping the helo. Calliope, Hawk, Boone, and Viking strolled over to them.
“How were the girls when you left?” Boone tugged his pistol from the holster, popped the magazine out, and checked to ensure it was fully loaded, then he slammed it back in place with the butt of his hand.
“Isabella was sleeping. Lucia … she’s putting on a brave face for me. But I know she’s worried.”
“She’s new to this stuff, dude.” Calliope held her sniper rifle, which was almost as long as she was tall.
“I remember the first mission after Marigold and I got together.” Viking looped his own sniper rifle over his shoulder.
“It was really hard for her. Fortunately, she and Dulce have been best friends since they were little. So they just make a point to spend time together when we’re out on missions. ”
“Lucia’s smart, she knows you’re skilled, and she trusts you,” said Hawk, whose girlfriend was a therapist who specialized in working with children who’ve been victims of human trafficking. “That helps, too.”
“Just give her time.” Boone raised his voice to be heard over the sound of the helo firing up in the background and the long rotor blades slowly beginning to turn. “She’ll figure out a way to handle you being gone.”
Cole gave Eddie a long, discerning look, then lowered the tailgate on the SUV.
Was it possible his friend suspected something? If anyone would put the pieces together, it would be Cole Lambert.
“Let’s load up.” His old friend led the way to the helo and climbed into the seat to the left of Lucas, who was flipping switches.
Hawk slid the side door open and jumped in.
They all tossed their bags up to him, climbed in, and sat down.
Harnesses clicked into place until they were all secured in their seats.
Eddie reached over to close the door. It rattled as it rolled into place with a solid thump, and he flipped the lever to lock it.
They all put their helmets on and made sure their earpieces were working.
“Welcome aboard.” Lucas’s voice crackled in his ear.
“Please ensure your seat backs and tray tables are in the upright and locked position. I’m sorry, but there will be no snack service on this flight.
We’re expected to arrive at our destination in approximately forty-five minutes.
So sit back, relax, and prepare to kick some ass. ”
Calliope snort-laughed. “Man, I love that guy.”
Lucas grabbed the cyclic between the two front seats and shifted it.
Eddie’s belly dropped when the back end of the helo tilted up and the bird lifted off the ground, gained elevation, and zoomed forward.
He checked the time—0129. They were ahead of schedule by one minute.
“Cole, do we have confirmation on whether Munoz is even going to be out there?” He’d already called dibs on taking the bastard out.
“No confirmation, and there’s been no sign of the car he was driving when he came through the border station,” he said. “If he’s at that trailer, the car should be, too.”
“Assuming he hasn’t ditched it for another one.” Eddie was all too aware of just how far-reaching the Munoz family influence was.
There was no more conversation during the trip. Everyone was concentrating on the op ahead of them and running through the multiple scenarios and backup plans in their head, just in case something went sideways.
By all outward appearances, they were relaxed, calm, blasé even. But the interior of the helo buzzed with an undercurrent of anticipation and readiness that pulsed off of every single one of them.
A mission like this was all in a day’s work to this crew.
Yes, there was a personal element to it, since it involved people Eddie cared about and the man who’d kidnapped Cole’s wife.
But they were elite, professional, highly trained operators who’d stared death in the face over and over and told it to go fuck itself each and every time.
They’d done it in the shadows without any acclaim or recognition.
Justice and vengeance for the victims was their only reward and the only thing that mattered.
Eddie was going to miss being around them.
But he’d been operating on high alert for half of his life and was ready for a break.
As much as he would miss being a part of the team, he would never regret spending the rest of his life making up for all of those dark years when he thought he’d lost Lucia forever.
Nothing meant more to him than being there for her and Isabella. If that meant leaving the team, then he would do it.
“Touchdown in eight minutes,” Lucas said.
The silence in the cabin was replaced by the sounds of people shifting in their seats, checking their weapons again, and the ripping of Velcro as they tightened their gloves around their wrists.
Everyone double-checked the chin straps on their tactical helmets to ensure they were secure, and tested their NVGs, night vision goggles, to make sure they were in working order.
A few minutes later, the helo slowly lowered to the ground, kicking up dust and debris.
The second the blades touched down, Lucas began flipping switches, seat belts were unclipped, and the side door slid open.
They all poured out of the helo. At the same time, the front doors swung open and Cole jumped out.
They ducked to avoid the long blades and ran in a crouch to the designated reconnoiter spot—a grouping of large bottlebrush trees loaded with red blooms about a hundred yards from the helo. Lucas had picked it because it would be easy to spot from above.
A few minutes later, the long blades stopped spinning and he hopped out of the cockpit, secured the doors of the helo, and jogged over to join them.
“Circle up.” Cole tugged a small flashlight from a pocket in his tactical vest. He squatted down in the middle of them, unfolded a map onto the ground, and clicked on the flashlight.
“We’re here, and this is the trailer.” He set his finger on the map to show where they were, then dragged it to another point and tapped his finger. “It’s about four klicks from here.”
“That’s not even two and a half miles,” Calliope scoffed. “Walk in the park.”
Cole lifted his face to Eddie. “What can we expect in the way of wildlife?”
“You might see some sidewinder rattlesnakes, tarantulas, and scorpions. They’re all nocturnal.
” Eddie grew up in this part of the country and had had encounters with all of them at least once or twice.
“They usually aren’t a problem unless you happen to step on them or get a bit too close.
” Unfortunately, no one really knew what they might consider too close.
“You might cross paths with a bobcat or mountain lion, but they’re pretty skittish and typically try to avoid humans, if at all possible. ”
Cole went through the plan one last time, then folded the map, stood, and shoved it in a pocket on the thigh of his pants.
He tapped his earpiece. “Comms check.”
“Ops center, check.” Luna’s voice came through their earpieces. “All bio-patches functioning.”
Each of the team members acknowledged they could hear and be heard.
Luna was only nineteen when she’d created the technology that every operator in the field used.
It was a small adhesive patch placed behind their ear and designed to match their individual skin tone.
Sweatproof, waterproof, and resistant to EMPs—electromagnetic pulses—the small device tracked each operator’s location and vital signs.
Using GPS, Luna could tap into just about any satellite floating around the earth and get eyes on them.
They all appreciated the hell out of her and the way she watched over them. Boone especially appreciated that she could do all of that from the safety of the ops center in Virginia.
“You all know what to do.” Cole looked from one person to the next.
They all knocked knuckles and lowered their NVGs in front of their eyes.
There was a high-pitched hum when they powered them on, and the upper halves of their faces were lit by a green glow.
They lined up two by two and started jogging away from the helo.
The clicking of gear against their vests blended in with the rest of the night sounds.
Fortunately, once the sun was fully set, the temperature in the valley dropped into the upper sixties to low seventies, which made the almost two-and-a-half-mile trek to the trailer easier.
Cole slowed his steps, held up a fist, and they all stopped. He pointed toward the left.
Viking and Calliope adjusted their rifles so they hung securely across their backs. She gave Lucas a long look, they both nodded once—a sort of silent I love you—then she and Viking took off to position themselves to provide overwatch of the trailer.
Cole pointed forward and started jogging. Lucas, Boone, and Eddie followed.
A few minutes later, they knew they were close when they heard the sound of metal garden chimes being carried on the wind.
They slowed to a near-silent walk, each boot step deliberate, and rounded a small bend.
Their NVGs picked up the bright greenish-white glow of light streaming from a window about two hundred yards away.
Cole held up a fist, and they all stopped and crouched down.
Eddie scanned the area, looking for any signs of activity.