Chapter Eleven
GRANT CRESTED THE top of the concrete wall and dropped on the other side. He signaled the all-clear for Riley. Seconds later, she joined him, weapon up and ready.
From the deep shadows of their entry point, he scanned the area for signs of movement, signs they’d been spotted as they climbed over the wall. So far, nothing.
When satisfied they were still secure, Grant rose from his crouch and moved toward their target building, hugging the shadows. Riley kept pace with him easily.
He reached the deep shadows on the back side of the target building and paused at the corner. A guard stood watch at the far corner. Grant glanced at Riley and held up one finger.
She signaled that there was another guard on the other side of the building.
Grant tapped his earpiece and whispered, “Z, Team 1 in position. Do we have bogies inside the building?”
“Hold.” A second later, Zane said, “Two. One in the front. One walking a hall.”
“Copy.” Using hand signals, he told Riley that he was going after the first guard and for her to take down the second one. After receiving a nod, Grant eased to the corner again, peered around the edge, and began his stealthy approach to the guard.
Once behind the cartel soldier, Grant wrapped his arm around the man’s neck and put him in a sleeper hold. Within seconds, he was out.
Grant grabbed a zip tie to cinch his wrists together, then slapped a piece of duct tape over his mouth.
That done, he dragged the guard deep into the nearby bushes and dropped him on the ground.
If he and Riley were lucky, they’d be out of this building with the Whites before the guard freed himself and raised an alarm.
He retraced his steps to the back of the building and met Riley coming from the other side of the structure. He raised an eyebrow. Had she taken care of the other guard?
Riley nodded.
Grant relaxed. Excellent. They approached the back door. He twisted the knob and encountered resistance. Locked.
He grabbed his lock picks and went to work. Seconds later, the tumblers shifted, and Grant opened the door wide enough to slip inside the darkened interior. A quick glance around the room revealed they were in a mudroom.
The operatives went to the door leading to the rest of the building. Grant turned the knob and eased inside the dimly lit kitchen.
He and Riley listened. The soft murmur of a television came from the front room. Footsteps continued to pace nearby. Other than that, only the sound of the struggling air conditioner broke the silence.
Grant glanced at Riley and motioned toward the front room. They needed to take out the two guards before they could rouse the compound and alert them to the presence of Fortress operatives.
She nodded and set off in that direction.
That left the pacing guard for Grant. He peered around the kitchen doorway.
The guard had stopped outside one room, his attention on his phone. He must have received a text message because he typed a quick response, then slid his phone away. Once again, the guard resumed his pacing.
Grant waited until the bulky man made another round before he slipped up behind his prey and took him down with a blow to the back of his head with the butt of his pistol. He caught the man before he hit the floor in case Riley hadn’t completed her task yet.
He cleared each room until he reached the one with the door locked. The Whites had to be in this room unless Fortress’s intel was wrong. Intel was good only for a short while. Hopefully, the cartel hadn’t moved the couple to another place in the compound.
Grant gripped the knob of the last room and twisted gently. Locked. Of course it was. He quickly picked the lock, then opened the door wide enough to slip inside.
He scanned the room, which was empty except for Sean and Tara White. They were lying on the floor, hands cinched together with zip ties. “Sean, Tara, wake up.”
Sean stirred, opened his eyes, and sat up quickly to put himself between Grant and his wife. “Who are you?”
“Grant. I’m here with friends to rescue your family.”
“Our children. Are they all right?”
“They’re in excellent hands. You’ll join them soon.” Grant hurried to the couple and grabbed his Ka-Bar.
They flinched.
“Hold still,” he murmured, and used the blade to slice through the plastic binding them. “I know you’re injured. Are you able to maneuver on your own, or will you need help during the escape?”
Sean’s face hardened. “We’ll make it.”
Had to respect a man with that much determination. Hopefully, his body would cooperate with his spirit. “There’s no shame in admitting you need a hand, but I need to know before we leave this building, Mr. White. The knowledge will make a difference to our plan.”
“Look, I get it, all right? But I’m telling you, nothing is going to stop me from getting out of here with my family, even if I have to drag myself the whole way. I swear I won’t slow you down.”
Although Grant was skeptical of Sean’s assessment of his ability, he took the man at his word. He and his teammates would adjust on the fly. It’s what they were best at doing. He gave a curt nod, then tapped his comm device. “This is Team One. We’ll be ready in two minutes.”
“Copy that,” Seth replied. “Hold until I give the word.”
“Copy.”
When Riley entered the room, Grant glanced at her with one eyebrow raised. Her answer was a slight nod.
Excellent. All they needed to do now was get out of this building and the compound before someone checked on the second set of guards who weren’t responding.
Piece of cake. Not.
Grant crouched beside Sean and Tara again. “Let’s get you on your feet.” He needed to know how physically stable the husband and wife were while standing and walking. “Riley, give me a hand. Mr. White, let’s get you up first.”
“It’s Sean.”
“Grant. This is my teammate Riley.” He grasped Sean’s left upper arm while Riley gripped the right one. Together, they lifted Sean from the floor and steadied him until he regained his balance. “Got it?” he asked Sean.
The other man nodded.
Riley crouched beside Tara, who still lay on the floor. “Where are you hurt, Tara?”
“An easier question would be where am I not hurt?” She sighed. “The guards spent a lot of time working me over. They viewed me as the weak link.”
Riley laid her hand over the other woman’s. “They knew your husband would cooperate if they hurt you. You weren’t the weak link, Tara. The cartel used you as leverage to control Sean.”
“It worked, too,” Sean said wryly. “Every time I tried to convince them to let us go or at least let the children go, they threatened Tara.”
“Let’s see if you can stand.” Between them, Grant and Riley lifted Tara to her feet.
The injured woman groaned, wrapping her arms around her stomach. “Man, that hurts.”
“Can you walk?” Grant assessed what he could see of her body.
Bruises and a few scrapes and cuts that would have to be treated as soon as possible to prevent infection.
He didn’t ask detailed questions about her physical health.
If the cartel members had sexually assaulted Tara, bringing it out in the open now wouldn’t help matters.
He and Riley couldn’t treat her. That uncomfortable conversation would be up to Jake and Ted Sorenson, the Fortress trauma surgeon based in Texas.
“I won’t break any land speed records, but I can and will walk. I’ll do anything to get out of here and reunite with my children.”
“Then let’s make that happen, okay?” Grant led the way out of the room, down the hall, and toward the back door of the building.
He frequently glanced over his shoulder to check on the progress of the couple.
At least they were moving under their own power.
How long that would last was anyone’s guess.
No way they would make it back to the SUVs without help.
At the back door, Grant nudged the Whites to press their backs against the wall. When they were out of sight of the doorway, he opened the door wide enough to scan their surroundings.
Seconds later, he jerked back and slammed the door shut. Bullets peppered the surface. Grant tapped his comm device. “Team One under fire.”
Rifle fire broke the silence of the night and announced the presence of Fortress in the compound. No help for it, though. Time wasn’t on their side.
Teagan said, “Go, Grant.”
He motioned to the Whites. “Time to go. Stay behind me. Follow our orders immediately without question.”
“Got it,” Sean said. “We won’t give you any trouble.”
Grant eased the door open again. When no gunfire pummeled the door, he scanned the area for immediate threats.
Not seeing any, he threw the door wide and led the others from the building.
Signaling Riley to take the lead, Grant dropped back to cover the Whites.
Although grateful they were moving under their own power, they were moving too slowly for the group to escape without further confrontation with the cartel.
Riley wrapped her hand around Tara’s upper arm and propelled her faster toward the concrete barrier between them and freedom.
A shout sounded behind them. Grant spun and fired, taking down the cartel soldier barreling toward the group. He wouldn’t be the last of them. Even with Teagan guarding their six, the cartel outnumbered the Fortress operatives.
Tara stumbled and fell. Grant caught up with the women, bent, and scooped her into his arms. “Go,” he ordered Riley and Sean.
“I’m sorry.”
He glanced at the woman in his arms. “Don’t be. You’re doing what you can. No one could ask more of you.”
“But I’m holding you back. You could find a place to hide me, then go after my babies. I’ll do anything to get them back.”
“Sacrificing yourself is not an option, Tara.” He closed the distance between them and the concrete barrier seconds after Riley and Sean arrived.