Chapter Six
Jarrett and Thayne stayed in their room for the rest of the day, going over the reports from the ATF investigator and the LAPD that Sarah emailed them regarding the Chinatown incident.
Jarrett put a call into the LAPD officer, Ari Deukmejian, having to leave a message because he wasn’t at his desk.
He wanted to be able to follow up with him in person after reading the cursory report the officer had written.
As Sarah had told them, Deukmejian had not taken any witness reports of the fireworks explosion during the Chinese New Year celebration in February; that struck Jarrett as being strange since the streets must have been crowded with spectators who would have seen what happened.
Even though several people were hurt, only two interviews with them were included in the police report and even those were sadly lacking in details.
Weird.
Thayne called the ATF investigator, Suki Chang, and set up an appointment to meet with her the next morning when they would be back in LA.
They packed up their duffels, checked out of the hotel, and were headed out to dinner when Jarrett’s cell rang.
“Evans,”
he answered.
“Special Agent Evans? This is FBI Special Agent Snow.
Are you still in town?”
Jarrett cut a sideways glance to Thayne and hit the speaker button on the phone, setting it on the console as he drove.
“Hey, Snow.
Yes.
Actually we were headed out to dinner before leaving to drive back to LA.
You just caught us.
You’re on speaker with Wolfe and me.”
“Hi, Special Agent Wolfe.
Something’s come up since we saw you earlier today and I hope you don’t have to rush back tonight.”
“Okay.
What’s going on, Snow?”
Thayne asked, frowning a little as he met Jarrett’s gaze.
He raised his own dark eyebrow in question as he glanced at Thayne.
“Remember us telling you that we have been watching the militia involved with smuggling? Well, we’ve learned that there’s going to be a border crossing tonight.
The militia will be picking up a shipment of what Homeland believes are fireworks from an illegal transport and we’re going to intercept.”
“You decided to do that rather than pursue the UC angle?”
Jarrett asked, frowning down at the phone.
“Well, it wasn’t my call.
I agree with you, getting someone undercover would be ideal so that we might be able to actually find someone in charge of the operation but the higher-ups believe that they’ll be able to follow the shipment to its intended recipient if they pick up his lackeys.
Ultimately though, they’re more concerned about the possibility of allowing a large amount of what may be unstable explosives to hit the streets.
It’s more of a public safety issue than anything else at this point.
Not only that, with the militia involved, we don’t know what their end game is.
If they actually plan on using these domestically against soft targets, we have a duty to keep them off the streets whether we’re able to tie the shipment back to their leaders or not.”
“I see,”
Thayne said.
“Well, I suppose that makes a lot of sense when you look at it from that angle.
Public safety is always the bigger concern.”
“Right,”
Snow said.
“So, the reason I’m calling you is that the FBI and Homeland need the ATF in on this.
The Mexican satellite office is aware but they have no agents in the area.
That leaves you two.”
“Of course we’ll be there, Snow,”
Jarrett said.
Thayne was already on his phone, probably calling Stanger to find out why the hell no one from the LA office had called them.
Judging by the expression on his face, he was as pissed as Jarrett was.
“Tell us when and where and we’ll call LA and find out why no one informed us.”
Just as Jarrett said it, his call waiting popped up on the screen of his phone showing Stanger’s number.
“Um, that’s our boss now, Snow.
If anything changes, I’ll call you but please text us the details.”
“Fair enough.”
Snow hung up the phone and so did Thayne as Jarrett swiped the screen.
“Evans,”
Jarrett answered.
“Evans.
You and Wolfe still down south?”
Lloyd Stanger asked.
“Yes, sir,”
Thayne answered as Jarrett turned into the parking lot of a local Mexican restaurant that had been recommended by the desk clerk at their motel.
“You’re on speaker with both of us.”
“Good.
You’ll be staying another day.
We just got a call from the FBI field office in San Diego and they want the two of you in on a joint federal raid at the border.”
“We already know about it, sir.”
Thayne said, “We just hung up with one of the FBI agents we met earlier today.
He called to tell us that the FBI and Homeland wants us there.”
“Good.
So, I assume you know what’s going on.”
“Yes, sir,”
Thayne answered as Jarrett parked the Jeep and shut off the engine.
Jarrett looked over to his partner.
“We understand the ATF satellite office in Mexico was involved in this investigation for some time.
I’m not complaining but it would have been really nice to have been briefed on this smuggling ring before now,”
Thayne said.
Jarrett gave Thayne an enthusiastic thumbs-up and Thayne smiled.
“We weren’t sure it was connected and it hasn’t been our jurisdiction until now.
Our Mexican field office was handling it.”
“Yes, sir,”
Thayne said, looking pissed as hell.
“As long as we are involved now, that’s what matters.”
“Report back to me as soon as it’s complete,”
Stanger said.
“And, Evans?”
“Yes, SAC?”
“Don’t do anything stupid!”
“Yes, sir,”
Jarrett said, frowning at Thayne as he disconnected the call with a swipe and burst into laughter.
“He has no faith in me.”
“I wonder why,”
Thayne said.
“Shut the fuck up,”
Jarrett good-naturedly groused as he got out of the Jeep.
Thayne laughed.
“Seriously, Jarrett.
We have to be careful tonight.
I don’t want you doing anything that puts yourself in danger.”
He met Jarrett at the front of the Jeep.
Jarrett smiled at him and then reached out to circle his waist and pull him close for a quick hot kiss.
When he stepped back Thayne’s eyes were blazing with fire.
“I promise.
Now, if I don’t get some food in me, I am going to hurt someone.”
“Let’s go.
I could eat a horse,”
Thayne replied.
They turned and walked into the restaurant.
Jarrett hadn’t felt like driving back tonight anyway, and just watching how excited Thayne was getting about going out on an assignment made Jarrett’s heart happy.
****
Thayne and Jarrett headed out to the staging area at midnight, driving in Jarrett’s Jeep which was still packed with their duffel bags.
They were meeting at an abandoned used car lot about two miles north of the Mexican border in an area of wide-open desert called Otay County.
The closest city, Tecate, was several miles away and sat right on the border, thirty-seven miles east of the US border crossing in San Ysidro, near San Diego.
They pulled off the deserted road and were stopped when they came to a roadblock of two black SUVs.
The FBI checked their IDs and only then were they let through and directed to where Special Agents Snow and Terraciano were waiting for them.
Jarrett parked the Jeep and they walked over to the two agents, dressed similar to the way they were in all black tactical gear and armored vests.
Theirs were stamped with FBI as opposed to their own which were marked ATF.
Terraciano and Snow wore black knit caps and were checking their weapons.
Several other men in similar gear were milling around.
As they walked up, the two agents smiled and strode over to greet them with handshakes.
“Glad you were able to make it,”
Special Agent Snow said.
“Thanks for calling us,”
Thayne replied.
“Our boss called right after you did.”
“Just so you understand in a little more detail what’s happening here,”
Terraciano began, “The CIA has had their eyes and ears on these smugglers who have been bringing fireworks up over the border, very close to where we are now.
It wasn’t until just last week that the Bureau was able to connect a militia operating out of the Victorville area with this group.
We’ve been trying to infiltrate the militia for over eight months without success.”
“This is the militia you were referring to earlier?”
Thayne asked.
“Yes.
One and the same,”
Terraciano said.
“Does this militia have a name?”
Jarrett asked.
“Yes, they call themselves the Freedom Brigade and they have close ties with the Aryan Nation,”
Snow replied.
“Of course they do,”
Jarrett huffed.
Thayne glanced at his partner to find him sneering.
“I fuckin’ hate white supremacists and racist anarchists.”
“Well, you have the racist thing right.
We believe the shooter in the San Bernardino slayings a few months ago may have been a follower of the Brigade at least online.
Reverend James never shows his face but you can hear him talking over images of Freedom Brigade rallies using a voice changer but we can’t find evidence of where the rallies take place or who this guy is.”
“I thought the guy who killed those folks in San Bernardino was a radical Islamist.
Why would he be following a right-wing nut bag like this Reverend James?”
Thayne asked in surprise.
“He was Muslim.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t a whole lot of parallels between radical Islam and white supremacists.
A nut bag is a nut bag.
I don’t think it matters what religion or God they bow down to.
They’re all out to murder anyone who gets in the way of their fundamentalist religious beliefs, whether it be white racists or Islamic radicals.
We’re afraid they’re going to try to outdo each other with planned attacks on civilians.
They’re all dangerous and they all share a common belief that taking out as many opposed to their wild ideology is the way to go, whether by suicide bomb, race war, or massacre like what happened down in Orlando,”
Snow said.
“If the Reverend James and his Freedom Brigade gets a hold of these fireworks, the black powder in them can be removed to make bombs or even if they don’t turn them into bombs, detonating fireworks in a large quantity would behave just like a bomb.”
“And the purchase of black powder in large enough quantities to make several bombs is closely regulated since 9/11 the same way fertilizer purchases have been since even before that,”
Jarrett concluded.
“That’s exactly right,”
Terraciano said.
“Not to mention the fact that if they created “accidents”
at Fourth of July shows, a whole hell of a lot of soft targets would get hit.
Tons of people could die if the militia gets a hold of these.”
Jarrett turned to look at Thayne.
“We need to find out whether anyone on the Mason’s crew or connected with the Chinatown explosion have ties to this militia.”
Thayne nodded.
“Most definitely.
After we’re done here, I’ll get Darcy and Connor to work on that.”
He turned to find Snow and Terraciano staring at them.
“We’ll let the FBI know whether what we find out of course.
The ATF expects the same.”
“I agree.
It would be helpful to know if this militia is connected to what’s going on with the fireworks incidents somehow.”
“Who’s the supplier?”
Jarrett asked.
“Good question.
You probably know that nothing illegal happens in Mexico on any large scale unless the cartels are involved, but those questions will be answered in more detail at the operation briefing in a few minutes.
Now, if you’ll join us over here, we have maps of the drop-off point.
We can show you how we plan to stop the transfer of cargo to the militia,”
Special Agent Terraciano said, waving a hand at a long folding table that had been set up with camping lanterns.
Several men stood around it.
Thayne and Jarrett followed the FBI agents over to the table and he felt a rush of adrenaline the same way he had just before he’d called in the ATF when they’d busted Mills Lang and his organization.
Thayne could only pray that today went as well and that he and Jarrett would come out of it alive and without injury.
Thayne reached up and touched his slightly crooked nose, a result of having it slammed down into the concrete floor of the warehouse where they busted the gun runner, Mills Lang.
As they walked up to the table, several men who had been studying the maps looked up.
Jarrett suddenly halted in his tracks.
Thayne turned back to find his lover standing there staring at someone as if he’d seen a ghost.
“Adael Dayan? What the hell are you doin’ here?”
The question came out in Jarrett’s thick drawl which Thayne rarely heard.
“Jarrett! I heard you’d be here.
I hope you know it made me even more determined to come along,”
a handsome dark-haired man said in a deep heavily accented voice.
Thayne couldn’t place the accent.
Israeli maybe? It was similar to a Middle Eastern accent but different.
Thayne watched as the two men embraced very hard and with a roll of his stomach, he realized mere colleagues didn’t greet each other like that.
There had been something more between them.
“What the hell is Mossad doing at the Mexican border?”
Jarrett whispered, low enough that only Thayne had heard.
“I’m here in a totally unofficial capacity, Jarrett,”
the man said.
“I’ve been working with our friends in the CIA to track down a man who is responsible for building bombs that blew up several restaurants and nightclubs on the West Bank over the last few years.
The CIA’s intelligence led them here and I asked to come along as an extra gun, should they need one.”
The man suddenly looked up to find Thayne standing close.
“I’m sorry, Jarrett.
I shouldn’t be discussing things so openly… you know how Langley is about these things.”
Thayne’s mood darkened even further as Jarrett turned to find him standing there.
He smiled and held out his hand.
“Adael, this is my partner in the ATF, Thayne Wolfe.”
Jarrett gestured for Thayne to come closer.
“Thayne, come meet an old friend.”
Thayne forced his feet to move forward.
“Thayne, this is Adael Dayan.
He’s affiliated with Mossad’s counter-terrorism unit.”
“So nice to meet Jarrett’s partner,”
Dayan said, shaking Thayne’s hand.
The man was obscenely handsome, younger than they were, with a deep widow’s peak, curly mahogany-colored hair, and dark brown eyes that sparkled with intelligence.
Jealousy fluttered in Thayne’s gut and he hated it.
“It’s nice to meet you,”
Thayne said.
He glanced over at Jarrett and opened his mouth to say something when Snow spoke up.
“We’re going to start the briefing now.”
Thayne dropped Adael’s hand and walked over to the tables the FBI had set up, leaving Jarrett and the Mossad operative to follow.
At the moment, Thayne didn’t want to know anything more about Jarrett.
He was sick of his secret past, whatever it was.
He was sick that he’d never know who his partner really was.
And he was sick that he hadn’t realized how deeply he cared about Jarrett until meeting Adael Dayan.
What kind of lover had he been to Jarrett if he couldn’t admit, even to himself, that the man was a huge part of his life? Why hadn’t he been willing to accept all of Jarrett, his past included? Perhaps it was because he knew that Jarrett didn’t like his own past a hell of a lot.
The truth was, Thayne knew very little about his handsome partner and because of security clearances and other real-world bullshit, he probably never would. Dammit!
Thayne could hear Jarrett and Dayan conversing quietly as they walked behind him and when Jarrett stepped up beside him at the table, he glanced down at him.
Jarrett stared at him with his ice-blue eyes and then leaned down where he could whisper into his ear.
“Is everything all right, Thayne?”
Thayne swallowed hard and glanced up at his taller partner as his stomach did another flip-flop.
Jarrett’s damned expression showed genuine concern and Thayne suddenly felt even more like a heel.
He reached out and patted Jarrett’s forearm.
“It’s nothing, Jarrett.
Pay attention to the briefing.
I don’t want you hurt when this all goes down.”
He had a desperate desire to kiss Jarrett but he settled for seeing the concern in Jarrett’s eyes.
This was neither the time nor the place for Thayne to start spilling his feelings.
Jarrett reached out and covered Thayne’s hand for the briefest second before letting it fall away, turning his attention back to Snow and Terraciano who stood on the other side of the table flanked by two others in unmarked vests.
There must have been twenty to twenty-five men standing around.
Some wore FBI and Homeland vests marked DHS, but there were an equal number of men wearing unmarked gear and Thayne wondered who they could be.
He knew that there were some CIA operatives but he had no idea who most of them were.
Jarrett had his gaze focused on Snow but as Thayne looked past him, he noted Adael Dayan watching him knowingly.
Thayne swallowed hard, nodded in his direction and Adael’s lips turned up in a tiny smile.
“Welcome to Operation Sparkler.
Our goal here today is to intercept the transfer of cargo from a group of smugglers to the Freedom Brigade militia and to arrest the members of both groups,”
Snow said.
“We have tied the smugglers to several Mexican drug cartels just so that you are all aware of the firepower they have at their disposal.”
Thayne cut a sideways glance to Jarrett at the announcement of the operation’s name and found Jarrett grinning at him.
He couldn’t help but smile at him.
As Snow continued, Thayne turned his attention back to the FBI agent.
“Our friends at Langley have done the intelligence gathering so I will step aside for just a moment and let Bill Webber speak to that before continuing with the briefing.”
Snow looked over to the man standing beside him and nodded to him.
Webber was stocky and approaching fifty with a shock of graying red hair on top of his head.
He wore a long-sleeved black Henley under his unmarked black vest and Thayne wondered if he wasn’t just a little old to be assigned to field ops.
Perhaps he had a supervisory position within the CIA.
Spies played things so close to the vest, it was hard to tell who was who.
He glanced at Jarrett whose eyes were trained straight ahead, watching Webber.
“We believe the Freedom Brigade militia is the intended recipient of this shipment of fireworks,”
Webber began.
“The shipment originated in China and has made it up to our border via Valparaiso, Chile, through Mexico.
According to the container ship’s manifest, the cargo contains fireworks and we believe the militia intends on using the black powder within them to build bombs to be used on soft targets.
We have reason to think that a wave of domestic terrorism in major cities all across the nation during various Fourth of July celebrations has been planned.
They intend on starting with Los Angeles and then moving on to other major metropolitan areas.
Not only do they intend on setting off explosions at fireworks shows and exhibitions, but they will eventually be using the black powder to build bombs to use against hard targets, buildings, buses, trains, tunnels, and others.
“We have credible intelligence to suggest that the Freedom Brigade is extremely well-armed and well-financed, meaning they will have the ultimate in 21st century weaponry to use against you.
We know that many of the members of the militia are para-military with extensive training.
They are zealots.
We urge extreme caution when attempting to take down these individuals this morning.
Because orders of fireworks from Chinese manufacturers must be placed a year in advance, the Freedom Brigade has waited a very long time for this cargo and they feel it is essential that they obtain it by any means necessary.
In other words, they will use deadly force against you and fight like hell to get their hands on this shipment.
It may be the only way for them to carry off the series of attacks they have planned.
We will have aerial support but because of the noise factor, that will not arrive until late in the fight.
If we are unable to retrieve the container, the barn and the container itself will be eliminated.
Keep in mind that you will need to be far away from the barn and container if we have to resort to that.”
Webber stepped back and Snow stepped forward again.
“Let me reiterate, the Freedom Brigade is dangerous.
Take extreme caution.”
He moved forward until he was standing directly over the maps on the table.
“We are splitting the gathered team into two groups.
Assault Group A will have the responsibility to take down the smugglers and Assault Group B will be responsible for arresting the militia.
Group A will be commanded by myself and Group B, Special Agent Terraciano.
The Fernandez barn where the transaction will be taking place is here.
It’s used primarily by the Fernandez farm and other local farmers for the storage of tractors and farm vehicles not in use during harvest.”
Snow pointed to a satellite image showing a large building off a winding road which ran the length of the border from east to west through the hilly terrain of the country.
“This is Marron Valley Road.
It is used primarily by the US Border patrol and some local farmers but at this time of night, you won’t find anyone out there but us and whoever is crossing illegally.
The truck transporting the cargo container will be escorted by at least three other vehicles carrying their security.
We estimate at least four men per vehicle, two in the truck itself.
The militia will be waiting for them at a barn on the Fernandez farm.
They number as many as twenty as well in heavily-armored SUVs.
Some if not all of them will be wearing body armor, carrying automatic weapons.
As our friends from Langley told you, they have access to RPGs, grenades, and a virtual arsenal.
They are not to be taken lightly.
These men are graduates of training camps.
Many are mercenaries with extensive military training and backgrounds.
Again, please use extreme caution.”
Thayne looked at the men gathered around the table.
He counted twenty-five more or less.
They would be outnumbered and outgunned if what Snow said was correct.
Not only that, the militia would be wearing body armor and they were not.
They could only assume the security escorting the cargo would be similarly armed.
The element of surprise was going to be Operation Sparkler’s best defense but a sinking feeling settled into his gut.
He glanced over at Jarrett who frowned back at him.
He feels it too.
“The exchange is to take place at 0300.
That leaves us an hour to get out there and get into place.
The element of surprise is everything in this operation.
Any questions?”
“You have armor-piercing rounds for us?”
someone asked.
Snow turned to stare at him.
“No,”
Terraciano said, from beside him.
“Anything else?”
He paused for ten seconds.
“Good.
Come this way to receive your assignments.”
Thayne looked over at Jarrett who sent him a reassuring smirk and a clap on the back.
“Let’s go, Wolfe.”
They turned and walked over to Terraciano who was dividing the men into groups with twice as many being sent over to his own Group B, the one in charge of taking down the militia.
He pointed at Jarrett and Thayne.
“ATF will be with me in Group B.”
Terraciano waved at the assembled group and he and Jarrett joined the men who were being handed semi-automatic weapons out of the back of an SUV.
As soon as Thayne had his weapon, he shoved two additional magazines down into the pockets of his tac pants where he already had a KA-Bar combat knife in a sheath strapped to his thigh.
Thayne wished he had practiced with it more.
Jarrett was wearing a similar knife as well as a smaller one at his belt.
He looked like a mighty warrior and Thayne thought he looked sexy as hell.
They were given military-grade earwigs and Thayne shoved his into his ear canal.
Jarrett reached beneath his vest and pulled out a tin of something and Thayne watched him open it.
He reached inside and swiped his fingers through black face paint and reached out until his fingers hovered near Thayne’s cheek.
He stared into Jarrett’s glittering light eyes and a pang of longing shot through him.
He prayed his lover would come out of this without injury and then he realized if Jarrett was hurt somehow, he’d just want to die.
“Close your eyes, darlin’,”
Jarrett whispered.
Warmth spread through Thayne but he did so as Jarrett began painting his cheeks, forehead, and chin with his calloused fingertips.
When Thayne opened his eyes again, Jarrett was smearing the black stuff over his own face.
Thayne couldn’t believe how handsome he was.
The dark color of the paint set off the light of his eyes and hair.
Thayne was relieved when Jarrett produced a black beanie from somewhere and pulled it onto his head, covering his short white hair.
Once again, Thayne prayed the operation would go smoothly and he wouldn’t need him but he was counting on nothing but his partner at this point.
Jarrett was rechecking his weapon when Adael walked up, joining them as he accepted his own weapon and ammunition.
He was wearing similar face paint.
“Just like old times huh, Jarrett?”
he said, flashing a broad grin.
“Like old times, my friend.
Just keep your head down.”
“Yes.”
Adel winked at Jarrett and then looked past him at Thayne, winking at him as well.
No matter how Thayne wanted to truly dislike the Israeli, it bothered him to no end that he found him disarmingly charming.
Once they’d armed themselves, they piled into the SUVs and drove out to the barn where the exchange was to take place.
He, Jarrett, and Adael sat beside each other in the back of the SUV with Jarrett in the middle.
Thayne was surprised when he felt a hand brush his leg in the dark.
He glanced down to find Jarrett’s palm resting on his thigh and he looked up into his light blue eyes.
He was staring back with an intense gaze and if Thayne didn’t know any better, he genuinely looked as though he wanted to kiss him.
As the truck bounced over a rut in the road, Thayne reached down reflexively, laying his hand over Jarrett’s.
Jarrett instantly turned his palm up and laced their fingers together.
Thayne swallowed hard and tore his gaze away, glancing out through the front windshield of the truck as a lump formed in his throat.
They sat holding hands in the dark until a streetlight appeared and the FBI agent driving the car announced they were coming up on the barn.
When Jarrett pulled his hand away, Thayne felt bereft and just a little lost.
God, get us all out of this alive.
The SUV pulled up to the side of the barn, stopped, and the driver told them he’d be letting them out there.
Thayne perused the landscape, noting a stand of eucalyptus trees surrounding the farm on three sides that would provide an excellent cover for the teams.
“Come on, Wolfe,”
Jarrett said, pointing toward Terraciano who had exited one of the vehicles and was standing in the shadow of the barn.
They walked over as the vehicles were driven away.
“We would like to take this shipment with minimal loss of life but keep your eye on the goal.
We must keep this cargo from falling into the hands of the Freedom Brigade.
Watch each other’s back.
We’ll go on my signal and not before.
Is that clear?”
Terraciano asked.
The response from the fifteen men with them was immediate.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.
Now, find cover in the trees and stay down.”
He looked at his watch.
“They should be here in less than thirty minutes.”
He pointed to the trees and waited for them all to fade away into the dark and Thayne watched as Terraciano walked back to the front of the barn where Snow waited for him.
Thayne knew that Snow’s men were hunkered down in the shadows beside the barn and were completely invisible, waiting for the opportunity to charge into the barn once the truck carrying the cargo container pulled inside.
Group B would be expected to wait until the militia drove up and then engage them out in the open before they got wind of what was even happening while Group A would file into the barn and take out the smugglers.
Thayne hoped the CIA’s intelligence was good.
He and Jarrett took up a position in the copse of trees with Adael crouching with several other men about fifteen feet from them.
Thayne looked up when Jarrett motioned for him to remove his earwig.
After he’d done so, Jarrett leaned close.
“Keep your head down, Thayne.
I’ll have your back but you just keep your head down.”
“I will, Jarrett. You too.”
“You ever been in a firefight like this might turn out to be, darlin’?”
The term of endearment made Thayne’s heart beat faster.
“Not exactly… but I know how to keep my head down and watch my partner’s back.”
Jarrett smiled.
“That’s what I need from ya then.
I’ll be watching yours too and when this is all said and done, I’ll be needing a much closer inspection of your handsome back, Thayne.”
Thayne’s stomach tumbled again.
He had no idea where this sexier, more effusive Jarrett had come from but he was thoroughly enjoying him.
“It’s a promise.”
Thayne looked side to side and when he was certain they weren’t being observed, he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Jarrett’s.
“You be careful, Jarrett.”
Jarrett lingered that way for a moment and then pulled back.
The emotions on his face were startling and Thayne watched his eyes for a moment before turning back to watch the road as he replaced the earwig.
They sat there for twenty minutes before they heard engines.
“Here they come,”
Terraciano said into the earwig.
“Everyone ready!”
There was a murmuring among the men and Thayne exchanged one more glance with Jarrett before lights appeared as the massive tractor-trailer rig appeared on the road they’d driven up only a half hour before.
The truck was carrying the cargo container as they’d been told it would be and it was followed by three black SUVs with blacked-out windows.
The tractor-trailer rumbled up to the barn and shone its high beams on the huge double door, coming to a screeching halt in front of it as the air brakes stopped the massive truck.
Two of the SUVs drove around to the front and parked.
Men wearing all black hopped out and began opening the doors to the barn.
The truck pulled inside as soon as the doors were wide enough and Thayne turned his head when he saw more lighted vehicles coming up the road.
The SUVs with the truck pulled into the barn and several men appeared at the door in a long line holding semi-automatic rifles a lot like their own.
Five black Humvees came up the road and Thayne watched as they pulled to a stop in front of the barn.
“Get ready.
On my count,”
Terraciano’s voice said into the earwigs.
Thayne stood up and prepared for the assault as Jarrett stood tall right beside him.
The air was virtually thrumming with anticipation coming from the entire tree line where Group B waited.
It was so palpable, you could cut it with a knife.
Once all the militia had gotten out of their vehicles and shut the doors, they began to move into positions in front of the barn.
Thayne was trying to count how many he saw and was only slightly surprised to find more than they’d expected by half.
We’re outgunned two to one.
Son of a bitch! He knew Snow’s men couldn’t be seen in the shadows but they were so close to some of the Brigade’s men, they could have reached out and touched them.
Thayne’s heart was pounding.
“One.”
Terraciano’s voice came through the earbuds. “Two.”
Thayne took a deep breath. “Three!”
Thayne followed Jarrett out of the trees and they hit the ground running, rushing toward the barn as all hell broke loose.
Snow’s men were up and shooting their way through the line of men at the barn door as the sound of bullets and screaming hit Thayne’s ears.
Jarrett ran in front of him, firing his weapon at the line of militia guys on the very perimeter.
Two of them dropped to the ground instantly.
Thayne was surprised to see the men were wearing full body armor and somehow, Jarrett had managed to drop them anyway.
If they could all shoot that well, the good guys would stand a chance.
One of the militia stepped right into Jarrett’s path and just as he raised his weapon to shoot, Jarrett rushed forward and slammed the butt of his gun sideways, catching the guy on the side of the face and sending him sprawling.
He stopped only a second to bend over and end his life with a vicious swipe of his KA-Bar across the man’s left carotid before jumping over the body and charging forward.
He spared a second to glance back at Thayne who gave him the thumbs-up and then turned back, charging toward a line of men blocking the doors.
A massive firefight was going on inside the barn and men were falling all around them as spits of automatic rifle fire lit up the landscape like the Fourth of July with a cacophony of sound and orange flashes.
“It’s too heavy out here!”
he heard Terraciano screaming into his earbud.
“We need air support now!”
Thayne took a deep breath as he raised his weapon and fired, hitting one of the Brigade members in the face just as he aimed his weapon at Jarrett.
The man was thrown back onto the ground, dead before he ever even hit the dirt.
Adrenaline washed through Thayne’s veins as he caught up to his partner, catching sight of Adael as he dropped two militia members who were coming straight at them.
Gratitude rushed through Thayne as Jarrett’s friend saved their lives.
Jarrett stopped in place, dropping to the ground and taking out a man who was lining up a shot to take out Terraciano.
Blood sprayed out of the man’s mouth and his semi-automatic pointed into the air, firing off several shots as his finger compressed the automatic’s trigger in the throes of death.
Suddenly a massive explosion lit up the side of the barn and Thayne turned to see one of the CIA guys holding a rocket launcher on his shoulder.
Chills went through him as Jarrett stopped right beside him.
In horror, they watched Terraciano’s body catch fire as the man was caught in the reverberation and blowback.
Two of Group B launched themselves at their leader, falling on his body and rolling him until the flames were out but the interval allowed the militia guys to press the advantage and make their move.
Within seconds, Thayne and Jarrett were surrounded and running for their lives as bullets hit the ground all around them and whizzed past their heads.
“What in the hell do they think they’re doing?”
Jarrett screamed.
“If that RPG hits the container, we’ll all go up in a fuckin’ mushroom cloud!”
He glanced over at Thayne and then instantly lifted his weapon.
“Wolfe! Duck!”
Thayne dove for the ground as Jarrett shot a volley of bullets over his head.
He turned just in time to see a Brigade member scream and hit the ground, his gun thrown out to the side, right behind him.
If Jarrett hadn’t taken him down, Thayne would have been hit in the back.
When he turned back to his lover, he noted another militia man coming toward Jarrett and Thayne raised his own autoloader from where he lay on the ground and fired, taking the man down before he could get off a shot and kill his partner.
The man screamed and fell in the dirt at Jarrett’s feet.
Jarrett grinned at him, and he was covered with so much dirt that what little white hair was visible under the cap appeared brown.
Sweat was pouring down his temples and his dimples were set in his face, showing off just how beautiful he was.
His lover was beyond gorgeous and he was totally getting off on all of this.
He saluted Thayne and then spun on a heel, charging toward the barn.
Thayne followed him wondering if Jarrett had heard Terraciano call in air support.
They needed to get away from the building because in a couple of minutes, an F-18 was going to light the place up and they were going to become toast.
He caught up to Jarrett and grabbed his sleeve.
“We need to get out of here.
Terraciano called in air support!”
he screamed at Jarrett.
“One minute, Thayne.
I wanna get a look at somethin’.”
“What the fuck!”
Thayne shouted, only to find Jarrett had vanished from his sight, obscured by smoke as he ran into the barn.
Thayne spun around when someone tugged on his sleeve.
Adael was standing there.
“Where’s Jarrett?”
“He ran inside! I have no idea why! He said he needed to check something!”
Thayne yelled back.
“The FBI has called in an airstrike, Adael.
We need to evac now!”
“I’ll get him!”
Adael shouted and then before Thayne knew what was happening, he’d disappeared into the barn too.
Thayne stood there undecided what to do for only a second before rolling his eyes.
“Assholes!”
he screamed, charging into the barn headlong after the Israeli.
Both of them were off their fucking rockers but no way was he going to let Jarrett face certain death alone.
If he had to pull them both out or die trying, that’s what he was determined to do.
When he got inside the barn, it was thick with black smoke and Thayne began coughing.
The RPG had set the whole side of the barn on fire and flames were crawling across the rafters of the roof.
Bales of hay were on fire and bodies littered the floor.
He couldn’t see more than three feet in front of him as he made his way deeper into the barn.
As he rushed forward, a smaller man in a black ski mask jumped into his path and before Thayne could raise his gun, the guy launched himself on top of him, tackling him to the ground where he landed hard, flat on his back.
The breath whooshed out of his body and he reached up, grabbing the guy’s black ski mask, ripping it off his head.
A young man, no more than eighteen, sneered down into his face and before Thayne could process it, the man had a massive combat knife raised above his head.
Thayne reached out and caught the kid’s wrist, stopping the blade only a few inches from his face as the man fought for dominance.
Thayne managed to plant his feet on the ground and arched up, rolling them so that he landed in a straddle over the kid as he ducked away from the vicious blade that came at him.
Thayne slammed the smaller man’s hand onto the ground with a sickening crunch and the man howled with pain as his wrist snapped.
He instantly dropped the blade but was back with a handgun in the other hand.
Quick little fucker, aren’t you? Thayne reached down and said his tenth prayer as he grabbed both sides of the kid’s head and gave it vicious twist, snapping his neck in seconds.
The handgun clattered to the ground and Thayne grabbed it, shoving the Glock into his waistband as he coughed again.
He stood up and desperately searched for Jarrett in the smoke only to find his massive body sprawled on the ground with Adael kneeling beside him.
Jarrett had a bloody gash on the side of his head and Thayne’s heart nearly pounded out of his chest the moment he spotted him.
For a split second he was suspicious that Adael had hit Jarrett but when the Israeli looked up, searching the area desperately, Thayne realized he needed help.
One of Adael’s arms was bent at a strange angle and Thayne realized that it was broken.
He needed someone to help him carry Jarrett out of the barn.
Thayne called out to Adael and the man’s face lit with joy the second he saw him.
Adael gestured wildly with his good arm.
Thayne charged toward them and bent to grab Jarrett under the arms.
“We need to get the hell out of here! Airstrike!”
Thayne screamed as Adael jumped up and followed them, covering their retreat with a hail of gunfire from the automatic he held with his good hand.
Thayne dragged Jarrett toward the double doors as he heard the roar of flames, a smattering of gunfire, and the sounds of dying men all around them.
He tried to look Jarrett over for bleeding wounds but could only see what now appeared to be a bullet graze across Jarrett’s temple.
Jesus! If that’s all there is… Adael rushed in front of them gunning down anyone in their path as Thayne dragged his partner running backward.
He was never so grateful for anyone in his life.
Thayne’s lungs were filling with smoke as they got closer to the entrance to the barn and he heard a great crash as part of the roof caved in, sending up a wall of sparks at the back of the barn.
The truck with its container had been abandoned by those who’d wanted the shipment and those who’d brought it and virtually everyone else had escaped the barn or was dead.
The second they got to the double door of the barn, Thayne heard the roar of airplane engines.
Out of nowhere, two more men wearing FBI vests ran up to them and grabbed Jarrett, relieving Thayne of his burden.
“Move!”
One of them screamed.
“Sixty seconds!”
Thayne began to run, followed by Adael and the two men carrying Jarrett.
They had just gotten to the tree line five hundred feet off when there was the unmistakable scream of a missile and he knew the F-18 had fired.
They barely had time to duck when the entire barn and its contents went up in a massive fireball.
Flames shot straight up into the sky and out at them.
Thayne rolled on top of Jarrett, covering his unconscious partner with his body as the heat from the explosion reached them.
He held his breath waiting for the lick of flames and certain death he expected but after four or five heartbeats, it hadn’t come.
He waited for a few seconds before raising his head to look at what was left of the barn.
“Motherfucker!”
Adael said from beside him.
Thayne glanced over to him and then turned his face to look back down at Jarrett.
His eyes were open as he blinked up at him.
Thayne breathed a sigh of relief as Jarrett revived.
“Preach it, sistah,”
Jarrett said, weakly.
“Motherfucker!”
Adael repeated.
Thayne dropped his face and pressed it to the side of Jarrett’s cheek.
He began to laugh.