18. Jasmin
Jasmin
This fucking guy was going to give me whiplash.
One minute I was in his arms, he was gentle and rocking me after a nightmare.
The next minute, his eyes were dead and cold.
Last night he made love to me. I felt it, felt the change in his body, felt his eyes on me.
I didn’t need light to feel the way he touched my skin.
I didn’t need to say the words to show him how I felt.
I allowed him to see every part of me in the darkness, and now he was looking at me like he did not know me.
My head was going to fucking explode at this rate.
They say women have mood swings. I apologized and admitted I was wrong.
What more did he want? An engraved fucking plaque that he could hang on his wall?
Not a chance. I had done far more than I ever thought I would.
I just needed to keep my mouth in check.
It had gotten me in enough trouble already.
We were all sitting at the dining room table; maps, blue prints, and schematics littered the surface. Everyone had a look of intense concentration; this was what we did, this was what all of us were born to do. Plan, strategize, and execute with exact precision.
“Status?” Z asked as he shifted some papers in front of him. From what I could see, it looked like it was a hand drawn map of one of the drug tunnels.
“Team seven is in place and awaiting our arrival. They have been patrolling the tunnel. It is all clear,” Colin said as he passed a satellite image of the Marron Valley pass on the California Mexico border across the table to Zane.
Long gone were the days of grainy images with little detail. You could see every detail of the pass and the rock formation that hid the tunnel from the satellite.
“We will cross through the tunnel. Once on the other side, we end up here.” Zane pointed to the topographic map that was spread out in the middle of the table.
“We follow the Tecate Creek three klicks east. We will have relative cover through the valley. We will hug the southern wall of the valley here.” He paused again and ran his finger along the map, pointing out the steep valley walls.
“We head five klicks south at the Tijuana river junction, hugging the western wall this time.” He stopped, allowing everyone to scan the map.
The topographic map showed the elevation of the mountains surrounding the valley and the waterways that flowed through the valley.
What it did not show was what I knew were beautiful red rock formations and steep cliffs and beautiful greenery that carpeted the mountain ranges on either side of the valley.
“The valley opens here at the northernmost part of the property,” Zane continued, pointing at the map again.
“Latest intel confirms Sonreír has three guards inside the compound, no outside patrol,” Jaxon added as he read over a SITREP from HQ.
“We will split up here.” Z pointed to the map again where the valley gave way to a wide clearing.
The map had Sonreír’s property outlined.
“Jaxon and Eric, you’ll scout and head one klick south to the guard tower to confirm there is no patrol and disable any outside surveillance.
We have been told there is none, but verify.
Leo and Linc, you’ll stay close to the mountain wall and head south toward the compound.
Colin, you’re with me; we’ll cut straight through the middle using the overgrown pasture as cover.
He has one hundred and fifty head of cattle, give or take.
” Each of the guys studied the map and gave their affirmative.
“Rendezvous point is here.” Z marked the map with an X and jotted down the longitude and latitude coordinates.
“We will breach on the north side. The conservatory is the most vulnerable,” Zane finished.
Leo slid the blueprint of the house over the topo map and pointed out the conservatory. “Weak spot is here; they forgot a small window while installing the alarm system, which is bunk by the way. A common criminal could get past this piece of shit system.”
That didn’t sound right and I had to ask, even though I was not technically on the mission. “Why would he have a shit system in a high crime area?”
“Fear. He doesn’t need an alarm system. No one in their right mind would dare step foot on his land,” Lincoln spoke up for the first time. “I’d be surprised if the doors were locked. He is a cocky bastard that’s for sure. He thinks he is untouchable.”
Tom grunted his agreement and added, “His father, Alonzo, was the same kind of stupid. He was as narcissistic and arrogant as they come. He loved nothing more than to show everyone around him that he was in control and above the law. He was an abusive bastard; he beat his wife for the slightest infraction. He ended up hanging his wife in the grove beside his home. Her and the guard he was convinced she was screwing. He believed Alonzo Jr: or “Sonreír”, as he became later in his career was the product of that long going affair. He left both bodies hanging in the tree for weeks in a show of power. Alonzo Jr. was around fourteen.” He shook his head and his face screwed up like he had smelled something horrible.
“Let’s just say it was a pleasure to take out that asshole when the order came.
I don’t lose sleep over the fucker, that’s for sure. ”
“Jesus. And I thought my dad was an asshole,” Eric said.
Zane started to fold back up the maps and slid them into plastic sleeves, placing them into his Blackhawk messenger bag. The rest of the team followed, moving at a fast pace, packing up the intel reports and satellite photos. They had a helicopter to catch.
Eric’s phone rang; he glanced at the screen before he slid his finger across the screen unlock, and entered in his code. Placing the call on speaker, he held it out toward the room.
“You’re on speaker. Go,” Eric said.
“SAT COM two is now open and a go for you. Garrett sent the latest satellite images to Zane’s tablet as of one hour ago. It is confirmed Sonreír is still at the compound, but we no longer have use of that satellite. It has been moved. We’re dark after this,” Jake clipped.
“Anything else?” Zane spoke up .
“The Farm is ready; your kit and weapons are on standby. Captain Black has checked in and they are good to go as well.”
“Copy that. Mission code name: Stephanie Swift,” Zane replied as he zipped his bag shut and flipped the flap over.
The team snickered and the president let out a chuckle. Good to know my uncle had a sense of humor.
That was the only unprofessional thing Zane ever did while planning a mission. He named his ops after porn stars. He got a kick at the higher ups having to say such distasteful names in mission debriefs. I think that was his way of saying ‘fuck you’ to the oversight committees.
“Out.”
Eric slid the phone into the side pocket of his cargos and picked up the go bag at his feet. The rest of the team followed suit. Holy shit, this was it. They were leaving and I was going to stay behind. This was not a feeling I was used to; as a matter of fact, I had never felt this before.
“Jasmin, you got this?” Zane asked as he looked around the room, his eyes landing on the president.
“It’s all good.” I tried to smile to reassure him I was fine.
Truth was I had a sick feeling in my gut. Something felt off. I was chalking it up to all the emotional shit that had been dumped on me.
“See you on the other side. You’ll have eyes and ears, COM two is yours,” Eric said as he passed me a slip of paper with the codes I would need to dial into their COMS.
“Yup, be safe.”
“Always. Enjoy the White House, slack ass,” Eric joked.
The rest of the team said goodbye, leaving Lincoln and I alone in the room. I suddenly felt like I was fifteen again and waiting for the cute boy in class to talk to me. Screw this shit, I do not play games.
“Be safe, Linc,” I said, walking past him toward the door. I could hear the rotor blades starting to wind up, signaling their departure was eminent.
Linc grabbed my arm as I tried to slide by him, pulling me into his strong arms, squeezing me tight.
He breathed in my neck. “I’ll see you soon, my sweet Jasmin.
Please stay at the White House until this is over.
I need to know you are safe. I won’t be able to concentrate if I think you are out there unprotected. ”
My body stiffened. What the actual fuck? I was not some weak ass little girl. “The fuck? I can more than handle myself. I do not need a babysitter nor do I appreciate you trying to insinuate I do.” I struggled to pull out of his embrace.
His grip tightened as he lowered his face, coming nose to nose with me. “Swear to Christ, you are the most difficult female on the planet. Just this once, do what the hell you are told and stay with your uncle so I can do my damn job and take this asshole out.”
He was vibrating with anger. As much as I loved to push his buttons and wanted to disagree, my team’s lives were on the line. One misstep and the mission would be FUBAR. Everyone had to be at the top of their game. Lucky asshole had me in a corner.
“Fine,” I snapped.
His mouth came down on mine hard. He used my shock to his advantage and pushed his tongue in my mouth.
I unwillingly moaned when his tongue brushed mine, flooding my mouth with the taste of coffee, mint, and Linc.
In true Lincoln Parker fashion, he fisted my hair and deepened the kiss, taking total control of my mouth.
It felt like a ‘goodbye’ not a ‘see you later’.
When he started to break the kiss, biting my lip and then licking the sting, I tried to hold on, leaning in, not wanting to lose the connection.
Would I ever get enough of his wicked mouth? Would my body always unwillingly respond and soften when seconds before I wanted to punch him in his throat for being an overbearing asshole?