Chapter 7 #2
Dalton stood his ground, muzzle sweeping the shoreline. Buck and Tierney backed him up, covering the remaining angles, rain soaking their clothes.
Blue lights flashed against the fog, Bodie’s truck and one of the deputy’s SUVs skidding around the far bend before bouncing across the parking lot.
Nick and Sloane jumped out while the chassis was still rocking, Bodie following suit.
Deputy Jordan Archer appeared through the wind and the rain, weapon sweeping the shadows, looking as if she could take on the entire squad on her own.
Though she’d come a long way from her operative days, she tended to switch back whenever the stakes got raised.
She’d fallen for Raven’s Watch’s dog handler, Kash Sinclair. The kind of love Buck hadn’t thought he’d ever have a chance at finding until he’d pulled himself together — met Tierney.
Jordan veered toward the office door, disappearing inside, Bodie covering her six. Nick and Sloane headed for the back, sweeping through the wreckage before returning, gathering around the three of them still standing on the pier.
Jordan arrived last, scanning the surroundings one more time before holstering her weapon as she gazed back at the smoking hole in the boathouse. “I swear, this place is a freaking magnet for trouble. Second time that door’s been blown off.”
Buck sighed, lowering his Sig. “Saylor’s going to kill me.”
Assuming Zain didn’t kill Buck first. Zain took Saylor’s safety to an almost obsessive level, though, they managed to make it work.
Jordan shrugged. “You’re all still breathing. That’s what matters.” She waved at the smoke still swirling through the air. “I’m assuming this is tied to that raid Greer went on? Some tactical team in the woods killing people?”
“God, I hope so. Otherwise, we have even more problems.” Buck stared at the smoldering debris, then down at Tierney.
“You weren’t joking. Whatever connections these men have work fast. And they obviously knew enough to wait until after Dalton had finished scouting the area — until we’d all settled for a bit. ”
Dalton huffed. “And you guys wonder why I don’t sleep.”
Buck clapped him on the back, avoiding the side with metal sticking out of his hoodie. “You saved us from the initial attack — had our backs. Can’t ask for more than that.” He tapped his chest. “This is on me.”
Tierney whacked him in the stomach. “It’s not on anyone, other than maybe me. I was worried they might try again if they tracked us down. I’m the one who brought all this to your door.”
“How about we call a truce and focus on taking the fight to the men responsible.” Buck carded his fingers through his wet hair.
“We should pat down anyone who didn’t make it out still breathing.
See if there’s anything useful we can track back to whoever’s in charge because I guarantee this is just another hit squad. ”
They split up, Bodie and the others taking the downstairs, while Buck, Tierney and Dalton headed for the loft. The frame looked like kindling, glass and drywall dust coated every surface.
Buck groaned inwardly. Saylor was definitely going to kill him.
They checked the bodies, swept up the worst of the debris, then rendezvoused with the others in the office.
Buck shook his head, placing a burner cell on the desk. “That must have fallen out of one of their pockets. It was on the coffee table along with half the freaking window, though, I doubt it’ll give us a location—”
The cell rang, the eerie tone echoing through the room. Buck stared at it, obviously considering whether to answer, when Tierney stepped forward, face pale, jaw set.
She held out her hand, tapping the screen on the fourth ring, putting the call on speaker. “Hello.”
A heavy breath rasped across the line, followed by a metallic clink. “Tierney O’Rourke.”
Her breath hitched, eyes closing for a second as she swallowed, hard, before she visibly locked everything down. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. You never did tell me your name or your partner’s. That was his lighter I just heard, right?”
The guy laughed. “Aren’t you observant. Not that I’d expect anything less after the show you put on tonight.”
“Isn’t that why you kept me alive? Wanted to sell me? How did your buddy phrase it…” She paused, then drew the phone closer. “The MI6 pedigree?”
Silence, then another loud breath. “You were on the veranda that night. Clever lass.”
“Isn’t your friend going to say hello?”
“We parted ways. It’s just us... and your new man. Who’s the bloke?”
“No one you need to worry about.”
“On the contrary. He was just as impressive as you were. You’re quite the pair. Even I started rooting for the two of you.”
Tierney shifted her weight on her feet, looking as if she wanted to rip the phone in half. “What do you want?”
Another pause. “After all the trouble you caused tonight, I thought it warranted a chat.”
“If you want to talk, you know where to find me. C’mon by. I’ll wait.”
“Now, pet, we don’t want to end the fun too soon. Especially after you’ve proven you’re still worthy of the hunt.” He laughed. “Your friend, too. I was hoping you’d both survive. Glad you didn’t disappoint.”
Tierney looked at the others, eyes wide, brow furrowed. “Hunt? What hunt?”
“You’ll see. Now, do me a favor, pet, and keep the phone. I’ve got something very special planned for you.” He paused, another breath sounding over the speaker. “And who knows, maybe I’ll let you bring your friend along.”
The line went dead, the bastard’s words hanging between them like a shroud.
Jordan huffed, snapping her cell closed. “Dispatch couldn’t trace the call. All they got was a nearby repeater tower the signal was jumping off. Not that tracing it to another burner would have helped, but it was worth a shot.”
Tierney stared at the cell. “Something tells me, he’ll give us his coordinates when the time comes.”
Buck took the phone, shoved it in his pocket. He looked at Tierney, noting the dark smudges beneath her eyes. The way her hand trembled ever so slightly before she hid it in the front pocket of her hoodie.
He stared out at the rain, at the fog glowing beneath the lamplight, finally voicing what kept looping through his head. “So, does that mean the team wasn’t here to kill us? That they left the phone on purpose, and this was all some kind of test?”
Tierney shouldered up beside him. “Definitely a test. And an opportunity to deliver an invitation if we survived. The only question is, to what?”