Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
The truck lurches forward as we exit the dirt road. All of us get tossed around until Justice inserts the truck into an open spot in the woods, ending the tense ride.
Doors fly open, I punch the seat belt button for Marianna and drag her across the leather. “That’s gonna have to wait. It's go-time.”
Her eyes were wide already, but she starts blinking a million miles an hour as Scout and Justice sling their rifles over their shoulders. Nearby, Vik’s men are gearing up too.
I grab her bare hand. “Fuck, we need some gloves for you.”
Justice tosses me a pair. “These will be big, but they’ll keep her covered.”
Kissing her crown, I push them into her hands. “Put these on, babe.”
“Pull your hood up too.” Scout drops a black baseball cap on her head.
When she’s kitted up, I tug her to me by the front of her jacket, wishing I could kiss her, but knowing I’ll mess up our camouflage. “You stay with me. Hold onto my belt. Step where I step. Don’t talk. Don’t move if I tell you not to. You and I are just going to be eyes and ears. The boys are going in. Got it?”
She nods her head both up and down and side to side. “Okay. I think. It’s really dark, how will we see?”
I reach into the duffel bag at my feet and pull out my NVGs. “These puppies right here.”
“Do we get to play with those sometime?”
Dayummmm. I’ve got a dirty mind. I doubt she’s talking about running around in the woods naked, but you never know…
I lean in and whisper next to her ear. “If you’re a good girl, I might let you. I’ve even got handcuffs.”
She pinches my stomach, making me chuckle.
The other guys gather around us—a wall of black-clad, gun-toting warriors that scream military training. Silent and serious, they line up with their boss.
I don’t know these men at all, but their leader has earned my trust over the last few days. And he’s got the local intel.
Vik clears his throat. “Everyone, listen up. Last brief. We move north 2 clicks. Compound has a three-meter-high fence. My team will breach barrier and enter garage to get targets. Your team takes perimeter.”
He glances at one of his men, a dark-eyed, merciless-looking bastard with a scar slicing across his lips. “You grab the guy that was in her house.”
The man grunts.
Vik looks at another man, this one built like a pitbull. “You clear on your job?”
The man silently nods, his thick neck muscles flexing.
Vik turns his hard stare my way. “You set?”
“Copy. I’m overwatch. M’s with me. Scout and Justice are on the outside in case anyone squirts.”
He tips his chin and makes a circular motion with his hand. “Let’s go stir up the hornet’s nest.”
“V, how many hostiles are in the compound?”
He shrugs. “Eight to twelve, tops. But they are boys. A bunch of delinquents.”
My teammates and I share a glance. We’d all like more intel. But Vik is tight-lipped as fuck. Right now, I just want to know who and why someone was in Marianna’s house.
But I can’t ignore the heavy feeling in my gut. Something tells me this could be tied to the bomb.
Bombs.
And Vik and his boys? Clear as fucking mud on what they are up to. He and I need to have a long talk, but right now, we need to get this shit done.
I throw my bag in the truck and shut the door. “Let’s fucking go.”
End of conversation.
The two teams—nine of us total, including Marianna—move toward the woods. It’s a risk for us to be here, not knowing Vik’s team’s motivation beyond helping me get the guy who broke into the house.
But Justice and Scout wanted in. Classic Agile Security & Rescue style. They’ve got my back. Dammit. I shake my head. I owe them big.
Scout smacks my back, launching me forward. “You good?”
“Roger that.”
He tugs on Marianna’s jacket sleeve. “Stay close to him, champ.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be like a monkey on his back.”
She’s already glued to my side. It’s easy to imagine that this world is scary as fuck to her. But I’m proud of her. She’s holding up well.
As we start to move toward the edge of the forest, a familiar tension sets up in my body. I know how to do this. I’ve done it hundreds of times. The hum of adrenaline is the best fucking buzz. This time, amplified by the fact that Marianna’s with us.
She’s safe. I’ve got her. She’s with us. The team has her.
I reach back and squeeze her hand.
I’ve almost convinced myself everything will be fine until one of Vik’s men screams.