Chapter Thirteen
Julie jolted upright when a blast rumbled through the safe house. She shot to her feet from the couch, gripping Isaac’s hand so hard, her knuckles were white. The hair lifted on the nape of her neck as a sick sensation hardened her stomach. One moment, she’d been in a deep sleep, wrapped up in total contentment, and the next the house had shaken beneath them. Rowan was already at the entrance of the room, holding a still sleeping Sabrina. Isaac was on his feet and an unspoken look passed between him and his partner.
“Into the safe room,” Rowan barked. Gone was the affable redhead and in his place stood a battle-hardened SEAL.
He led the way down the hall and into one room that opened into another. This room had monitors lining the wall, displaying different angles from the cameras surrounding the property. Julie took Sabrina from Rowan’s arms and went to sit with her on the couch at the back of the room. She was beginning to wake. How much trauma could one kid take in such a short period of time? Rowan and Isaac were surveying the monitors, talking in hushed tones. She’d given the monitors a few glances over Sabrina’s head as she cuddled her close. Dozens of men poured over the screens like ants spilling from the sand. They were breaching the property and some had even made their way into the house above them. How had they been found? She started to sing softly to Sabrina, trying to keep her calm. Isaac and Rowan were professionals, and she had no doubt they already had a plan A, B, and C in the works. They would do everything in their power to keep her and Sabrina safe. Still, that didn’t stop her heart rate from spiking or for a drop of sweat to leave an icy trail down her back. She wasn’t just scared for Sabrina. She was scared for Isaac and Rowan, too, who wouldn’t think twice about putting themselves in harm’s way in an effort to keep them safe.
Another blast sounded above, quaking the walls in the small room. A sense of dread hit Julie, making her heart stumble into an irregular beat. There was no way Isaac had just opened his heart to her, only for them to lose each other. He might be the warrior, but she would do anything in her power to protect him, too.
****
Isaac didn’t dare glance back at Julie and Sabrina huddled on the couch. When he thought about them, thought of what could happen, fear immobilized him. He had to treat this like any other mission. Analyze the threat and develop a plan to eliminate it.
“Those men aren’t FBI or law-enforcement.” Rowan scanned the screens, zooming in on the men flooding the property.
“They could be private security.” Even as he said the words, he knew they weren’t true. These men had come at them as a group, but they were disorganized and appeared to have no law enforcement or military training.
“I can take the tunnel exit. It runs beneath the property about half a mile into the forest then I can backtrack and pick them off as I go.” Rowan turned, opening a cabinet that held a dozen different weapons.
“There’s only one of you and over a dozen of them. I don’t like those odds. You might get a few good shots off, but as soon as you start taking them out, they’ll start firing on you.” He reached for the solid material of a bullet proof vest and yanked it on.
Rowan shook his head. “You have to stay here with Julie and Sabrina.”
“We both know our best chance of taking them down is together. We need to keep as many alive as possible, so my brother can take them in for questioning.
“Get a message to your brothers. Tell them our location and that we will have some hostages for them within the hour.”
As he picked up the phone to dial Gus, he could hear Julie singing softly to Sabrina. He couldn’t lose her. He needed to get a lock on his emotions before he did something stupid and got them all killed. His hands were already trembling at the thought of Julie being taken from him as he lifted the receiver and dialed home.
“Gus, we have a situation. Rowan’s property is surrounded. I’m gonna give you the location. We should have hostages for Easton to take within the hour. If something happens get Julie and Sabrina out, there’s a safe room hidden within another room at the end of the hall to the left.” He rattled off the coordinates, trying to keep his breath steady. This wasn’t some mission. This was Julie and an innocent child that had been caught up in a fucked up situation. He hung up the phone, immediately diverting his attention back to the situation.
Isaac crossed the room doing his best to project calm—even though an unexpected sense of dread pooled in his gut. Rowan had been his teammate on countless missions. He knew what they were capable of. Knew they could neutralize the group of men trying to breach the safehouse with ease, and yet, his gut was screaming at him that something wasn’t right.
“What are you thinking?” Rowan picked up on his unease before Isaac voiced his concerns.
“Something feels off.”
His teammate looked toward the couch. “Let’s split up. I’ve got this.”
“No.” Jules stood from the couch and crossed the room. “I’ll take care of Sabrina. You need to work as a team. There are too many of them out there.”
If only he could tell her she was wrong. That tactically it wouldn’t matter if one or both went, but he couldn’t. Julie was right. If they were going to have a shot at neutralizing the situation and taking some of the intruders alive, it was going to take more than one of them, no matter how skilled. Light pressure on his side made him glance down. Sabrina has silently tip-toed across the floor and was staring up at him with wide green eyes. He leaned down and lifted her up. The slight weight of holding a child in his arms gave his heart a pang. He’d guard Sabrina with his life whether Vesey was alive or dead. “Everything’s gonna be okay,” he said in a soft voice. “But I need you to do exactly what Julie says.”
She gave a serious nod, small chin set. “Julie says.”
“Good, sweetheart. That’s good.” He lowered Sabrina to the ground and cupped the back of Julie’s neck, bringing her forehead to his. “We’re going to surround them from behind. Promise me you’ll stay in the safe room no matter what.”
Julie nodded, then rocked up onto the balls of her feet and gave him a brief kiss. “Go. We’ll be fine.”
“So brave,” he murmured the words in her ear, dragged in her light, flowery scent. Hoped like hell it wouldn’t be the last time he held all her beauty and light in his hands. He released her, lead anchoring in his gut. Ignoring his instincts was something he rarely, if ever, did. Of course his emotions were insisting on staying by Julie’s side while his more rational mind demanded the opposite. To do what was best to ensure survival.
Julie squared her shoulders and Isaac’s throat went tight. Instead of crying or getting hysterical, his Julie put on a brave face. She was incredible, and he didn’t know how he held out from her for so long. Rowan was opening the cabinet that housed weapons and gear. He wasted no time slipping his arms through a bullet proof tactical vest and securing as many weapons as he could to his body. Isaac moved across the room and kissed Julie hard and gave Sabrina a hug and some reassuring words. A crack splintered through the air, and Isaac and Rowan exchanged a glance. They had to get going. Now. Rowan made fast work of unlocking the second door within the room. This one led to the tunnel, which was an alternate escape route. The space was large enough to stand if they hunched over. They jogged single file down the concrete hall. With every step, the pressure in his chest intensified. He couldn’t shake the sense that this was the wrong move. If he was going to keep them safe, he had to focus and lock down his emotions. Hope like hell he hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of his life leaving Julie and Sabrina alone.