Chapter Twenty-Four
Friday
HORVAN WAITED until Saul gave him the nod before moving to stand in front of the men and women who’d squeezed into the command tent. Behind him was a white screen, and Dellan was in charge of the laptop, the images ready. Low chatter filled the air, but what was noticeable was the absence of laughter. After three days of exercises and preparation, these guys were more than ready to get into the action.
That was fine in Horvan’s book. He wanted every last one of them to be focused on the briefing.
“Okay, guys.”
That was all it took to gain complete silence.
“We go in before dawn tomorrow, and we have only two goals—to remove every last prisoner unharmed, and to capture a Tier One personality. I repeat, capture . We need this guy alive.” He gestured to Saul, who joined him at the front.
“We’ve had eyes on the enemy camp since we got here, and everything we’ve seen so far confirmed our intel.” He glanced at Dellan. “This is our target.”
On the screen a detailed sketch of Fielding’s face flashed up.
“We don’t have photos of this guy, but believe me, this is as close as it gets to a likeness. I should know. I’ve seen him, and it isn’t a face you could easily forget.” Saul straightened. “So here’s what you all wanna know. Mission time from incursion to extraction is to be no longer than thirty minutes.”
That didn’t cause a ripple. The team was used to tight schedules.
“Every one of you will have facial recognition software linked to your headgear cams. We have photos on file of all the prisoners and the guards and other personnel. So check everyone . There will be no guards claiming to be prisoners, you got that?”
“Affirmative,” Crank muttered.
Horvan had no clue how Crank and Saul were holding it together. Vic had to be in their thoughts constantly, and if it had been Rael or Dellan in the hands of the enemy, Horvan knew he’d be sorely distracted. To their credit, Saul and Crank both put on a brave front. Vic’s capture wasn’t common knowledge, and they were keeping it that way.
Let’s pray Fielding knows where Vic is.
As for him sharing that knowledge? Horvan would leave that interrogation to Saul and Crank. And if he won’t tell us what he knows, we might need to lock him in a room with Brick for a while with a reminder that he was responsible for them holding one of his mates. I hope he enjoys pain.
“Crank is in charge of taking down our target. He’s one of only a few who’ve seen this guy.” Saul scanned the faces before him. “Under no circumstances is lethal ammo to be used on this target. Crank will be armed with tranq bullets.”
Horvan stepped forward. “Dawn is at oh five twenty-eight, so infiltration is set for oh four hundred. We’ve timed it to coincide with the scheduled arrival of a delivery truck. We’re gonna hijack it to gain entry to the camp.”
“Yeah, about the delivery guys…. Do we eliminate them?” Dex asked.
Horvan frowned. “They’re not the enemy. According to our source, they just work for the delivery company.”
Dex frowned. “The Gerans let humans on the base? I didn’t think they’d be happy about that.”
“Of course they’re happy,” Crank retorted. “Weak humans serving strong shifters? What’s wrong with that?”
Dex huffed. “I see your point.”
“You’ve all been assigned your teams,” Horvan continued. “So listen up. Team A will be led by Saul and Brick. You’ll be approaching the camp through the forests to the north and west. Your first tasks are to take out the perimeter guard towers on those sides and secure the airfield. We’re gonna need that for evac.”
“Team B will be led by Johan Deerling, and they’ll be approaching in RIBs on the Saint John River that runs along the south of the compound. Hashtag’s already with Johan’s team, and he’s in charge of drones. He’ll be our eye in the sky.”
Murmurs of appreciation followed Saul’s words.
“Team B will take out perimeter guards to the south and east.” Saul gave the nod to Eve, who rose to her feet. “Duncan will lead Team C, along with Roadkill and Crank. They’ll be waiting on Old River Road to intercept the delivery truck. Then they’ll drive to the camp.”
Horvan glanced at Dellan, then pointed to the screen. “This is the map of the compound. You’ve all seen it. Well, now we can confirm locations.” He indicated the upper righthand corner. “This is the gate. One way in, one way out. Now get this. No one is to make a move until we have confirmation that Team C is inside the camp and has control of the gate. They’ll take out the guards on duty and cut off the power to the electrified fence. Once they’re in place, no one gets to leave the camp. Our trucks will be waiting at the gate to bring us back here.”
Saul indicated the blocks to the northeast corner. “This is the medical block, and this is the experimentation block. Doc Tranter and his medics will go in with Team A, and their job is to seize all records, drugs, tech….” He paused. “Okay, here’s the bad news. We know the Gerans have developed a drug that can suppress shifts. And the good news? Thanks to our source, we know where this is stored. Once the guards have been incapacitated with tranq darts, we intend using this drug on them. We don’t want any of them coming round and shifting on us.” He pointed again to the screen. “These five blocks contain the prisoners, roughly thirty to each block. I want every last one rounded up and moved toward the airfield to await evac.” He pointed again. “These four blocks are the barracks, housing roughly seventy guards. We use flash-bang grenades and gas bombs to gain entry. Both lethal and nonlethal ammo are authorized, but get this—lethal ammo only to be used if you’re fired upon. And once the perimeter guards have been immobilized, all teams will mop up any remaining guards. All weapons will have HK417 laser flashlights, and all headgear will have thermal vision eye pieces.”
“Where’s Fielding gonna be?” Crank asked.
Horvan pointed to one of the barracks. “In here. He’s been given a room to himself. His bodyguards are in with the regular guards. Dellan, next photo, please.” Milo’s face filled the screen. “Now, memorize this face. This is Milo Keppler, captain of the guard. Under no circumstances are any of you to use lethal ammo on this guy, you got that?”
“Why are we sparing this dude?” a voice called out. “He’s a Geran, isn’t he?”
Horvan glared at the speaker. “He’s the reason we have all the intel we do. And it’s been confirmed by another source. I don’t have to tell you guys, intelligence is the most powerful weapon we have. We don’t want them to know Keppler’s our mole, so don’t treat him any different, okay? Tranq him if you have to, for appearance’s sake. But when we leave, we bring him with us.”
“Two Apache helicopters will control the sky,” Saul continued, “and three Chinooks will land on the airfield to evac all the prisoners. They’ll be flown to the forward operating base in Brunswick.” He surveyed the faces before him. “We have two goals, remember. Rescuing the prisoners and taking Fielding alive.”
“Once the Chinooks are out of there, we come back here, take down the camp, and load everything into the C-17,” Horvan announced. “Rendezvous at Brunswick to refuel before heading back to Illinois.”
“Are we sending Fielding to Brunswick too?” Eve asked.
“Yes, but he goes in one of the Apaches, with Crank,” Horvan replied. “Aelryn has made plans to take the rescued prisoners to several safe places where they’ll be cared for. Well, most of the prisoners. Three will be coming home with us.” He smiled at Dellan.
Finding Jake, Jamie, and Seth was gonna make for some emotional reunions.
“What about the guards?” someone asked.
“Leave ’em where they drop. They aren’t our concern once we’ve got what we came for.” Horvan grinned. “I’m sure their superiors will have a lot of questions for them.”
“Hey, H. Does the kitty have its own headgear and weapon?” someone called out. That earned him a few chuckles.
A snort came from Brick. “The kitty has built-in weapons. They’re called claws. And he’ll be staying right here.”
“Okay, that’s it. Briefing over.” Horvan put his hands on his hips. “Get some sleep, because we’re up awful early, and I want you all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”
The soldiers stood and filed out of the tent while Dellan disconnected the projector, leaving the team leaders behind.
“H, I’m gonna go spend some time with Aric,” Brick told him.
Horvan gave him a sympathetic glance. “Not long now and you’ll all be together.” He waited until Brick had left before sighing. “He’s still a mess. He’d better keep a lid on it tomorrow.”
“I’ll watch out for him,” Saul told him. “I could do with something else to keep my mind occupied.” He grinned.
Crank huffed. “Like your mind isn’t already overtaxed.”
“I don’t have to worry about you, do I?”
Crank smiled. “No, sir. I’ll be just fine.” He glanced at Eve. “We’re gonna give those delivery guys a change of cargo.”
“It’ll be you and me up front,” Roadkill reminded him.
“I’m not ready for bed yet,” Eve held her hand out to Roadkill. “Want to take a walk and look at the sunset?”
“I could do with a little romance.” Roadkill chuckled. “And seeing as I can’t share your cot bed—not without attracting a lot of unwelcome attention at any rate—I’ll take all I can get.”
DELLAN PUSHED the three cot beds together. “I guess there have to be some perks to being Joint Team Leader. Getting to sleep alone in the command tent is one of them.”
Rael dumped the sleeping bags onto the beds. “You call these things a perk? I think we were more comfortable sleeping on the ground sheet. At least then there wasn’t a steel frame poking me the whole night.”
Dellan laughed. “No, that was Horvan’s dick, but I can see how you could confuse the two.”
Horvan rolled his eyes. “We’ll be back in our own bed soon enough. You can put up with one more night.”
Dellan walked over to the tent flap and stared out into the inky blackness. No light pollution made for a gloriously starry night, the pinpoints of light as numerous as a sprinkling of salt on a layer of black velvet.
“Hard to believe we’re so close to Dad and Jamie,” he murmured. He knew without turning that the reassuring warm hand on his shoulder was Horvan’s. Dellan leaned back, breathing in the smell that reminded him of home—of love.
“You’ll see them tomorrow.”
“Yes, but that’s the scary part. The last time I saw my dad, I was seven years old. I know what he looks like, sure, but….” His throat tightened.
“But you won’t know him,” Horvan finished.
“We’ll have so much to learn about each other. And it makes me nervous.”
Rael joined them. “Don’t be. He’s probably just as nervous. He’s about to meet his sons-in-law.”
Horvan blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Well, how else would you describe us? Okay, so we don’t have a piece of paper, but we’ll be together for as long as we live.”
“Maybe longer,” Dellan mused. “I’m holding out for an afterlife.”
Horvan’s arms enveloped him, and he leaned against that broad chest. “I don’t have to remind you that you’re staying here tomorrow, do I?” Horvan’s voice was a reassuring rumble that reverberated through Dellan.
“But—”
“But nothing,” Horvan interjected. “This is going to be dangerous. I don’t want you within a mile of that camp.” He tightened his arms around Dellan. “Can’t risk losing you. Either of you.”
Rael reached up and stroked Horvan’s cheek. “We know. But you have to understand why Dellan wants to be there.”
“Doc will take care of Jake and Jamie.” Horvan’s voice brimmed with confidence, and that went a little way to easing Dellan’s aching heart.
“Just bring Dad back to me. Bring both of them back.”
“CAN I sleep with you?”
Brick frowned. “You think that’s such a good idea?” He glanced at the tent’s other occupants, most of whom were already out of sight beneath sleeping bags. Okay, they were a diverse crowd, and Lord knew they’d seen plenty of shenanigans over the years, but he didn’t think they were ready to share a tent with two guys sleeping together.
Aric rolled his eyes. “I don’t mean like this. Can’t I shift and curl up with you?”
He smiled. “I guess we can do that.” He liked the idea of having a warm fuzz ball snuggled against him.
Brick .
He froze. Seth?
Thank God. They’ve been running nonstop tests for the last two days. God knows what they’re trying to discover. Where are you? It must be someplace close.
Brick wanted to weep with relief. We’re not too far away. And we’ll be there early tomorrow.
I’ll be awake. And waiting. Want me to spread the word? I can do it quietly.
Brick thought fast. Only if you trust them. We don’t want anyone telling the bad guys we’re coming a day early.
Okay. Now… where’s my favorite kitty?
Aric snorted. Waiting to get a word in. And I’ll be waiting too.
Gods, I want to hold you both so much.
Brick wanted that too, but he had to stay focused.
Soon, baby. Now try to get at least a few hours’ sleep. We’ll be there before it gets light.
I’ll know when you’re near. And I’ll be the one wanting a hug. He chuckled. The rest of what I want will have to wait until we’ve got some privacy.
Beside him, Aric’s face flushed.
With everything going on around them, their first time together had completely slipped Brick’s mind. And thinking about it on the eve of a mission was not a good thing.
What do you expect? You’ve got two virgin mates. You think that’s something they’re gonna forget? What are you, delusional?
Yeah, what was he thinking?
Aric? One last thing. This VIP who arrived today… we’ve already met him.
We have? Who is he?
There was a pause. Remember in Bozeman? The guy you called Scary Man?
Brick couldn’t miss the violent tremors that racked Aric’s slim form.
Oh shit. I hoped I’d seen the last of him.
Brick, you need to take this guy out. I mean it. He just reeks bad news.
Brick would do whatever it took to keep his mates safe.
Unfortunately, taking him out would have to wait.
They needed that bastard.
CRANK LAY on his back, staring at the roof of the tent above him, a single light hanging from it. “I can’t hear him.”
On the cot bed beside him, Saul let out a sigh. “Me neither.”
He swallowed. “I can’t do this. Sorry, but this business with Vic is eatin’ me alive.”
He caught the sound of a zipper, and a moment later, Saul lay beside him, making for a cozy fit but welcome as fuck. Saul slid his arm under Crank’s neck and pressed his forehead to Crank’s. “You can do this. You’re gonna find Fielding before anyone else, and you’re gonna take that fucker down. Because if anyone knows where Vic is, it’ll be him.”
Crank closed his eyes. “But what if we can’t find him?”
Saul gave him a gentle kiss. “We will. Because the alternative is unthinkable.”
ROADKILL GAZED up at the millions of stars twinkling in the jet-black sky. Their camp was maybe seventy feet away, and no noise reached them. Trees stood around them, their canopies black against the sky, shadows that blocked the stars. “We should be asleep. We’re out of here before everyone else.” At his side, Eve chuckled, and he turned to gaze at her. “What’s funny about that?”
She let out the cutest little snort. “Hashtag.”
“You heard him? How come I didn’t?”
“Because he told me to give you something from him.”
“But why is that a secret?”
Eve sighed heavily. “He wanted it to be a surprise.” She glanced around them. “Which is why we’re standing in the forest.”
“Huh?” Then Roadkill’s breath caught in his throat as Eve knelt on the ground in front of him and unzipped his pants. Gentle fingers released his cock from his shorts. As her lips touched it, a shiver ran through him, but it wasn’t because of what Eve was doing. This was something else.
Your nipples are sensitive, aren’t they? Hashtag sounded as if he was enjoying himself.
What ? Roadkill found it difficult to concentrate.
This is a very different kind of scene. While she’s sucking you, I’m going to make you squirm.
And how are you going to—holy fuck! There was a tongue in his ass. A tongue. In his freakin’ ass . How are you doing this?
They were going to make him come in record time.
Remember when Eve let us feel her pleasure? Same basics. I might not be there with you, but it doesn’t mean I can’t play too.
Roadkill groaned. “In case I forget to tell you… I love my surprise.”
Eve chuckled. Okay, this is awesome. I get to suck and talk at the same time.
Focus, soldier , Hashtag admonished.
Sir, yes, sir.
DOC WALKED around the camp, enjoying the sounds of night birds, the breeze stirring the leaves on the trees, the occasional noise from the airfield a mile from their camp. Sleep had eluded him so far, and while he knew this wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, he put the root of his insomnia down to one thing.
Or should that be one person?
He’d been thinking a lot lately about Jake Carson. Remembering him when they’d first met. Their conversations. His laughter. The light in his eyes.
He disappeared before I could tell him how I felt.
Except Doc would never have done that. Jake and Miranda were happy. Anyone could see that. Why would he do anything to spoil that?
When he learned Miranda had died, he looked her up. He still felt the circumstances surrounding her death were suspicious and that the Gerans were implicated.
Then his mind returned to thoughts of Jake.
I’ll see him tomorrow.
What do I say to him?
He couldn’t reveal the truth. Besides, he’d fallen for Jake a long time ago. Who was to say he’d feel the same way when they met again?
No, I can’t tell him. But I can renew our friendship.
After all these years, Doc would take that as a win.