Chapter 12
For the first hour of the flight to Miami, Hank briefed the team on what he and Swede had learned from their contact in Miami.
The items that had been stored in the destroyed warehouse had been moved onto a yacht and transported from Miami to an island near Key West.
The source had given them the coordinates for the island and warned them that the island was heavily guarded by men in speed boats with military-grade rifles mounted on them.
The contact warned that the Caldwells had their spies in every government organization.
If they tried to send in the Coast Guard, the FBI or the Florida National Guard, the items would disappear before any of those entities would arrive.
The Brotherhood Protectors had to conduct this operation on their own.
Hank and Swede had tapped into surveillance satellites, zeroing in on the coordinates.
They had downloaded images of a walled compound on the Atlantic side of the island and a secluded, deep-water cove with a dock.
A couple of yachts were moored in the cove with room for more.
The dock was manned by two security guards carrying what appeared to be AR-15 rifles.
The rest of the island was covered in thick jungle-like foliage, the outer edges sporting long stretches of sandy beaches.
Hunter studied the images, committing structures and the layout to memory.
They would arrive in Miami during the day, transfer to a yacht and head south to the coordinates, timing their arrival with dusk. The plan was to move in under cover of darkness, breach the compound’s wall, locate the prisoners and get them off the island.
Hank’s brow furrowed. “It’s not much of a plan, considering we don’t know what we’ll encounter inside the walls of the compound or how many armed guards they have allocated.”
“Word from the dark web is that an online art auction is taking place this evening,” Swede said. “All products will be shipped out once the auction is complete. Tonight.”
“Which means we don’t have time to do a thorough reconnaissance prior to moving in,” Hank said.
“Any idea how they will ship them out?” Savvie asked.
“One of two ways.” Swede pointed to his laptop’s screen with the satellite image of the compound and the dock.
“They can take them out by boat.” He pointed to the walled compound and a large circle within.
“Or they could airlift them out by helicopter. As of this image, there wasn’t a helicopter on the landing pad.
That could change. And the landing pad is large enough for multiple aircraft. ”
“The yacht getting us to the location will be equipped with two inflatable Zodiacs,” Hank said. “The captain will stop far enough out to avoid detection and launch us in the Zodiacs. Then he’ll head back out to sea a bit and wait for our radio signal to return.
“We’ll make a beach landing on opposite sides of the cove entrance and move to the compound on foot. We’ll split up into Eagle Rock and Yellowstone teams. If one team is stalled for any reason, the other can keep moving to the objective.”
Hunter reached for Savvie’s hand. She was part of the Yellowstone team. He’d keep her close.
Hank leaned back. “For now, you might as well rest and conserve energy. It could be a long day and a longer night.”
The men settled back in their seats. Years of special operations missions had conditioned them to take advantage of any downtime to rest. Many closed their eyes and slept.
Hunter sat beside Savvie, still holding her hand. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.
For a long time, Hunter studied her, committing her features to memory. She’d secured her shoulder-length, sandy-blond hair in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. Loose tendrils curved around her chin. Her eyebrows, a slightly darker shade than her hair, arched gracefully.
One of them cocked upward as she opened her eyes. “Caught ya,” she whispered.
“Busted.” He smiled and held up his hands. “Couldn’t help myself. You know you’re beautiful, don’t you?”
She pursed her lips. “Average, at best.”
“Nope.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his head back. “Nothing average about you.”
She chuckled and closed her eyes again. “Whatever. Wake me when we get there.”
Hunter dozed off and on for the remainder of the flight. He was fully awake when the plane touched down at a smaller airport south of Miami international airport.
Once the plane taxied to a stop at the FBO, a portable staircase was rolled up to the side of the aircraft.
Hunter and Savvie each grabbed a go-bag, descended the stairs and crossed the tarmac to the four SUVs lined up for their use.
They loaded equipment into the vehicles, climbed in and drove toward the marina where they’d find the yacht that would take them south to The Keys.
Once everyone was on board, the boat left the marina and headed out to open water.
Hunter and Savvie stood at the front rail for the first hour, only speaking when one or the other noticed something interesting along the shore or in the water.
After a while, they settled inside the lounge area of the yacht.
The other guys were either sleeping or playing cards—anything to pass the time.
Savvie leaned back and closed her eyes.
“Do you ever wonder how your life would’ve turned out if certain tragic events hadn’t shaped your future?” she asked softly.
“I used to,” he answered. “Then I realized it was a waste of time. I am who I am because of what happened. I like to think I became a better man than I was before.”
Savvie snorted. “I don’t know if I’m a better person for having killed my stepfather. Although, definitely a better shot.”
“You care what happens to people who can’t help themselves, or you wouldn’t be on this yacht, headed into a situation we don’t know enough about to predict the outcome. Maybe you’re not necessarily a better person…”
“Gee, thanks.”
He touched her hand. “Because you were a good person to begin with. You tried to save your mother from an abusive situation.”
“And I failed,” Savvie said. “She died anyway.”
“You kept your stepfather from hurting others by taking him down.”
She glanced up at him. “Killing someone doesn’t make me a good person.”
“Trying to protect someone who couldn’t protect herself does. You’re a better person than you give yourself credit for.”
She didn’t respond. Instead, she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
The last rays of sunlight melted into the ocean as they neared their destination. They tested the communications headsets and the radio they’d use to contact the yacht when they’d secured the captives. Last but not least, they applied dark camouflage paint to their faces and any exposed skin.
The captain stopped the yacht a couple of nautical miles short of their target. Far enough away that they couldn’t see the island, and the people on the island couldn’t see them.
The two teams loaded their Zodiacs with weapons and their pockets with ammo, C-4 explosives and a handful of detonators.
Hank handed Hunter a waterproof bag containing one of the two radios that would reach the yacht.
“This bag also contains a satellite phone if all else fails. Contact Kyla. She knows to get word to our guys in the Colorado office. They’re on standby in case things go south.
If things get really bad, she’ll send in the US Navy SEALs. ”
Starlight lit the heavens with a scattering of clouds occasionally blocking the light.
They’d checked the weather less than an hour ago.
A thin line of clouds was headed their way but wasn’t expected to get to the island for a couple of hours.
They needed to get in, find the captives and get back out before the line of showers made the seas too rough to navigate in Zodiacs filled with people.
They had no idea how many captives to expect or how to get them out without subduing every one of the guards the Caldwell mafia had employed.
They climbed aboard the Zodiacs and left the yacht, following the GPS devices loaded with the coordinates.
Stone, being the Navy SEAL, took the helm of the Team Yellowstone boat.
Hunter sat beside Savvie on one side of the boat, salty spray peppering his skin as the craft bounced over low swells.
Dax sat on Hunter’s other side. Carter, Bubba and Moe sat on the opposite side.
He hoped they weren’t heading into a situation where they would be greatly outnumbered.
His gut was knotted. They didn’t know enough about the compound, how many armed men were guarding it, who was in charge or what he was capable of doing.
As the dark silhouette of the island came into view, the Zodiacs split, swinging wide of the entrance to the cove.
Stone headed for the beach on the southeast side of the little island. Starlight lit the way until they were within a hundred yards of shore. A cloud passed overhead, darkening the ocean. The white sand ahead was light enough they could see it and make their way toward it.
The cloud pushed past let the starlight shine brightly down on them.
They weren’t alone.
Racing in from both sides were two motorboats skimming across the ocean’s surface, moving faster than the Zodiac.
With nowhere else to go, Stone pushed their rubber boat as fast as it would go, heading for land.
Shots rang out over the roar of the engine.
Savvie and the team ducked low as the boat pushed forward.
“There are men on shore!” Dax called out.
Too late to change directions, and with boats coming at them from both sides, Stone sped toward the beach, encountering waves the closer they got.
“We’re outnumbered,” Savvie called out.
“They’re shooting over our heads,” Stone said.
“If they capture us, who will save the others?” Savvie grabbed Hunter’s arm. “While they fight, I’m going in.”
He barely heard what she said before she flipped over backward into the water and disappeared.
Hunter’s heart seized. He didn’t think, didn’t analyze, just reacted by tipping backward into a wave, his AR-15 slung crossways over his back.