Chapter 19 Running with the Devil #2
“Call me Kathrine,” she said with a smile before she scooted off with the pot.
Teddy eyed Sydney and Caroline huddled close on the sofa talking while Greystone watched the football game.
“Those two are close,” Mark said. “Kathrine and I are fortunate for that. Sydney was the sweetest big sister, always looking out for Car, even when she was going through her own stuff.”
“Sydney’s an amazing woman.”
“She is,” Mark replied. “So… I could use some good news.”
“She’s got me, if she wants me. I want to be the person she can count on, for whatever, whenever.”
Mark slapped him on the back, then extended his hand. “I appreciate that. She said you’re a good man—the best—which makes me happy… and a little sad. No dad wants to be replaced.”
“You’re not,” Teddy said. “I’m just getting looped into the mayhem.”
Mark threw his head back and laughed. “Are you talking about the conversation you overheard the other night when Z and Gabriel were here?”
“That was nothing,” Teddy said. “Did you hear what happened when the mission went down?”
“Gabriel is a loose cannon,” Mark said. “He had to drop off the grid.”
“He’s always been dangerous and reckless,” Teddy said. “If he’s not careful, he’ll get himself killed.”
“That’s what worries me,” Mark replied.
Teddy glanced over as Sydney looked his way. Even from across the room, the love in her eyes touched his heart. She was his forever person. His one and only. His soulmate.
“I’ve never seen her look at anyone the way she looks at you,” Mark said. “I wondered who would capture her heart. You seem like a good man, Tank. I’m glad it’s you.”
“I love her,” Teddy said. “Hang on a second.” He sidled next to Kathrine who was peering into the oven.
“Kathrine, can I borrow you real quick?” Teddy asked her.
Once she joined her husband, Teddy murmured, “I’d like to get your blessing. I know it might sound crazy, Sydney and I haven’t known each other long—”
“Mark and I knew each other a few months before he proposed,” Kathrine said.
“When you know, you know,” Mark added.
“Absolutely,” Teddy replied.
Kathrine smiled. “We’ve heard wonderful things about you from Caroline, from Grey, and from Gabriel. We see the type of man you are, and we think you’re a great fit for our Sydney. She’s tough on the outside, but tender-hearted at her core. She’s been through a lot in her young life.”
“Do I have your blessing?” Teddy glanced from Kathrine to Mark.
“Yes,” they both said.
Kathrine gave him a hug and Mark extended his hand again.
“Absolutely,” Kathrine added.
“Absolutely what?” Sydney asked as she joined them.
“To looping Tank into the Austin mayhem,” Mark said, and everyone laughed.
“Did you tell them?” Sydney asked.
Teddy shook his head. “Of course not.”
“Tell us what?” Kathrine said. “Did you elope?”
“Did who elope?” Caroline asked, Greystone by her side.
“No way,” Sydney replied.
“I was telling your parents how much I love you,” Teddy said. “They like me, I like them. It’s all good.”
“What about us?” Caroline asked, and everyone laughed.
“I love you guys too,” Teddy said. “Group hug.”
As laughter filled the room and the family came together in a tangled mess, Teddy felt complete. But he also knew that for every moment of happiness, there were four times as many hardships coming down the pike.
The eighty-twenty rule… in reverse.
He was hoping that, one day, he could tip the scales to his advantage. But as long as he was hunting the worst of humanity, he would spend his days and his nights chasing the twenty percent.
The Thanksgiving meal was delicious. He ate too much turkey, too much stuffing, just enough homemade cranberry sauce, four rolls too many, and a giant scoop of mashed potatoes. When he skipped the steamed broccoli, Sydney placed a single floret in the center of his plate.
“Gotta eat your veggies,” she said.
“As you wish,” he replied before popping the floret into his mouth.
“I’m surprised Aunt Valerie and Robby aren’t here,” Sydney said.
“They were coming,” Kathrine said, “but after I told her that you and Caroline were bringing Grey and Tank with you, Aunt Valerie texted me that Robby had surprised her with a trip to Arizona.”
Sydney glanced over at him, and he was waiting.
Had Robby realized the gig was up, so he bolted?
“Things are gonna get ugly,” Teddy muttered under his breath.
“They sure as hell are,” Sydney replied, a wicked grin brightening her eyes. “And I can’t wait.”
AT THREE ON SUNDAY MORNING, two ALPHA SUVs drove onto the quiet street in the pitch-black neighborhood at Lake Willow outside Winchester, Virginia. Teddy turned off the headlights, but kept the parking lights on. Seconds later, the headlights of the SUV tailing them also went dark.
The trip had taken slightly over an hour, but the prep had started hours earlier. Prior to their sit-down strategy session, Teddy had done a thorough search for surveillance cameras at the cabin. If there were any, they were offline.
The foursome—Teddy and Sydney, Greystone and Caroline—anticipated that anyone at the lakeside cabin would get alerted to their arrival. They fully expected enemy fire before their feet hit the ground.
They’d reviewed every conceivable possibility. Haqazzii and all his lieutenants were squirreled away there. Robby Waters was with them. Robby was alone. There could be women in the cabin. The cabin could be empty, or vacationers could have rented the cabin for the long, holiday weekend.
Sydney and Caroline recalled that the majority of lake homes stayed empty until spring. Once the weather warmed, families returned for weekends and summer stays.
Their mission was simple. Locate, isolate, and annihilate.
Anyone else in the cabin would get arrested. Being a holiday weekend, the BLACK OPS team had a limited crew, but that didn’t deter them.
The time to move on the cabin was now.
“Turn left here,” Sydney said. After Teddy did, she added, “there’s a road just ahead on the right. Take that. The house is the last one on the street. It’s set away from the other homes and surrounded by woods. The lake is down a long set of steps in the back.”
Teddy followed her directions, coming to a stop at the top of a long driveway.
He killed the parking lights, cut the engine.
Greystone pulled up alongside and did the same.
They exited the dark vehicles, opened the hatches.
On went their helmets, down went their night goggles.
As soon as they tugged on their tight black gloves, they pulled their weapons from their holsters, and did a quick comms check.
“Let’s rock this,” Teddy murmured.
While they’d discussed going in guns-a-blazing, they’d opted for stealth. Teddy would clear the main house, Sydney would take the detached garage, and Caroline and Greystone would continue through the woods and down the back steps to check the oversized boat house.
After the threesome vanished out of sight, Teddy set off toward the cabin, bathed in darkness, against a starry sky. He tried the front door. Locked. Sydney’s mom had found a spare key she’d never given back. Teddy tried it, it worked, and he slipped inside.
He swept his gaze around the open living area searching for targets, but he was alone. The sofas and recliners stood empty. As he walked toward the bathroom, he confirmed no one was hiding under the kitchen table.
What struck him was how unlived-in the home looked, like it had been closed for the winter.
Nothing out of place like a throw on the sofa or dishes in the sink to indicate anyone was staying there.
A quick clear of the front bathroom revealed no toothbrushes, no dirty towels.
Even the lid on the toilet seat was folded down.
Despite the intense mission, Teddy felt no fear. Yes, adrenaline pumped through him, but that kept him sharp… kept him on point, his senses on high-alert.
The house creaked. He stilled. For as large as he was, he moved through the living space in a stealthy silence. The first bedroom door was closed. He skipped that one and the second bedroom, strode down the hall to the primary.
As he pushed open the door, he stood with his back against the wall.
Silence.
He peered around the doorframe. The large bed was made, the pillows neatly stacked. He looked under the king bed. No one was hiding there.
After a quick check of the unused bathroom and the empty closet, he tried the window.
It was locked from the inside. On he went to the second bedroom.
Also empty. Once he’d finished clearing the third bedroom, he confirmed the back door was bolted.
If the terrorists had snuck out and vanished into the woods, they wouldn’t have stopped to lock the door.
But that wasn’t their MO. Had they been there, they would have already made their presence known with gunfire.
His last task? Clearing the basement. Using the old, wooden door as a shield, he slowly opened it. It squeaked on its rusty hinges. He stilled, but again was met with silence. After several seconds, he opened it, and he waited.
Nothing.
One step at a time, he ventured down the stairs knowing full well that he could be walking into a trap. Even so, he was filled with blood lust and determined to take down Haqazzii and his men.
SYDNEY
Sydney was ready to deep-six these men but, even more so, she was searching for someone she’d never planned on hunting.
Her cousin.
She flicked her gaze to Caroline and Grey as they disappeared down the long flight of wooden steps leading to the lake front.
With her attention on the detached two-car garage, she set out.
Here we go.
The lake air was cold, the frigid breeze whipping across her cheeks. The gear kept her warm, the Kevlar vest hugged her. It was a reminder she had protection, but she wasn’t out of danger.