Chapter 29
TWENTY-NINE
Kaylie nervously tappedher fingers against the table, her eyes flickering toward the entrance every few seconds. Ryder and Marshall were unloading weapons and tactical gear she couldn’t identify from the totes that had been waiting for them when they arrived. They exchanged concerned glances, while Jackson worked on his laptop, a veil of concentration on his face. The atmosphere was charged with uncertainty, the minutes stretching into an eternity. Tank had been gone too long, hadn’t he? Why wasn’t anyone trying to find him?
When the door finally creaked open, Kaylie”s heart leaped into her throat. Tank stepped in, fatigue etched on his face. Her eyes immediately sought his, and a wave of relief washed over her at the sight of him. She traced the lines of his expression, searching for any hint of what he had been doing for the last three hours.
There was a new darkness in his gaze, though, and she longed to go to him. A subtle shake of his head was enough to have her lowering back into her chair, trying to ignore the hurt his distance brought. He’d promised they would talk, right? But all the unknowns about their relationship were driving her crazy. He was right, they needed to focus on Lia. But was it too much to ask to know whether he saw a future for them or not?
Ryder, Marshall, and Jackson moved forward, their eyes fixed on their teammate. Kaylie”s pulse quickened, anxiety knotting in her stomach. She waited for Anthony to speak, the anticipation clawing at her insides.
”I”ve got a location,” he finally announced, the words ringing with a hint of victory but tinged with something else. Sorrow? “Call Joey.”
Kaylie watched him closely as Jackson connected their phone to headquarters. Shadows danced in Anthony’s eyes, and for a moment, she wondered about the price he had paid for that piece of information.
Joey”s voice crackled over the phone, breaking the uneasy silence. ”Tell me,” she demanded.
“They’re operating out of an abandoned steel mill on the lake shore,” Anthony said.
Instantly, the tapping of keys echoed through the room as Kaylie held her breath. Joey was muttering to herself, and around the small speakerphone, the team exchanged glances, waiting for her to say something else.
“Son-of-a… You found them, Tank. We know where they are,” Joey announced.
Relief flooded her body. It seemed as though the entire team exhaled, half smiles covering their otherwise grim, focused faces. Joey’s voice continued from the small speaker device. “I’m sending over satellite images and everything else I can find. I don’t know how on earth you knew they were there, but I never would have found this if I didn’t know where to look.”
Anthony grimaced. “Doesn’t matter,” he grumbled.
Things moved quickly around her then as the team debated infiltration strategies and studied satellite images. The old steel mill was situated right on the shore of Lake Michigan. From what she could gather, that gave them several options.
“Water entry is our best bet,” Ryder emphasized, his finger tracing a route on the map displayed on the table. ”No doubt the roads will be guarded, but from the water we can approach stealthily. In the dark, we’ll be practically invisible. Citadel won”t see it coming.”
Marshall, who seemed to always be the voice of caution, interjected, ”But we need to ensure we have a solid exit strategy. If things go south, we can”t afford to be trapped.”
Connor, who had been quietly observing the deliberation, spoke up. ”Sat images show a medical evac helipad at the factory if we can’t get back to the water. Miranda could have someone on standby for a quick extraction if needed.”
Kaylie’s eyes widened at the idea of how much was going into this operation. Helicopters?
Jackson, with his eyes still fixed on the laptop screen, chimed in. “Joey, can you get into their security programs?”
“Not from here, but if one of you can get me a line into their system, I can use that to take it down.”
Marshall had pulled up the satellite images of the factory on a screen. “What we need is a distraction, so they’re not paying attention while we approach from the water.”
As the team finalized the plan, Kaylie felt a surge of tension coiling in her stomach. Tendrils of fear for the team began licking at her insides, threatening to paralyze her. The same way her fear had always forced her to run.
Fight or flight were the main fear responses. But there was a third, one she knew all too well. Freeze.
She’d been running for years, and she’d frozen at the motel, which had allowed Shane Lowell to capture Lia.
This time she wanted to fight. Despite the fear that seemed her constant companion, she wasn’t sitting on the sidelines this time. She’d been wrestling with this feeling since the conference room at Black Tower. An unease at her own helplessness, coupled with a distinct determination to fight for Lia, despite her fear.
It was almost as if her fear were taking a backseat to something else. Her love for Lia wouldn’t allow her to let her fear dictate her decisions anymore. She was done being afraid. What was that verse she’d read? Perfect love casts out fear.
Kaylie took a step forward, interrupting a debate between Marshall and Jackson. ”I can be the diversion. If I can draw their attention away from the main entry point, it might buy you the time you need. Plus, I need to get to Lia.”
Anthony”s gaze flickered toward her, and she could see that he was ready to shut her down. Before he could protest, Jackson interjected. ”It could work. If we create a commotion out front, they might not notice the water entry until it”s too late.”
Anthony was shaking his head. “No, it’s too dangerous.”
She met his gaze squarely, determination blazing in her eyes. ”I have to do this. She’s my daughter. You can’t ask me to sit on the sidelines,” she insisted. “I won’t let fear rule my life anymore,” she added quietly. Then she pleaded silently with him, watching his eyes slowly soften.
Finally, he nodded. “Okay. But you’re wearing a camera so we can see what you see.”
Her heart swelled with recognition of his trust in her. This was her chance to be more than a damsel in distress.
“Tank, no,” Marshall protested. “Lowell will find it in minutes. They’ll check her for bugs.”
Anthony’s eyebrows furrowed and he grunted, apparently agreeing with his teammate’s assertion.
Jackson popped his head up from the laptop. “Hmmm. What if the device is off at first, but she can turn it on after they do a sweep?”
Marshall raised an eyebrow. “Joey? Is that an option?”
It was Miranda’s voice that came through the phone instead. “You’ve got a case of surveillance equipment in your cache. A couple of options, I think. Standard button cam would have the best range, but probably the easiest to detect. There is also an IRIS lens that could work.”
Jackson whistled low, and a rumble came from Anthony’s chest. Kaylie looked around the room, confused. “What? What’s an IRIS lens?”
“Integrated Retinal Imaging System,” came Jackson’s reply. “Basically… think bionic contact lens that lets us see what you see.”
“The range is short, and if you wear it too long, your eye could get irritated,” Miranda interjected.
Kaylie”s eyes widened. The thought of wearing a camera on her eye seemed straight out of a sci-fi movie. She glanced at Anthony, who seemed equally wary of the idea.
“And if they catch you…” Anthony”s voice trailed off, heavy with the unspoken threat. His eyes searched hers for any sign of hesitation.
She took a deep breath, the gravity of the situation settling in. “If it helps us save Lia, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Miranda’s voice came back through the phone again. “You’ll need to teach her how to turn it on once she’s wearing the lens. It’ll automatically piggyback off any available cell phone signal in the vicinity and transmit to the remote viewing and storage device. I’m also sending you the information on the boats you can use. It was short notice, but you’ve got one rigid inflatable and one speed boat. Both have about 350 horsepower.”
At Miranda’s announcement, Connor yelled, “Dibs on the speed boat!” Landon gave him a high-five and Kaylie bit back a laugh that threatened to escape. Connor and Landon were across the room, doing something with really big guns Kaylie had been avoiding watching.
Jackson rolled his eyes at the younger agents and spoke to Miranda again. “Thanks, sweetheart. We’ll make it work.”
Kaylie glanced at Anthony, curious about the relationship there. She’d seen Jackson and Miranda at Black Tower, and while they were rather flirtatious, she’d never seen them act like they were in a relationship.
But Anthony seemed completely unfazed by the exchange. He looked at his watch. “Unfortunately, we don’t have enough time tonight. Sun comes up in three hours. Rest up. Ryder and I will take the boat out this afternoon and see what we can see from the water. Then we go tonight after dark.”
Kaylie sucked in a breath. “When do I go?”
Tank’s eyes met her own, the intensity in their depths threatening to wrap her up and never let go. Her heart pounded in her chest at the emotion she saw swirling on his normally unreadable expression. “Sundown,” he said firmly, finally breaking the connection when he looked away.
She took a deep breath, silencing the rising doubts within her. Lia”s life hung in the balance, and Kaylie would do whatever it took to ensure her safety. But this time she wasn’t alone. That was the mistake she’d made over and over again. Jumping headfirst into decisions without any thought to the Lord’s plans, but instead relying on her own ability. No wonder she was wracked with so much fear.
This time was different though. She was trusting God. And she was trusting Anthony and the team.
Kaylie tried to sleep, knowing that the next twenty-four hours would be grueling, but her mind was restless. Instead of sleeping, she found herself stretched out on one of the cots, watching the team work quietly. She tried on the contact lens, letting herself get used to the feeling and practicing the strange eye movements that would allow her to control the device. Then she removed it so her eye wouldn’t get too irritated.
When she wasn’t planning, she prayed. Desperately, she pleaded for the safety of her daughter and of the team. And mostly, she prayed that her own courage wouldn’t fail and that Lowell’s evil schemes would topple.
Finally, around noon, after nearly two days without it, she finally succumbed to the need for sleep, just as Tank and Ryder headed out to put eyes on the compound ahead of their mission.