Chapter 22 #2
"Do it," Hawk ordered. "Logan, you need to be ready for the possibility that command says no. That they decide the risk of a hostage complication outweighs the value of the mission."
"They won't say no. Nazari's high-value. They've been trying to get him for months. They're not going to abort just because there might be a hostage situation." Logan's voice was hard. "And even if they do, we're still going. Official mission or not, we're getting Mara out of there."
"Agreed," Hawk said. "But let's try to keep this official if we can. Easier to explain to a court-martial board if we were following orders instead of going rogue."
The team broke to prepare. Ghost disappeared into the SCIF to build his intelligence analysis.
Risk started reviewing medical protocols for hostage extraction.
Joker coordinated equipment loadout with the possibility of bringing back an injured prisoner.
Bulldog reached out to Beth to give her an update, keeping the details vague but letting her know they had a lead.
Logan went back to his quarters and tried to think tactically instead of emotionally.
Mara was alive. She had to be alive. Nazari would keep her alive because dead hostages had no value.
He'd interrogate her. Try to find out what she knew about Shadow Veil, about their operations, about the rescue that had cost him his family.
The thought of what Mara might be going through right now made Logan's stomach turn. But he forced himself to stay focused. Getting emotional wouldn't help her. Following the training would. Trusting the team would. Executing the mission properly would.
Two hours later, they were back in the briefing room. This time with their company commander present via video conference. Ghost presented his analysis. Clean. Professional. Showing the patterns that suggested Nazari might be holding an American hostage at the target compound.
"Based on what evidence?" the commander asked.
"Pattern analysis, sir. Nazari held an American prisoner four months ago.
He lost that prisoner when we assaulted his compound.
He lost his family in the same operation.
Psychologically, taking another American prisoner would fit his revenge profile.
Additionally, there's been chatter in the region about an American woman being moved through Mosul area approximately thirty-six hours ago.
Unconfirmed but worth noting." Ghost pulled up the intelligence.
"I recommend we plan for the possibility of hostage rescue as part of the Nazari operation. "
The commander was quiet for a moment, reviewing the data. "This is speculative."
"Yes sir. But so is most intelligence until we verify it on the ground." Ghost's tone was respectful but firm. "I'd rather plan for a hostage situation that doesn't exist than fail to plan for one that does."
"Agreed. You'll have ISR support to identify potential prisoner locations before you go in.
If we confirm a hostage, rules of engagement will prioritize rescue.
If we can't confirm, the mission proceeds as briefed with Nazari as primary target.
" The commander looked at Hawk. "Your team good with the modified parameters? "
"Yes sir. We're good."
"Then you're still wheels up in forty-eight hours. Use the time to prepare for both scenarios. Nazari interdiction and potential hostage rescue. Dismissed."
The video conference ended. The team looked at each other. They had their mission. They had authorization. They had two days to prepare.
"It's really happening," Bulldog said quietly.
"It's really happening," Hawk confirmed. "We're going to get her back."
Logan felt something settle in his chest. The cold rage was still there. The fear for Mara was still there. But now there was purpose. Direction. A mission with a timeline and objectives and rules of engagement.
He had forty-eight hours to prepare. Forty-eight hours to make sure he was ready for whatever they'd find when they hit that compound. Forty-eight hours before he'd be in Iraq with a chance to bring Mara home.
"Let's get to work," he said.
The team moved into action. Reviewing the compound layout. Planning entry points. Identifying likely locations where a prisoner would be held. Coordinating with ISR to get updated imagery. Building contingency plans for every scenario they could imagine.
Logan worked with an intensity that bordered on obsessive.
Every detail mattered. Every variable had to be accounted for.
Because this wasn't just another mission.
This was Mara. This was the woman who'd come for him when she didn't have to.
The woman who'd risked everything to pull him out of hell.
Risk pulled him aside that afternoon. "You need to be ready for what we might find."
"I know what we might find."
"Do you? Because right now you're operating on hope and determination.
But Nazari's had her for almost two days.
Two days of interrogation. Two days of whatever he does to prisoners.
" Risk's voice was quiet but firm. "She might be hurt.
She might be traumatized. She might not be the same person you've been texting every night. "
"I know that." Logan's jaw was tight. "But it doesn't change anything. We're still getting her out."
"I'm not saying we're not. I'm saying you need to prepare yourself mentally for what condition she'll be in.
Because if you freeze up when you see her, if you let emotion override training, you'll get her killed.
You'll get all of us killed." Risk met his eyes.
"I need to know you can do this. That you can compartmentalize until we're clear. "
Logan wanted to argue. Wanted to say that he'd be fine, that he could handle whatever they found. But Risk was right. Seeing Mara hurt, seeing what Nazari had done to her, that might break something in him that he couldn't afford to have broken during an operation.
"I'll hold it together," he said finally. "I'll get her out first. Fall apart after."
"Good. Because we're going to need you sharp." Risk clapped his shoulder. "She's alive, Logan. Nazari keeps prisoners alive. That's what he does. Whatever shape she's in, she's breathing. Hold onto that."
Ghost found him later in the equipment room doing a third check on his loadout.
"Got updated ISR imagery. Thermal shows approximately fifteen heat signatures in the compound.
Most concentrated in the main building. But there's one isolated signature in a structure on the east side.
Small building. Single occupant. Could be a prisoner.
Could be a guard. But it's worth noting. "
Logan pulled up the imagery on Ghost's tablet. The isolated heat signature was in a building that looked like it might have been storage. Small. Away from the main activity. Exactly where you'd keep a prisoner if you wanted them isolated.
"That's her," Logan said with certainty.
"Maybe. But we can't assume. Could be anyone." Ghost enlarged the image. "But tactically, if I were holding a high-value prisoner, that's where I'd put them. Away from daily operations. Easy to guard. Defensible."
"Then that's our primary target. We secure that building first."
"Negative. Primary target is still Nazari. We can't lose sight of the mission." Ghost's tone was patient. "But we can adjust our approach to put us in position to check that building during the assault. If it's Mara, we extract her. If it's not, we continue to primary objective."
Logan nodded, forcing himself to think tactically. Nazari was the mission. Mara was the complication. But a complication they could account for if they planned properly.
The next forty-eight hours were the longest of Logan's life. Every hour felt like a day. Every minute stretched into eternity. But finally, mercifully, it was time.
Wheels up at 0400. The team loaded onto the C-17 with full combat loadout. Hawk did a final brief during the flight, going over contingencies and rules of engagement one more time. Everyone knew their role. Everyone understood the stakes.
Logan sat in the cargo bay trying to keep his mind clear. Trying not to think about what Mara might be going through. Trying to focus on the mission. On the training. On doing everything right so that when they hit that compound, they'd have the best chance of bringing her home.
Now it was his turn.
And he wasn't going to fail.
Whatever Nazari had done to her, whatever condition she was in, Logan would find her. Would get her out. Would make sure she came home safe.
That was a promise.
And Logan Reed always kept his promises.
Forty-eight hours.
Then wheels up to Iraq.
Then one way or another, Mara was coming home.