CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
JOSH
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The Humvee comes skidding to a stop at the entrance, and I instruct Marshall to head back and pick up Aidan and Cole.
“We’ll be right behind you.” He gives me a pointed look.
“No, stay here and tell Aidan to get Ryder and Declan out here, pronto.”
“Yes, sir.”
Law enforcement pulls in as I stride across the unpaved lot. Hayden and Jake follow me. The cop stops and jams his thumbs into his belt. “What’s going on, Josh?”
Yeah, they know me.
“Cartel showed up again. Breached the perimeter and set off the alarms. They were armed, inside the compound and began shooting at my men. We have bodies.”
“Shit.” He shakes his head and starts talking into his comms.
“Josh!” A couple of our guys come running, and puffing, one forces his words out. “We followed the Humvee as far as we could on foot after they smashed through the gate.”
The fuck for? I’m about to ask when they explain.
“One of the trainees was in the back.”
My brows bunch. “Who?”
“It’s Quinn. XO Parker.”
Are you fucking kidding me? The little pocket rocket brunette that Noah clearly has something going on with jumped into the vehicle?
Yeah, I notice everything. But it wasn’t interfering with his work or her training, so I kept my thoughts to myself. From what I could see, Parker is a high-quality GI, and I hoped she’d give me a call after completing the course here.
I see now that I’d missed something vital.
They aren’t just fucking. She’s put herself in danger, so either the sex is incredible, or the two are in love.
My money is on the latter.
Why the fuck else would she leap into the Humvee with Noah?
I messaged Aidan when I heard the vehicle had blasted through security gates, and he told me Noah had taken off with it to search for any cartel that had broken through their defense.
Putting two and two together, it’s now clear he found some and was ambushed.
At least he’s not lying dead somewhere in the compound. If Quinn went with him and was able to notify our security, then at this point, I’m going to believe he’s still alive.
I run my fingers through my hair.
Never leave a man behind might be the Marine motto, but I don’t know a single person in the military who thinks any differently.
“All right. Let’s prepare to extract Quinn and Noah.” I growl, pointing at my guys and barking further instructions.
The cop takes a step back, which is exactly what he should do.
I’m a SEAL. Aidan is a Marine. Extraction is what we do, and I’m not letting law enforcement get in the way.
“Ah, sir—”
“Do what you need with the bodies and filing your report, but we’re getting our men back. I need you to stay out of our way,” I instruct him.
“This isn’t a military—”
“You want to attend their funerals, son?”
“No, sir.”
“Then move out of our way.”
It takes him less than two seconds to nod and step to the side.
“Get Quinn’s phone number for me now!” I yell as I press Travis, my head of IT’s, mobile number and put the phone to my ear.
“Boss. If this is about—” He yawns halfway through, but I interject.
“I need you to trace one of our vehicles now. They have Noah.”
“Shit,” Travis curses. “Give me two minutes.”
“You have one.” I march into the administration building after giving him the license plate, rip open the armory and start tossing out weapons. “Someone get me an M20.”
Commonly known in the movies as a bazooka. That should get their fucking attention.
I am not losing a man. Nor one of my trainees who is likely to be his girl.
Jesus, when did I become a romantic?
Cassy is going to love this bedtime story when I get home.