He lowered the binoculars for a moment and closed his eyes, wishing things were different. But they weren't. His body had been damaged when their team had been hit. He'd lost more than his job. He'd lost the stability he depended on.
If he’d been in top shape, there was no way Brent would have gotten the jump on him. He needed to spend more time working on his strength. But even if he worked out hard and got back some strength, he would never have what he had before.
Now, he was dizzy because of the concussion. Viewing the world through binoculars wasn’t great even when he felt good. This was close to torture.
They’d been out here for hours, and he worried the guys were close to giving up. If they didn’t find Brent here, they might never find him.
He lifted his binoculars to look again when the front door of the house opened. Whoever was coming out had two boxesin their arms, half obscuring their face. Thario tracked the dude as he made his way out to a vehicle and opened the trunk. The boxes went in, and the man turned so he was facing Thario. For a half second, he feared the guy would see him, but he was too far away. The man stood for a good ten counts, not turning away. No question, it was Brent.
“That’s him,” Thario said into coms.
They’d passed out earbuds that were hooked into communication devices. It was nice to be hooked up to his guys like this. Operating this way reminded him of his past, which was a good thing, but also bad. He’d wasted too much of his life before the explosion that changed everything.
He wasn't a SEAL, and they weren't operating. His buddies were doing him a favor. That was all. He was thankful they were helping him, and he wouldn't allow what he'd lost to spiral him into missing his old life. He was happy, well, once the headache went away, he would be happy.
“We should pull back and come up with a plan,” Griz said.
“I don’t want him to get away,” Thario said.
“He won’t,” Sharp said.
"I'm going to call in more guys," Squat said. "We can surround the place and get in. He won't have a chance."
“He could end up firing on us,” Sharp said.
“We should move on him when he has boxes in his hands,” Thario said.
Griz grunted. “That means we need to move now.”
Thario liked that idea. He wanted this bastard caught and punished.
“Do you think anyone else is inside?” Griz asked.
“I haven’t seen anyone,” Squat said.
“You’re right. We should do this while he can’t grab a gun. Like when his arms are full of boxes,” Griz said.
Sharp huffed out a breath. "You're right. If we attack while he's inside, he'll grab a gun, and we're on American soil. We can't operate here."
“I’ll come from the left,” Squat said.
“I’ll go in from the right,” Griz said.
“I’ll move in straight ahead,” Sharp added.
Thario watched, anticipation making it hard to breathe. He wanted to be right there with the guys, but he was stuck in the car because he was no longer an operator.
Once they caught Brent and had him under control, he would move closer and get answers. He needed to know what Brent was up to and why he’d attacked.
Thario waited not so patiently for Brent to step out again with boxes. It seemed like it would never happen, but then he opened the door and sure enough, his hands were full.
Thario's heart picked up speed as he watched his three buddies move into action. Brent caught sight of Squat first, but by the time he realized three guys were approaching him, Griz and Sharp were already too close.
Thario moved, heading over to the house as quickly as he could. By the time he got to the house, the guys had Brent inside. When he stepped in, he could hear Brent yelling at someone to help him.
He took in the situation, seeing his three buddies holding Brent on the ground and a woman in the kitchen staring wide-eyed at them.
“Calla, get one of my guns and shoot them!” Brent yelled.
