“After how she handled herself during the bank situation and what you’ve been telling me about her training, I think she’s ready,” Gage said. “Don’t you?”
Khaki held her breath. She didn’t know exactly what they were talking about, but she’d come to expect the worst.
Xander didn’t even hesitate. “She’s more than ready.”
She hadn’t expected that. Just another indication that she didn’t have a clue what went on in Xander’s head. Then again, what woman could understand men anyway? Their logic rarely made sense to anyone but themselves.
Khaki quickly put on her tactical gear and pulled the straps snug, then climbed into the SUV with Cooper, Becker, and Alex. All they knew was that a little girl had been kidnapped and the DPD wanted their help with the rescue.
The on-scene commander, an older lieutenant named Matthews, filled them in as soon as they got to the subdivision.
“The girl’s name is Melissa Kincaide. She was taken a little over an hour and a half ago,” he said as they all gathered around the back of the SWAT operations vehicle.
Well, not all of them. Trevor was in the operations vehicle with one of the city’s civilian negotiators, trying to establish communications with the man who owned the house they were parked down the street from.
“The mother and two other neighbors were with their children waiting for the bus to take them to school this morning,” Matthews continued. “As they were getting on the bus, the suspect drove up and grabbed Melissa, then sped away.”
“Any chance they misidentified the suspect?” Xander asked.
The lieutenant shook his head. “No. All three of the adults and half the kids recognized Clete Reynolds. They’ve seen him around the neighborhood.”
Khaki didn’t miss the worried looks that passed between her teammates. She hadn’t dealt with a lot of hostage situations, but it couldn’t be good that the man hadn’t even tried to hide his face during the abduction, hadn’t cared if someone recognized him.
“And before you even ask, there isn’t any family connection between the little girl and Reynolds,” the lieutenant added. “It’s as if he simply wanted to grab one of the kids at the bus stop and Melissa was the one he ended up with. When a patrol car showed up, he shot at them. My guys pulled back and set up the barricades, then got the nearby houses evacuated. One of the officers slipped around the back of the place and peeked in a few windows. He never saw the girl, but the suspect is in there with an arsenal of weapons.”
Xander continued talking to the on-scene commander while she and the guys got their weapons. Even though Khaki was new to all this, she had a feeling this wasn’t going to end well.
Trevor came out of the operations vehicle as Khaki was double-checking her M4, worry etching his brow.
“We’ve been trying to talk Reynolds into coming out, or at least letting the girl go, but the guy isn’t exactly rational,” he said. “I can’t even confirm the man has the girl, much less where he’s holding her. One second he’s telling me he hasn’t done anything wrong, and the next he’s shouting that he’ll die before he lets us take away what’s his. I’ll keep trying, but this guy has a hair trigger. He could snap at any second.”
Xander nodded, then turned to her and the rest of the guys. “We don’t have time for a detailed plan, so we’ll just keep it simple. We have a one-floor ranch with a basement. Since the patrol officer didn’t see the girl when he looked in the windows, there’s a good chance she’s in the basement. Max and Hale, I want you two on the back, right side. Alex and Khaki, you have the back side left. Max, the power box is on your corner, so you’ll kill the power on my word.”
“Roger that,” Max said.
“Cooper, Becker, and I will be at the front of the house,” Xander continued. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to lure Reynolds there while the rest of you find the girl and get her out. We’ll try to take Reynolds alive, but Melissa Kincaide is our first priority. Everyone stay alert. We go in on my command.”
Khaki’s heart raced as she and the guys approached the house. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the terrified people lining the police barricades at the end of the street. Lieutenant Matthews was standing off to one side trying to comfort a woman who was probably Melissa’s mother. The woman was holding on to a little girl’s Hello Kitty book bag and a pretty pink cardigan sweater for dear life. The moment the woman saw them moving toward the house, she broke loose from the lieutenant’s hold and dashed around the barricade, running straight to Khaki.
“He took my little girl,” the woman sobbed, clutching Khaki’s arm. “You have to bring her back to me. Please.”
Khaki opened her mouth to reassure her, but the woman didn’t give Khaki a chance.
“Take this,” she beseeched, shoving the little pink sweater into Khaki’s hand. “Lissa dropped it. She’s going to need it when you find her. She gets cold so easily.”
Tears misted Khaki’s eyes and she blinked them away as she gently put the sweater back in the woman’s hands. “We’re going to bring your little girl out of there safe and sound, and when we do, you can give Melissa her sweater, okay?”
The woman nodded, fresh sobs racking her body as she clutched the sweater to her chest. Then Matthews was there, securing the woman in a firm but gentle grip. The lieutenant gave Khaki a nod before leading the woman back toward the barricade.
Khaki turned to catch up to the team to find them waiting for her.
“You ready for this?” Xander asked in that same soft voice he’d used when he taught her how to shift enough to see in the dark.
She nodded. “I’m ready.”
“Good.” The corner of his mouth edged up. “Be careful, huh?”
“You too.”
