He gave a slight nod. Seth turned back to the rest of the operatives. “We have about 30 minutes before lunch arrives. Let’s go back to work.”
By the time lunch arrived, Echo and Artemis had finished planning their approach to the mission plus multiple backup plans in case something went south and they needed to pull out in a hurry.
After polishing off their food, the operatives policed their trash and made a trip to the sub-basement to restock their supplies from the vaults. When they finished, the operatives went to the comm room to pick up their keys from Zane.
“Watch your backs,” Zane said. “Remember how you reacted when you were cops faced with an MC. If you need anything, I’ll be here.”
From there, the operatives went to the changing rooms at the far end of the hall and put on their MC clothes.
Less than ten minutes later, they reassembled in the garage. Elias scowled at the full-size pickup truck he and Iona would take on this mission. “I hope someone thought to provide a ramp to load the bike into the bed of the truck.”
Iona peered into the truck bed and smiled. “Zane forgets nothing. There’s a ramp back here.”
Good. At least that was one problem off his mind. “I don’t suppose you know how to ride a motorcycle, do you?”
Iona held out her hand for the key. “Let’s find out.”
“Babe, this isn’t like our SUVs.”
She wiggled her fingers.
Elias clenched the keys for a moment, then opened his hand and dropped the keys into her palm. He turned. “Seth, will you set the ramp up for Iona?”
“Sure.” His team leader lowered the tailgate and pulled the ramp from the truck bed, set it up, and made sure the ramp was secure. “Want me to ride the bike onto the truck?”
“I’ve got it.” Iona sauntered over to the bike, climbed on board, and cranked it up.
Elias watched as Iona circled the garage and lined the bike up with the ramp. She revved the engine a little and gave the bike enough gas to go up the ramp with no problem. Once she turned off the machine, Seth and Noah strapped down the bike so it wouldn’t shift while they traveled to the compound.
“Where did you learn to ride?” Noah asked.
“Sand Box. My buddies in my unit taught me. Now, I ride on weekends when we’re stateside.”
“What kind of bike do you have?”
“A Honda Rebel 500 and a Harley Davidson Street Glide.”
The men stared. “You ride a Harley Davidson?” Seth’s expression was blank.
Elias was as surprised as Seth, but he was smart enough not to act as if he didn’t believe she could handle a Harley.
Iona folded her arms across her chest and glared at Seth and Noah. “You think I’m lying?”
Noah cleared his throat. “Uh, no. I’m just surprised you wanted a bike that weighs as much as a Harley.”
“Have you ever laid it down?” Seth asked.
“The first time I rode her. It took the help of strangers to get the bike upright again.” She shook her head, amusement in her eyes. “Now that I look back, it was funny. One man told me I needed a smaller, more lightweight bike. I didn’t need a smaller bike. I just needed to know my Harley. After that, every weekend I rode the bike for hours until I was as comfortable with the Harley as I was with my Honda Rebel.”
“How long did that take?”
“About 2,000 hours. It was the best 2,000 hours I ever spent with a machine.”
“Elias is fortunate you know how to ride a motorcycle. He’ll need a driver until his shoulder heals.”
She grinned. “I’ll remind him of that later.”
“You ready, Elias?”
