From the expression on Kole’s face, Nate thought his words had finally begun to sink in. But then, albeit using a much calmer voice, Kole said, “I’m not blind, Nate. I saw the way you looked at her in there. Everyone did. It’s obvious you two have some sort of connection, or whatever. But, I know Gracelynn, and I’m telling you, she doesn’t do the whole casual thing.”
“And I’m going to tell you for the last time, Gracie and I are just friends. Now, will you please get out of my way so we can go do the job we’ve been hired to do?”
Kole stared back at him for a few seconds longer before giving him a single nod and stepping to the side.
“If you two ladies are finished arguing, the rest of us would like to fly our asses out of here.”
Both men looked up to see Matt sticking his head out of the plane’s open door.
“Keep your panties on, King,” Kole yelled back.
Nate expected Matt to flip them off. What he didn’t expect was for the guy to push his pants down and start shaking his bare ass at them.
“Jesus, that guy needs to grow the fuck up, already,” Kole muttered beside him.
“What, like we have?” Nate asked with an incredulous smirk.
“Touché.”
Kole’s silent laugh told Nate all was forgiven. Although, deep down, Nate was still a little ticked off.
No, he wasn’t looking for a relationship, but if hedidwant to start something with Gracie, it wasn’t any of Kole’s business.
Nate was a grown-ass man, and Gracie was one fine, intelligent woman. If they wanted to go fuck like bunnies in the back of his truck, they could. And there was nothing anybody could say about it.
Aaaand…just like that, the crotch of his jeans began to tighten.
Nate knew he’d have to keep those and any other thoughts about Gracie at bay for the duration of this op. If Kole saw him sporting a woody while thinking about his almost-sister-in-law, he’d kick Nate’s ass for sure.
Once the team was finally settled and airborne, Gabe walked to the front of the jet to debrief them on the details of their mission. Once their team leader started talking, it wasn’t hard to push everything else out of his head.
The bastard they were after was one mean sonofabitch. And if Edric Yavuz was in bed with the monster, the United States could be at risk for a whole lot more than just a broken treaty.
“Alright, gentlemen. Listen up. This man is our initial mark. He’s been an informant for Ryker’s people for a while now. Our job is to locate him and get him to tell us where we can find our real target, Achim Akmar.”
Nate and the others each opened the folders they’d been given. On top was a copy of the same picture Gabe was holding up.
“Who is he?” Zade asked the obvious.
“Name’s Baran Karas. Goes by Barry.”
“Karas…that’s a Greek surname, right?” Nate asked curiously.
“Barry’s mom is Turkish. His father was Greek,” Gabe explained. “His dad died when he was still a baby, after which, Barry’s mom moved them back to Turkey to be closer to family.”
“So, how did this guy become an informant for the U.S.?”
Nate couldn’t help himself. Curious by nature, he was always that kid who asked a billion questions about a topic no one else in the class gave a shit about.
Probably why he went into the tech field. He loved learning new information. About pretty much everything.
Not bothering to hide his frustration, Gabe answered with, “Don’t know, and I honestly don’t give a rat’s ass, Carter. What’s important is, this guy was the informant Seal Team Five was slated to meet with the day their Humvee’s got blown into a million fucking pieces. It’s also believed he knows the whereabouts of Akmar. Now, we don’t know if Karas was directly involved with what happened to our guys, nor do we even know for sure he has intel about Akmar. Either way, we need to find him.”
“Duly noted.” Nate motioned for their team leader to continue.
Gabe continued to address the team. “Inside each folder, you’ll find the most up-to-date information we have on Karas. When we land in Ankara, we’ll check into our rooms, deal with our clothes and shit, and meet back at the café down the block from where we’re staying.”
Ankara was Turkey’s capital and, lucky for them, a relatively safe place for Americans to visit.
