Chapter 8
––––––––
“Listen up.”
All eyes turned to the front of the plane where Jake McQueen, owner of R.I.S.C. and Alpha Team’s leader, stood. The cabin’s interior lights reflected off the guy’s shiny new wedding band as he stood with his hands resting low on his hips.
“I assume you’ve all had a chance to look through the files Ryker put together for us. I’d like to go over the highlights before we land to make sure we’re all on the same page.”
The sound of papers rustling filled the air, and their boss waited a few seconds for everyone to gather the files they’d been handed as they boarded the plane.
“According to Homeland’s intel, Omar Hamid was sighted two weeks ago, then again three days ago in Guettara, Algeria. He’s believed to be hiding out in the desert just outside the city.”
“Why Algeria?” Coop asked from across the aisle.
Trevor swiveled his head to the young sniper who was sitting across the aisle from him. “What do you mean?”
Coop’s green eyes moved from Jake’s to Trevor’s. “From what I read here”—the young sniper tapped the manila folder in his lap—“this Hadim guy seriously pissed off a lot of our country’s higher-ups several years ago and has been hiding out ever since.”
“And?” Trevor asked.
“And, the U.S. has a pretty good relationship with Algeria. From what I understand, their law enforcement and security channels all support us.”
“What’s your point, Coop?” Jake asked.
“My point is this asshole’s been hiding out for nearly a decade. There’s been no sign of him, and there’s been no chatter of any kind. Then, all of a sudden, he’s spotted in a country where we’re not only welcomed but supported?” The guy shrugged one of his broad shoulders. “Just seems odd to me, that’s all.”
“He’s gone home,” Trevor mumbled the words more to himself than the others. But the private jet was small and everyone was within earshot.
“Home?” McKenna “Mac” Kelly asked from the seat facing Coop’s. As was typical for an op, her blond hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Like Trevor and the others, she was dressed in desert camo.
“Omar Hadim grew up in Guettara,” Trevor informed the group. “His mother still lives there.”
Mac’s gaze became quizzical. “That information wasn’t included in the file I was given.”
There were several murmurs of agreement, and Trevor understood why. Only he and Jake had been given Hadim’s entire file.
Rather than answer her immediately, Trevor shifted his gaze to the front of the cabin. He and Jake shared a look before Jake gave him a slight nod.
Filling his lungs, Trevor did his best to push his emotions aside as he filled the rest of Alpha Team in on what he and Jake—and of course, Derek—already knew.
“A little over nine years ago, a CIA liaison was assigned to our Delta Force team. Her job was to assist us in capturing a guy we’d been after for several months. The CIA had intel, and we had the means and the manpower.”
