“Sounds like a win-win,” Coop exclaimed.
Trevor looked over at him again. “Should’ve been.”
Seated beside him, Derek leaned closely and whispered into his ear. “Dude. You don’t have to go into the details. All they need to know is that Hadim is a major fuckwad who needs to be taken down.”
But Trevor wanted them to know. They needed to understand how important this opportunity was. Not only for him and Jake, but also for those killed as a result of Hadim’s betrayal.
Drawing in a deep breath, Trevor shared with his team the cliff notes version of what happened in Syria.
“The short of it is, Hadim had been a CIA asset for years. He’d helped put several high-value targets away, so when he provided us intel on the guy we were after...”
“You trusted him,” Mac finished for him.
Trevor nodded, his internal struggle to keep it together becoming harder and harder.
“What happened?” The low-spoken question came from the seat behind his. Grant Hill, Alpha Team’s explosives expert, remained quiet as he waited for a response.
Swallowing hard, Trevor stalled while trying to figure out the words to describe the worst day of his life. Thankfully, he didn’t have to.
“Hadim set us up,” Jake answered for him.
Mac’s pretty blue eyes zeroed in on Jake’s. “These files tell us the guy was an enemy of the United States, but they didn’t go into detail.”
Jake looked to Trevor for another nod before continuing. “The intel he gave us was false. Our target and his men were waiting for us. We lost two team members and Lisa, the CIA liaison. Hadim and the man we were after got away.”
“Was the original target ever neutralized?”
“A year later. A team of SEALs cornered him. He fired on them, and they responded by filling him full of holes. And before anyone asks, yes...DNA, fingerprints, and facial rec were all performed after his death to confirm his identity.”
“Damn,” Coop sighed. “Hearing all this shit makes me want to bring this Hadim guy down even more.
“Good,” Jake responded. “Use it. Now, let’s go over the plan so everyone knows what the hell they’re supposed to do once we land.”
Four hours later, the team was suited up and in position. Using the night sky to their advantage, they remained in the shadows as they surrounded the tiny, run-down shack.
The entire, wooden structure was roughly about ten by eight with a window on each side of its door. Through his night vision goggles, Trevor could tell the wood was mismatched and ill-fitted. The person who’d built it was clearly more concerned with utility than appearance.
“Any movement?” Jake’s voice made its way through the coms.
“Negative, boss,” Coop answered first. He and Mac were positioned on opposite ends of the shack. While Coop kept his rifle pointed at the front door, Mac was watching the back.
“I got nothin’,” Derek said from the east side.
“Same here, boss,” Grant agreed. “If our guy is in there, he ain’t moving.”
Crouched beside each other, Jake turned to Trevor and asked, “So, how do you want to play this?”
The question caught Trevor off guard. “You’re the one in charge, not me.”
“You are tonight.”
Trevor opened his mouth to protest, but Jake stopped him. Turning his com volume down, he spoke low. “The men we lost that day were good men. And Lisa...she was yours, man. Now, I know you weren’t in love with her, but she was as close as you’ve ever gotten. And there’s a good chance the bastard who led her to her death is in there, right now. So, I need to know...you good with the plan as-is, or you wanna switch it up?”
Jake’s words stirred up a whirlwind of emotions, and Trevor waited a moment for them to settle before responding. Part of him wanted to be the first one through the door, their original plan was the safest for the team.
Trevor stared back at the shack. “Those men we lost weren’t good. They were the best. And Lisa...” He shook his head. “She was a great agent and a good friend. I want to give them the justice they all deserve, but...” After a blowing out a long, slow breath, he looked back at Jake. “I’m not losing another teammate to this asshole. We stick with the plan.”
With one, sharp nod, Jake returned the volume on his com to its usual setting and gave the order. “All right, boys and girl...it’s show time. Mac...keep your eyes out back. D and Coop, either of you see Hadim, take his ass out. Trevor and I will have cover Hill. Grant, you ready?”
