If looks could kill, she’d be dead where she lay.
“Then by all means,boss,” Sinclair seethed. “Make the fucking call. But I suggest you do it sooner rather than later. Unless, of course, you plan on turning this rescue mission into a very expensive recovery job.”
Asshole.
Natalia had been awarded the opportunity to lead this team because she’d freaking earned it. Not on her back, as was the rumor Keith and others undoubtedly believed.
Major assholes.
She’d earned the position through years of blood, sweat, hard work, and dedication. So screw Sinclair and anyone else who questioned her knowledge or skills.
Natalia reached for the small mic attached to the tactical protective vest covering her entire torso. With a tight squeeze, she pressed and held the button on the side, keying the comms unit to life.
“Overwatch, this is Alpha One.” She used her call sign instead of her actual name.
The channels they used were supposed to be encrypted and secured. Even so, she’d played the game long enough to know better than to fully trust technology to keep her and her team safe.
“Go ahead, Alpha One.” A slightly staticky voice came through the small speaker.
“Be advised, my team and I are initiating breach protocol now.”
“Copy that, Alpha One. I show you initiating breach protocol, and we’re on our way to you. ETA ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes,” Natalia repeated. “Hard copy, Overwatch. See you on the flipside.” She released the mic and looked to the man directly to her left. “You ready to roll?”
Julian sent his typically sly grin her way. “I thought you’d never ask.” His southern accent was thick with excitement.
“You know, you could at leasttryto act a little intimidated by the fact that we’re about to walk straight into the lion’s den.”
“Eh.” He waved the comment away. “Lions are just really big cats.”
“Yeah, with giant claws and a lethal bite.” Natalia scoffed.
Not surprising, Keith remained silent as he stood. Together, they began the trek down the steep, uneven hill.
“Keep your eyes peeled, gentlemen,” she reminded her men as their boots kicked up small clouds of sand-colored dirt.
A quick glance in either direction confirmed the twelve-man tactical group assigned to their op was on the move as well.
The two teams forged quietly ahead, moving silently toward the enemy. As they did, Natalia reminded herself that Keith’s assessment of the situation was right.
Keith was right. We can’t leave without confirming whether the hostages have been moved.
Not that she’d ever admit to the guy’s face that his point had been valid.Plus, the sooner they cleared the building, the sooner Natalia would be back home, relaxing in a tub filled to the rim with hot, sudsy water.
Bonus points if the bubbled oasis included a spicy romance novel.
Focus, dammit!
Her expression remained unwavering despite her mind’s temporary detour. She had to stay sharp, her attention undivided.
At worst, she could cost someone their life. At best, a screw-up would add fuel to Keith’s flames of doubt where she was concerned. So Natalia cleared her mind of anything non-mission-related and prepared herself for battle.
A thin layer of sweat began beading across her partially covered forehead. A single drop became noticeable beneath her protective layers as it slowly crawled its way down the length of her spine.
This was it. The moment right before all hell broke loose. What she referred to as the calm before the storm.
Seeds of uncertainty still made their presence known deep inside her gut, and that doubt was a heavy weight to bear. But she ignored it. Convinced herself that Keith had been right to push. Because when it came down to it, the annoying agent was damn good at his job.
