She ended the call and sat there for a moment, feeling the weight of what she was about to do. Tomorrow they'd fly to Iraq. In three days, they'd hit that compound. In four days, ifeverything went right, fifteen women would be free and Shadow Veil would be on their way home.
And Logan would never know she'd been in danger. Would never know she'd operated in his old area. Would never have to worry about something he couldn't control.
It was the right call. She was sure of it.
Mostly sure of it.
Day six. Wheels up at 0600.
The team assembled at the private airfield with their gear staged and ready. Full tactical loadout for everyone. Medical supplies for fifteen patients. Communications equipment. Everything they'd need for a complex extraction in hostile territory.
Mara did a final check with each team member. Nadia confirmed tactical plans. Reese verified flight routes. Winter accounted for every piece of equipment. Kira reviewed medical protocols. Quinn confirmed intelligence was still solid. Harper had arranged for the compound to be covered in their absence, minimal staff to keep things running.
Everyone was ready. Focused. In the operational mindset that made them effective.
Reese started the engines on the aircraft they'd chartered. Not military. Not government. Just a private plane that wouldn't raise flags flying into northern Iraq. The kind of gray-area transportation that had served them well for years.
Mara took one last look at her phone. No messages from Logan. He was probably in training. Wouldn't even know she was gone until she didn't answer his call tonight. By then,she'd be in Iraq. Out of communication range. Focused on the mission.
She pocketed the phone and climbed aboard the aircraft.
The team settled into their seats. Nadia ran through tactical scenarios one more time. Kira reviewed medical supplies. Winter checked weapons. Quinn monitored intelligence feeds. Everyone doing what they did best.
The plane taxied to the runway. Through the window, Mara watched Louisiana fall away. The bayou. The compound. Home. Everything they were leaving behind to save fifteen strangers in a country half a world away.
The aircraft lifted off and turned east. Toward Iraq. Toward the operation. Toward whatever waited for them in a region that had already changed her life once.
Mara closed her eyes and tried not to think about Logan. About the conversation they'd have when she got back. About whether she'd made the right call keeping this from him.
The mission came first. It always came first.
She just hoped he'd understand that when she finally told him the truth.
THE AMBUSH
Northern Iraq - 40km Southeast of Erbil
The compound looked exactly like the satellite imagery had promised. Single-story structure. Walled courtyard. Two visible entrances. Guard rotations running like clockwork. Mara watched through her scope from an elevated position three hundred meters out, providing overwatch while her team prepared to move in.
"Overwatch in position," she reported quietly into her comms. "Count eight guards on perimeter. Two at main gate. Three roaming. Three stationary positions. Multiple vehicles in courtyard, probably buyer security."
"Copy, Overwatch," Nadia's voice came back. "Assault teams ready. Waiting for your mark."
Mara scanned the compound one more time. The sale was happening now, inside the main building. Through her scope she could see movement through windows. Shadows of people gathering. This was it. Fifteen women about to be sold to the highest bidders if Shadow Veil didn't stop it.
She checked her watch. Guard rotation in ninety seconds. "Stand by. Rotation coming up. Execute on my mark in three... two... one... mark."
Everything happened fast.
Nadia's team hit the main gate with a shaped charge that blew the lock without making enough noise to alert the whole region. Winter's team went over the east wall using grappling hooks and tactical ladders. Kira followed Winter, medical pack ready. They moved like shadows, fast and silent, converging on the main building from two directions.
Through her scope, Mara watched the guards react. Confusion first. Then alarm. But by the time they understood what was happening, Shadow Veil was already inside. She took out two guards who were moving to flank Nadia's position. Clean shots. Center mass. They dropped and her team kept moving.
"Main building breached," Nadia reported. "Multiple hostiles inside. Engaging."
Mara shifted her aim to cover the entrances. More guards pouring out of a side building she hadn't seen on the satellite imagery. She dropped three in quick succession, giving her team time to push deeper into the compound. Her rifle was an extension of her will. Point. Breathe. Squeeze. Target down. Next target.
"We have the women," Winter's voice came through. "Fifteen confirmed. Some injured. Kira's doing triage."
