Hawk thought about Steele. About the operator who'd led this team for five years. About the friend who'd pulled Hawk out of a burning vehicle in Afghanistan. About the soldier who'd stayed behind to buy civilians time to escape because that's who he was.
About the choice Steele had made that had led to this moment.
The radio crackled again. Ghost's voice, tight with controlled alarm. "Communication spike. Nazari's people are preparing for prisoner transfer. Timeline's moved up. They're moving him in three hours, not six."
Three hours. The window had just shrunk by half. If they didn't move now, if they didn't get Steele out in the next three hours, he'd be gone. Disappeared into Syria. Lost.
Hawk made the call. "All teams, we're moving now. Advance timeline. Insertion at 0130. Confirm."
"Shadow Veil confirms," Mara's voice came back immediately. "We're moving."
Bulldog looked at Hawk. "Early insertion. Guards won't be as settled."
"Can't be helped. We move or we lose him."
The team loaded into vehicles without discussion. They'd rehearsed this. Knew their roles. Knew that early insertion meant higher risk but the alternative was unacceptable.
The vehicles rolled out. Headlights off. Night vision active. Moving through Iraqi darkness toward a building where their team leader waited.
Hawk watched the landscape slide past through the windscreen. Thought about all the operations he'd run. All the missions that had gone right and the ones that had gone wrong. All the times he'd made the call that sent men into danger.
This one felt different. This one was personal in a way that went beyond tactics. Beyond strategy. Beyond the operational parameters that governed everything they did.
This was about bringing their own home. About refusing to leave a man behind. About proving that loyalty meant something even when the odds were bad and the risks were high.
The building appeared ahead. Dark. Fortified. Exactly like the intelligence had shown. Lights on in the basement level. Vehicles parked outside. Guards visible on patrol.
Hawk keyed his radio. "Delta Six to Shadow Veil. Eyes on target. Moving into position now."
"Shadow Veil copies. In position on south side. Ready to breach on your mark."
Hawk checked his watch. 0125. Five minutes early. Guards still alert. Timing wasn't ideal but it would have to do.
He looked at his team. At the four men who'd followed him into a hundred firefights. Who'd trusted him with their lives. Who were about to breach a building to rescue a man who'd done the same for them.
"Five minutes," he said. "We go in fast. We get Steele. We get out. No heroes. No unnecessary risks. We do this by the numbers and we all go home."
The team nodded. Ready. Determined. Willing.
The night stretched ahead. Dark. Dangerous. Full of unknowns.
But in five minutes, they'd have answers. In five minutes, they'd either save their team leader or die trying.
Either way, they weren't leaving him behind.
Not ever.
THE RESCUE
Outside Mosul, Iraq0130 Hours
The night vision turned the world into shades of green and black. Mara crouched behind a low wall fifty meters from the target building, watching thermal signatures move behind reinforced walls. Eight guards visible. Two on patrol outside. Six inside covering different levels. All of them armed. All of them between Shadow Veil and the basement where one Delta Force operator was running out of time.
Nadia was to her left, weapon ready, breathing controlled. Kira was to her right with the medical pack that might save Steele's life if they could reach him before Nazari's people moved him to Syria. Three operators against a fortified position. Bad odds on paper. Acceptable odds in practice if they moved fast and hit hard.
Her radio crackled. Hawk's voice, barely above a whisper. "Delta Six in position. North side. Ready to breach on your mark."
Mara keyed her mic. "Shadow Veil copies. Standby for breach."
