It says multitudes without a single word.
I want you.
I need you.
I trust you.
And maybe even,I love you.
CHAPTER 16
ACE
“I’m seeing four heat signatures,”Alec murmurs through our comms. “Two near the west end of the building, and two more at the south.”
“Hopefully one of them’s our target,” Garrett replies.
“Intel says it is,” Sawyer says. “Our source hasn’t been wrong yet.”
As I look at the rundown building two hundred yards ahead, I mentally run through our plan. Once we get into position, I’ll set off an explosion at the front as a distraction. Before the smoke clears, I’ll head in with Garrett and Rhett. Right on our heels, Sawyer, Alec, and Levi will breach from the rear. With the six of us against four of them, especially leaning on the element of surprise, we should be able to take out the tangos easily.
Less than ten minutes, and our mission should be complete. Take out Hamid Jafadi, high-ranking Taliban officer, and his associates, obtain proof of death, and get the fuck out before anyone else interferes. Then it’s just two klicks to the exfil point,where a Black Hawk should be ready for us. Two hours from now, we should be back at camp with our mission complete.
Should.
Because we all know that no matter how much we plan, there’s no guarantee of the outcome. Shit can go sideways in the blink of an eye. All it takes is the wrong person spotting us, the explosive fizzling, tangos hiding in a basement beneath the building, where Alec’s thermal camera can’t reach…
“Ready to move in?” Levi asks. As Assistant Detachment Commander, he’s in charge when we’re operating as a split team, which we often do when dealing with ops that require more precision.
“Ready,” we reply in unison.
Muscles tense. Weapons come into position. I reach into my vest pocket to verify that the explosive is still there. I’ve already checked several times, but when it comes to something as critical as this, you can never be too careful.
“Okay,” Levi says. “On my signal.”
His hand comes up in the hold position. In the seconds before it falls, I cast a quick glance at my team. To my best friends. My brothers. And in the case of Garrett, my best friend.
Garrett meets my gaze and lifts his chin in return. He looks calm, like he’s strolling through a park instead of creeping through enemy territory in the dark of night.
Levi’s hand comes down.
One after another, we charge forward, darting from one shadow to another. No one speaks. We don’t have to. We’ve gone over the plan enough times for it to be second nature by now.
A hundred yards out, we gather behind a burned-out building briefly before making our final approach. Levi nods at Alec, who quickly pulls out the thermal camera once more to verify the tangos’ positions. Less than thirty seconds later, Alecjerks his chin in confirmation. “They haven’t moved,” he says, in a tone so low I can barely hear it.
Levi nods in approval. Then he lifts his hand again. “Ace. Garrett. Rhett. Ready?”
We all nod in response.
His hand falls.
Garrett takes off running first, then me, and Rhett at my six.
As we sprint down the darkened alley, we stick close together. It’s eerily silent, save for the shallow sound of my breaths.
My adrenaline surges, just as it always does right before we stage an attack.
I pull the explosive from my pocket and cradle it in my hand. My finger finds the fuse, ready to trigger it.
