24
INCOMING!
TEDDY
Teddy and Greystone stepped aside as President Garrison left the luxury suite en route to the field for the coin toss surrounded by a thick wall of Secret Service agents.
But the President broke through and, with a friendly smile, beelined toward him and Greystone. “Good to see you. Thanks for your protection.” President Garrison shook their hands. “Things running smoothly?”
Not exactly, but that wasn’t something they’d share with the commander in chief before escorting him onto the field.
“Excellent, sir,” Teddy replied.
The large group made their way to the elevators where two canine officers stood, their German Shepherds at the ready.
Minutes later, he and Greystone stood on the sidelines, flanking the President. The pre-game festivities were about to begin. Teddy glanced at Greystone, a knowing look passed between the brothers before they turned their attention to the announcer, positioned on the field at the 50-yard line.
“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,” he boomed through the mic. “Welcome to a rivalry that dates back to 1890. The Army Black Knights versus the Navy Midshipmen. Today, we’d like to welcome the President of the United States, President Garrison, the First Family, and the President’s esteemed guests. To the players, we wish you a strong and safe game played in the true spirit of the armed forces.”
As the announcer continued his speech, Teddy glanced around the packed stadium. In that moment, he realized it didn’t matter how many ALPHA Ops they had patrolling the stadium. The number of law enforcement officers and undercover agents seemed insignificant compared to the sheer size of the crowd. He turned toward the press box and his chest tightened.
In full view of everyone, Sydney and Caroline stood like pillars of strength. Two combat-ready women set apart from the thousands. They stood side by side, Sydney cradling one of the rifles, Caroline’s hand on her holstered weapon.
He spied Sin and Dakota—also in SWAT gear—guarding each side of the press box. If he and Greystone couldn’t guard the sisters, Hawk had picked the best BLACK OPS had to offer. Those two men would fight to their deaths to protect their teammates.
Working alongside these smart, hardworking, and trusted individuals filled Teddy with pride.
The President snapped him back to the moment when he pointed skyward. The Army’s Golden Knights were floating down to the cheers of the rowdy crowd. Teddy stepped onto the field, pressed the binos against his face, and scanned the parachute jumpers for anything suspicious.
Like the pros they were, they all had clean landings. Once they’d gathered up their chutes, they made their way as a unit to the sidelines where a game ball was handed off to a smiling referee.
When the raucous applause died down, the announcer directed everyone skyward again, and the Navy’s Leap Frogs appeared as dots in the late afternoon sky. Looming larger by the second, Teddy cast his gaze upward as the flock of parachuters floated down to the field, making their own stellar landings.
Teddy homed in on the parachuter with the ball. He, and his fellow jumpers, deposited the game ball into the hands of a different ref, shook the man’s hand, waved big at the crowd, as the deafening cheers filled the stadium.
One glance over his shoulder confirmed that Greystone stood by the President, who wore an easy smile and a relaxed stance.
A swarm of people, wearing their Navy and Army dress uniforms, were escorted onto the field to sing the National Anthem. They stood behind six microphones, then someone stepped forward to lead them off. As their majestic voices filled every space in that stadium, Greystone saluted as Teddy placed his hand over his heart. A patriotic moment that made him proud to be an American.
Most people in the stadium and on the field joined in as the choirs sang their hearts out. When he cast his gaze toward the heavens, an airplane caught his attention. A group of three tumbled from the craft and began their long fall toward earth.
“BLACK OPS,” Teddy said into the comm. “Look up. We’ve got incoming. Who are those jumpers?”
“They’re not on the agenda,” Dakota replied.
“I got eyes on them,” Sin said.
“Slash,” Teddy said as he peered through the binos. “Confirm their affiliation.”
“I’m already on it,” Slash replied through the comm.
He changed to the channel reserved for Sydney. “Sydney, do you see the jumpers?” He looked through the binos and foundSydney standing at the edge of the roof, her hand over her heart.
“Sydney, look up.”
He was met with silence, so he jumped back to the other channel. “Caroline, tell Sydney to look up.”
“Got it,” Caroline replied before she tapped Sydney on the shoulder, said something to her.
