Page 3 of Rafe’s Future

“Always saving the best for last, I see,” Damien Pascal spoke without provocation. His tone was filled with boredom as he shared, “Still all alone in the van, as usual. But hey, that’s why they pay me the big bucks.”

Lena ignored the urge to smile. “Alpha Two, you got eyes on Kozlova’s and Haddad’s men?”

“Affirmative,” Rafe confirmed. “Their drivers are standing watch by their respective cars.”

“I have a clear view of the drivers as well,” Sabrina added. “Obvious bulges beneath their jackets, left hips.”

“Don’t worry, Boss,” Caleb chimed back in. “First sign of trouble, we’ll be ready to roll.”

“I’m counting on it.” She went to the toilet and flushed before turning on the water, washing her hands to keep up the ruse. “Remember, the goal is a simple snatch and grab. As soon as Kozlova and Haddad leave, Alpha Five will drive up, Two will take out the drivers, and Three and Four will get our targets into the van.”

“And you’ll be right on our six. Right, Boss?” Caleb asked.

“Damn straight.” Lena snorted. “I miss the comforts of my apartment too much to stick around.”

A few snickers came through the mic as she turned and reached for the door. Schooling her expression, she left the tiny bathroom and made her way back to the restaurant’s main area. There was a table free directly across from their targets, but she chose one a little farther down to avoid drawing attention her way.

Lena sat near the front, shifting her body in a way she partially faced the criminal masterminds without appearing too obvious. Over the next several minutes, Kozlova and Haddad held what she could only describe as a civil conversation. Two businessmen discussing the terms of their deal.

Two horrible humans who needed to be stopped.

Both men stood and shook hands with matching smiles, signaling the meeting had come to an end.

“They’re on the move.” Lena’s gaze slid to the large window nearby. She took a sip of her tea as their targets walked by.

“Coming out now.”

She counted down from five in her head before rising to her feet to follow. Haddad held the door for Kozlova before his dark brown stare landed on hers.

Lena smiled, tilting her head while adding a spark of interest into her deceptive gaze. A slight arch of a brow accompanied the man’s responsive grin as he motioned for her to pass. With a dip of her chin, she purposely kept her body close to his when she stepped outside.

She stopped near a large planter, setting her cup down on its wide ledge and bending over as if needing to tie her shoe. Lena waited a beat to look to her right, in her teammates’ direction. She met Sabrina’s gaze as the sound of tires squealing filled the tense air.

Here we go.

But when she stood tall and looked to the van screaming toward them at a high rate of speed, it wasn’t their van she saw.

“We’ve got trouble.” Damien’s voice filled her ear. “There’s a Black SUV with tinted windows headed straight for you. Jerk cut me off at the last second.”

“They’re here,” Lena responded.

“I’m literally right behind them.”

The SUV skidded to a stop next to Kozlova’s and Haddad’s cars. The back door opened, and a man in black chucked something into the air.

“Get down!” Lena shouted over to her team.

She dropped to the ground as the world around her exploded into a ball of fire. A deafening boom stole her ability to hear, and a massive wave of heat rolled over her covered head. Breathing became impossible as all traces of oxygen were sucked from the air.

Lena kept her eyes squeezed shut and her head tucked to protect them from the rain shower of smoke and flying debris. Small pieces of concrete and God only knows what else pelted her hovered body, as well as everything else around her.

When the sky ceased its falling, Lena reached under her loose blouse for the pistol she’d kept hidden there. Doing her best to remain grounded while fighting the incessant ringing in her ears, she risked a glance in the explosion’s direction.

Her eyes burned from the gritty smoke taking its sweet time to dissipate from the immediate area. Muffled gunshots pierced through the chaos as the innocents on site screamed and ran.

She looked to where her team had been sitting, beyond relieved when she found Sabrina and Caleb alive and in position. They began firing their weapons at the SUV as it attempted to speed away from the scene.

As they did, another shot came from the opposite direction. In a sudden move, the bombers’ vehicle swerved to the right, immediately slamming into a parked truck.