Dangerous Rescue - Linzi Baxter Page 0,13

case, the mission sounded fubar. He needed to stop hiding his past and ask for help. “I’ll go, but I need a favor from my team.”

“Okay, you can discuss that with them in a second. Be at Rebel’s headquarters tomorrow at noon. Xavier will brief you on the mission.” North stood up with Xavier, and the two men walked out of the room.

The team was quiet until the door shut behind their commanding officer. Then Cy narrowed his eyes. “You’re not going alone. I have enough leave. Tell me where, and I’ll be on a flight behind you.”

Cy had connected with him when he moved to California, and he was Hudson’s closest friend on the team. Hudson knew his friend would want to protect him. But someone else needed help more than he did. Hudson already had a team of mercenaries watching his back—he hoped.

“No, I trust Commander North, and he wouldn’t send me with Xavier if he didn’t think he could help protect me. I’m not going to be the reason Commander North or any of you get court marshaled for not following the rules.” Hudson glanced around the room. “I need you guys to protect someone.”

“Yes,” all the men around the table said in unison. Hudson would do the same for them if they asked.

“Kaiden’s teacher has a bounty out on her head. Earlier today, I had Cy pull information on her because I saw her get accosted in the parking lot.”

Lucky leaned back in his chair. “Is there a reason you didn’t call all of us?”

Hudson could sense that his friend was hurt. “Yes. This wasn’t a sanctioned request, and I didn’t want you to be put in the predicament of going against the rules. Cy knows how to cover his tracks.”

Everyone nodded.

“Every man in this room has your back, and if you need us to protect her, we will do that,” Lucky said.

“Did she call the police?” Ginger asked, speaking up for the first time. The newest member of the team was still having a hard time meshing with everyone. He normally didn’t try very hard. When they met up outside of work, he always had an excuse for not wanting to join. Even on missions, he kept to himself.

“No,” Hudson said. “She went home, and I called Cy. But…she’s not only his teacher—she means something to me.”

Lucky nodded. “Give us her information, and we’ll make sure everything is okay. Don’t worry about it while you’re gone. You need to concentrate on this fucked up mission you’re about to go on.”

The team talked for a few more minutes before heading out to their cars. Lucky was going to call him in the morning to work everything out. He’d coordinate with the rest of the team to keep an eye on her.

Hudson was in his truck when Cy’s name flashed across the screen. He picked up the phone. “What’s going on?”

“One of the contacts I reached out to just came back with information,” Cy said.

“Please tell me you know why this guy is after her.” Hudson gripped the steering wheel as he turned. “Because I’m still worried about the mission.”

Cy sighed. “I know. We all are, and it’s taking everything in us to stay back.”

Hudson knew he would have the same struggle if one of his teammates was about to be shipped off alone. “I’m guessing you already searched into why I was selected.”

“Not yet. Once I get to my house, I plan to see what I can find.”

“I’m still not sure how I feel about Xavier being my backup,” Hudson said.

“He’s a good guy. Don’t get me wrong—I hate what they did on the last mission. But I dug deep. He has a rough exterior, but he donates tons to charities and spends his free time at youth centers, working with underprivileged kids.”

Hudson still didn’t trust Xavier, but hearing Cy vouch for him made the tension in his neck ease. He needed to worry about Siena that night and get everything in line for the guys to look after her. He didn’t know how long he would be gone. Sometimes a mission took days, and other times, it took months. Normally before a mission, they would take a week or two to run through drills so they were prepared.

“Her ex is tied up with the cartel. I’m still trying to link the connection, but he had a million-dollar bail, and it was paid. Whoever bailed him out used multiple covers. But I think Siena knows something.”

“I