Dangerous Rescue - Linzi Baxter Page 0,30
Hudson had seen Grim shoot firsthand. She was an excellent shot, and he preferred to keep her on his good side. He also didn’t want to go on a mission with the person sent to protect him holding a grudge against him. He deserved her anger—he’d outed her to Siena—but it would have only been a matter of time before that came out, anyway.
“You sent me the report this morning, and I know who the person is,” Xavier said. “Grim has asked everyone in this room to stop acting like she is always on her rag and tell her shit straight. Not sure how much straighter I can be. Flip the fuckin’ slide so we can see Grim’s next target.” He glanced at Hudson. “I do believe in the letter of the law unless the target is an asshole who broke my teammate's heart, an asshole who fucked up one of my missions, an asshole who fucked up someone’s mission, an asshole w—”
“Jesús, we all get the hint. If the person is an asshole, we can kill them. You should really change the name of the company from Rebel Mercenary to Asshole-Annihilation Services,” Grim grumbled. “Now, turn the slide so I can see the asshole myself.”
Lucas nodded and clicked his laptop. A skinny man, not very tall, flashed across the screen. He sat at a table outside a café in France, eating lunch. The person across from him was Abida Hassan. Hudson still didn’t understand either of the threats. Commander North had told him his flight was moved up and he was traveling directly to Yemen. He had two hours before his flight to Yemen boarded. Most missions were planned out, with his team spending at least a week running drills before heading into the unknown. Every aspect of this mission seemed to get worse the more he heard about it.
Hudson would do anything for his team—they were brothers—but he wasn’t heading into a mission with them. The men and women around the table would be his backup. And maybe Xavier. It wasn’t uncommon to see him in the field, but only if he wanted you to.
Grim jumped up from her seat, and she paced the length of the conference room. She stopped to glare at the picture on the wall. “You had this shit last night and didn’t tell me?” She looked at Lucas for a second before turning to Xavier. “He’s mine. I’m going to put a bullet directly between his eyes and watch the light dim from them.”
Xavier leaned back in his chair. “Down, killer. Maybe I shouldn’t allow you on the mission, because we need him alive for a while. The mission is not about the asshole but about Abida, and I need you to make sure he doesn’t die. After we get what we need, he’s all yours.”
Grim fisted her hands before sitting back down. Her jaw clenched as she looked up at the screen one more time. “You said we kill assholes.”
“Yes, and I promise you will kill him, but we need him alive for a while.”
“He’s mine,” she ground out. “I’m not going to keep waiting until you say I can take him out. You promised me one thing when I came to work here. Now you’re taking back your promise. Maybe it’s time I finally use some of the vacation time I’ve racked up.”
Xavier leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “When the time is right, I’ll help you kill him. I never said you couldn’t take him out. Hell, I’ve already said it twice, but your mind is so full of revenge that you do not see clearly, and I can’t have you going into a mission half-cocked. And all future vacation request is denied.”
Hudson took a sip of coffee. “Can someone explain to me what is going on? Sorry, I have no clue who this guy is or what he has to do with me.”
“That man on the screen killed my sister and leaked my cover with the CIA to the syndicate,” Grim said. “The CIA tried to shove me into a desk job. Xavier promised me vengeance.”
Xavier frowned. “You can’t go into a mission with your mind set on vengeance, or you’ll get everyone killed.” Grim opened her mouth, but Xavier kept talking. “I’m not saying we won’t take the fucker down. You know Sarah meant a lot to me as well.” Pain flashed across Xavier’s face before it went blank again. “Let’s capture him and get as much information as