Dangerous Rescue - Linzi Baxter Page 0,31
possible before you put a bullet between his eyes.”
“So are we going after…” Hudson squinted at the screen. “Carter, the skinny man you could break like a twig, or Abida? Furthermore, has anyone figured out why I’m getting called in on this mission? DEVGRU doesn’t pull people from other teams. Yes, I know I was one of them, but that was six years ago.”
Xavier shook his head.
For the next hour, Lucas went over all the information they had on Carter back to when he was married to Grim’s sister. If Hudson had passed the man on the street, he would have assumed he was an accountant or someone who sat behind a desk, not a chemical engineer. Carter had sold his engineered chemical bombs to the highest bidder. According to Lucas, Carter came up with a bomb nobody would ever see coming that was completely undetectable by any type of security.
“But this Abida Hassan would need millions to buy one of these. And from what I’ve seen so far, nothing points to him having someone back him or the money to buy this from Carter.”
Xavier sighed. “It’s odd. Abida's name never crossed my desk until yesterday. One of my contacts thinks Abida has information he’s selling to Carter. I’ve had feelers on Carter for years. He also knows I’m hunting him and has done a good job covering his tracks. Not only has Carter made money from the shit he sells on the black market, but he also inherited a fortune from his family.”
“His family and my sister were all casualties at his hand,” Grim said. “He killed them for the money, and he used that money to kill more people. Talking to him won’t give us the information we need. It will only lead to more lies and deception.” Grim’s eyes swung toward Hudson. “Men only look out for themselves.”
“Everyone has their reasons,” Hudson said. “I’m not saying what that guy did was right. But you can’t link all men into the same group.”
Her accusations hit a little close to his heart. He couldn’t forget how he’d walked away from Siena without calling her, mostly because he was worried she wouldn’t understand. His mistake had cost him dearly. But he didn’t plan to walk away now.
“Yes, men don’t think with their brains,” Xavier said. “And I don’t need to know the whole story to know that whatever is going on between you and Hudson needs to be left at the door. Or the bedroom.”
Grim rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t sleep with Hudson if you paid me. He’s a special kind of douche. That doesn’t mean I won’t protect his ass, because we all know whatever Carter is mixed up in is not what it seems on the outside. Him showing his face in public would be part of his plan. He knows we are looking for him. Since I’ve had a second to think about this, I’m worried we’re being led straight into a trap.”
“Grim does have a point.” Lucas sighed. “Besides, the one grainy picture I found of Carter and Abida meeting is the only link we have between the two. My contact got me a copy of the classified mission report. Nothing in the brief says anything about a connection to Carter. Hudson and the DEVGRU team are supposed to rescue four doctors. Every one of them was part of a humanitarian project in Yemen. This isn’t a typical mission for DEVGRU to go on. Abida isn’t a top target of the military.”
Hudson would bet there was more to the mission than what was in the report. It wouldn’t be his first mission where he was sent to rescue someone without more information. He didn’t ask questions. He did what his commander told him to do. This mission wouldn’t be much different. Hudson planned to work with his old team and get the targets. He hoped Xavier’s crew would take care of the rest.
“How will I contact you guys during the mission?” Hudson said gently. “I know Commander North knows about the communication. But what I’m doing could get me court-marshaled.”
Two weeks earlier, he wouldn’t have second-guessed anything. Now he worried about what could happen. Gumby had promised to keep Siena informed as much as possible. Hudson didn’t want her to wonder what happened again.
“Once you leave, you won’t hear from us again.” Xavier slid a small black object across the table. “We will always have your six. If something goes wrong, we will be there. But