in it that kept them from looking conspicuous.
Spotting a man standing close to the building and watching the cars in the lot, he shared his observation to his teammates.
"Dark-haired man, blue jacket, approximately 5’10”. No facial hair, wearing tan kakis and tan loafers. No visible weapon. Current location straight ahead."
Josh nodded and then for Bridget's benefit said, "Roger."
Bridget then responded as well. "Roger."
Josh pulled into a parking spot directly in front of the man, but two rows back and Axel shared that information.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at Josh, "Ready?"
"Yep."
"Bridget, after we leave the vehicle, don't peek up right away. He’ll probably be watching us as we walk into the building, but I expect he'll look away shortly afterward. I'll let you know when we reach the door and during our time in the bar, we'll sit so one of us can watch him and keep you updated. If you notice anything out of place, let us know. Here are the keys in case you need them. But, for God's sake, open the doors for us when we come out, especially if we're running."
"Roger."
He glanced at Josh and Josh smirked, then took a deep breath and pulled the keys from the ignition. The nice thing about working with Josh was that he was steady. Capable, smart and fairly easy going. His half Hispanic heritage was where he and Jax got their olive skin tone, dark brown eyes and deep faith. Their Caucasian father, who had been one of the first GHOST operatives was where they both got their grit, dependability and their love of what they did. It was ingrained in them from the beginning. It had been the same with their older brother, Jake, also an operative, who died like their father on a mission.
He and Josh exited the truck and began walking to the bar, chatting as old buddies do.
"Naw, you're full of it, there's no way the Packers will beat the Vikings, bro." Josh chided.
"You're full of it. How about a wager?"
As they suspected the man outside looked at them, then nodded and looked away, but he was still paying attention to them.
"I'll take that wager. What are you putting up?"
Axel opened the door to the bar and said, "Find us a seat and I'll get us a drink."
Hopefully Bridget understood they were now inside.
He walked to the bar and heard Josh on the comm unit. "Window seat. Looking away."
Axel ordered two beers, which they wouldn't touch, but just the same needed for their cover. Paying for them, he took a beer in each hand and turned and scanned the bar as he walked slightly away from Josh. He acted as if he couldn't see where he was so he could survey a bit more of the bar and its patrons. Finding Boyko in the back corner, he turned direction when Josh raised his hand, playing the game with Axel.
As he walked toward Josh he mumbled in his comm unit, "North corner, white shirt, balding."
Josh nodded since he faced that direction at his window seat.
Axel set the beers on the table and asked, "What did you see?"
"Two men sitting at the table in front of Boyko are his bodyguards inside. They watched you."
Nodding, Axel asked, "Anything outdoors?"
"Yes. We're in trouble."
41
She couldn't believe her eyes. Not long after they walked in the door, the man outside lifted the front of his jacket and she could tell he was speaking into it. He was wearing a wire. He looked in the direction of the truck and she ducked down again. Counting to ten, she peered out between the driver's side window and seat. That's when she saw two guys walking toward the bar, both of them tucking weapons into their waistbands.
"They have comm units. I see two guys walking toward the bar carrying in their waistbands. Both light blonde, six feet tall, one stocky, one thin. Both wearing black pants and tan jackets."
"Roger." Josh responded.
"Shit, two more. Coming from the opposite direction. One of them is very tall, six-four or so. One about five-ten. Just walked in."
She listened to hear if anything happened. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she wondered if this was normal for these guys when they went on missions. You just never knew what might happen.
A tap on the side of the truck caused her to duck down. Then another tap or bump and the vehicle rocked slightly. With the solar blanket over her head, she couldn't see what was happening but