on the house. Make sure that rat bastard doesn’t decide to bail on us.”
“Sure.” Tram lifted his eyes heavenward and scoffed simultaneously. “How long have I had your six? Fourteen years?” He scoffed again. “You really think I don’t know how you think by now? You really think I didn’t notice you’re rigged for combat? Piece holstered in your waistband. Piece holstered beneath your arm. Hell, you even strapped on your ankle backup. You are not assaulting into that house on your lonesome. We go together. Like a fucking team. Like we’ve done hundreds of times in the past. Danny can wait here, at your truck.”
Tag scowled. He should have known Tram would dig in his heels and insist on playing the hero. “We’ll need your rig. The three of us and the two women won’t fit in my truck.”
“Fine,” Tram jerked open the driver’s door to the truck and leaned in, yanking the keys out. “Danny. Take the truck back and get my Jeep.”
He handed the keys to the truck and the Renegade over and then turned to Tag, planting his boots and crossing his arms in that I’m-not-fucking-with-you stance his crew knew so well.
God damn it.
“You forget you have someone to live for? Emma won’t take kindly to me letting you hit the morgue in a black plastic suit.”
Tram shrugged and shook his head like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “How about this. How about I don’t get shot?”
Tag regrouped, went in from another angle. Using death as a possible deterrent would never discourage a special operator. Not when they lived with that possibility every damn day of their rotation.
“Fuck man, the ink isn’t even dry on your papers. You’ve got top notch security firms nosing around you since you retired. Why scare them off with an arrest record if Rio’s brass decides to play hard ball?”
No way in hell was he inviting Tram along on this adventure. Assaulting into that house and rescuing Sarah and her friend Langley would have consequences. He’d accepted those consequences for himself. But he had no intention of detonating someone else’s life along with his own. Sure as hell not Tram’s.
He’d handle this situation solo.
Rather than arguing with him, Tram turned to Danny, who’d been watching the argument without commenting. “When you get back with the Jeep, hang tight. Text me if anyone shows up.”
Danny washed a hand down his face and squared his shoulders. “I’m coming in too.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. He didn’t have time for this shit.
“Danny,” Tag barked. “You’re on guard duty. That’s a direct order.”
Not that they were on team time. But Tag did outrank him. Hopefully that would be enough to keep his feet in check. Too bad it wouldn’t work on his fucking best friend.
As Tag unlocked his glove box and grabbed the lumens torch, he wished he’d snatched up the M14 from the gun safe at home. But fuck, bringing an assault rifle along for the ride would scream pre-meditated. He could realistically claim he’d had the Glock on him while he scouted the house. The SDPD might even buy that. God knows Rio was fully aware SEALs were always armed—even during down time.
Of course, the backup pieces would be harder to explain.
He shrugged that worry aside. Hopefully, the Glock’s eighteen rounds wouldn’t be necessary. If he could take out Sarah’s kidnapper without discharging his weapon, it would be easier to sell the operation to the SDPD. An illegal rescue without fatalities might not even bring charges, just a lecture on federal statutes, at least from Rio’s superiors. His own commanding officers at HQ1 wouldn’t be nearly so lenient—as proved by what had happened to Mackenzie and Winters and the rest of his buddies caught up in that FBI mess.
After a quick weapons check, he turned to his best friend. One last chance to try to appeal—
“Don’t. Fucking. Even.” Tram’s voice was clipped. Pissed.
Well, excuse him for trying to knock some sense into the damn fool’s head and ward off a clusterfuck.
A moment of silence fell. Then— “You stood by me when we took Emma’s attackers down. Don’t ask me to stand down while you take out Sarah’s.”
“This is a different situation,” Tag reminded him tightly.
With Emma, they hadn’t been acting in a law enforcement capacity. They’d been defending themselves and their home against invaders. Granted, they’d lured the tangos into attacking, but the key difference was that they’d been attacked, not vice versa. Which had made the resulting fatality much easier for