“Congratulations.”
“I’m not sure it’s congratulatory right now. I’m feeling a lot like I did something horrible to someone and karma has come for me.” Bessie’s nostrils flared and her mouth pressed into a grimace. “Speaking of.” She darted toward the door.
Eva watched her go. “She’s not really selling it, is she?”
“I’d still do it.” Heidi chomped another worm in half. “I want a bunch of ‘em.”
“Oh God.” Eva wrinkled her nose. “You better have sons. I can’t even imagine Shawn with daughters.”
Heidi smiled wide. “I think it’d be good for him.”
Harlow made a rolling motion with one of her hands. “If everyone’s going to be shitting out babies then we need to get this wrapped up. Let’s go.”
Dutch and Alec were already in their office, lining up everything they needed to be ready to help with the mission. Harlow took her spot next to Dutch and immediately went to work pulling up cameras along the route the teams would be taking to go collect Amelia and Helen.
Mona glanced up just as Isaac, the tech coordinator for Shadow walked through the door. She’d spent more time with the men from Shadow than probably anyone else in the room.
Now she knew why.
Knowing the people he cared about would be safe was an almost pathological need for Pierce.
“Hey.” Mona rounded her desk as she headed for the giant man Zeke used as her training victim on more than one occasion. “Do you need desk space?”
Isaac glanced toward where Dutch, Alec, and Harlow sat. “I’ll just grab a spot in the back.”
“It’s probably best for you to be up here with us.” Dutch moved around some stuff on his desk, making space for Isaac’s laptop. “That way we can all make decisions at the same time.”
Mona grabbed Isaac a chair and pushed it across the room, the fist squeezing her chest relaxing a little as she helped get everything ready. The more prepared they were, the more likely there would be no issues.
And she wanted no issues.
Heidi, Eva, Bess and the rest of the girls crowded around Mona’s center stage desk and watched as the screens across the wall lit up, each displaying the feed from a different traffic camera. The largest screen in the center stayed black as Dutch and Isaac went through the mission checklist with their respective teams. Alec sat silently, watching everything the two men did.
Suddenly the center screen flashed to life, the scene bouncing around in an erratic way.
Mona watched, catching bits and pieces of what was being recorded.
“It’s Zeke’s body camera.” Isaac turned back to watch the feed. “I’d keep my eyes off it if you get motion sickness.”
Bessie’s hand went over her mouth.
Heidi lifted Bessie’s can of ginger ale, holding it up without looking away from the screens.
“Thank you.” Bess took the can and sipped at the bent straw sticking out of it.
Dutch tapped a few keys on his computer then straightened. The sound of an open line came from the speakers mounted next to the monitors. “Roll call.”
One by one the men of Rogue called out their names.
Isaac pressed his earpiece. “Shadow call.”
Again, each member of the team stated their name across the open line.
The feed in the center of the wall stilled, focusing on a single man.
“And Pierce.” Zeke chuckled as Pierce glared at him.
“You online, Pierce?”
“I am.” His voice made the twist in her gut and the ache in her chest tighten in tandem.
Bess passed over her trash can. “Need this?”
Heidi’s head snapped Mona’s way. “Are you pregnant too?”
“Definitely not.” Mona swallowed down the familiar threat of a gag. “Just nervous.”
“He’ll be fine. Those guys will protect him.”
“I am quite capable of protecting myself, Ms. Rucker.”
Mona couldn’t help but smile a little.
Dutch turned their way, pressing one finger to his lips.
It was a drill they were familiar with. In order to be a part of what was happening they had to stay quiet.
Heidi’s lips clamped shut as they all watched and listened.
It took the teams thirty minutes to get to the street where Amelia and Helen lived. The weather had been particularly brutal lately, dropping piles of show in the span of a few hours. The roads were cold and slick and now was not the time to end up helpless in a ditch.
As the vans slowed in front of the single-story house Mona’s attention bounced from the street view to Zeke’s body camera. The second the vans stopped men poured out from the back of each, guns pulled as they ran toward the