might lose your chance.”
Gigi studied his profile, dismay filling her. “Voice of experience, Elliot?”
He nodded and lapsed into silence.
Unwilling to push for the moment, Gigi vowed to wear Elliot down over time. Coffee and muffins were Elliot’s kryptonite, especially during those many overnight shifts. Whatever was eating at Elliot must be the cause of the shadows in his eyes, and the reason he took so many night shifts. While his brothers rotated shifts, Elliot preferred the darkness.
Elliot’s heart had an obsidian shield. Blair would have to work to capture the tender heart that Gigi caught glimpses of now and again.
By the time Elliot parked behind the B & B, fatigue had settled over Gigi like a lead weight. Walking to the door, she stumbled, and was saved from a face plant by Elliot’s quick reflexes. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” He opened the door and steered her inside.
Emma leaped to her feet. “What happened? Are you all right, Gigi?”
“I need peppermint tea with sugar.” She dropped into the chair Elliot pulled out for her. “The plan went off without a hitch. Owen and Jackson are on their way to the airstrip, and the bad guys have the flash drive.”
“I’ll make your tea.”
David turned to his brothers. “Sit rep.”
The men took turns updating their brother. When they finished, David said, “All we can do now is wait and be ready for anything.”
“We can’t leave if Owen needs us,” Levi said. “We don’t have enough deputies.”
“We’ll work something out.”
Elliot rubbed his jaw. “I don’t have a good feeling about this op.”
Gigi tightened her one-handed grip on the blanket Levi had draped over her shoulders, sipped her tea, and prayed Elliot was wrong.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Lights on the east side of the well-guarded mansion turned off one by one. Brody Weaver, leader of the Texas team, crouched beside Owen. The second black ops group had been on board the Fortress jet when Owen and Jackson arrived. After a stop in Nashville to pick up the rest of Wolf Pack, the jet headed for Chacala, Costa Rica.
Although Owen had believed the extra team was overkill, the contingent of guards around the compound proved Brent Maddox was right to send Texas, too. Given Wagner’s line of work, his heavy security presence made sense. Wagner was a prime target for rivals.
Owen and Wolf Pack could have handled the contingent of guards, but the task would be a challenge with a team of six men. Wagner’s guards were heavily armed.
“Twelve roaming guards on the grounds,” Brody whispered. “Twelve more in the house plus Wagner and his family.”
Owen frowned. “Kids?”
“Two.”
Oh, man. Not what he wanted to hear. If the kids heard anything unusual, they might investigate. “Any sign of Toni and Ellis?”
“No confirmed sightings. If the intel Maddox received two hours ago is good, they’re under lock and key in the basement.”
Owen’s jaw tightened. Basement, better known as the torture chamber Wagner set up beneath the ground at each of his six mansions in Chacala and the neighboring towns. People forced into the basements left in body bags.
Although he missed Gigi with every breath he drew, he was glad that she didn’t know how much danger her friend was in. Owen believed Toni was still alive. She was the leverage for Wagner to obtain what he wanted from Ellis. If Wagner killed Toni, Ellis wouldn’t have a reason to cooperate.
Owen activated his comm device. “Tracker in place,” he murmured. With so many operatives on this mission, Eli and Brody had decided Owen should use a call sign. He chose the one he used in the military. The call sign fit his mission role. While Wolf Pack and Texas dealt with the guards, Owen’s job was to free Toni and Ellis with help from Jackson and Rafe. Having the medic at his back made sense. Chances were good that Ellis and perhaps Toni were injured, courtesy of Wagner and his cronies. Rafe was a tough SEAL and FBI agent, a good man to have at his back any time.
“Copy,” Eli replied. “Hold.”
Owen and Brody remained in place as the other operatives moved into position. Jackson crouched on Owen’s other side, mike bag on his back.
Minutes later, Eli murmured, “Tracker, be ready. Wolf Pack and Texas, go.”
Members of both units acknowledged Eli’s order. Brody squeezed Owen’s shoulder and melted into the shadows to join the rest of his team.
Owen and Jackson settled back to wait until Texas and Wolf Pack signaled that their targets were down, and the teams were ready to breach the house.
One