Marine's Mission - Rebecca Deel Page 0,60
by one, the operatives reported success in the first phase of the mission. Eli whispered, “Tracker team, go.”
“Hold,” Jon hissed. “Company.”
Owen’s jaw clenched. The new arrival would rouse the household and guards. Who would come calling this late at night? Had to be the kidnappers with the flash drive.
A moment later, headlights cut across the front of the house. From his vantage point, Owen had a good view of the approaching vehicle. An SUV parked in the circular drive. When the driver and front passenger doors opened, the kidnappers climbed from the vehicle. “Berry and Daniels,” Owen murmured. He needed to free Toni and Ellis. They didn’t have much time before Wagner discovered the glitch Caleb and Zane created in the file.
A third door opened, and a man climbed from the backseat. When he walked into a beam of light, Owen scowled. That answered his question about the identity of the traitor in Ellis’s office. “The third man is Chaz Banks. We only have minutes before Wagner realizes something is wrong with the file. He’ll either force Ellis to fix the problem or have Banks correct the code. We need to move, Eli.”
“Wait for my signal.”
Owen clamped down on his impatience. The Fortress operatives couldn’t help Toni and Ellis if they were caught.
Ten minutes later, Eli’s voice came over the comm system. “Tracker, go. Third room on the east side is your entrance target.”
“Copy.” He glanced at Jackson who nodded. They left the safety of the trees and worked their way to the window, hugging shadows and watching for roaming guards. Before long, someone would miss the guards who weren’t where they were supposed to be.
Rafe approached from the opposite direction, signaling that they were clear.
Excellent. Owen checked the window. Locked. He peered inside the room. A library. Perfect. Even better, the door was closed.
Owen drew his Ka-Bar from a sheath strapped to his thigh and used the blade to pop the lock. He paused, waiting for a light to turn on or a guard to check on the noise. Nothing.
He raised the window and climbed over the sill. Owen aimed his Sig at the door as Jackson and Rafe followed him into the library. He activated his comm system mic. “Tracker in position,” he whispered.
“Copy. Wolf Pack and Texas, go.”
Owen eased the door open as his teammates breached the house. Only the snipers remained outside, keeping watch.
A moment later, Eli said, “Patching in Zane now.”
The tech wizard’s voice came through the comm system. “Vics are in the basement in a room on the south wall. Heat signatures indicate two people confined there with another person sitting outside the room. Only one entrance and exit to the basement.”
“Copy,” Owen whispered. “Ready to roll.”
“Hallway is clear. Outside the room, go left.”
Owen signaled Jackson and Rafe, then slipped into the hall with his teammates. Thanks to dim lights, they were able to navigate around furniture easily.
As they neared the end of the hall, Zane said, “Company on your six. Turn right at the corner. The first room on the right is unoccupied.”
Soundlessly, the three operatives hurried to the room Zane indicated. They slipped inside and closed the door. Owen remained near the entrance, listening. Heavy footsteps approached the room, slowed, and hesitated.
Owen palmed his Ka-Bar, gaze fixed on the doorknob. Seconds later, the knob slowly twisted. After signaling Rafe, he waited for the guard to make the next move.
The door opened. When the guard walked into the room, Owen slipped up behind him, clamped his hand across the guard’s mouth, and slammed the knife hilt onto his skull.
The guard sagged against Owen, unconscious, as Rafe closed the door. The operative remained in position, listening for signs they’d been discovered.
After Owen lowered the guard to the floor, Jackson plunged a needle into the man’s neck. “He’ll be down for a few hours,” he whispered.
“Ready, Zane,” Owen murmured.
“Hallway is clear for the moment. Go right.”
“Copy.” He and Jackson moved the guard into the closet. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be missed for a while.
Rafe glanced at him, eyebrow raised. Owen motioned for him to proceed. He fell into step behind Rafe. Jackson brought up the rear.
As they reached the end of the hall, Zane’s voice came over the comm system. “At the end of the hall, turn right. You’ll see a door in an alcove. That’s the only entrance to the stairs that lead to the basement. The guard is facing the room with the captives, so his back is to the stairs.”
They reached the door