seat. He looked forward to calling Gigi to give her the good news about Toni and Ellis. Man, he missed her. He’d expected Gigi to have a difficult time when he was on a mission, but never anticipated the depths of the ache inside himself. Guess the joke was on him. He fell asleep, longing to hold her in his arms again.
Hours later, Owen woke when the pilot announced they were on the final approach. He and the rest of his teammates prepared for landing. Glancing across the aisle, he noticed that Banks was awake and glaring at Brody.
Once they were on the ground, the operatives gathered their gear as the pilot and co-pilot lowered the stairs. Four muscular men boarded the jet and were greeted by Eli and the others by name. They must work with Dr. Sorenson. Owen had heard the other men talk about Sorenson and his staff while training at PSI.
Two of the men gripped Banks’s arms and escorted the cursing programmer off the jet.
“Where are they taking him?” Owen didn’t want him at the same facility as Toni and Ellis.
“Sorenson’s clinic to be patched up, then the feds will take him,” Eli said. “He won’t be there long.”
Owen didn’t like it, but this wasn’t his call. “We need someone with Toni and Ellis until Banks is gone.”
“Already on it. Sorenson’s guys are trained operatives and medics. Two men will be with Banks until the feds take him. Banks won’t escape or harm Ellis and Toni. Grab your gear, Owen. As soon as Toni and Ellis are on their way, you and I have an appointment with the doc.”
Owen frowned. “Jackson already treated me.”
“Standard protocol. Don’t fight it. You’ll lose.”
“Like you?”
A scowl from Wolf Pack’s leader. “Don’t remind me. The only positive side to this edict is I’ll spend more time with my family for a few weeks.”
“Will Wolf Pack be sidelined?”
“We’re on a training cycle for three more weeks. If the boss needs the team, Jon will lead them, and Maddox will assign another operative temporarily to Wolf Pack.”
The remaining two men from Sorenson’s clinic helped Toni and Ellis from the jet.
“Load up,” Eli said to the operatives still on board. “We have a mission to complete.”
The operatives grabbed their gear and left the aircraft. Owen joined Jackson, Eli, Jon, Cal, and Rafe in one SUV. The Texas team piled into the last vehicle. Fifteen minutes later, the caravan parked behind a veterinary clinic.
Owen stared at the sign over the back door of the building. “Maddox is sending us to a vet for treatment?”
Jackson smiled. “Don’t worry. Sorenson is a top-flight trauma surgeon as well as a vet. He used to be a Fortress operative and is on the grumpy side. Don’t take it personally.”
He followed Texas and Wolf Pack into the building. Jackson led him down a long hallway. Somewhere close, Owen heard dogs barking and a parrot with a colorful vocabulary.
As he approached an open door at the end of the hallway, a child’s voice squealed, “Daddy!”
In the hall, Eli’s face lit up. “How’s my princess?”
“Missed you.”
He lifted a dark-haired girl into his arms and hugged her. “I missed you, too.”
“You have ouchie?”
Eli nodded. “I’m feeling better just seeing you and your mama.”
Jackson nudged Owen. He inclined his head toward a second room.
Owen turned to see Gigi standing inside the doorway, a beautiful smile curving her mouth. His breath stalled in his lungs for a second. Owen covered the distance between them in three strides and wrapped his arms around her. His mouth came down on hers for a series of long, drugging kisses.
When he lifted his head to drag in a much-needed breath, Owen cupped her face with his palm. “I missed you, G,” he murmured. “Are you all right?”
“That’s my question for you. Brent said you were injured.”
“A bullet grazed my arm.” He couldn’t resist capturing her mouth for another long kiss. Even as his blood heated, Owen wondered why Gigi was in Texas instead of Tennessee. Owen’s injury wasn’t serious enough to rank a flight to Texas. Behind him, someone cleared his throat.
Owen glanced over his shoulder to see Brent Maddox in the doorway. The expression on his boss’s face had Owen tightening his hold on Gigi. Something was wrong. “Sir.”
“We need to talk.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
A sense of foreboding swamped Owen. The fact that Maddox had sought him out wasn’t a good sign. “What’s wrong? Are my brothers all right?”
“They’re fine.” Maddox waved them to chairs set up against the recovery