Nori's Delta (Delta Team Three #1) - Lori Ryan Page 0,47

they got to an agreement with Demir the more likely it was that the attacks on Eleanor would increase.

“Yes, sir. Understood.” Merlin switched off the phone and set it down, turning to look at Heath.

“What is it?” Heath had a sinking feeling in his gut.

“State Department is putting a backup plan in place. They aren’t convinced the talks are going to get them where they need to be on this and there’s pressure from a lot of people to get those doctors and nurses out of there.”

“And?” Heath asked, knowing there was more. Eleanor would be pissed if they pulled the plug on her talks.

Merlin continued. “They’ve pulled in Delta Team Two. They’d been doing recon on the bunker for the last twelve hours. They’re ready to move with us backing them if the talks don’t pan out.”

He was talking about a team they were good friends with and had done a lot of work with in the past, Delta Team Two. Trigger, Lefty, Brain, Oz, Lucky, Doc, and Grover were damned good men.

Men Heath would want beside him on any mission. Still, he knew this conversation wasn’t headed in a direction he was going to like.

Heath wanted to rail about them not knowing this was happening all this time, but the military was like that. If they wanted shit compartmentalized they did it and no one got to tell them to fuck off for it. You didn’t get to tell Uncle Sam to fuck off.

He thought of all Eleanor had put into these talks. She’d put her life on the line for them. And it was all about to fall to shit.

Chapter 24

Eleanor was on the phone with her boss when Heath entered the room. Her team was watching her from the table and she could tell they’d picked up on the fact something was wrong.

Which was putting it mildly.

“You can’t talk them out of this?” She asked Cheryl, knowing Cheryl would have already done all she could.

“Deputy Director Hughes is pushing hard. He’s got enough support from the Joint Chiefs at this point to back the raid.”

“When is it going to happen?”

“All I know is that it will be in the next twenty-four hours. It’s up to the Delta team on the ground to decide when they move in.”

Eleanor turned away from Heath. “Then I need to go back in there. If I don’t, Demir will know something’s up and he’ll put more people on the hostages.”

She could hear Cheryl’s sigh on the other end so she pressed her point.

“Besides, if I can get an agreement in place, we don’t need to put anyone at risk going in. I’m close, Cheryl. It’s not too late to salvage this.”

Eleanor heard Heath’s curse behind her. She didn’t dare look at him. She would battle this out with her boss.

“You know I’m right Cheryl. It’s the right thing to do. We need this agreement to stop the chain of weapons heading into terrorist hands. If we can make this work, we need to do it.”

“Alright. But you listen to the team that’s in place with you. If they think it’s too risky or you’re in danger, if they say bail, you bail.”

Eleanor finished the call knowing full well she wouldn’t convey that last bit of information to her handlers. If Heath knew her boss said he was in charge, he’d find a way to call off the talks now. She wasn’t an idiot. If they said they needed to pull her when the hostage raid began, she’d listen to them. But she was going back in to try to make this agreement happen and free those hostages without bloodshed.

Chapter 25

“Not fucking happening,” were Heath’s first words. “You’re essentially talking about making yourself a decoy while we get those hostages out. That’s too fucking dangerous, Eleanor.”

Eleanor looked past Heath to her team who were watching, riveted, as thought they were enjoying the latest episode in their favorite soap opera.

“Guys, can you give us a minute to talk?” She asked and then waited while they shuffled out of the room.

When she looked back to Heath, his arms were crossed, muscles bulging and eyes glowering in a stance that said “no way in hell” in no uncertain terms.

She wanted to say “you’re not the boss of me,” but caught herself in time.

“This is my job, Heath. And I’m good at it. You need to back off and let me do it.”

His eyes flashed darker, if that was even possible. “You weren’t sent here to