as we could.
Or had we?
My brain raced through idea after idea, discarding them all…except one. We didn’t have to storm the house, but we could observe. The truth was we had no actual intelligence that my mother was in there. We suspected it, but we hadn’t seen or heard her. If we could confirm to the hostage team that she was inside the house, and give them her location, that would help a lot.
“We’re not going to try and rescue my mother, but we are agents. That means we collect intelligence. We’ve got the laser mics in the trunk, so let’s get them out and confirm my mother is there, in what part of the house she’s located, where the kidnappers are hanging out, and any other information we can provide the FBI team when they arrive.”
“I like that call, Red,” Jax said opening the door and getting out. “I’m behind that plan all the way. I’ll go update the others.”
“I’m in, too,” Mike said. “I’ll get the mics out of the trunk.”
After they left, Wally looked at me pointedly. “You sure about this, Angel?”
I blew out a nervous breath. “I’m not sure about anything right now. But I’m worried, and I need to know she’s in there and alive.”
“Well, in this case, I agree with Jax that you’re making a good call. Intelligence collection is fair game. I’ll stay here and continue to monitor the cell phones to make sure Sampson and Remington don’t try to communicate with each other. If you find something out from the house, relay it back to me so I’ll be in a better position to respond and manipulate their conversations if they reach out to each other. Plus, I’ll act as the welcome team once the FBI arrives.”
I put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him gratefully. “Thanks, Wally. For everything.”
“Anytime.”
I climbed out the car and saw the team waiting, equipment bags slung over their shoulders. I took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s break into teams. Bo, Hala, and Mike, you head up one team and take the front of the house. Stay in the trees and keep quiet. Jax and I will take the back of the house and do the same. Kira, you stay with Wally in the car and coordinate our communications. Wally is continuing to run the MITM mission and is keeping an eye on Remington’s and Sampson’s exchanges. Frankie, you’re our lookout. We’ll use the same communication setup we had for the Target run, so get your cell phones and earbuds ready. I know it’s dark, but we can’t risk using flashlights. It’s moonlight only, and unfortunately, there’s not a lot of it. This will make it especially dangerous in terms of making noise, so be as careful as you can while walking.”
Not a single person argued or complained. Everyone simply took out their equipment and phones and got to work. Mike slung the sonic cannon over his shoulder, and Bo took the laser mic. Jax took the other laser mic for us, and I was grateful. It was going to be hard enough for me to walk in the dark as it was. Kira ran us through a quick series of communication checks to make sure everything was in order before we headed out.
Jax put a hand under my elbow as we stepped into the woods, steadying me. “Thanks for choosing me this time, Red.”
“You made the most operational sense,” I said. “Mike and I know how to use the laser mics the best, and you and Bo are the strongest, so it’s easier for you to carry it.”
“True, but you could have chosen Bo.”
I smiled. “I guess I could have.”
He gave my elbow a quick squeeze, and we fell silent after that, making our way at an agonizingly careful pace through the woods. Jax kept his hand on my elbow the entire time to steady me. I appreciated it, because at least three times I almost tripped over roots and branches. Fortunately, there were only trees, low bushes, and fallen branches to navigate, not a lot of dense brush. Still, the ground was uneven, and a lot of unseen branches whipped in our faces. Jax, who was well aware of my lack of athletic ability, stayed by my side the entire time, his calm presence helping to settle my jangling nerves.
As we passed the front of the house, we spotted Sampson’s car parked out front. He was definitely inside. When we got to the