the hotel room of their target, hidden in an alcove leading to a service closet where several law enforcement officers were waiting to deploy. At the other end of the corridor, Levon was waiting as well, for Clint to give them the go-ahead.
So far, there’d been no sign that the man currently holed up in the room had any idea they were there, but Noah’s gut told him to be wary. He’d been through similar situations too many times where everything seemed to be going to plan only to have it all go to shit in the blink of an eye. They’d even taken the precaution of emptying all the rooms on the floor adjacent to this one, just in case things went south, but he’d still feel better once all this was over and done and the guy was in custody.
He took a deep breath and leaned out into the hall to make sure everyone was ready, then pointed a finger toward the door to get things rolling.
“Going in,” he said into his earpiece, then moved into position in front of the room. “On three, two, one…”
His boot slammed into the hotel door, crashing it open to reveal Spencer waiting for them in front of the windows, a semi-automatic pointed directly at the center of Noah’s chest. Good thing he’d worn his Kevlar vest. He rushed inside, his laser sight pointed directly between the man’s eyes. “Lower your weapon and hands in the air!”
“Fuck you!” Spencer yelled, his weapon still aimed at Noah. “You got nothing on me.”
“Like hell we don’t,” Levon said, crowding in behind Noah as his men sidled past into the hotel room and down the hall, trapping the suspect inside. “The police in St. Dourdane are very interested in getting you back. You’re going down, asshole. One way or another.”
Noah inhaled deeply, shaking images of Serena and Gracie from his mind. He needed to stay focused on the present to keep them safe, to take care of this once and for all. And much as he’d like to take this guy down now, once and for all, they needed him alive so they could question him about who was running this show at the top.
“Put down your weapon,” he yelled again and took a step closer to the guy. “You can’t escape. We’ve got the place surrounded. Give it up.”
“I ain’t giving nothing up.” The guy’s gaze darted behind Noah to Levon, then the hallway where the rest of the team stood. His hands shook slightly on his gun, but he kept it raised. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Oh, I think there is.” Levon said, moving forward alongside Noah. “If you cooperate, we might be able to work out a deal.”
The thought of this piece of shit getting a break gutted Noah. But if it meant catching the real person paying all these thugs to attack Serena, he’d deal with it. “Who hired you?”
“Don’t know.” The guy shook his head, taking a step back toward the windows. “It was all done over text. I never got a name. Just instructions and a down payment, wired into my bank account. Get the other half when I bring in proof that I’ve taken out the bitch.”
Noah’s finger twitched on the trigger of Glock. “Give me your phone.”
“Like hell,” the guy said, inching back even more. It was a fifty-foot drop out there. Unless the guy had hidden wings, he’d meet an early end by jumping. Noah wasn’t opposed to seeing him reach room temperature sooner rather than later, but he’d be damned if the guy did so without telling him what he needed to know first. Still, if they could take him down in the room, it would be a lot easier for everyone. “You think I’m stupid? I ain’t giving you shit.”
Levon glanced over at him and they exchanged a silent look. They’d trained together enough to have a secret code of eye movements and gestures they communicated by at this point. Based on the flat stare and the slight tilt of his head, Noah knew that Levon was going to rush the guy. Noah would run point, dodging to the other side and disarming him before he hit the floor.
To keep him distracted, Noah gave the guy one last chance. “Put down the gun and give me your phone and we can do this nicely. Final warning.”
“Take your warning and shove it up—” the guy started, but before he could finish, Levon attacked. The next few