traffic is heavy and unlikely to arouse suspicion. We can either rappel on board or approach upstream by boat. Travel time would be less if we meet up with a helicopter as soon as we land.”
“I see.” CJ pulls at his chin. “We can drop a RIB and Alpha team far upstream. They’ll have time to set up and approach the ship.”
I rub my hands together as we get down to the nitty-gritty of mission planning. Max pipes up and makes a comment about travel times. He’s not happy with dropping into the murky waters of the Mississippi, or the density of boat traffic. It definitely complicates things.
“Any reason not to rappel right on the deck? It seems the most direct route, less prone to complications by factors out of our control.”
“I’ve been wondering something.” Forest pushes back from his seat, interrupting the tactical planning going on. “I know you won’t make assumptions, Mitz, but I’m going to make a few. First, her buyer is American. It’s the only thing that makes sense. If Colombian, no need to put her on a ship. Same for any other Latin American country. If she was destined for Asia, they would’ve flown her, or at least waited to figure out something better. I’m betting their passage on that ship was preplanned. Mitzy, get your team to look at the ship’s manifest and see when, or if, they contracted to transport civilians. I’m betting they did, and I’m betting it occurred sometime before Moira’s kidnapping. They picked that ship with intent. This isn’t a kidnapping of convenience. Orders went out for Zoe and Moira both. We messed up what they planned for Zoe, but Moira’s transfer was already planned. It’s too neat and tidy. Which means, we’re dealing with a sophisticated operation here.”
“I agree with Forest.” Doc Summers rubs at her arms as if overcome by a chill, but I get it. This is all far too calculating, and I don’t believe in that many coincidences lining up in a row.
“The mission is a go.” Sam places his palms down on the table. His stony gaze takes in CJ, then slowly sweeps around the room. “We have work to do. Charlie’s on standby for backup. Spin them up and have them on the plane. Alpha is primary for the mission.” His attention shifts to me. “We will bring Moira home, and if we can dig up any intel on this new threat, we do it.”
Forest and Doc Summers exchange a look. It’s actually more of a full conversation, only the rest of us are incapable of understanding their nonverbal exchange. She finally gives a nod of assent. Forest reaches out and grasps her hand. She places her other hand on top of his, then turns her attention to me.
“Griff goes, but as support only.” Her focus turns to Max. “Decide who you want to fill in as Alpha-Four. Bravo team is two men down for the time being, but I’m sure they can loan you a man.”
“Copy that.” Max gives a sharp shake of his head while I keep my mouth zipped up tight.
I’m going and that’s all I care about right now. I may not be the one to rescue Moira, but I’ll be there when my team secures her freedom.
“We run the op as if it’s a trap. I want contingencies for contingencies. Backup plans for the backups. Keep your heads on a swivel. Expect more resistance than you’d otherwise consider. I won’t lose another team because we’re too focused on the primary objective.” Sam, head of all of Guardian HRS, directs his orders to CJ and Mitzy, who will, in turn, advise their teams.
All I care about is that I’m on the mission. Support, or not, I’ll be as close as humanly possible, and I can’t wait to hold Moira in my arms again. And this time, I don’t care about maintaining professional distance.
Moira is mine. It’s about time I show her what that means.
“Like Griff said,” CJ says, “if this is a trap, the best way to figure out who’s behind it is to spring it. I don’t think we’ll find that on this mission. It doesn’t feel right. I don’t agree with Forest, but we plan for both. This feels like more of an opportunistic grab. It’s too sloppy. Griff, since you’re on support, that’s your task. Think of all the ways this op can go wrong. Find solutions. Poke holes.”
“Yes, sir.” I sit a little straighter, feeling better