Technical Threat (Westin Force #4) - Julie Trettel Page 0,89
ago, Ben, that’s not possible,” Grant insisted.
Ben shrugged. “I know what I saw.”
“If you’re right and he’s been pining after a female stuck in that hell hole for the last several years, then there’s no telling how he’s going to behave tomorrow. He can’t go in there,” Painter said.
“If his mate is in there, how the hell do you think we’re going to keep him out?” Grant asked.
“He’s right,” I admitted. “I had it easy on the mating front, but if that were Susan in there, no one would be able to keep me out, especially not after that new information Jake gave us. I’m having a hard time believing you guys are right simply because we’re still here and not going in hot tonight.”
“You have a point,” Painter said. “This is all just speculation. I’m going to talk to him and make him see reason. I want him to run point in the truck with you, Tarron. Think you’re up for keeping an eye on the big guy?”
“Yeah, sure, but you have to convince him first.”
“If you don’t, and we’re right, he’s going to compromise this mission and put all our lives on the line,” Baine said.
“Silas wouldn’t do that,” Painter insisted.
“And neither would I, for anyone other than my mate or daughter. If she’s in there, we can’t expect him to be thinking rationally,” Baine said.
That thought weighed heavily on all of us. We’d been there and just the thought of it as a possibility gave me a new respect for my leader.
Painter spoke to Silas and although it took some convincing, he finally saw the light. By the next day when it was time to set up for the mission, he was still bitching about it though and I was the lucky one that got to sit there and endure it all.
“This is ridiculous. I should be in there with my team,” he grumbled, even while he instructed all three units to move into place.
We’d spent much of the night rehashing the plan until Silas was certain everyone knew it. I couldn’t ever remember being more prepared for a mission, but it still wasn’t good enough for him.
Our primary target was no longer Sonnet. We were in it to extract them all and then shut the facility down—permanently.
I easily tapped into the security cameras the Raglan had set up. We’d be using those against them. As far as they knew there was nothing going on as all the hallways were recorded and played back on a loop. I’d had to make sure every feed was clear first, but within half an hour I was in place and ready to roll. With any luck we’d be in and out before they even knew what was happening.
Silas verified the cameras were ready and then gave the signal to Baine with the help of some of Charlie to move in and start setting up the detonators that would level the place the second we were ready to pull out.
“All clear,” Baine said.
Grant and the field medics from Charlie and Delta were set up in the woods awaiting any casualties and prepared to receive the captives to check before transport.
We had four large cargo vans waiting to load them up and get the hell out of here.
Knowing what we knew now the entire place gave me the creeps.
“Medics?”
“Ready, sir,” Grant responded.
“Snipers?”
Ben and the other snipers were watching from the treetops, eagle eyes as Macie liked to call them.
“In position, sir,” Ben answered for them.
The rest of the three teams were positioned to head inside as soon as Silas gave the go ahead.
“Ready?” Silas asked me again.
I quickly ran through a protocol check to verify my loop feed was working.
“As I’ll ever be.”
“B Team, you have the green light. Remember, no one gets left behind.”
Silas kept knocking his hand on the table as we waited and watched as Painter and Taylor headed in with Baine hot on their tail. Now that his initial job was done, he had joined them on the ground.
Sometimes I wished I could be in on the action the way they were, and then at other times I was grateful to have a job that kept me away from imminent danger.
“Stop,” I said. “Two just ahead to your right.”
I watched them freeze, backs against the wall, with their guns at the ready.
The two men laughed, a sign there was no alarm or sense of threat to them. They walked into a room and closed the door.