Avenged (Hostage Rescue Team Series) (Volume 5) (29 page)

That alone told Ethan Taya meant something to Schroder, and it had to somehow be related to their history in Afghanistan. Whatever was going on between them, it was serious, and Ethan thought the change looked pretty damn good on his teammate. Hell, she seemed like a quality individual, and considering what she’d been through she was freaking tough. He was happy for the guy.

DeLuca exchanged a look with Tuck, who nodded his confirmation. “I’m real glad to hear that,” his commander said, looking relieved, then pushed away from his desk. “Now let’s rock and roll.”

But ninety minutes later Cruz stepped out onto the front stoop of the target house with Schroder and headed back to their vehicle, disappointed and frustrated as hell. The op had been a total bust.

Schroder removed his helmet with a discouraged sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “Couldn’t have missed them by much.”

“No.” The satellite they’d been using to monitor the target house had moved out of range about twenty minutes ago, leaving only a few local FBI agents and some cops to watch the house as best they could. They’d reported several vehicles coming and going from the residence as the HRT was en route, but it’d been impossible for them to tell who was in the vehicles.

“They must’ve left in a helluva hurry though,” Ethan added. The suspects had left dishes with half eaten meals on them strewn on the tables in the kitchen and living room, more on the counter and in the sink. The coffee pot was still on and two-thirds full. Forensics people were in their now, gathering evidence for DNA testing, to try to determine who’d been at the meeting.

Something had obviously spooked the suspects.

“There’s no way they could’ve known we were coming, unless they spotted one of our agents watching the place,” Schroder said, his eyes burning with frustration.

Possible, but not likely, and Ethan searched for something to ease Schroder’s mind. “We’ve still got time. One solid tip, and we’ll nail them.”

Schroder shot him a hard look as they headed down the front steps. “We’re on a short timeline.”

Ethan decided it best to shut his mouth. The guy was worried as fuck about Taya already, and given the amount of chatter they’d heard about and the kinds of attacks they were prepping for at the trial, he couldn’t blame him. The threat against her was still very real.

They waited by the vehicles as the others left the house. Blackwell, Vance, Bauer, Evers and finally Tuck. “Next time, boys,” their team leader said.

Everyone was looking at Schroder. They all felt for him. Every last one of them wanted to take this cell down and protect Taya and the surviving witnesses.

Evers clapped a hand on Schroder’s shoulder. “It’ll be all right, man,” he said.

“We’ll get ‘em,” Bauer added.

Tuck, Evers and Bauer knew exactly what Schroder was feeling right now. Each of them had experienced having the woman they cared about in mortal danger. Aside from a show of solidarity, however, there was nothing they could do to make this any better. Ethan moved aside for Schroder, who nodded his thanks and stowed his gear, not saying a word.

“Let’s get back to base,” Tuck said, heading around the rear of one SUV to stow his tactical gear. “We’ve got a lot to cover by morning.”

****

Taya rolled to her side when her new phone rang on the small table beside her bed. When she saw Nathan’s number she smiled, excitement leaping inside her. She’d been struggling to keep her anxiety under control, wondering where he was and what he was doing, so hearing his voice was exactly what she needed. “Hello?”

“Hey, gorgeous. How’re things?” Just the sound of his voice soothed her.

“Okay. I spent most of the day reviewing notes about the kinds of questions the prosecution is going to ask me, and what the defense is likely to counter with.”

Her new security team had taken her straight from the airport to the new safe house, where she’d spent the past few hours reviewing notes she’s made about the trial and re-reading sections of her journal. Her captivity was as vivid in her mind as the day she’d arrived back in the States, and she planned to use those memories to paint as accurate a picture as possible for the judge and jurors. “I’m definitely taking the stand tomorrow afternoon. Likely right after lunch.” She was both excited and nervous about it.

“You ready for it?”

“As I’ll ever be. What about you, how was your day?”

“Fine, except I miss you like hell.”

Aww. “I miss you too.” She eased back against her pillow and looked at the bouquet on the nightstand. “I got your flowers. They’re beautiful, thank you.” A gorgeous riot of Gerber daisies and lilies in a rainbow of reds, pinks, yellows and oranges.

“Welcome. Bet Duncan loved sending one of his guys out to pick them up for me.” She could hear the smile in his voice, imagined the devilish twinkle in his eyes.

“Oh, he did. Said it’s probably the first time in the history of WITSEC that a U.S. Marshal delivered flowers to one of their witnesses.”

A low chuckle. “Well, this was a special circumstance, so they helped me out.”

“I loved the card you sent with them the best though.”
Proud of you. Give ‘em hell tomorrow.
He’d signed it Nathan rather than Nate, which had made her smile.

“I had no idea you were romantic,” she continued. “All these interesting things I’m learning about you.” She hadn’t been able to wipe the silly smile off her face after one of the security team members had knocked on her door and handed them to her with a goofy smile and a, “special delivery”.

“Baby, you haven’t seen anything yet. When the trial’s done you’re gonna get all the romance you can handle, and then some.”

“Really?” Now that was something for a girl to look forward to, and it sure as hell did the trick in taking her mind off her worries. “Well I’m all intrigued, because it’s been forever since I was romanced. What do you have in mind? Candlelit dinners? Going to the movies? Long walks? Lazy afternoon picnics?”

“Not gonna give away my hand this early on, but I’ll take those into consideration.”

“And what’s the key to your heart, by the way? I mean, other than the thing I did to you this morning.”

“What thing is that? Refresh my memory,” he said, a teasing note in his voice.

She smiled, enjoying the light banter. It felt good to let her worry about tomorrow go and focus on what she had to look forward to when this was all done. Being with him again, seeing her family, getting back to her life. A life that would hopefully include Nathan in a romantic capacity. “Waking you up with my mouth.”

He gave a low groan. “I loved every second of it. But think simpler.”

Simpler than sex? For a guy like him? “Food, then. I bet you’re a sucker for a home-cooked meal. Am I right?”

He chuckled. “That works too, but it’s still not the key.”

“Then what?”

“You.”

She blinked, her heart squeezing at the conviction behind his answer. “Me?”

“Yeah, just you. And maybe bacon,” he added, a smile in his voice.

He was so freaking adorable. “So you’re saying if I made and served you a BLT, you’d be putty in my hands?” Seemed hard to imagine, but okay.

A masculine rumble filled her ears. “God, yeah.”

She couldn’t help the sappy smile that spread across her face. “Wow, you
are
easy. And I can definitely arrange that.”

“I can hardly wait. Will you serve it to me naked? Or maybe wearing just a frilly little apron and heels?”

She smothered a laugh, but a clear image of her doing just that popped into her head, serving him the sandwich in that sexy outfit while watching his eyes go all heated. “Depends on how good you are.”

“Oh, baby, I’ll be
so
good to you, you have no idea.”

The man completely melted her and turned her on at the same time. It scared her, to fall so hard and fast when they’d only spent a short amount of time together, but she knew the most important things about him. His sense of honor and dedication to those he cared about, his work ethic. His loyalty and bravery. She believed in him, that he truly cared about her, and she believed they had a shot at something more together. They’d both earned the right to find happiness with each other.

“What are you wearing right now?”

She gave a sly smile at the change in subject. “Your shirt.” She’d asked for one of his T-shirts this morning and he’d given her an old pararescue one from his duffel. It was pale gray and super soft from many washings. On the middle of the chest it bore an angel set against the backdrop of a parachute, her arms wrapped around the globe above a scroll that read
That Others May Live
.

Nathan and his fellow PJs had lived by that motto. O’Neil had given his life upholding it. She’d never forget that.

A pause as that registered. “
Just
my shirt?”

“Yeah.” She lifted her arm to bury her nose in the sleeve, breathed in. “Mmm, and it still smells like you.” Clean and spicy, a hint of male musk.

“Holy hell, that’s hot. You naked in my favorite shirt. Text me a picture?”

“Maybe. I’m taking good care of it though.”

“I bet you are. Hell, now I’m jealous of my own shirt,” he said with a laugh. “So, you ready for tomorrow?”

She sobered. “Ready as I can be. Mostly I’m worried about the security situation and seeing Qureshi face-to-face in the courtroom.”

“I can’t go into too much detail, but believe me when I tell you that whole area’s gonna be locked down so tight, they’re gonna need to coat you with cooking spray just to pass through security tomorrow.”

The image made her smile, as did his attempt to lighten the mood. “Will you guys be there?”

“We’ll be at a staging area, on standby. But near enough, yeah, just in case. That make you feel better?”

“A little.” She liked knowing he’d be nearby if anything happened.

“Just stay close to Duncan and the rest of your security team. They’re not gonna mess around. They’ll get you straight in there and stay in the courtroom with you. You’ll be well covered.”

“Thanks. I’m gonna bury Qureshi on that stand tomorrow.” She’d see him in hell before she’d allow him to walk free after what he’d done to her and the others.

Like the time he’d had two of the captured women stripped and beaten with sticks for daring to meet his gaze. He’d had the beatings done in front of all the others, to serve as a warning. One of the women had suffered broken ribs and they’d both been bruised and bloody by the time the punishment ended.

“That’s my girl.” His voice rang with such pride that it warmed her inside. Then masculine voices sounded in the background. “Sorry, baby, I gotta go.”

“Are you still at work?” she asked, surprised. It was almost midnight. She’d assumed he’d been at home when he’d called.

“Yeah, meetings and stuff.”

She knew they were prepping for tomorrow; she just hoped it wasn’t because of an imminent attack. He wouldn’t want to worry her more than she already was, and he couldn’t talk to her about operations and other classified things anyway. “Thanks for calling. Be safe and I can’t wait to see you.”

“Hang tight, sweetheart. I’ll be with you in spirit tomorrow and watching over you from close by.”

Her throat tightened. His words gave her additional strength to take into the courtroom with her. “Thanks, and stay safe. Bye.”

“Bye.”

She disconnected, feeling acutely alone. Lying back against her pillow, she blew out a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling. The security situation was beyond her control. She had to keep her eye on the prize now, focus on the importance of her role tomorrow.

Qureshi was going to pay for what he’d done, with his life if she had anything to say about it.

****

Ayman finished cleaning his weapons and loaded them into the large duffel open at his feet where he sat cross-legged on the bedroom floor. Across the room, two other new additions to the team did the same. It had been a long but productive day. The meeting he’d been part of earlier had been eye-opening, to say the least.

There he’d met most of the founding Brethren in person, as well as others fighting for them, and learned the full extent of tomorrow’s operation. He’d expected a multi-faceted and well thought out plan, but nothing of this complexity or precision. Nearly two million dollars were being funneled into this effort, including weapons, vehicles, manpower.

After reviewing everything as a group and discussing assignments, they’d been halfway through a meal together when one of the lookouts had radioed in, suspicious about the increase in traffic around the perimeter. Their leader, Mahmoud, had called an end to the meeting and ordered everyone out. Ayman had heard later that a crack FBI SWAT team had showed up not twenty minutes after the last man had left.

Now he and his teammates were all anxiously awaiting the morning, when they’d begin their assignments three hours from now.

The attack—or rather, attacks—would be fast, bloody and carefully choreographed. Designed to inflict maximum fear and maximum carnage.

They even had a few surprises in store that no one would be expecting. No amount of security could stop the wave after wave of men they were sending in.

Ayman’s lips curved into a pleased half-smile. He was extremely impressed by The Brethren’s preparations, and honored to be a part of such a large and historic attack.

His group was tasked with killing as many security agents as possible before targeting the whore inside the courthouse. Seven other teams would carry out simultaneous, coordinated attacks to help them gain entry. Some of them would die, but every one of them was prepared to make that sacrifice, and with the sheer number of attackers involved, at least a few would get through.

The biggest push, of course, would be concentrated on freeing Qureshi. Once the chaos started they should have ample time to get in, take advantage of the confusion and get him out. A private plane would be waiting at a nearby airfield, ready to take him back to Pakistan and then he’d make his way to the tribal region with the help of his most loyal followers over there.