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“Until they’re not.”
“Can’t count on blood relations being loyal.” Seth cupped Teagan’s nape and stroked her soft skin with his thumb. “We have to at least consider Teagan’s opinion. Frankly, I think she’s right. I’ve met Jace. He doesn’t have your back, Knight. In fact, I’d put him squarely in the enemy’s camp if it comes down to them or us.”
Marsh snorted. “He’s definitely met Jace. That man is nothing but trouble. If we run into a problem, he won’t lift a finger to help us get out of it.”
“That’s why we’re going into this with Seth and the others,” Knight said. “I’m not losing more friends.”
Noah gave a slight nod. “The faster we find the information we need to stop The Brotherhood in their tracks, the sooner we can inform the feds and hand over the cleanup. If we do it fast enough, we just might get our gun and shields back.”
“Doubtful and you know it.”
Teagan met Seth’s gaze, concern in her eyes.
Yeah, he got it. His partner was placing too much hope on his life returning to normal. Seth suspected the self-inflicted damage had already destroyed their careers in law enforcement. What happened after this was anyone’s guess.
He just hoped his decision to pursue a relationship with Teagan hadn’t put her life in jeopardy.
Seth turned to Knight. “Get in touch with your cousin in two hours. Tell him we’re in. Make it clear all seven of us come in together or we’re out.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Before you leave, we have phones for you,” Violet said. “They’re from Fortress and encrypted. They also have GPS trackers embedded in them.” She grabbed the bag with the phones and watches and poured the contents on the table. The medic handed a phone to each of the three detectives. She pointed at one button. “If we’re far enough out in the boonies that we can’t get a regular cell signal, push that button, and the phone switches to satellite. The numbers for your team and Artemis plus Brent Maddox and Zane Murphy, our tech genius, have also been programmed into them.”
“What’s the deal with the watches?” Bowen said, picking one up to examine it. “I already have a tactical watch.”
“Not like these,” Teagan said. She showed the side of the watch. “Push this button and you alert Fortress you’re in trouble. Push the second button to talk to a comm worker at Fortress. Whoever is on duty will know who you are and that you’re on a mission connected to Fortress. He or she will get you whatever you need.”
“One more thing.” Violet laid three small clear bags on the table with two trackers inside each. “We’d like another backup in case you’re taken away from the compound without your phones. All Fortress operatives have two trackers embedded under the first layer of skin on their backs. They won’t be activated unless you alert Fortress you’re in trouble or unless we discover you’re missing. After the mission, you can either opt to leave them in or I can remove them. Your choice. Just know that Fortress will never activate them unless there’s a reason. They don’t track the movements of their operatives unless they miss a check-in.”
The three detectives exchanged glances. “All right,” Knight said. “So, how do we get these trackers embedded?”
“I can take care of it if you’ll remove your shirts. The process will take about five minutes.”
Marsh narrowed his eyes as he shifted his gaze to Seth and Noah. “You guys have them already?”
Seth nodded. “Before we met with Richardson and Peters.”
Bowen blew out a breath. “Let’s get this over with. We have a lot of things to do before we meet Richardson and Peters tomorrow.”
Within twenty minutes, Violet had the embedded trackers in place and the cream had dried on the men’s skin. “I’ll let Fortress know the tracker numbers for each of you so it’s in their computer system. Again, they won’t randomly activate them. If they need to turn them on, you’ll feel warmth where the tracker is located. Don’t scratch or rub the incision sites. By tomorrow, they should be almost completely healed.”
“Thanks for inserting the trackers,” Knight said as he and his friends headed for the back door. He winked. “Now I know how cattle feel when they’re tagged. Later, guys.” And they were gone.
Seth should be glad to get this mission started. Infiltrating The Brotherhood was what the feds and Burnett wanted them to do. So why did he feel as though he was about to fall off a cliff and drag his friends with him?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SETH BREATHED Asigh of relief as the rest of their team escaped by the back door, leaving him alone with Teagan and her teammate. “Rayne, do you want me to show you where you can sleep?”
The other woman shook her head. “I won’t sleep tonight. You and Teagan need to rest. Iona and I will keep watch. No one will slip past us.”
Although he felt uncomfortable allowing the women to stay awake while he slept, Seth understood the logic. Once he and Teagan stepped outside the doors of his home tomorrow morning, they’d be on stage every minute until the op ended and the militia disbanded. That meant he and Teagan wouldn’t sleep much. Couldn’t afford to let their guards down in enemy territory.
Seth turned to Teagan. “I’ll walk you upstairs.”
At the front window, Rayne eased the curtain aside to peer out. “You expecting anyone else tonight, Seth?”
He drew his weapon. “No.”