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“That shouldn’t be a problem. Both Jazz and Serena seem protective of her.”
Liam stared out past the trees, past the canyons, into the gray mist. “Yeah, she seems like a nice person.”
“What’s wrong, Stryker? It’s not just the filmmaker. You blew me off before, but I know there’s something else. What is it?”
“I think this might be the last one, Ash. If I don’t find Cat this time, I’m done.”
“What do you mean, you’re done?”
“I can’t keep doing this.”
“You’re going to stop rescuing trafficking victims?” Ash snorted loudly. “You won’t stop…you can’t. Rescuing is in your blood.”
Ash was right. He couldn’t stop rescuing, didn’t want to stop. But he would stop putting his heart and soul on the line. Every single time he’d gone into a rescue, there had been that chance he would find her. If he didn’t this time, he had to let her go. There was no choice in the matter.
“No, I won’t stop, but Xavier said something not too long ago that got me to thinking. I have no life, not really. Seeing you and Jules together, Sean and Serena, I’m glad for you guys—you deserve all good things—but it just makes me realize how much I’ve put my life on hold.” Shaking his head, he sent Ash a grimace of a smile. “Sorry. Don’t know why I’m all the sudden philosophical.”
“You have every right to a life, Liam. And I’d say Cat would be the first one to tell you that.”
“Yeah, she would.” He glanced down at his watch. “Almost go time.”
Giving him a slap on the back, Ash grinned. “Let’s go put some assholes out of business.”
“Sounds good.”
Getting that off his chest had helped. He would focus on the op, save the victims, and take down some human scum. And then, if Cat wasn’t there? Well then, he’d get on with the rest of his life. Hollowed out? Yeah, maybe. But Ash was right. Cat would be the first person to tell him he needed to get on with his life. It was time to do just that.
The night was thick with darkness, obscuring all light. If not for the occasional streetlight, she would have had no idea if they were on the road or in the middle of a rock quarry. The Jeep bounced over the rough terrain, increasing the nervousness in the pit of her stomach. Aubrey sat in the back, gripping the seat. She wasn’t frightened, but she did feel anxiety. This wasn’t anything she’d ever experienced before. In film school, she’d been taught to embrace the moment, become the moment, to be able to reveal its authenticity. She was definitely doing that. This was as real as it got.
“Don’t worry,” Jazz said softly beside her. “The adrenaline rushing through you will subside. Just take even breaths.”
“Thank you.” She owed both Jazz and Serena so much. They had talked with her about what would happen. Even though she had been in the meetings when duties were assigned, she couldn’t say she had understood everything. The two women had explained in detail what to look for, what she would see, and what might happen.
She wore what was apparently standard uniform for OZ—camo pants, black T-shirt, and a Kevlar vest. She had asked about carrying a weapon but both Jazz and Serena had shaken their heads at the request. She couldn’t blame them—they had no real idea of the extent of her training. But she wouldn’t be defenseless. She knew plenty of ways to defend herself if it became necessary. She didn’t expect to have to do that but she was going into an unknown and dangerous situation. Not being prepared for any contingency would be foolish. She didn’t do foolish anymore.
“When we get there,” Jazz said, “just stick with me no matter what. We’ll go through the back, along with Gideon and Xavier.”
She nodded. They’d gone over the drill several times with her. She didn’t resent the repetition. Everything they did, everything they said, was meant for one purpose—a successful mission.
They turned all lights off as the vehicles approached the house.
“All looks quiet,” Ash said from the front seat of the Jeep.
“Yeah,” Xavier answered. “Maybe too quiet.”
“Listen up,” Liam said. “Xavier’s right. It does seem too quiet, but we go in as planned.”
Hearing the voice in her ear that sounded so much like the voice in her dreams was surreal. How many times had she woken with that voice in her head? That had to be Lion’s voice. It had to be. Didn’t it?
“You ready?” Jazz asked.
Aubrey nodded, refocusing. Whether Liam was Lion or not didn’t matter right now. What mattered was that he, along with the rest of these operatives, was about to rescue a dozen women, thereby giving them another chance at life. She had dreamed about seeing an operation like this firsthand one day, and that time was now. She was more than ready.
They’d parked on an access road about three hundred yards from the property. Tall hedges surrounded the property, obscuring much of the structure, but as they approached the yard, she could see glimpses of the house through the greenery. All looked peaceful.
Staying close to Jazz, Aubrey lowered her head and moved forward with the group. They were ten feet from entering the property when the first shot rang out.
“Take cover!” someone shouted.