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Slowly, I inched my weight to my hip, drew my legs upward, and was just about to pounce when a flash of light tore through the holes in the cardboard on the window and was followed by an ear-shattering bang. As someone who had used that tactic before, I knew it was team Tracker creating a distraction. I jumped to my feet with a shout and rammed the knife into the ringleader’s neck. Frank shot two bullets over my shoulder, and Zack shot two from between the barrels.
“Move!” Ray yelled as we headed for the door. It wouldn’t be long before the police or other Cartels arrived. Frank took the corner hard and lost his footing and landed on a pile of bodies. I didn’t think as I hooked my arm on his vest and scooped him up as I raced by. We untangled from each other as we slipped outside and raced in the opposite direction from the way we’d arrived. Sirens and squealing tires could be heard as lights suddenly lit up the side streets. They helped to alert us of where not to go. Suddenly, one of our Broncos pulled up next to us and our hired driver waved for us to get in. Once inside, he tore off down the street. I caught an occasional glimpse of another car that held some of Dad’s men.
“Everyone good?” I tugged at my vest, feeling restricted as my chest pumped with adrenaline.
“Yeah! Whoo, man, did I miss the action.” Ray laughed more out of relief than anything else. We joined in as we relished the old feeling of living on the edge. However, it was short lived as we settled in and mulled over what our new enemy was capable of. Silence once again filled the steel box on wheels, and we zoned out as we processed the nightmare we’d just walked in on.
“They’re ruthless,” Zack murmured as he stared out the window. “If darkness had a home, it was that warehouse.”
“Agreed.” Frank nodded from the front seat. He sounded a million miles away. “Given the number of Cartel members and how quickly it’s growing, this could get out of hand real fast if the US isn’t ready.”
“That’s why we’re here, to let them know we aren’t to be played with.” I felt a whole new surge of anger flush through me.
An hour later, we were out of the city and in a field where we met up with Team Tracker. Dad’s face slipped a little when he saw me, and I knew he’d been worried, even though we checked in.
“Thanks for the distraction.” I slapped his shoulder.
“More of them were coming our way. I’m not sure if they had a chance to let them know you were there. There wasn’t much time.”
“I didn’t see any radios, but that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Well, what did you see?” His team gathered around us as we quickly filled them in on what happened.
“Do we have any new information on where our possible mark would be?” I hated the idea to go home and potentially leave our mark in the hands of these savages.
“No, which leads me to believe you boys found him.”
“Maybe we wait out the night and—”
“Our orders are to return to the US.” My father stepped closer. “Trust me, son, when that sun rises, and we lose the protection of the night, we’ll be sitting ducks. Our mission is to get in and get out.”
“Understood.” He was right.
“Let’s go back home and get those prints off to Washington. We’ll soon know whether or not it’s him,” Dad advised.
We piled into the cars and headed out. I wondered just what we’d set in motion on this night. Clearly, they’d found our informant and knew we were coming. I couldn’t help but feel like we’d just kicked the world’s most dangerous hornets’ nest.
“Frank, you friggin’ stink.” Zack coughed and plugged his nose, and I smirked as I remembered what Dr. Roberts had said.See the humor where you can.
Daniel
We returned home to Shadows after the assignment, and after such a short, intense trip, it did wonders for my head. If this was how it was going to be, I knew I could do this job and do it well.
“Are you all back in one piece?” Mom called as she raced over to the helicopter as soon as the engine was cut. The wind whirled her hair around her head as she peered in the door, but she didn’t care. She needed to know.
“We are.” I hugged her quickly and made sure she saw Dad was fine, too. She made her rounds and inspected each one of us as we stepped out of the chopper. We were all her own. Of course, Zack ate up the attention and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as we walked down toward the house together. I noticed all of us tapped the spot where our team’s name and date were etched into the chopper.
“It was dicey, but we were well prepared and will be even more so the next time we leave.” Zack filled her in. He knew Mom loved to know all the details.
The moment I got inside, I dropped my bag and raced off toward my office. Frank’s teasing voice about my being whipped by a woman could be heard behind me. I didn’t care if I was or not. I kept my promises.
I dialed her number twice, as the first time my mind and my fingers refused to work together as one.
“Hello?”
“Hey, baby.”
“You’re home?”