Page 86 of The Team

“Roger that,” Rhett replied with a smile.

“He’s not even out of breath,” Echo mumbled, shaking his head.

“I’d need a nap,” Sid said.

“Because you eat shit food,” Azrael replied. “Have you considered eating a vegetable?”

Rhett put his hand to his earpiece, which was also a code for the team to shut the fuck up. “We have thermal eyes on you,” he said.

On the screen, Jay could see Yin and Chen stripping off their tanks and belts, then they began up the rocky embankment to the stone wall.

They watched as Chen gave Yin a boost up the wall, then Yin leaned down and pulled Chen up. They were fluid, fast, and efficient.

“Damn, they’re good,” Sid whispered.

Then one by one, they slid the deflector devices onto the three cameras. And just like that, King and Zihao—and presumably Shanghai’s military’s best cybersecurity team—had control of the visual while inside the building had no idea. They’d see nothing but looped footage showing nothing out of the ordinary.

“Okay, that’s our cue,” Rhett said. “Let’s load up.”

The rubber dinghy hit the water, the motor cutting through the inky surface with ease, and Jay kept his headdown from the cold. Rhett held the tablet screen, watching Yin and Chen.

“The alarm’s ours. Gate’s open,” Rhett said.

Yin and Chen were so fucking good.

Coyote steered the boat toward the shore, and two black figures slinked out to greet them. Chen pulled the dinghy up onto the sand without a word.

The team jumped out, and Jay threw the gear bag at Yin’s feet.

“Alarm is disengaged,” Yin said as he pulled his wet suit off.

Jay knelt at the bag and handed up their shirts and then their pants. They hadn’t been exposed to extreme temperatures, but they’d been wet and cold long enough.

And Rhett was going to need them to move, and fast.

“We’ve got four minutes to find her,” Rhett said, reading his watch. “Then I want us gone.”

God. Just four minutes.

Chen pulled on his boots as Yin, already fully dressed, clipped in his EF88. “Then let’s go.”

SIXTEEN

The night was silent,save for the crash and hum of the ocean licking at the shore and the pump of Rhett’s pulse in his ears.

It’s just another mission, he told himself. Like all the others. Simple arrest of two targets and the extraction of one hostage, and the elimination of any threat in between.

Except this hostage was one of theirs.

Not that all hostages weren’t valuable or important, but this was a loved one of one of their team.

Failure wasn’t an option.

Failure had never been an option for Rhett, but this... this felt different.

He tried to imagine how he’d feel, how he’d react and perform if it were Jay in there.

He remembered how Harrigan had reacted when it was Asher held hostage. Rhett could still hear the crunch of that man’s windpipe being pulverised by Harry’s hand.