Page 34

With so many security agents at Four Kings Security being former military personnel, the Kings ensured that agents could work together as one, regardless of the branch they’d served under.

That didn’t mean that when agents of the same branch ended up working together, they didn’t fall back into moving as a unit.

Despite Ryden and Finch never having served together, they moved together like they’d been doing it for years. Jay followed Ryden on the screen, tapping the keyboard to adjust the surveillance cameras for a better view.

“Jay,” Jack said over their comms.

“Yes?” Jay sat up straight, ready to spring into action. “I’m here, what do you need?”

“For you to stop touching the cameras. I need to be able to see something other than your boyfriend.”

Oops . “Sorry.” Jay quickly tapped the keyboard, and all the cameras returned to their previous position.

“Does that mean you two are dating?” Finch asked. “Or?—”

“Yes, Finch,” Jay hissed. “We’re dating. He’s my boyfriend.”

“Aw,” Lucky cooed. “Look at Ry’s face. You just made him so happy, Jay.”

“It’s about freaking time,” Joker muttered.

“Approaching the container yard,” King said, and everyone fell silent.

Jay stared at the monitors, heart pounding as the guys approached the container yard near the ship, moving like shadows in the darkness.

King silently motioned to each pairing, and they split up.

The infrared on the drone feed lit up the screen with their movement.

Wait. There were more than eight heat signatures.

Jay leaned closer. “Guys,” he murmured, “there’s a new heat signature. Three o’clock from Ryden and Finch.”

“I see it,” Jack replied in his ear. “Could be a port worker.”

The figure moved quickly between containers, crouching low and taking cover. “Yeah, I don’t think it’s a civilian.”

King spoke up. “Finch, Ryden, possible hostile approaching your location. Proceed with caution.”

“Roger that,” Finch and Ryden replied.

The camera on Finch’s vest shook as he took cover behind a stack of pallets. Ryden’s camera moved in unison, both of them readying for possible engagement.

Jay’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to switch up the views should he need it. The figure he’d spotted moved again, then split into two. What the hell?

“Shit,” Jay breathed. “You’ve got two possible hostiles, not one.”

“Confirmed,” King said. “Joker, Jack, shift position. Saint, swing wide on the right. We’ve got company.”

Jay’s heart was in his throat, and he couldn’t stop his knee from bouncing.

This was excruciating. How did Jack do this?

Surveillance was clearly not for Jay. He was ready to start pacing.

Ryden and Finch stayed put, waiting as the figures approached, inching closer.

The tension was about to give Jay heart palpitations.

Then there was a burst of motion. Oh shit!

Gunfire crackled in Jay’s ears, loud even through the filtered mics. The feed on Ryden’s camera jolted as he dove behind a container, bullets sparking off the metal. Finch shouted something Jay didn’t catch, then fired his weapon.

Jay jumped to his feet. Relax . Ry’s okay .

This is what he does, remember? Jay took a deep breath, centered himself, and refocused.

He couldn’t freak out every time he thought Ryden was in danger.

The man had been working in private security for six years, and although most of his work involved risk assessment, he was occasionally assigned to large events that required a significant security presence.

Finch took down one of the shooters when Ryden darted out from the shadows and swept the leg of the second guy in one fluid motion, then slammed the butt of his rifle into the guy’s face. They rendered the men unconscious.

“Targets down,” Ryden’s voice came over their comms, slightly winded as he zip-tied the guy’s wrists and ankles, Finch doing the same. “We’re good.”

Jay fell back into his seat. “You scared the crap out of me,” he muttered, though he knew Ryden couldn’t hear him directly.

“It’s not our guys,” Finch confirmed. “Looks like they’ve hired some help.”

Great. More movement drew Jay’s attention. The drone picked up another cluster of heat signatures at the far end of the yard, opposite the guys. Jay tapped the screen.

“We’ve got movement,” Jack said. “Four signatures. Looks like they’re carrying something.”

King made a low sound. “Roger that. It could be them. Let’s move.”

Jay switched feeds again, pulling up Saint’s and King’s cameras.

King crouched low, Saint beside him, both of them advancing toward the next row of containers.

The camera jittered slightly with each footstep, and Jay swallowed hard.

He hated this. Waiting, watching the people he loved step into danger while he sat in the damn van.

He also had to accept that Ryden was right.

Jay wasn’t a Marine. Hell, he wasn’t any kind of soldier.

He had no military experience. Working as an executive assistant to a team of Green Berets had taught him a hell of a lot over the years, but that didn’t change the fact that he was five feet four inches and weighed one hundred thirty pounds.

These guys could bench press him with one hand tied behind their backs.

His family was out there risking their lives to stop dangerous men from hurting anyone else.

The last thing Jay wanted was to put anyone in danger, so no matter how difficult it was, he did as promised and stayed put.

The second drone continued to sweep the deck of the cargo ship and the containers.

The angle shifted, and Jay spotted an open cargo container.

Several of the cement pallets were outside and unwrapped.

Someone dressed in black combat attire from head to toe rounded the corner, driving a forklift carrying an empty pallet.

He set it down, then jumped out before quickly loading the cement bags onto the empty pallet.

In the container yard, four figures, dressed identically, carried a large crate.

Jay assumed it was their five ex-Marines, though with the balaclavas they wore, it was impossible to know for sure.

Jay tapped his comms. “You’ve got one target moving cement bags. The others are likely heading his way.” Jay zoomed in, spotting a crate near the pallet. “Weapons crates.” He scanned the length of the ship. The rest of the containers were closed. “I think they might be finishing up.”

“Let’s move,” King ordered. “Jay, can we make it up the gangway before the hostiles on the ground see us?”

“If you move fast. They’re using the containers to stay hidden, so it should give you the cover you need to get up there before they do. I’ll let you know when they head down one of the bays. Get ready.”

“Roger that,” King replied.

Jay’s eyes were glued to the screen and the heat signatures as they moved between the containers. Considering how they were moving in and out between the bays, they most likely believed they were evading security cameras. They exited one bay and turned down another. “Now!”

The guys moved fast and stealthily, running up the gangway of the cargo ship, their all-black uniforms helping them blend in against the ship. Ryden and Finch had taken up the rear and were still on the gangway when the figures carrying the crate were about to exit another bay.

“Move your asses, Marines,” Jay hissed at Ryden and Finch. They’d just made it onto the deck when the men carrying the crate appeared. Jay slumped back in his chair, his pulse racing. That had been way too close a call.

The guys moved in formation, heading to the farthest side of the container stack, as it was more likely the men carrying the weapons crate would take the right, which was the shortest route to their teammate.

Movement caught Jay’s eye, and he turned his attention to the screen showing the second drone’s feed.

It descended to a lower altitude, moving through two of the container bays.

It wasn’t supposed to get so close, and it continued to get closer.

The thing dropped, then hovered. Something was wrong.

Before he could tell Jack, one of the men removed a gun from his holster and fired.

“Son of a bitch,” Jack growled. “Drone two is down.”

“What the hell happened?” King asked.

“I don’t know. It started to lose control before one of them shot it. They have to have a jammer.”

“Goddammit,” Joker hissed. “They know their cover’s blown.”

The heat signatures scattered. The ex-Marines were on the move.

“They split into twos,” Jay said.

“They won’t make it far,” King replied over their comms.

There had to be something Jay could do. He tapped at the keyboard, searching for a command prompt.

Self-defense wasn’t the only skill he’d picked up at Four Kings Security in the twelve years he’d worked there.

He might not be a hacker or cybersecurity agent, but he’d trained enough with Jack to have a basic understanding of their cybersecurity intelligence system.

Jay’s fingers flew over the keyboard, and he found all the devices their system had control over. He opened the prompt for the yard’s floodlight system. With a final keystroke, the lights over the container yard blazed to life, spotlighting the ex-Marines who’d ducked between containers.

“Nice work, Jay,” King said. “Let’s go get ’em.”

Gunfire erupted again, and Ryden’s camera feed rocked with motion as he sprinted between two stacks of containers. Finch followed, covering him. Seconds later, Joker’s camera showed one of the ex-Marines being tackled.

One by one, the guys took down the remaining team and restrained them. Jay kept his eyes on the feeds, shifting views, scanning heat signatures, keeping them all in sight. He didn’t realize how tense he was until King called out, “All clear.”

Jay sagged back in his chair. It was over.

Why wasn’t he relieved? He should have been thrilled.

Instead, he had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” he murmured.

It was too easy. The ex-Marines had gone down with very little fight.

Jay opened his mouth to ask King if everything was alright when a crackle of static tore through the comms. “What the hell?”

“All teams, hold positions and check targets,” King said, his voice sharp and tense.

“Shit,” Ryden growled. “It’s not them.”

King grabbed the collar of one of their captives. “Where are the men who hired you?”

Nothing.

“Answer him,” Ryden replied through his teeth.

“I hope you kissed your boyfriend goodbye before you left.”

Jay’s heart stuttered, and he jumped to his feet. He tapped away at the keyboard, bringing up the external cameras. Three figures dressed in black and wearing balaclavas approached the van. Oh god. They were coming for him .

“Everyone else, let’s move,” King ordered. “Jay, we’re heading your way.”

Jay’s heart hammered as he hurried to the front of the van, intent on getting the hell out of there just like Ryden had instructed. But before he could make it, there was a loud bang on the roof, then a metal clang against the side. What the hell was that?

“Aw, did your boyfriend leave you all alone?” One of the men called out. Jay froze. He recognized that voice. It was the guy who’d caught him in the stairwell. Walton. “How about you let us keep you company? I promise we’ll treat you better.”

“Ry…” Jay’s voice cracked. He was trapped.

“I’m comin’ for ya, sweetheart, just hold on,” Ryden said tightly. “You do whatever you gotta do to keep them from gettin’ their hands on you. You hear me?”

Something slid across the top of the van. Metal on metal. Now what? A familiar hiss followed, and Jay’s eyes went huge. Smoke began to pour in through the ventilation system.

“Gas!” Jay coughed and scrambled to the equipment locker.

He put his hand to the security panel, and it unlocked.

Coughing, he reached for one of the emergency masks and a Glock.

Fuck. He could barely see, his eyes stinging and watery.

Breathing became a chore, and his body grew heavy.

He was so dizzy, but he managed to get the mask on over his face.

Sucking in a deep breath, Jay took the safety off the gun.

He struggled to raise the Glock, but he managed to push through.

The sound of an engine roared, and Jay turned, intent on stumbling for the back doors when a blinding light engulfed the van, followed by an earth-shattering boom that rocked the van sideways, throwing Jay against the console.

“Jay!” Ryden’s voice was panicked, but he sounded so far away.

Jay’s ears rang as he hit the floor, the lights around him flickering, or maybe it was his vision.

It was as if he were swimming in murky waters, unable to tell which end was up.

With a groan, he forced himself to roll over onto his side.

He had to get up. Jay threw out a hand, searching for the gun, but he was grabbed and flung over someone’s shoulder before he could find it.

“Ry?”

“Don’t worry. You’ll see your man soon enough. Too bad it won’t be for very long.”

Darkness came and swallowed him.