Page 36

Ryden swallowed hard. “Yeah, I do.”

At one point in his life, he’d believed he didn’t deserve a guy like Jay.

Hell, he’d thought he didn’t deserve to be loved by anyone, but now, he was at peace with himself and in a place where he could love Jay the way he deserved to be loved and accept Jay’s love in return.

That night in his living room, when he lay on the couch with his head in Jay’s lap as Jay stroked his hair, it was the closest to being absolutely at peace as he’d ever come, like his soul was settled.

If he could have purred like a cat, he would have.

“We’ve got your back, bro,” Joker said, making a lump form in Ryden’s throat, because for the first time in his life, he had everything to lose. His hands threatened to shake, so he took a deep breath and then released it, sending calm through him. Jay needed him to be calm and focused.

Ryden carefully returned Pascal to his tactical vest pocket just as Finch pulled the SUV up beside King’s.

Everyone got out of the vehicles, being careful to remain quiet.

They’d pulled in across the street from the warehouse behind another building that was part of a cluster of larger structures, possibly more warehouses, surrounded by trees and shrubbery, all of which would help provide cover.

They waited as Jack rounded the corner of the building, using the shadows and trees to disappear.

One moment he was there, the next he’d completely vanished.

Ryden had to give it to his Snake Eater buddies.

They were damn good at staying out of sight.

It was why Ace always got the drop on everyone. Annoyed the fuck out of Ryden.

It felt like a lifetime, though it was just a few minutes, and then there he was, strolling back to them like he’d never left. They huddled around Jack, watching him zoom in on the warehouse.

“We’ve got multiple security cameras on each side of the building, but I can take care of those.

” Jack pointed to the tablet. “There’s a door and loading bay entrance on the south side, a loading bay entrance on the east side, and the north side has two doors on the second floor accessible via these stairs here, and on the ground level, four loading bay entrances, two here and two here. ”

“Hostiles?” King asked.

Jack tapped his tablet. “I counted six heat signatures in total, two on the north side, one on the south side, and one on the east. These two move around, obviously patrolling. This signature isn’t moving.” He lifted his gaze to Ryden. “It’s most likely Jay.”

Ryden clenched his jaw but didn’t respond. He couldn’t let himself think the worst. They took Jay and had him in that warehouse, which meant they needed him for something. They were going to go in there and bring Jay back alive.

Finch held a hand up. “Anyone else here thinking maybe this is a trap?”

They all held a hand up.

“Just checking.”

Jack handed the tablet to King, and he studied the building. A heartbeat later, King nodded. “Jack, you got something that can get us in through those doors?”

“Of course.” Jack reached into one of his pockets and pulled out four pucklike gadgets.

“Okay. Ace, you and Lucky take the door on the south. Saint and I will take the loading bay entrance. Jack and Joker, take the loading bay entrance on the east. Finch and Ry, second floor. Ry, your primary objective is getting Jay out of there. The rest of us will take care of those bastards.”

“Roger that,” they replied.

“Watch your six,” King grumbled. “We’ll reconvene back here once we get word from Ryden that he has Jay and they’re safe.”

Finch held his fist out to Ryden, who bumped it with his. “Let’s do this.”

Jack handed one person from each group a puck-shaped device, then they split off into their designated groups of two.

Thankfully, the warehouse had few windows, and they were all on the second floor, none of them giving a very good view of the grounds outside the warehouse.

Ryden took the lead, heading east across the street so they could use the trees for cover.

Since most of the businesses were closed, there was little lighting around.

It wasn’t as if this was a residential neighborhood that required numerous streetlights.

The dock might have workers here at all hours, but none were anywhere near them.

A cool, salty breeze came in from the surrounding ocean, and there were few clouds in the sky.

Ryden controlled his breathing, his pulse.

Finch fell in beside him, rifle up, silent and focused.

They moved through the shadows, ducking between buildings and shrubbery, hurrying to the warehouse.

The shadows cast by the building helped conceal them.

Ryden silently hurried toward the end of the building, keeping close to the wall, Finch behind him.

Listening out for any possible movement or sign they’d been spotted, Ryden motioned for Finch to follow.

They hurried up the stairs, years of training and practice ensuring their boots made no sound as they advanced.

At the top of the stairs, they ducked and ran to the side of the door, both straightening with their backs against the wall.

The small glass window on the door was grimy as hell.

With a nod, Ryden motioned for Finch to keep a lookout while he took a peek in the window.

There was enough lighting for him to see down the hallway.

He indicated to Finch the number of entryways he could see.

It looked like the doors were closed, but that didn’t mean they could breach without caution.

Not seeing a hostile did not negate their presence.

Shifting back, Ryden nodded at Finch and removed Jack’s gadget from his pocket. Pressing the button, he stuck it on the door next to the dirty keypad. Three blue lights appeared, and when all three turned green, he heard a click .

He had no idea what they were walking into or what these guys had planned, and if it were anyone else, they would have gone for a shock and awe approach, but they weren’t dealing with anyone else.

They were dealing with a group of lethal, desperate traitors who would do anything to complete their mission.

Well, Ryden had a mission too, and if any of those assholes got in his way, they were going to regret ever having laid eyes on him. He hated that he was going up against men who should have been his brothers-in-arms, but what Walton and his men had done went against everything a Marine stood for.

It was time for them to be reminded.