Page 1 of Delta Mission (Alpha Tactical Ops)

Makenna

The soldier driving our army Humvee had a death wish. Either that, or he was trying to scare me. He would have to try a lot harder. Moose’s erratic driving was nothing compared to what I went through in Colombia.

The Hummer hit a dirt mound, launching us airborne.

We crashed down and my head slammed into the side window. I rubbed my temple, clamping my jaw against the pain.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” Moose grinned at me over his shoulder, contradicting his apology.

I didn’t bother engaging with him. The three men sharing the Hummer with me had already made it known that my company was not welcome. It wasn’t a place for a woman, they’d said like I was wearing a frilly dress and stilettos. I wasn’t. And I rarely did.

My DEA uniform was as practical as possible, and my shoes were for running. Which I did often. Running was my therapy, which I needed more than I’d ever admit. I was fitter and faster now than I was when I completed my training at Quantico. I could probably outrace all the assholes around me.

Besides, I wasn’t a fool. I knew full well that our destination was deadly for women.

I’d been studying this remote region of Afghanistan longer than the Delta soldiers who were tasked with escorting me and my team had been on their current tour of duty.

It didn’t help that the soldiers had to extend their tour by one week because of me.

Or, more specifically, what I believed we were about to find.

My safety was irrelevant. There were much bigger issues at stake, one being the potential to uncover a secret drug lab of record proportions; another being my career. I’d banked a lot on the intel I’d gathered.

Beside me was Lyle Robson, my team leader, who had made me beg to give this mission the go-ahead. I felt him glaring at me. He did that a lot, and I couldn’t tell if he was trying to work me out or work up the courage to ask me out. Either way, it was best for both of us if he didn’t.

I reluctantly turned to him. “What?”

“You better be right about this, Makenna.” Lyle scowled at me like I was an insubordinate rookie. He did that a lot, too.

I glared right back at him. “I am. I know it.”

Murphy, the Delta Ops soldier in the front passenger seat, grunted, and I took that as a sign he didn’t agree with my assertion.

I shifted my attention out of the windshield to the lead vehicle ahead of us.

A soldier standing through the roof of the Hummer to control the massive machine gun was shielded by a barricade of two-inch thick steel.

Nothing could protect him from the rugged terrain we drove over, though.

We bounced around like pebbles in a beer can.

Behind us was another Hummer. I was yet to meet the Delta Force soldiers in the additional protection detail.

But I knew the DEA agent who was in that Hummer.

Trent McMahon had been snatched from the army base just before he’d taken his return flight back to civilization.

Trent was going to be as pissed at me as the Delta team soldiers were.

It wasn’t my fault he was added to the mission last minute. He could blame Lyle for that.

The only good thing about Lyle adding Trent and the additional Delta soldiers to our team was it suggested that he secretly believed I was onto something. Why else would he have added the extra manpower?

I had better be right.

Beyond the windows stretched miles and miles of dirt, rocks, and sand. Not a single tree, building, or person graced the landscape. We were in the middle of nowhere.

But somewhere beneath this barren wasteland was an underground opium lab that was reported to be the size of two basketball courts.

And I was going to be the one who found it.

At least, that was the plan.

The village of Amir Momahhadakan appeared out of the ochre landscape like a magic trick. Moose passed the first mud-lined shelter before he skidded to a halt, nearly throwing me into the back of the passenger seat.

We spilled from the vehicles and the soldiers fanned out like a pack of cards. Between them, they had enough weapons to attack a small army.

I had my Glock and a knife that I wouldn’t hesitate to use if I needed to. I’d done it before. I would do it again.

Murphy eyeballed me. “Stay with the vehicle until we secure the village.”

I nodded.

“Is that a yes?” He narrowed his eyes.

“We will,” Lyle answered for me.

“Search the shelters.” The deep voice boomed behind me, and my mind shunted back nine years.

I spun to the soldiers, searching for the source of the gruff voice. And there he was. The man who had ruined me.

Channing Fucking Winston.

I couldn’t believe it. How many Delta ops teams were there? And lucky me just happened to get the one asshole I’d been trying to forget for nine years.

His gaze shifted my way, and he froze. His steely expression confirmed that nearly a decade of time had not softened his hatred for me.

The feeling was mutual.

I hated that his presence still riled me so much.

Forget him, Makenna.

Just find this drug lab and prove to all these bastards that you know what you’re doing.

The village of Amir Momahhadakan comprised of a dozen shelters positioned along a dirt track that spanned hundreds of miles.

During my aerial surveillance, I’d seen enough activity at the village to confirm that dozens of people frequented these huts, yet there was no obvious reason.

The traffic along this dirt road was more than would be expected for such a remote location.

As Lyle and I waited at our Humvee, and Trent thankfully stayed in his vehicle, the soldiers divided into two groups of three and vanished into the buildings.

The silence was incredible. No people talking, birds chirping, engine noises, or electronics buzzing. Nothing. Not even the whistling wind.

Further down the road, the rusty old school bus that I’d seen hundreds of times on my monitor was still there.

The wheels had long ago crumbled to nothing, rust covered just about every square inch of the vehicle, and the windows were either shattered or missing altogether.

Not for the first time, I wondered how long that bus had been there, and if it had ever been used to take children to school.

I doubted it. There wasn’t a school within two hundred miles of this place.

The stillness, too, was strange. A bad feeling seeped into my veins.

Channing and his group of soldiers came out of the first hut shaking their heads, and he leveled his gaze at me.

My heart thumped in my ears. Something wasn’t right. Where were the villagers? Why weren’t there any cars? Or mules? Or stray cats?

The soldiers disappeared into the next two buildings.

Despite the weather being slightly cooler than I’d expected, sweat dribbled down my temples and I swept it away.

The sun had dipped behind the snow-capped mountain in the distance, casting a massive dark shadow over the village like a demon. I’d never noticed that during my surveillance. Hopefully, that was the only thing I’d missed.

In the last six months, I’d spent more hours studying this tiny patch of earth than I had sleeping. I knew the layout like I knew the contents of my pack. Yet the village was bigger than it had appeared on my computer monitor, making me second guess how many people could live here.

Channing marched out of the furthest shelter clutching his weapon as he dodged around the decrepit bus.

He’d changed since I’d last seen him. He was more rugged. More manly. He was Hollywood-worthy tall, dark, and handsome. But when he clenched his jaw, it took his stunning looks to another level.

I yanked my gaze away, pissed off that I noticed.

I was also pissed off that we were getting nowhere.

Our mission was slated to take three days.

Two of them were the travel time needed to journey the rugged dirt tracks to reach this remote village.

We were running out of time and if we didn’t find something soon, my name was going to hit the shit-list on so many levels.

“Anyone find anything?” Channing snapped his neck side to side in a brutal movement that I’d suggested he stop doing nine years ago.

“I got nothing, Wolf,” Burke said to Channing.

Wolf? Must be Channing’s codename. Was that because of his eyes? Or because he’s a sneaky bastard?

“The buildings are empty. The fucking village is deserted.”

Deserted? But that can’t be.

I’d been investigating the flow of narcotics from the region for twelve months and I’d received a tipoff about a major opium lab in this region that was tied to the Taliban network. I’d convinced my boss that the tipoff was legitimate and that I knew where to look . . . here.

Channing turned to Moose. “Anything?”

“Only women and kids in there.” Moose spat on the dirt and nodded at the only small hut to have a window. Smoke wafted from a pipe atop the roof.

“If there are women here, then there’s men too.” Clamping my jaw, I met Channing’s gaze.

“Maybe it’s a fucking brothel.” Burke grinned like a lunatic and thrust his hips a few times.

“It’s not a brothel.” I glared at the immature idiot. “I’m telling you, there’s something—”

“Looks like you fucked up, Goodspeed.” Channing glared at me, just like he had all those years ago . . . with hatred in his eyes.

No! I refused to believe I was wrong. “I need to talk to the women.”

I pointed at the building I’d been monitoring via satellite for months.

Channing removed his helmet and drove his fingers through his thick hair. “You have ten minutes, then we get the fuck out of here.”

Shit! My neck was on the chopping block if I didn’t get the results I’d been dreaming of since I got that tipoff.

I pulled my Glock from my hip holster and strode away.

Boots stomped behind me, and I spun around with my hand raised. “No men allowed.”

Murphy rolled his eyes. “Knock yourself out.”

“Thank you.” Asshole.

Huffing out a breath, I strode to the hut.

Moment of truth.

Holding my Glock at my thigh, I stepped through the open doorway.