Page 12 of Delta Mission (Alpha Tactical Ops)

“That’s right,” Blade said. “We all know what we’re getting ourselves into when we come to these shitholes.”

I turned to the rope ladder bunched on the floor beside the trapdoor. “There’s a massive drug lab down there.”

“Sneaky bastards.” Blade scowled. “From what the rest of your team told us, you guys got lucky.”

Channing nodded at me. “Yep. Nine lives.”

“Let’s get going.” Blade grabbed Lyle’s feet, and Channing took his shoulders.

As they carried Lyle’s body out of the shelter, Cobra and Wasp lifted Trent’s body from the dirt.

A brick was on my chest as Ghost and I followed behind them.

We reached the chopper, and they had to shift equipment around to get the bodies in.

“You dislocated your finger. Let me see.” Ghost scooped my hand in hers.

The gaffer tape didn’t hide the hideous angle of my little finger.

“It’s nothing,” I said, lowering my gaze to Lyle’s bloody body.

“Want me to fix it?” Ghost swept her incredible eyes to me.

I frowned. “You can do that?”

“Qualified army medic.” She smiled.

“Oh, it’s okay. I’ll wait—”

“Sit.” Ghost patted the doorway of the helicopter.

Too exhausted to argue, I did as she instructed.

She removed her gloves and held my right hand in hers. “So, how long have you two been together?”

She winked at me.

“Who?” I frowned.

“You and Channing. I saw that look—” She snapped my finger.

Gasping, I stared at my hand, but the pain was gone. My finger was fixed. “Huh, I’m impressed.”

She grinned. “Good.”

I caught movement over her shoulder and peered at a dark shadow. A black figure was running over a dune in the distance. It was a woman in a black robe. Her green scarf flapped behind her.

“Holy shit. That’s the woman.”

Ghost spun around.

I pointed to the murderer. “That’s the woman who killed Lyle.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. She must’ve come out of that tunnel at the rear of the drug lab.”

Channing nodded at me. “We need to get her.”

Ghost climbed into the helicopter and grabbed a massive rifle. “Give me room.”

Wasp came to Channing’s side, rubbing his hands together. “Watch this.”

“Stand back.” Ghost thumped Blade’s arm.

My attention was split between Ghost, who was peering through the lens of a rifle that was as big as her, and the robed woman. “She’s getting away.”

Blade shook his head. “No, she’s not.”

The air bristled. Everyone went silent.

The rifle boomed.

In the distance, the woman fell forward into a plume of sand.

“Holy shit!” Channing clapped his hands. “That’s one hell of a shot.”

Blade winked. “And that’s why Ghost is the best sniper in Australia.”

Ghost sat up and flicked her long blonde braid over her shoulder. “Now she won’t get away with murder.”

“Hey,” Wasp yelled, pointing down the street.

Another woman stepped out of a shelter. She had a child on her hip, and she held up her other hand.

The soldiers grabbed their rifles.

“No,” I cried. “Don’t shoot.”

I sprinted toward her, tugging my Glock from my holster.

“Goodspeed, stop. It could be a trap,” Channing yelled at me.

But I didn’t stop. The woman wore a pale blue scarf. She was the one who’d given me the warning in the shelter. And the child on her hip was the boy who had pointed a rifle at us.

I aimed my gun at her. “Put the boy down. Get on your knees. Put your hands on your head,” I yelled at her in Dari Persian.

She did as I instructed, and her boy stood beside her. His expression was so vacant it was terrifying.

Channing, Blade, and Ghost surrounded them with their weapons aimed at the woman.

I raised my free hand at them, trying to portray calm.

The woman lifted her gaze to me. “Please, don’t hurt us.” She spoke in English.

I squatted in front of her. “What is your name?”

“I am Jabeen Mashahdi. I am Blue Hawk.”

A breath escaped me. She is Blue Hawk!

“It is nice to finally meet you.”

“Please help us. We need to go with you, or they will kill me and Insaf.” She tugged her boy to her side.

I put my hand under her arm and helped her to stand. “Jabeen gave me the tip-off about this drug lab. We must protect her.”

“That’s the little bastard who tried to shoot us,” Channing said.

I glared at him. “Which is exactly the reason why we need to save them from this life.”

Ghost lowered her weapon first. “Let’s take her to the shelter. I need to see what she has under her robe.”

Jabeen raised her hands and walked toward the shelter she’d come out of.

“No,” I called to Jabeen. “Not that shelter.”

She turned to me, and I indicated to the shelter on the other side of the street.

“Maybe you should check if there are any more people hiding in that lab,” I said to Blade.

“Roger that.” He nodded. “Wasp, you, Cobra, and Channing check out that shelter, and watch your six.”

“Yes, Captain.” The soldiers raised their weapons and marched into the women’s shelter.

“Come this way,” I said to Jabeen, indicating to the shelter opposite.

Ghost stopped us. “Wait here. Let me check inside first.” She raised her weapon and stepped through the doorway.

She emerged seconds later. “All clear.”

I guided Jabeen and her son into the room. “You understand we must do this?”

“Yes.” She shuffled away from the door, so the men couldn’t see her, and removed her burqa. Underneath, she wore a plain black abaya that covered her from the neck down.

She nodded at her boy, and in Dari Persian, she instructed him to look away.

“What did she say?” Ghost raised her rifle.

“It’s okay. She asked her son to turn around.”

“Tell her to get her hands up,” Ghost said.

Jabeen raised her hands. Her understanding of English was better than I had thought. But her eyes were wide, terrified, confirming that she believed she was a long way from being safe.

Ghost shifted her stunning blue eyes to the boy. “I don’t like this.”

I indicated with my hands for Ghost to relax. “It’s okay. Jabeen risked her life to give me information about this village. I trust her.”

“Pat her down, Makenna,” Ghost said.

“Okay.” Releasing a slow breath, I met Jabeen’s gaze. I’d put a huge amount of trust in her. If she had explosives or weapons beneath her clothing, that would ruin me. “I need to check beneath your clothing, Jabeen.”

A tear spilled from her left eye as she nodded.

“Keep your hands up.” I patted along her arms first, feeling skin and bone beneath.

I finished with the rest of her body and inspected her legs by asking her to lift her skirt, which she did without question.

Relief washed through me. “She’s clean.”

“Check the boy,” Ghost said.

I instructed Insaf to keep still and checked that he didn’t have grenades strapped to his torso.

He didn’t. I gushed out a breath and nodded at Ghost. “All good.”

Ghost lowered her gun. “Let me check Jabeen.”

I nodded and stepped back.

“It will be okay. I promise.” Ghost smiled at Jabeen, and it was so genuine, I relaxed even more.

A small smile crossed Jabeen’s lips, but it was enough to reveal a missing tooth.

“We have to roll, ladies,” Blade barked from outside.

“Hold your horses,” Ghost called to him and rolled her eyes at me. “He’s so impatient.”

Ghost was gentle and respectful with Jabeen as she repeated the search I had done. She turned to me when she finished. “It wasn’t to undermine you. Just protecting my team.”

“I understand. We good now?”

“We’re done.”

I guided Insaf back to his mother, who had redressed in her burqa.

Ghost adjusted her weapon in her hands. “Come on, I need a cold shower and a hot feed, and I’m sure you do too.”

She exited the door and waited for us outside. “We’re good to go, Blade.”

“Roger that. Let’s move.” Blade led us to the helicopter, and Channing and Wasp marched behind us. They still had their weapons drawn, and they all still seemed to be on edge.

It came with the job, though. None of us would relax until we returned to America.

And for the first time in years, I was ready to go home.

I glanced over my shoulder at Channing, and his eyes seemed to dance as he met my gaze. Going home with him made the idea even sweeter.

We climbed into the helicopter, and Wasp settled into the pilot seat.

“I took some photos of the drug lab.” Cobra showed me his camera. “The brass are gonna piss their pants when they see what you found.”

I nodded at Jabeen, and a tiny smile crossed her lips as she nodded back. I was going to do everything in my power to make sure the right people knew how much she’d helped me. And hopefully, in turn, Jabeen and her son would receive the freedom they deserved.

Channing nudged his shoulder to mine and rested his hand on my thigh. I pressed my hand over his, and a delicious warmth washed through me.

I did it. All those months of hard work had paid off.

Now those drugs wouldn’t ruin any more lives.

The conversation in the helicopter was minimal as Wasp flew us back to base. When we landed, I’d barely had time to thank Jabeen before her and Insaf were whisked away by a team of soldiers and a medic.

“She’ll be okay,” Ghost said.

“I hope so. She risked her life for me.”

Channing came to my side, and Ghost winked at him. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“What secret?” He frowned.

“You two lovebirds.” She grinned and wiggled her perfect eyebrows. “I see the way you look at each other. Seems like it wasn’t all hell for you in that cave.”

A hint of mischief glimmered in Channing’s eyes as he wrapped his arm over my shoulder and squeezed me to his side. “You can tell whoever you want. We don’t have any secrets. Do we, Goodspeed?”

My heart swelled with a golden warmth as I smiled at him. “No, we don’t.”

“Ha! Good for you.” Ghost’s expression was a mixture of surprise and delight.

But I just hoped Channing’s family shared his enthusiasm.