Page 17 of Exhale (Out for Justice #8)

L ater that night, he and Jordan came up on the men of Pegasus beneath the clear night sky filled with scattered stars.

Large dark vehicles were parked about three blocks from the factory that Billy Danner ran his operation out of.

It didn’t surprise Owen that Ace had called in additional members of Pegasus to assist, and had them bring their tactical vehicles stocked with weapons, ammo, and gear. The former SecDef had made sure they were always fully decked out.

The group of heavily armed Pegasus operatives were clustered around one of the dark Suburbans. They were big, beefy, and dressed for war, and Owen was fiercely glad for the help.

SWAT, FBI, the DEA, and various agencies were present. They all wanted in on the bust and credit, if possible.

Owen didn’t give a shit, they could take the credit as long as his sons were found. Pegasus did all of their work behind the scenes, so it wasn’t like they were aiming for recognition anyway.

Jordan touched his arm, drawing his attention to the other units clustered in the area.

Detective Knoll was there and lifted a hand to greet them, but didn’t approach. The man stood with his partner, Preston, along with the other members of the Phoenix Police.

Eagle lifted a hand to him and Jordan when they approached, and Link slung an arm around Jordan’s shoulders. Jordan and Link were tight and had known each other for years.

Owen smiled indulgently. He wasn’t too jealous because Link and Eagle were a couple. The pair of former Army Special Forces soldiers had been part of a small covert military unit known as Fury before joining Pegasus.

Owen had heard the stories. Separate, Link and Eagle were unmatched, but together…they were unstoppable.

Ace had an iPad resting on the hood of the vehicle and was hunched over it. His brother pointed out something to the team, who were all gathered around.

“What’s the plan?” Owen asked.

“Go in, get your kids, and kill anyone in our way,” Link said.

Owen nodded, too choked up for words.

“I second that,” Hunter said, scooting closer.

Hunter was one lethal son of a bitch, and so was his significant other, Seven. Seven typically fired first and asked questions later, and Owen was glad for the help.

“How you holding up?” Hunter murmured to him.

“I’m…a dad.”

“Congrats.” Hunter slapped him on the back, but didn’t smile. The situation was serious and Owen could almost see the heavy cloud surrounding them all.

“Thanks,” he said roughly. He did feel proud, and he hadn’t even met his sons yet, plus he was still trying to process everything. If he were being truthful, he felt a bit terrified.

“Hey, Jordan,” Hunter said in greeting.

Jordan stepped up and gave Hunter a quick clench. “Hey, man. Sup?”

“Same ol, same ol.”

“Okay, you guys ready?” Ace cut in.

“As I’ll ever be,” Owen growled.

“Let’s do this,” Hunter agreed.

“Adam and Dalton, you take the rear with Oliver and Parker,” Ace said, gazing around at the team as he spoke.

“Hunter and Seven, I want you on the East side with Creed. Link and Eagle take the West, which looks like it may be an alternate escape route. Kellum, you’re handling communications from the suburban. Keep the doors locked.”

Everyone nodded their heads and locked and loaded weapons. Kellum climbed into the big dark vehicle, snagged a kiss from his boyfriend, Creed, and put on his headphones.

“Testing, testing,” Kellum’s voice came through the earpiece that each of them wore. Every one responded.

“Kellum, you got visuals?” Ace asked.

“Copy,” Kellum said.

“All right,” Ace said, turning to the rest of them. “Watch your asses,” their boss ordered, and no further words were needed as the men headed off.

“Where do you want us?” Owen asked his brother.

“You and Jordan are with me and Jacob. We’re going through the front door.”

“Hell yeah,” Owen agreed and then pointed to the police force gathered. “Are they going to be a problem?”

“No,” Ace said flatly.

“Well, let’s rock and roll then,” Jordan said.

Ace snapped his fingers as if forgetting something. “Oh, and I already informed the team—but there’s a new guy around here somewhere. Try to stay out of his way. He’s not one to be messed with.”

“Who does he work for?” Owen frowned.

“Genesis, out of the New York office.”

“I thought they closed that office and moved everything to Nevada,” Owen said.

“Closing it is in the works, just…avoid him at all costs.”

Owen couldn’t help his satisfied smile.

If a member of Genesis was on site, there wasn’t a chance in hell any of the perps inside were walking away still breathing. The men and women of Genesis were military assassins.

Enough said.

“He knows there might be kids inside, right?” Owen asked.

‘He knows.”

“Did he bring backup?”

“Trust me, with him…he won’t need backup,” Ace finished and slammed the clip into his M16.

Jordan tilted his head slightly. “What’s his name?”

“They call him Black. That’s all I know.”