Page 126 of Fatal Intent

“Bad enough that I need to return to the hospital when this is finished.”

“Internal bleeding?” Teagan asked, voice sharp.

“Maybe. I just know my side hurts worse than any other injury I’ve had.”

Seth and Teagan exchanged grim glances. “Then let’s get this done and take you to the hospital to be checked out,” Seth said.

Sounded great to him, and he never thought he’d say that in any lifetime. He loathed hospitals. For him to want to go meant he was in trouble. Grant just had to hold on for a few more minutes. He had to transport Rayne to safety first. Nothing else mattered.

Seth turned off the headlights and backed into a treeline. When he turned off the engine, the four operatives exited the vehicle. “Gear up. This will not be easy. They won’t give up without a fight.”

Andre blew out a breath. “Great. So we’ll have to kill men who used to be classified as our friends?”

“Not if we can help it.”

“But the odds aren’t in our favor.”

“No, they aren’t.”

“I don’t like this,” Andre snapped. “I shouldn’t have to kill a soldier on American soil.”

“Would you balk at taking down an American enemy if Riley’s life was at stake?” Teagan asked.

“No.” No hesitation in Andre’s response.

“There you go. Rayne is one of ours. We protect our own. More important, she belongs with Grant, not held hostage by men who have an unknown agenda.”

They finished gearing up, then slipped the Fortress earpieces into their ears. They tapped their devices to turn them on, then Grant called Zane. When his friend picked up, he said, “We’re ready for you to join our loop.”

“Copy that. Looping in now.” His voice came through the earpieces now. “Where are you?”

“A quarter of a mile from the Lindsey farmhouse.”

“Better get moving. The men bought airline tickets to Saint Kitts. They didn’t purchase a ticket for Rayne.”

“Let’s go,” Seth said. “The sooner we rescue Rayne from those thugs, the better I’ll feel.”

“Same.” Grant adjusted his pack so it didn’t rub against his gunshot wound, then set out at a fast clip, following Seth, Teagan, and Andre. Just a few more minutes, he reminded himself. Rayne would be back in his arms soon. After all this, he planned to marry that woman as fast as possible. He had to convince her he was healthy enough to get married, though. No way was he waiting until he healed.

Seth held up a fist as they neared the top of a hill and sprawled on the ground to ease his way to the top. Teagan, Andre, and Grant followed suit.

They peered over the top, careful not to raise their heads too far, and scanned the farmhouse some distance away. Unlike the other houses in the area which were dark and quiet, the farmhouse was lit up like a beacon in a lighthouse.

“Z, is the satellite in position to find the farmhouse’s occupants?” Teagan asked.

“Sorry, T. It won’t be in position for another 30 minutes.”

“Too long.” Grant shook his head. “We don’t know what’s happening to Rayne in there. She could be dead in 30 minutes.” He didn’t state the obvious, that his woman could be dead now.

He shuddered. No. He wouldn’t accept that. She was too strong and skilled for that to happen.

Teagan blew out a breath. “There’s almost nothing to use for cover out here.”

“No, there isn’t.” Seth scanned the area again, then shook his head. “Unless someone else has a better idea than Grant’s, we may have to use his plan.”

“I say we work our way as close as we can to the farmhouse and fire the flare gun if we run into trouble,” Andre said. “If we’re lucky, we won’t have to resort to arson. I’d rather notspend the next few years in the Gray Bar Motel if it’s all the same to you. I have plans that involve a beautiful woman.”

“We’ll go with Grant’s plan,” Seth said. “Z, we’re going in.”