Page 31 of Fatal Intent

“Deadline?” Seth asked, narrowed eyes glittering.

“Forty-eight hours.”

Iona scowled. “That’s not a lot of time to plan a mission of this size.”

“It’s what you have. Deal with it.”

“We’re down two members,” Teagan reminded him. “We’ll need a medic at least since ours is on her honeymoon along with medical leave.”

“Jake Davenport volunteered to go to Nicaragua with you.”

Rayne breathed easier. Jake was a great medic and operative. He would definitely be an asset in the field, just as Violet was. Jake wasn’t as skilled in knife work as Vi, but hemore than made up for that slight difference with his other qualities and skills.

“When do we leave?” Seth asked.

“The jet will be ready to go wheels up in two hours.”

Rayne glanced at Grant.

His expression was bleak. He sighed. “I don’t believe the Hartman detectives will allow us to leave the country, sir.”

“I took care of that. Conner and Sanders should have received a phone call from the police chief by now informing them of your deployment.”

“How did you persuade the police to cooperate?”

A slight smile curved Maddox’s lips. “I called in a favor.”

“Must have been some favor.”

“The president owes me. After all, he’s the one who specifically requested your teams for this assignment.”

President? Rayne stared at their boss. He’d requested William Martin, President of the United States, drop everything and call the police chief of Hartman?

Seth chuckled. “Well played, sir.”

Maddox shrugged. “I won’t let the Whites die when I have a way to push this mission back on track despite the cartel’s games.”

“What about a ransom payment?” Elias asked. “Is it possible to tell Los Lobos that money is on its way to them as a show of good faith?”

“Why? It’s a well-known fact the US doesn’t negotiate with terrorists,” Andre said. “Besides, the cartel doesn’t want money. They want their leader released from federal custody. Martin would be a fool to agree to that term. Aguado is the worst human trafficker in the Southern Hemisphere. Those kids are exactly the age he likes to test them out for himself, then sell them.”

Rayne’s stomach twisted, nausea bubbling fast and furious. She shoved back from the table, leaped to her feet, and ranto the women’s restroom. Inside, Rayne barely made it into a stall before throwing up everything in her stomach. When the worst was over, she staggered from the stall, rinsed her mouth, then leaned against the closest wall, and slid to the floor of the pristine bathroom.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto her clenched hands. What was wrong with her? She’d been deployed on missions with Artemis that were like this one. Why was this situation more devastating than the other horrible operations?

After the storm of tears passed long minutes later, Rayne’s emotions had settled enough for her to think clearly again. Her confrontation with the Hartman detectives must have brought memories and emotions back to the surface where they would linger until she had time to shore up the barrier in her mind where she locked away images and feelings of betrayal and devastation from that long ago night when her life forever changed.

Rayne climbed to her feet, splashed cold water on her face, and peered into the mirror over the sink. She sighed. Hopeless. No way to hide that she’d been crying. It wouldn’t be the first time her teammates had seen her break down. She squared her shoulders and prepared herself to face Maddox’s wrath. Her boss wouldn’t be happy with her.

Opening the door, she stepped into the hallway and came to an abrupt stop.

Grant straightened from the wall, looked at her face for a moment, then opened his arms without a word.

Rayne rushed into his embrace, feeling the last of the sadness and tension leave when his arms closed around her and tucked her against his chest. This is what she’d needed to finish getting her head on straight.

She inched closer, letting him take most of her body weight and absorbing his comfort and heat. That was one thing shecould always count on from Grant Bowen. Heat. For a woman who was perpetually cold, Grant was the best gift ever.

After a while, Grant released Rayne to cup her face between his palms. “You okay?” he asked, voice soft.