Page 40 of Fatal Intent

“Two. One is near the front door. The second is patrolling the hall outside the kids’ room.”

Rayne and Jake exchanged a look. Great. They’d have to take out the guards at the same time. Otherwise, one guard might alert the second one.

“I’ll take the guy at the front,” he whispered.

She nodded and tightened her grip around the hilt of her Ka-Bar. Time was critical. The longer the operatives were inside the compound, the greater the risk of being discovered and having to fight their way out.

Jake gripped the doorknob with his gloved hand. The knob twisted easily.

Arrogant and sloppy, but it made their entry into the building faster. The medic glanced back at Rayne, palmed his Sig, and opened the door wide enough to slip inside.

Rayne followed and scanned the room. A kitchen. The only thing on the counter was a coffeemaker keeping warm half a carafe of coffee.

Jake walked silently across the ancient linoleum floor to the archway and peered into the darkness. He glanced at Rayne, holding up one finger to show one man was in the hall.

She gave a slight nod.

Within seconds, Jake moved toward the front of the building, disappearing in the shadows.

Rayne went to the archway, looked to the right, and spotted the guard returning to the kitchen. She pressed her back to the wall and waited to see if Two would refill his coffee or turn and make another pass through the hallway.

When a full minute passed without Two making an appearance, she chanced another glance down the hall. There he was, preparing to turn and come back toward her.

The timing had to be just right in order for her to take Two out without alerting Jake’s target. The mission clock ticked in her head, counting down the minutes until the team went into action to draw attention away from the children. If they were lucky, they’d escape the compound before Gerald White arrived. Unfortunately, the way things usually went on missions, something was bound to go wrong.

She pressed her back to the wall and listened for Two to pivot and return to the other end of the hallway. Walking the hall was a boring job for a guy who looked like he preferred action to babysitting.

Two’s distinctive step sounded mere feet away, then faded. Rayne slipped into the darkness, crept up behind Two, and plunged the blade of the Ka-Bar into the guard’s kidney and twisted.

He opened his mouth to scream but couldn’t make a sound. Excruciating pain did that to you.

Rayne caught him before he hit the floor and alerted the other guard to trouble. She frowned. Two was heavier than he looked. She eased him to the floor, then grabbed his feet to drag him into another room. She didn’t want to traumatize the kids more than they already were.

A hint of a sound had Rayne reaching for her Sig. When Jake appeared at the entrance to the hall, she relaxed. Tapping her earpiece, she murmured, “Guards One and Two are down.”

“Copy,” Seth whispered. “Watch your backs. Activity is picking up out here. I think White is about to make an appearance.”

She shook her head. This was so bad. Why couldn’t Sean’s father listen to the experts who handled hostage retrievals? “Copy that.”

Rayne and Jake walked to the end of the hall and stopped outside the door of the corner room. Jake gripped the knob and twisted, then shook his head. Great. Another delay.

She retrieved her lock picks, knelt in front of the door, and went to work. Seconds later, the mechanism shifted, and Rayne twisted the knob to ease the door open.

She slipped inside the dimly lit room and saw the two children lying on one cot, hands bound in front of them with zip ties. Will, the seven-year-old boy, had his arms around his five-year-old sister, Jenna, as though protecting her from the men holding them captive. Rayne’s heart melted at the sight.

Closing the distance between her and the children in a few strides, Rayne said softly, “Will, Jenna, wake up.”

The boy jerked awake. He glanced around the room until his gaze landed on Rayne and Jake, who stood beside her. His eyes widened as fear filled his eyes.

“It’s okay,” Rayne murmured. “We’re here to help you. My name is Rayne. This is my friend, Jake. He’s a paramedic. Are you or your sister injured?”

“Jenna hurt her ankle. She can’t walk.” He scowled. “The bad men make her walk anyway, and she cries because it hurts.” Will’s hands fisted. “I hate them.”

“I don’t blame you.” Jake crouched beside the cot and broke the zip tie holding Will’s wrists bound. He rubbed the boy’swrists as he said, “Do you have injuries I need to treat before we go, Will?”

The boy hesitated, glancing at Rayne.

Guessing that he wanted to talk to Jake without her listening in, she stepped back from the cot. “I’ll see if we’re still secure.”