Page 45 of Fatal Intent

When satisfied they were still secure, Grant rose from his crouch and moved toward their target building, hugging the shadows. Riley kept pace with him easily.

He reached the deep shadows on the back side of the target building and paused at the corner. A guard stood watch at the far corner. Grant glanced at Riley and held up one finger.

She signaled that there was another guard on the other side of the building.

Grant tapped his earpiece and whispered, “Z, Team 1 in position. Do we have bogies inside the building?”

“Hold.” A second later, Zane said, “Two. One in the front. One walking a hall.”

“Copy.” Using hand signals, he told Riley that he was going after the first guard and for her to take down the second one. After receiving a nod, Grant eased to the corner again, peered around the edge, and began his stealthy approach to the guard.

Once behind the cartel soldier, Grant wrapped his arm around the man’s neck and put him in a sleeper hold. Within seconds, he was out.

Grant grabbed a zip tie to cinch his wrists together, then slapped a piece of duct tape over his mouth. That done, he dragged the guard deep into the nearby bushes and dropped him on the ground. If he and Riley were lucky, they’d be out of this building with the Whites before the guard freed himself and raised an alarm.

He retraced his steps to the back of the building and met Riley coming from the other side of the structure. He raised an eyebrow. Had she taken care of the other guard?

Riley nodded.

Grant relaxed. Excellent. They approached the back door. He twisted the knob and encountered resistance. Locked.

He grabbed his lock picks and went to work. Seconds later, the tumblers shifted, and Grant opened the door wide enough to slip inside the darkened interior. A quick glance around the room revealed they were in a mudroom.

The operatives went to the door leading to the rest of the building. Grant turned the knob and eased inside the dimly lit kitchen.

He and Riley listened. The soft murmur of a television came from the front room. Footsteps continued to pace nearby. Other than that, only the sound of the struggling air conditioner broke the silence.

Grant glanced at Riley and motioned toward the front room. They needed to take out the two guards before they could rouse the compound and alert them to the presence of Fortress operatives.

She nodded and set off in that direction.

That left the pacing guard for Grant. He peered around the kitchen doorway.

The guard had stopped outside one room, his attention on his phone. He must have received a text message because hetyped a quick response, then slid his phone away. Once again, the guard resumed his pacing.

Grant waited until the bulky man made another round before he slipped up behind his prey and took him down with a blow to the back of his head with the butt of his pistol. He caught the man before he hit the floor in case Riley hadn’t completed her task yet.

He cleared each room until he reached the one with the door locked. The Whites had to be in this room unless Fortress’s intel was wrong. Intel was good only for a short while. Hopefully, the cartel hadn’t moved the couple to another place in the compound.

Grant gripped the knob of the last room and twisted gently. Locked. Of course it was. He quickly picked the lock, then opened the door wide enough to slip inside.

He scanned the room, which was empty except for Sean and Tara White. They were lying on the floor, hands cinched together with zip ties. “Sean, Tara, wake up.”

Sean stirred, opened his eyes, and sat up quickly to put himself between Grant and his wife. “Who are you?”

“Grant. I’m here with friends to rescue your family.”

“Our children. Are they all right?”

“They’re in excellent hands. You’ll join them soon.” Grant hurried to the couple and grabbed his Ka-Bar.

They flinched.

“Hold still,” he murmured, and used the blade to slice through the plastic binding them. “I know you’re injured. Are you able to maneuver on your own, or will you need help during the escape?”

Sean’s face hardened. “We’ll make it.”

Had to respect a man with that much determination. Hopefully, his body would cooperate with his spirit. “There’s no shame in admitting you need a hand, but I need to know beforewe leave this building, Mr. White. The knowledge will make a difference to our plan.”