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Chapter 29

“Everyone in position?” Adalyn’s voice came over the comm line quietly.

Bradford was twenty yards from the actual hangar, while Chance, Ezra and Adalyn were all in similar positions surrounding it. The airport itself was quiet, with the runway lights off. And Berlin had tapped into the radio frequency used for this non-towered airport just in case they had any unexpected visitors.

“Affirmative,” he responded as the others did, sliding on his NVGs and clicking on the IR illuminator.

Then Berlin came over the comm line. “I’ve taken over the cameras. They’re on a loop now but it’s possible someone might realize a ghost is in the system. This is a higher-tech security system than I’ve ever seen at a small place like this. So far I haven’t had any pushback but I want everyone to be aware.”

“Going in,” Bradford said, since he was assigned to breach the door. Though breach was probably the wrong word since they weren’t using explosives. This time. Instead, at the door he slapped a device Berlin and a man named Gage—one of their founders—had created to break the security code .

Fifteen seconds and the lock face turned green. After a short beep of approval, they were in.

Weapon up, he eased the steel door open but remained half behind it in case this was a trap. “I’m in,” he whispered.

He moved inside whisper quiet, pistol up as he swept the place. Thanks to the IR illuminator, he had enough light to make out the outline of multiple planes and… “I see a body.” And no heat signature.

He felt, more than heard the others moving up behind him. “Fan out, look for more signs of life,” Adalyn ordered.

They swept through the place as quickly as possible, having done this countless times together and in previous careers. In less than ten minutes they reconvened back at the front of the hangar, took off their NVGs, and Bradford hit the lights.

They flickered on with a whine, illuminating the expansive hangar to reveal a few vintage-looking planes and two very expensive Cessnas. Nothing out of the ordinary for an airport hangar.

Except Jeremy Ackerman’s dead body right by the first plane. Wearing only boxer briefs and a thin white undershirt, he was covered in burn marks and bruises. But his face was mostly untouched and Bradford recognized him from the pictures.

“He’s been tortured,” Adalyn said as she leaned down next to him, took pictures. Because it was clear that he was long gone and had been for a while.

“A pro did this. For information.” Bradford had moved up next to her, pointed at the burn marks in various places along his arms, his chest and on his legs. “I’m guessing a cartel.”

“We need to get out of here and report this.” Adalyn motioned to everyone as she stood.

And as a unit, they all moved at her order, leaving as quietly as they’d come. Because she was right. They had to report this. To Camila he guessed—anonymously—then she’d report it to the correct authorities here. DEA or FBI. Because there was no way they could report this themselves.

Nope.

They’d flown in under the cover of night on a plane not linked to their organization, rented two vehicles under cover IDs—and Berlin had already looped the security feeds so there was no evidence of them arriving or leaving. This couldn’t come back on them.

And no one could know that Mari was involved in finding Ackerman at all. They’d gone to a lot of trouble staying off the radar of anyone and everyone that might be a threat to their company—and their families and loved ones—and that included cartels. Hell, especially cartels. Because if someone got a whiff that any one of them was going up against a cartel in any way, Redemption Harbor Security would find themselves in a war with brutal enemies.

He, Adalyn, Berlin, and Ezra headed out minutes later as quietly as they’d arrived and kept their balaclavas on until they were miles away, Mari and Colin trailing after them in the other SUV.

At least they hadn’t seen anything suspicious on the drone so it appeared as if they were clear. Though he did find it odd that Ackerman’s body had just been left there instead of buried. Or fed to gators. Whatever it was cartels did to their enemies’ bodies.

But that was something to worry about once they were back in New Orleans.