Page 35 of Forgiving His Past (Eagle’s Nest Securities #5)
I can’t be the reason another woman I love gets killed. Kam can’t die because of me and my team.
He may not know all the players or the reason for the game, but one thing Van was sure of was the fact that it had nothing to do with Kam. Not directly, anyway. And that made her as innocent as anyone else they’d ever rescued.
For him, the whos and whys no longer mattered. Getting to Kam and keeping her safe…that was his one and only goal.
If they managed to catch Webb, great. If he got away, they’d just find his sleezy ass at a later date. He’d get what was coming to him. Van would make sure the man finally paid for his crimes.
But as long as he got to Kam…as long as she was okay…the rest would work itself out in the end. Because men like Webb…
They always end up paying.
Dressed in their grassland camouflage and stocked to the hilt with weapons and ammo, Van and the team began the half-mile trek through the tall, grassy field. Walking side-by-side with his brothers in arms brought back memories of their days with DEVGRU.
The missions their SEAL team had taken on back in the day were the stuff of legends; the details of which would never see the light of day. But this was different. Like all the times they’d come together for the other Eagle’s Nest women, this one was personal. This time it was his woman.
A gift he’d never dreamed would be given to him.
It took the team less than ten minutes to reach the edge of the old farm property. Thanks to Lucky’s computer magic, they knew the land they were approaching used to belong to Felix James’ family.
Van’s fingers curled around the grip of his P226 as he held it close to his chest. Webb was obviously at the top of his list, but that Felix prick wasn’t too far behind.
Logan held up a fist and then motioned to their right, silently letting the team know they needed to change course. The plan was to follow the field’s edge around to the back, which would allow them to sneak up on Webb and his merry band of assholes.
His team would secure the threats. He’d go straight to Kam, and it would finally be over. But until then…
They continued on, following Logan’s silent orders. There was a part of Van that couldn’t help but wonder if all their training and experience hadn’t all taken place to prepare them for this very day.
But as they finally began to approach the backside of the outbuilding, neither he nor his teammates ever could have imagined the insurmountable political hornet’s nest they were about to break free.
Archer and Lucky went left while Van, Logan, and Chase went right. When they got halfway around the south side of the building, Chase split off toward the two SUVs.
Van followed Logan closely, both men holding their weapons up and at the ready. Logan held up a fist, and both men immediately stopped. He reached up and clicked the earbud in his right ear twice, another near-silent signal to the others to hold their positions .
“I think you killed her.” Webb’s voice sounded from the other side of the thin, metal wall.
“I didn’t fucking kill her,” the voice Van recognized as belonging to Felix proclaimed. “She’s just knocked out. See? Her shoulders are still moving, which means the bitch is still breathing.”
Van had never had to fight the urge to rush a scene in all his years as a SEAL or with Eagle’s Nest. But that moment right there was as close as he’d ever come. The only thing stopping him was the fact that, according to the dickhead inside, Kam was still alive.
Thank you, God.
“I don’t know why we’re wasting our time,” Webb growled back. “I already told you the guys said she doesn’t know anything. And I think she was telling the truth when she said Akimi gave her nothing before he died.”
“Of course, she’s going to say that. Did you really expect her to give up the goods that easily?”
Logan looked back at Van and frowned. That was the third man, and his voice sounded familiar, but Van couldn’t figure out why.
“I told you before; this was a huge mistake.” That was Webb again. “But you didn’t listen to me this time any more than you did that day back during the war. If you’d just taken a fucking breath, you would have seen it was Hayes, and you wouldn’t have shot our friend in the back!”
Van heard the words, but he could tell Logan felt every word of what the man had just said. His teammate’s back stiffened, and he grew as still as a statue while they remained in place and listened.
“Here we go again,” the other man drawled. “Seriously, Michael. How long are you going to throw Nick’s death in my face? It was an accident, remember?”
“An accident you talked me into covering up! We should have just told the truth about what really happened back then. If we had, then none of this would be happening.
“If we’d gone to our CO and told them Hayes died by friendly fire, instead of that tango you took out right after, then you never would have made it all the way to SECNAV and I sure as hell wouldn’t be getting ready to put my bid in as president!”
President? Who the hell was this other guy?
The question had barely run through Van’s racing mind when Logan took off without giving orders to him or the team.
“You shot my father?” His infuriated teammate went around the corner looking like he was ready to kill.
Son of a ? —
Van rushed to keep up, his gun sliding back and forth as he scanned the area for threats. The two men in the SUVs came running out from behind the vehicles. Their fingers on their triggers, and from the look in their eyes…
They were both preparing to shoot.