Page 122 of Lethal Threat

We slide from the truck.

There’s a hush over the area. An ominous vibe. With the businesses now closed for the day, the entire industrial park is eerily quiet. If these bastards wanted to pick a place to torture someone at night, they’ve done a good job. There’s no one within miles.

Simona is grinning. “Now we’re talking.”

The night air turns electric with our combined anticipation of getting inside the building.

Sierra is very likely in there. If she’s alive.She’s alive.I have to believe.

“Cole, she’s okay. We’re going to get her.”

I grunt.

We move closer.

Dim interior lights are seeping out through the brick warehouse’s windows. They are high above the ground, their glass covered in metal mesh.

I check my gear. “Getting a look inside is going to be tough. The windows are high.”

Simona and I edge along the back corner of the property, following Roark’s commands in the coms. He’s got eyes on the building. The familiar weight of the tactical vest takes me right back to rescue missions.

Protective gear. Black clothing. Weapons hanging off of us.

Marshall’s voice enters the mix, crackling in my ear. “Sprite, ready to deploy cameras? Over.”

She hisses. “Affirmative, except you know I hate that name. I think I’ll call you Polecat instead of Wolf. Over.”

Marshall grunts over the intercom. “Polecat? What the hell is that? Over.”

Simona ducks behind a concrete cistern. “Look it up. Over.”

He grumbles, “Just do your damn job. Over and out.”

Keeping herself deep in the shadows, Simona approaches the building’s back wall, running in a low crouch. I follow as I cover her six.

She reports in. “Drone 1, ready. Bull, can you see it? Over.”

Roark, AKA Bull, replies. “Got visual. Going up now. Over.”

I let a tiny drone, no bigger than a baby sparrow,fly out of my upturned palm. Silently, the thing rises into the darkness, impossible to see or hear.

I take the lead this time and advance toward the other back corner of the building. “Moving to location two. Over.”

A small stand of trees offers the cover we’ll need. Running low, fast, and silent, I cut into the shadows.

Oh, fuck! Suddenly, the ground is racing at my face.

Only one thing takes a man down like that. Another man kicking your legs out from beneath you.

Tucking and rolling, I jump to my feet and shove my gun into the bastard’s skull. He might have had me at a disadvantage for a few seconds, but now I’m in charge.

He throws out a wrist and tries to dislodge my gun, but I evade and crack him with an elbow to the jaw.

He grunts and stumbles back.

I freeze as I stare at two nearly black irises. Eyes I know. Sierra’s brother.

The mother-fucker.