Page 68 of Secrets Along the Shore

Tyler nodded again. She could set as many rules as she wanted for the exchange, but he still didn’t believe Viktor would cooperate.

“Meeting’s set for fifteen minutes,” Patrick said it like it was a reminder.

“I’ll gear up.” Adele kissed her husband before leaving the room.

Gage finally moved from his position against the wall. Must have been his favorite spot. He took a few steps into the living room. His brown eyes met Tyler’s. The hard lines around his eyes made the glare that much harsher.

The hard gaze didn’t faze Tyler. He’d expected someone wouldn’t like him. At first, he’d figured it’d be Von’s brother, but no. Amir had been laid back and chatty. Last night, the mechanic had been quiet, but the look in his eyes said a lot. He didn’t welcome the sudden addition to the team.

Tyler didn’t blame him. He wouldn’t either in his place.

Gage shifted to his handler. “How heavy are we going in?”

“Handguns and knives. Nothing else. You can’t stand out.”

The mechanic nodded and headed out of the room.

“Weapons are in the garage.” Von said.

Tyler nodded. Last night, after Tyler had gotten settled in the room Von offered him, Adam had mentioned where the weapons were. The remark told him that despite Von’s confidence that the enemy didn’t know their location, Adam believed Viktor could possibly locate them. A good thing to keep in mind.

Stepping away from the living area, he headed into the foyer that was connected to the garage.

“Wait.”

He paused and turned to Von.

She stood and crossed the floor. “You never told me who to contact if something goes wrong.” Her voice had quieted, almost if she’d known that he’d never given her that information on purpose.

Tyler kept his gaze straight ahead. “Koen.” The closest thing to a family he had. No one else seemed to stick around.

She gave a slow nod, a small sympathetic smile on her face. “Good luck.”

He nodded and went straight to the garage. Von’s cars had been pulled in last night. Weapon cases lined the shelves along one wall.Gage stood beside a table with handguns on it, loading bullets into a magazine. He remained focused on his task as Tyler came over.

Tyler grabbed a Glock 19, the feel of it different and yet familiar. He tightened his grip on it. This was what he wanted. To have a gun in his hands. To face the enemy. He’d been born to fight. Every struggle he faced made him more of a fighter. The military hadn’t seen that.

But maybe this was his chance to prove to himself that he wasn’t done yet. Eight years of service couldn’t be all he had in him.

“I’m not taking my eyes off you.” Gage slapped the magazine into his gun. “I’ve already had one stupid newbie kill a friend.”

Tyler clenched his jaw, although it didn’t make the irritation go away. People had to stop underestimating him. He hadn’t spent his eight years of service sitting around. Every opportunity he’d gotten, he’d been engaged in the fighting. It wasn’t like he didn’t know how to fight or work with a team. “I’m just here to save Elara and her son.”

“That’s what I thought.” Gage faced him. “But we’re a team. If you’re here, you have to work with the team and watch our backs.”

Tyler glared at him. “I’m not going to just let you or the others die. I know what it’s like to work with a team and look out for them.”

“And yet your team is dead.” Gage strode past him, bumped his shoulder, and exited the garage.

Tyler clenched his left fist, his right hand still gripping the empty pistol. Yes, his team died. He watched them die. The IED had literally torn them apart. He’d blamed himself for their deaths, still did. But it hadn’t solely been his fault. His three men followed his orders. The other team they were paired with, who died, hadn’t. Tyler had seen the change in his MWD. It hadn’t been what he’d been looking for, but he’d still stopped both teams. The other team leader refused to wait until Tyler checked it out since the doghadn’tresponded usually. That bloke and his team rushed in, set off the IEDs, and killed Tyler’s men.

That was why he didn’t want to work with anyone.

He couldn’t see his team wiped out again. He snagged a magazine off the table and slid it into the Glock. This arrangement would only work once for this mission. He’d watch their backs and then leave.

Fifteen minutes later, Tyler sat outside a restaurant, waiting for Viktor’smen. He leaned back in his chair as his gaze drifted over the people walking through the city. Men with cell phones to their ears. Women laden with shopping bags and tugging little kids behind them. So normal.

They had no idea what was happening in their city. Would they care if they did know? Maybe. Catholicism was the main religion of Croatia. They wouldn’t condone the violence that Viktor Kovac caused. The government had to be watching him. But the Croatian mobster didn’t seem concerned. Made Tyler wonder if he had more authorities in his pocket than Amir had suggested.