Page 29 of Tango (Hunt Brothers Search & Rescue #4)

Tucker

E xhausted, I step toward the edge of the property line and stare down the gravel road.

As soon as I’m sure it’s clear, I wave Alice out of the trees.

She moves out alongside me, and we begin walking, staying close enough to the edge so that, should I see any trouble, we can disappear into the thin border of trees.

I glance over at her, and my gaze instantly drops to her mouth.

That kiss.

She’d wondered why I couldn’t sleep, and while it is true that I’m not the greatest sleeper, it was really the memory of her lips on mine that had me up most of the night. Everything about Alice calls to me.

Her strength. Kindness. Her love for God. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted. My dream woman. The person I would love to spend the rest of my life with.

But the timing is wrong. Or, at least, that’s what I have to keep telling myself. One more taste of Alice, and nothing else will matter. I’ll throw out that promise I made to myself and jump in headfirst. It’ll be Dylan who will pay the price. And he’s suffered enough.

“You said trash days are Saturdays?” I ask, hoping to redirect my focus from what I can’t have to surviving the problem I do have.

“Yes.”

“Which means first thing tomorrow. What time do they put the bins out?”

“Usually about seven in the morning. It’s still a risk, though, Tucker. I want to make that clear. Anything we do here could land us in a lot of trouble. If you’d rather find another way, we can.”

“I’m open to suggestions, but as of now, I’m not finding any. I spent a lot of time trying to get into their systems, but they’re locked down. Our best bet is to get into the server room then get out as quickly as possible.”

A truck pulls around the corner, and since I recognize it, I don’t bother rushing into the trees. Dylan pulls off to the side and climbs out.

“You both okay?” he asks.

“Better now,” I reply, tossing my backpack into the bed of his truck then reaching over to take Alice’s from her.

“Are my parents okay?”

“They are,” Dylan tells her. “I thought your dad was going to punch the lead detective though,” he grins. “It was rather amusing.”

Alice laughs softly, some of the stress melting out of her expression. “Dad has a bit of a temper when it comes to our family being at risk.”

“It was well-deserved. Trust me.” Dylan turns to me. “Jesper is waiting at the airstrip. As of now, I don’t think we have to worry about police intercepting the plane, but we need to move fast just in case they catch on.”

“Then let’s get going.” I open the back door for Alice, waiting as she climbs in before closing it and climbing into the passenger seat. “Tell me about the search. They get anything from my computers?”

“Nope. Swapped the hard drives before they got there. Aside from some ranch reports, they got nothing.”

“You keep spare hard drives?” Alice asks.

“I do. Anytime there’s a potential threat, I swap them so sensitive information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.”

“And so there’s no proof of Tucker accessing websites he shouldn’t be,” Dylan adds.

“That too,” I agree.

“Smart,” Alice replies. “Did you ever hack Web Safe?”

I turn around to look at her, a grin on my face. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

“You did? When?”

“Back when they first got started. They wanted to know if there were any weak points, so I tested it out.”

“They asked you to?”

“Nah. But I did send in an anonymous report, then waited a bit before hacking in again.”

Alice laughs. “You’re the ghost.”

“Huh?”

“You’re a bit of a legend at Web Safe. The hacker who managed to slip past firewall after firewall right after they opened yet never took anything. You were in, then out just as quickly.”

“You hear that?” I ask Dylan. “I’m a legend.”

“I already knew that, brother,” Dylan replies with a chuckle. For a moment, a bit of his darkness slips away, and the weight of everything we’re facing lessens—only for a moment though.

“You bring any gear?” I ask, turning to check the backseat. There are two tactical backpacks and two bulletproof vests sitting right beside them.

“Medical supplies, extra ammunition, a few extra firearms, knives, and the other necessities.”

“What other necessities?”

“Binoculars, emergency kits—water, blankets, freeze-dried food.”

“You make it sound like we’re walking into war,” Alice comments.

I turn toward her. “We are.”

“Good point.”

Dylan makes a right to head out of town toward the small private airstrip we use whenever we need to travel quickly and quietly. His phone rings, so he answers it on Bluetooth. “Yeah?”

“Where are you at?” Bradyn questions through the speakers.

“On the road, brother. Nearly to my destination.”

“Good. They’re getting antsy. Threatened to arrest all of us if they discover we’re harboring Alice.”

“Where do they think I am?” Tucker questions.

“Out looking for her,” Dylan answers. “Though Kara did tell them that she was with us when we came to see her. So they’re likely not buying that story. At least, not for long.”

“This is such a mess.” I pinch the bridge of my nose.

“Agreed. Let me know when they’re wheels up,” Bradyn says then ends the call.

Dylan takes another turn. “What’s the plan now?”

“Since I can’t access their digital records, and Alice says that everything of any importance is stored directly on the server with no outside access, we’re going to have to go into Web Safe.”

“You’re going to break into a top-security company while also on the run and hiding from every law enforcement agency in the country?” Dylan whistles. “That’s a bit on the reckless side, Tucker. And that’s coming from me.”

He’s not wrong. It’s a major risk. But when all the cards are stacked against you, sometimes you have to break the house down and start all over again. Going back to the beginning is the best way to figure things out. And everything started in that server room when Ramiro Caine was shot.

That’s where we’ll find our answers—I’m sure of it.

“Did you happen to grab that patch you wrote?” I ask Alice as I turn around in my seat to look at her.

She nods and withdraws the thumb drive from her pocket. “It’s never far from me.”

“Good. Then we’ll install that while we’re at it. Make it impossible for them to steal anything.”

“I can come with you,” Dylan says. “Might be better if you’ve got backup.”

I shake my head. As much as I’d love my brother to come, we have to think about the ranch as well as the optics. If he suddenly disappears, then they’re going to really buckle down looking for me. They’ll likely go through on their promise and throw my entire family in jail just to lure me back.

And after what nearly happened to Alice’s parents, I won’t risk my family—or hers.

“My guess is they’re watching the ranch. If you don’t come back, then they’re going to start checking flight logs, which might end up leading them right to us.”

“Fair enough. But I’m a phone call away. If you get in over your head, I need you to promise you’ll call me, Tucker.” His tone is serious, his expression the same as he glances over at me.

Most of the missions I’m on, Dylan and I do together.

I keep him grounded, and he’s the best one to have around when things go awry.

This will be one of only about five missions we’ve ever done apart, but he needs to remain here to buy us time before the cops realize Alice and I aren’t on the ranch and come looking elsewhere for us.

“I will,” I promise, though I truly hope that’s not a call I have to make.

“This is your captain speaking, and I’m happy to report the weather is beautiful, sky is clear, and we’ll be making record time to your destination.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy what peace you can find before we land.

” Jesper’s tone is amused as he makes the callout over the private plane’s intercom.

Once a fighter pilot, he walked away from the military after his third tour. Now, he flies for both us and Find Me, helping us track down the lost and bringing them home. The guy is a genius pilot and a great man.

Alice has been quiet most of the flight, sitting in the seat across from me as she stares out the window.

What’s she thinking about?

Our kiss? The danger we’re walking into?

“How are you doing?”

She turns toward me and smiles. It doesn’t reach her eyes, but it takes my breath away all the same. “Not too bad. Just thinking.”

“About?”

“All the reasons this is a bad idea. What if I’m wrong? What if they’ve changed protocol? I mean, we’re literally walking right into a trap—willingly.”

“If things go wrong, then we pivot. This will hardly be the first mission where things have gone sideways. We always manage to pull through. I’ve got plans B-Z ready to go.”

“What are those, then?”

“We run. Call in the others. And go in tactically rather than stealthily. Besides, I’m the ghost, remember?” I add, hoping to bring the smile back to her face.

Instead, she turns to look back out the window. After undoing my lap belt, I walk across the aisle to sit in the seat next to her. Still, she doesn’t turn to face me.

“I’m worried that this is going to end with you dead.” It comes out almost a whisper, and that warmth that’s been blooming in my chest since the moment we met grows.

I’m falling in love with this woman. And she’s not wrong—we might not walk out of this one. Web Safe is not like the other criminals we’ve faced. They have a stellar reputation, and so far, we have no tangible proof that they’re doing anything against the law.

“Alice—”

“No. I’m serious, Tucker. Look at Logan and Ramiro. Both of them are dead. Web Safe is untouchable. They’ve managed to spin it to make me look so guilty that no one will bother to look closely at them.”

“All the more reason we do look closely.” I reach over and take her hands in mine. They’re smaller than my own and smooth, where mine are calloused from labor on the ranch. But even with all the differences, they still fit so perfectly together.

We fit perfectly together.

I withdraw my hands before I do something stupid and kiss her again.

“Dylan seems worried.”

“Dylan is always worried.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He pretty much lives his life planning for every worst-case scenario.”

“Isn’t that smart? Having a plan when things go bad?”

“Sure. But when that’s all you’re planning for, where’s the time to be happy? To seek joy? To live?”

“I never worried about the worst-case scenario before. I’d pretty much lived worst-case until I was thirteen,” she says.

“And once I realized I’d found a home with the Sterlings, I chose to only see the good.

It was a mindset change, but I find I’m regressing now because all I can think about is having to watch you die.

” She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

“My mind keeps replaying what happened with Ramiro, but instead of him”—she turns to me—“it’s you taking those bullets.

You falling down. You bleeding out as I’m forced to watch. ”

Emotion burns in my chest. Desire to ease all her pain, to promise her that I’m here now. I’m alive now. And I’ll do whatever I can to remain that way. Without giving it too much thought, I take her hand and press it to my chest, right above my heart.

“I can’t tell you how this is going to turn out.

But I can promise you that I am not an easy man to put a bullet in.

” I smile, hoping to ease some of her fear.

“I’ve been in more combat zones than I can count, behind enemy lines with nothing more than a weapon and my faith, and I’ve walked away without ever taking a bullet. ”

“You came out without a shirt on when I thought my computer was getting hacked. I saw your scars.”

“Knife wounds. Not bullet holes.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“Sure. Doesn’t sound like they’re using knives.

I may be a magnet for those, but bullets?

Please. I’m not worried about those.” It’s all bravado at this point, but I’m fighting to keep her anxiety at bay.

We have to go into this with clear heads.

If we walk in afraid, we very well may make mistakes.

And mistakes do get you shot.

She relaxes slightly. “You’re so calm. I forget that you’ve done this before.”

“All you need to know is that I’m good at what I do. And if anything goes sideways, we’ll find a way to pivot, okay?”

“Okay.”

I lower her hand from my chest but keep it in mine. She turns her hand over and threads her fingers through mine as she shifts to look back out the window. My stomach flips, and my pulse increases.

“If you’re withholding happiness from yourself because of something you had no control over, you’re not helping anyone. You’re only punishing yourself.”

My father’s words replay in my mind, hitting me out of nowhere.

Is that what I’m doing? Am I punishing myself because of what happened to Dylan?

Because I wasn’t there during his darkest hour?

Was my promise ever about Dylan? Or was it a way to ease my own guilt because I feel as though I let him down?