Page 29 of The Team (The Milvus Files #3)

But to what extent, he waited for Zihao or King to explain.

It was Zihao who spoke. “The PLA has graciously agreed to supplement our mission,” he said, giving a diplomatic smile to the three brass.

It felt a little too smarmy for Rhett’s liking, and he had to wonder what conditions were agreed to in this deal.

But Zihao then went to the screen on the wall, which was an aerial live-feed view of Shentou Island. It wasn’t the map image Yunho had provided. It was Chinese satellite and way more detailed, showing the island fortress and a whole lot of open water .

The South China Sea was heavily guarded, and perhaps Frankston thought himself safe.

Rhett had no idea what that fucker was thinking, but one thing was certain. They couldn’t do this without the PLA’s help.

Zihao motioned toward the screen. “Wong Bo-chen’s property has state-of-the-art security: military-grade trip lasers, motion sensors, and biometric systems such as fingerprint and retina scanners, and facial recognition.

He has scanners on the water two hundred metres surrounding his island.

It rivals this military base and will require a dark covert drop.

” Zihao pointed to a blue line on the water.

“A two-man team, Ouston and Chen, will enter from here, proceed underwater, and once on land, disable the mains, which will shut down his security here—” He pointed to a specific part of the north-facing wall.

“—here, and here. This has to be done by hand. Once that is offline, we can begin accessing the security system and we can move in.” He pointed back to the screen.

“The remaining five breach by boat. Once the property is secure, the navy can intervene with drones and a Jiaolong Commando team and take over the operation. You will retrieve the hostage and retreat,” he paused for a split second.

“And targets Frankston and Wong are to be taken alive. Remember Wong’s personal security team is highly trained.

Tan Huan will be with Wong. He is skilled and very dangerous. ”

There was so much in that delivery that Rhett wanted to pull apart, but one thing in particular stuck out. “Two and five makes seven. There are eight of us.”

Zihao’s gaze hardened at Rhett. “Agent Yin will not attend. His affiliation to the hostage and bias against Tan?—”

“No,” Rhett said flatly. “We go in as eight.”

His whole team was wide-eyed, like what the actual fuck , both confused and alarmed. Chen had his angry face on, and Yin looked about ready to puke.

“Captain Ouston,” Zihao said quietly. “I appreciate your?—”

Rhett wasn’t having it. “We are an eight-man team,” he repeated, louder this time. “We go as eight with your help, or we go in as eight without your help. Our number does not change.”

“Ouston,” King said this time. He looked torn but erring on the side of the officials for diplomacy’s sake, no doubt, and that just fucking pissed Rhett off.

“You want the best to go in, then Yin has to be on the team. He was Jiaolong Commando,” Rhett said, knowing the three brass understood that word.

“A commander, and the best in his unit. We need him on that first drop. Yin and Chen.” He pointed to the line on the map where they would enter, no doubt enough distance to avoid detection, in the middle of the freaking South China Sea.

“I will not send my team in there without him.”

Zihao raised his chin. “It’s not your call to make.”

What he wanted to say was bull-fucking-shit it wasn’t, but he knew that’d be a torch to already smouldering kindling.

“With all due respect, it is my call,” he said calmly.

“The purpose of the Milvus Division is to work outside of the rules of diplomacy other nations are bound by. It is our purpose to see that work is done that other operatives cannot do. We are entrusted to make decisions to see the success of a mission, and it is one hundred percent my call to make.” Then Rhett looked at the three brass, still sitting there, staring at Rhett intently.

He had no clue if they could understand him, but something told Rhett they understood him just fine.

“China petitioned to be included in the Milvus Division to be seen as a participant in the democratic good of international relations, and you sent your best. Commander Yin Tao is the best in the water, and unless you want this mission to fail—unless you want an international incident in Chinese waters on the front page of every paper tomorrow morning—then you will send in your best.”

Rhett turned to see King’s lips twitch in an almost smile before he schooled it away, but Zihao was far from smiling.

Rhett didn’t give one single fuck.

“Yin is on the team,” Rhett said, his gaze now locked on Yin’s. “And Chen. We need them both.”

“Milvus is eight,” Sid said, surprising Rhett. Then Sid turned to King. “We’ll need all of us. Especially in the water.”

Rhett’s eyes darted to Jay to find him smiling back at him, not attempting to hide his pride and adoration.

“We can do this. Yin can do this. And I go where he goes, always,” Chen said. Then he looked right at Zihao and said something in Chinese—that Rhett didn’t understand at all—but it made Jay smile some more, so he could only assume it was good.

But Rhett was done. He was done with the bureaucracy.

He was done with the diplomatic rules. In that split second, he remembered what Harry had said to him in that chopper when they’d pulled him out of the bunker.

He’d said the political power of running the Milvus Division was not good and that no good would ever come of it.

Rhett hadn’t truly grasped the impact of what he’d meant back then. But he understood it all too well now.

There would always be a political grab for control. No matter how hard Rhett fought against it.

Well, Rhett was drawing a line today. Was a military base in Shanghai with head officials the best place for it?

Logic and reason would say no.

Diplomatic relations would say definitely not.

But for Rhett? There was no better place.

He met King’s gaze, held it for long enough to see a glimmer of what might have been respect, before Rhett turned to the three senior brass. He drew his feet together and gave a slight bow of his head. “Thank you for your time and consideration,” he said.

Then he turned to his team. “Let’s go,” he murmured.

Before Azrael and Echo even got to the door first, King spoke. “Captain Ouston.”

They all stopped, looked at him, and waited.

“Eight works,” King said. “Yin’s on the team.” Zihao shot him a look, but King wasn’t ruffled. “Yin and Chen will breach. If this is going to work, they’ll need him. And we need this to work.”

Zihao stared at him for a long beat, and whether to save face in front of the brass—Rhett couldn’t be sure—Zihao gave a nod as if it were his idea all along.

“Milvus team,” Zihao said without missing a beat. “Prepare for dispatch.”

The late afternoon sun on the water made for a picturesque view that Jay would have otherwise appreciated, but it did little to take the chill out of the air.

Last temperature check of the water was, at surface, twenty degrees Celsius.

Not frigid by any means but Yin and Chen would be well below the surface for some time.

As practised Sea Dragons, they were used to this, probably worse conditions for longer periods of time.

Jay trusted they knew what they were doing and they’d be fine, but as their medic, he couldn’t help be concerned.

Recons or extractions in the desert were so much easier. ..

The fishing trawler was old and, like all the other similar trawlers in this stretch of water, inconspicuous. The inside of the trawler was old too, but the gear they had was something out of the future.

The Chinese tech was far better than any the Milvus Division had.

Echo was at the sonar, headphones on, listening, concentrating.

Coyote was rechecking his explosive charges.

Azrael was on weapons detail. Rhett, Sid, Yin, and Chen were at the screen with real-time satellite with thermal-scan imaging.

They had floor plans, electrical circuit blueprints, and all the intel a covert op needed.

The Chinese cybersecurity analysts were now on the job—confirming everything Yunho had said about Frankston and Wong conspiring to sell and purchase information pertaining to the biochem data Frankston had stolen from Gordian.

It didn’t make sense to Jay.

Not why Frankston sold out. Money was a powerful drug. But when.

When did it start ?

When did Frankston start his plan to deceive them?

How far back did it go?

“Hey,” Rhett said quietly. Jay hadn’t heard him come up behind him.

He was sitting near the end of the cabin, looking out across the water.

“Hey,” Jay replied, smiling up at him.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just checking my kit.”

“You were staring off into space. I called out to you but you didn’t hear.”

Shit.

Jay sighed. “Sorry. Just thinking.”

“About?”

“About how pretty it is here,” Jay mused. “I’d like to come back one day.”

Rhett snorted. “Not sure I’ll be welcome.”

That made Jay chuckle. “You were great back there,” he murmured. “What you said to King and Zihao and those three chiefs. You ain’t ever been sexier than you were right then.”

Rhett snorted. “Uh, thanks. I think.”

“What you said was true.”

Rhett let out a sigh and sat down next to him, their thighs touching, and Jay relished the contact. “I’m not sure any of this is working,” he admitted quietly.

Jay’s eyes met his. “This mission?”

Rhett shook his head. “Milvus. What we were designed for. The bureaucracy and power grabs.” He shrugged and his brow furrowed. “I dunno. Harrigan was right.”

“Christ, don’t say that. He’ll get a fat head. You know he’s probably listening, right? Somehow. I’m sure Yunho is.” Jay looked around and gave a wave and a big cheesy grin.

Rhett snorted and leaned back, unbothered. “Absolutely certain we’re being watched at all times.”