by Rebecca Deel
“As dangerous as this operation is likely to be, I can’t let you go into that camp armed except for the knife.”
“Fisher and Patton aren’t stupid,” Linc said. “They’ll check him for weapons and confiscate whatever they find.”
“Then it’s better they find one I can explain to the authorities.” Ethan squeezed Mason’s shoulder. “We’ll free Nicole and Dawn, but the price might be high.”
Fisher and Patton had made the choice to kidnap two innocent women in a bid for revenge against Mason for an unknown offense. “As long as Nicole and Dawn are safe, I’ll deal with the fallout.”
Josh opened the door. “I’ll meet you at PSI.” With that, he left the office.
Linc straightened from the wall. “Time for us to go, Mase. Need anything else for the moment, Ethan?”
“I have a few things to do here. Don’t start the planning session without me.”
With a nod to acknowledge the order, Linc led the way from the police station. “You might not be able to carry weapons, but you should have protection. I have a couple of things in mind. We have what you need in the weapons vaults at PSI.”
Mason paused in the act of fastening his seatbelt. “PSI has vaults?”
Although worry filled his eyes, Linc smiled. “Rio hasn’t shown you our toys? You’re in for a treat.”
Despite his interest in seeing the vaults, Mason wanted to insist Linc find the campground and mount an assault to rescue the women. He longed to hold Nicole in his arms again. If anything happened to her, Mason’s life was over. She was everything to him.
Linc drove up to the gate at PSI and swiped his card across the reader. The iron gates slowly swung open. He parked in the employee lot behind the main building. After passing through another two security measures, they entered the building.
“This way.” Linc led Mason along a long, dimly-lit hallway to an alcove tucked into a dead-end corridor, then pressed a series of places on a blank wall.
To Mason’s surprise, the wall slid away to reveal a large vault. After entering a security code, Linc opened the heavy steel door.
“Behold the toy box,” Linc murmured. “Forget you saw this.”
He walked inside and scanned the huge room lined with weapons and body armor as well as cabinets and drawers. “Wow. Do I want to know how many weapons are stored here?”
“No.”
He wandered from one wall to the next. Frowning, he considered how many students filled the dorms and the weaponry routinely used by Fortress operatives on missions. The weapons in this room weren’t enough to supply the needs of Durango and Bravo. “This isn’t the only vault on campus, is it?”
Linc smiled.
“That’s what I thought. With the Fortress teams in residence plus more than one hundred bodyguard trainees in each cohort, this weapons supply wouldn’t be enough.” He glanced at Linc. “How often do you go on missions?”
“When Maddox needs me. Most of the time, I’m needed here more than in the field.”
“Dawn knows you could deploy?”
“She knows.”
“She’s okay with it?”
“Not your business, Mase.”
He held up his hand. “Fair point, but I don’t want to see her hurt. What equipment did you have in mind for me?”
Linc moved to the right side of the room and selected a vest. “Put this on over your shirt.”
Surprised at the weight of the vest, he slipped it on over his chest. “It’s heavier than I thought it would be.”
“I don’t notice it anymore.” Linc helped him with the straps and tossed a black t-shirt and black camouflage pants to him. “Put those on. Your white shirt will stand out like a beacon.”
Once he changed clothes, Linc glanced at Mason’s running shoes and found a pair of black tactical boots in the right size. “Use these. You’ll be at a disadvantage if Fisher and Patton are still wearing work boots.”
After switching to the boots, Mason stood. “Anything else?”
Linc opened a drawer and pulled out a small device. “Put this in your ear. When it’s time to activate the comm system, tap it and you’ll be connected to the teams. You’ll hear their orders and they’ll hear every word you say. No sharing secrets, buddy, or everyone will know. Remember that when you rescue Nicole.”
He slipped the small device into his ear and practiced turning it on and off. When he was sure he could operate the equipment, Mason glanced at the wall of knives. “I need two knives, one for Fisher and Patton to find and a second one to keep hidden.”
Linc handed Mason a sheath to strap onto his calf as well as a knife with a five-inch blade. “This is the one you surrender.” The instructor handed him a second knife with a four-inch blade. “A sheath is built into the inside ankle of the boots. Knives are close-quarters weapons. What’s the first rule of combat with a knife?”
Mason’s lips curved. “You’re going to get cut.”
“Be prepared. The second rule is that a gun trumps a knife every time. If your opponent has a gun, you’ll have to disarm him. We taught how to do that, Mase. Trust your training.” Linc gathered the weapons he needed from the vault and motioned for Mason to follow him.
Two minutes later, they entered a large conference room. With the exception of Nate, the members of Durango and Bravo were already studying a map of a campground.
Josh glanced up, noted Mason’s attire, and gave a nod of approval.
Mason moved closer to the screen. “Is that the campground where the Road Devils are staying?”
Josh nodded. “According to Tate Abrams, the Devils have been there for several weeks. The owner of the campground rented the grounds to them for six months. As long as they don’t damage the buildings, he won’t evict them unless we prove Nicole and Dawn are being held captive there.”
“Too late to do any good when we do,” Linc growled.
Durango’s leader inclined his head in agreement. “You still want in on this op?”
“Try to keep me out.”
Quinn smirked at the PSI instructor. “Have something to tell us, Creed?”
“No.”
Trent shook his head, his lips curving. “Don’t torture our weapons master. He’ll be an excellent addition to this op.” He turned to Josh. “When is Ethan due?”
“Any minute. He’s bringing a few officers with him.”
Mason’s gut knotted. He knew several of the officers on the force. Most of them weren’t experienced enough to survive what was to come without serious injury.
Nate walked into the room followed by Ethan, his brothers-in-law Nick Santana and Rod Kelter, and Stella, Nate’s wife. All of them were dressed similar to the Fortress operatives, including body armor and several weapons each.
“Sit rep,” Ethan said.
Josh updated him on what Fortress discovered about the campground. “The owner is more interested in the money than in kicking the Road Devils off his property. Zane found blueprints for the campground buildings and will monitor the grounds via satellite.”
“Have any good news to share with the class?”
“PSI trainees will assist law enforcement in guarding the perimeter. They’ll wear jackets clearly marked so the LEOs don’t mistake them for gang members. They also have body armor. We selected trainees with previous law enforcement experience for this mission to minimize the risk.”
“Excellent.” Ethan studied the map. “Zane’s sure this is accurate?”
“Yes, sir.”
The police chief turned and faced the room’s occupants. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Mason rode shotgun in Linc’s SUV, tension building with each passing mile. Was Nicole still alive? “I should have heard from Fisher by now.”
“He’ll call. The delay gives our side time to get into position. We want to capture every man involved in the kidnapping.”
He glared at his friend. “How can you be so calm?”
&n
bsp; Linc snorted. “I’m far from calm. Sticking with the plan will take every ounce of control I possess when what I want to do is kill each man in the campground for taking the women. You’re not the only one who wants his hands on Patton and Fisher. The way I feel at the moment, they’ll be lucky to make it into custody. In fact, I’d prefer they didn’t.”
At that moment, Mason’s cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen, his heart rate soaring. “It’s Fisher.”
“Remember the plan. We need another hour.”
Although everything in him rebelled at leaving Nicole in the hands of Patton and Fisher one more minute, he didn’t want to be responsible for injuries to his teammates by going in too early.
Mason drew in a deep breath, swiped the pad of his thumb across the screen, and put the call on speaker. “Kincaid.”
“Mason?”
His eyes widened at the sound of Nicole’s voice. “Are you all right, baby?”
“I can’t answer that.”
Oh, man. Her answer told him two things. She was hurt and unable to talk freely.
A slap sounded over the speaker. Seconds later, she said, “There’s an old campground outside Cherry Hill. Be here in 30 minutes or they’ll hurt me.”
Linc scowled and shook his head.
“Let me talk to Fisher or Patton.”
“No talk, Kincaid,” Fisher snapped. “You be here in 30 minutes.”
“I can’t. I’m on the far side of Dunlap County,” he lied. “Driving to Cherry Hill will take me at least an hour, and I don’t know where this campground is.”
Silence, then, “One hour. If you’re one minute late, your woman will pay. Bring Creed or his woman receives the same treatment. No cops or the women die.”
“Don’t, Mason,” Nicole shouted. “It’s a trap.” Her outburst was followed by glass breaking and her ragged groan.
“Fisher!” Mason’s grip tightened around the phone. “Don’t hurt her.”
The call ended.
Face white, Linc contacted Ethan. “Fisher called. Our deadline is in one hour. Based on what we heard, he’s been working Nicole over, probably Dawn, too.”
“Copy that. Stay with the plan. We’ll get them out.”
Linc ended the call without acknowledging the police chief’s order. “We can’t fail, Mase. If Fisher and Patton escape with Dawn and Nicole, we’ll never see them again.”
His gut churned. Taking unwilling hostages wouldn’t be worth the trouble. Killing Nicole and Dawn, then running would be an easier option.
Mason willed Linc to go faster. The plan, however, couldn’t be altered. Too many moving pieces must be in place for the plan to work. While Ethan wanted to free the women, he also wanted to scoop up the gang members complicit in the kidnapping. Like rats deserting a sinking ship, they would scatter as soon as they realized Mason and Linc brought reinforcements.
At the designated rendezvous point, Linc pulled off the road to wait for the rest of their team. Within minutes, Ethan and Nick pulled in behind Linc followed quickly by the members of Durango and Bravo.
They gathered at the front of Ethan’s SUV and went over the plan once more, this time with an accelerated timeline. When he finished, Ethan said, “Questions?”
“Do we have confirmation of life?” Alex asked.
Mason’s hands clenched. “As of 30 minutes ago, Nicole was alive but hurt. Fisher didn’t give me the opportunity to talk to Dawn.”
“She better be alive,” Linc said. “If she isn’t, Fisher and Patton will regret the day they were born.”
Ethan eyed him. “If you can’t keep it together, step back.”
“No one will stop me, Ethan. Not even you.”
“This is not a time for vigilante justice. I want them to pay as much as you do. Those women are under my protection as are the other citizens of Otter Creek. We’re doing this my way so I don’t have to slap handcuffs on the wrong perps. Unless you want her to visit you in prison, you’ll follow my rules.”
He turned to Mason. “This is your last chance to back out, Mason. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“They want me and Linc. We have to give them what they want to have a chance to free the women.” A slim chance. Fisher and Patton wouldn’t let the women go without a fight even though their main goal was to kill Mason and Linc.
“If the men open fire, you better hope they hit the vest,” Trent said. “Plenty of unprotected places on your body are vulnerable.”
“Understood.”
He pointed at Mason. “No injuries, understand? I don’t want Grace upset with me if anything happens to you.”
“Same goes,” Rio chimed in. “I don’t want to call your dad and explain why you’re in the hospital or the morgue.”
“Time to move,” Josh murmured. “Linc, you and Mase turn on the comm system as soon as we leave. Keep it on. We’ll get eyes on the camp, and convey the setup.”
“Yes, sir.”
Except for Rio, the operatives melted into the shadows of the trees. He came to stand in front of Mason. “We have your back, Mase.”
“Nicole and Dawn are your priority. I don’t care what happens to me. Protect them.”
Rio squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll protect all of you. Be safe, cousin.” He followed his teammates.
Ethan signaled Nick. Within seconds, the two policemen disappeared from sight.
“Now comes the hard part,” Linc said. “We wait.”
Five minutes before he and Linc left for the campground, Alex’s voice sounded over the comm system. “Mason.”
“I’m here.”
“I have eyes on the camp and Nicole. Prepare yourself.”
Mason’s blood ran cold. “Tell me.”
“Someone beat her.”
He staggered back against the SUV, grief stricken. “How bad?”
“Enough. You can’t let her appearance rattle you or you give the enemy more leverage to use against you. She’s mobile and will heal.”
“Stay with the plan, or you’re dead and so is Nicole,” Ethan whispered.
“Yes, sir.” The plan didn’t prevent him from beating Fisher to within an inch of his life when he got his hands on the jerk. Mason knew that Fisher caused Nicole’s injuries.
“Dawn?” Linc asked, voice tight.
“Nothing so far. Still looking. Liam?”
Liam McCoy, Bravo’s sniper, whispered, “No sighting.”
The PSI instructor’s eyes closed, his expression one a mix of anger and pain.
“Check in,” Ethan ordered. One by one, the operatives acknowledged that they were in position as did Rod and Stella. “Mase, Linc, go.”
“Copy that,” Linc said.
The two men climbed into the vehicle. “Let’s do this,” Linc said.
“Dawn’s smart and tough.”
Linc drove toward the campground, jaw clenched. With two minutes to spare, he parked in front of the largest building in the compound.
“Slow and easy,” Alex murmured.
Easy for him to say. His woman wasn’t in the hands of abusers. Mason exited of the vehicle and rounded to the front of the hood where Linc joined him.
The front door of the lodge opened and Nicole stumbled out, arms restrained behind her back, head down. Fisher’s hand gripped her upper arm as he propelled her across the porch and down the steps.
Several burly men moved from the shadows with their guns aimed at Linc and Mason.
“Twenty bogies,” Linc murmured.
“Four or five in the lodge,” Liam whispered.
“Five confirmed,” Ethan said. “Two more in the cabin to the west of the lodge.”
“Right on time,” Fisher said. “Too bad. I hoped you’d be late, Kincaid.” He jerked Nicole to a halt. “Want to see my handiwork?” He grinned. “Show him, Nicole.”
She shook her head.
“Steady, Mase,” Rio whispered in his ear. “He’ll pay.”
Fisher scowled, wrapped her hair around his free hand, and yanked
her head up.
Fury ripped through Mason with the force of a tornado. Fisher’s handiwork had left Nicole bruised and battered. One eye was swollen, the other bruised. The careful way she moved indicated she’d received body blows as well. He took an involuntary step toward Nicole, desperate to free her from Fisher’s clutches.
Linc threw out his arm to block his forward progress, then shifted away from Mason to give them room to maneuver. “Where’s Dawn?”
“Spending quality time with Patton.”
“If he hurts Dawn, he’s a dead man.”
Nicole stared at Linc until the operative looked at her. She looked to her left, back at him, then to her left again.
Linc gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Nicole might be injured, but she wasn’t broken. She still fought to give them information while acting the part of a defeated woman.
Fisher snorted. “Big talk for a man outnumbered and outgunned. You’re no threat to him.”
Mason dragged his gaze from Nicole to Fisher whose eyes glittered. “You wanted us here. We came. Let Nicole and Dawn go, and we’ll do whatever you want.”
“Toss your weapons on the ground.” He pressed the barrel of a gun to Nicole’s temple. “Two of my friends will frisk you when you’re done. If they find weapons on you, Nicole will receive another beating with you as witnesses. You first, Creed.”
“Move closer to Nicole, Mase,” Josh murmured.
As Mason closed more of the gap between himself and Nicole, Linc shifted further to the left and removed weapons, laying them on the ground near his feet. By the time he finished, a nice pile had formed.
Fisher’s buddies stared at the weapons stash, then exchanged glances with each other. One of them whistled.
“Now you, Kincaid.”
Mason slowly reached for the knife at the back of his waist. He shifted closer to Nicole and laid the knife on the ground.
Fisher’s eyes narrowed. “That’s it? One lousy knife?”
“I have a prison record. I can’t carry a gun.”
He sneered. “See, Nicole? Look at how pathetic your boyfriend is. A real man would have stolen a gun or bought one off the street to protect you. Instead, he brought a pitiful knife to the party.” Fisher leaned down and nipped her ear, making Nicole flinch. “You deserve a real man, sweet cheeks, not a loser like Kincaid.”
