This change to the plan had always been an option but Raul wondered why Zu had waited until Miller made the choice on his own. Zu liked to keep his thoughts to himself more than anyone realized. This wasn’t a formal military unit, and it was still new. In a lot of ways, Zu might be establishing himself as their new lead gradually, similar to the way Raul was integrating himself with the team. Things like that took time.
Arin finished her preparations and zipped up her duffel. Instead of leaving it in the trunk of the SUV, she pulled it back out and strode over to the undergrowth to hide it at the base of a nearby tree.
“I’ll head around to the far side of the water reservoir and choose a position.” Arin slung her rifle across her back and grabbed her helmet. “I should be able to get in closer from that angle if it becomes necessary.”
Zu nodded. Raul did the same. Neither of them wished her luck. She was their luck.
“Be careful.”
At the sound of Mali’s quiet words, Arin paused. “You stick with Raul and come out of this whole and unharmed.”
Raul bit back a grin. Mali frowned but hopefully there’d be time to explain it to her after all this. Arin wasn’t going to be careful because being too careful could get a person killed. She excelled at walking the tightrope. She didn’t hesitate. She assessed a situation, plotted a course, and executed before the variables had a chance to change too much. It was all split-second decision making.
He didn’t plan on being careful either. He also wouldn’t say as much to Mali. None of them made promises they wouldn’t keep.
“I’ll ride down in the SUV to the edge of the property by the main road.” Zu moved to the back of the SUV and opened it, signaling for Buck to hop up. “I’ll get in position to start my distraction tactic once Arin is in place. It’ll give Raul and Mali the best chance to get in and get out with minimal opposition.”
“You got it.” Miller settled himself in the driver’s seat and closed the door. Moments later, he’d pulled back onto the service road and headed toward the plantation at a lazy Sunday driver speed.
Raul gave his best encouraging smile to Mali. “Here we go.”
Her gaze settled on him and held for a long moment. His heart stopped in his chest. Damn, he needed to keep her safe through this. Then she returned his smile with one of her own, and the world started moving again.
Chapter Twenty-One
Mali did her best to breathe as Zu put the SUV in drive. This was it. They were going in to a place to find her coworkers and get them out before the worst possible thing could happen.
Or the worst possible thing could happen to all of them.
She closed her eyes as they pulled back onto the main road. No. It was one thing to intellectually acknowledge possible scenarios. It was a bad idea to defeat them all before they got started by giving too much power to the scarier possibilities.
“Once you two get out of the car, we’ll switch to comms.” Zu’s eyes were reflected in the rearview mirror as he addressed her. “If any of us speaks, it should be audible, but won’t be loud enough to give away your position even if someone is near you. If you can’t answer one of us right away, we will assume danger is imminently near you. Try to answer us as soon as you can. If we can’t see you, we need to rely on communications to make sure we can help you.”
She nodded. They had all done this kind of thing before. Arin had gone over it with Mali back at headquarters when they’d fitted Mali for a comm. But she had to admit that it was a relief for Zu to go over it with her again. The reinforcement would help her remember what to do in case things got crazy. The reminder that someone was listening for her was a comfort, too.
Todd’s car was barely visible ahead of them, far up the road and approaching where the main gate was supposed to be. The Jeep dipped out of sight as the road curved and Zu pulled to a stop.
“Delta team at the front gate.” Todd’s voice whispered in her ear. The comm was a good fit, nestled in her ear, and he wasn’t loud enough to distract her from her immediate surroundings.
Zu responded, “Copy. Team Bravo, go.”
That was them.
Mali opened the passenger-side door as Raul did the same from the front seat. They both hopped out of the SUV, and Mali hurried to follow Raul to the limited shade provided by the tall hedge bordering the property. Taz jumped out to the roadside on his own and even turned, rearing up and closing the vehicle door with his front paws. In moments, the big dog had joined them, and Mali stared as Taz sat grinning up at Raul.
In her ear, Todd’s voice took on a coarser tone. “You boys look like you’re overqualified for gate duty. Stand around here all day and you’re going to lose your edge.”
There was a pause. Maybe whoever Todd was talking to had answered. Probably. The mic he was wearing didn’t pick it up. It only brought them his words. Zu pulled the SUV away and drove off the road in the direction of the plantation fields.
“Hard to find potential talent unless we catch soldiers coming off active duty. I came out here recruiting.” Todd fell silent again and then laughed, a hard, mocking sound. “Hey now, none of you can think for yourselves? Or maybe you want to stand around all day mouthing off to an old man.”
This time they could hear a faint voice. Someone might’ve approached Todd.
Raul touched her shoulder. “Be ready.”
Mali nodded.
Zu’s deep voice came across the comm. “Alpha team in position.”
Alpha was Zu. Mali hadn’t heard her sister yet, but she didn’t know if they were supposed to. Arin’s role was the one she’d listened to and had understood the least about. Based on the plans, her sister was the most autonomous. She might not need to check in.
“Lazy.” Todd barked the word. “You don’t know anything about me but I have plenty of intel on you and your employer. Sloppy work. I sure as hell am not getting out of this vehicle. Want to know what I know? Fucking making me get out of my vehicle.”
There was the sound of rubber squealing against black top. “Delta team, on the move. Looks like four guards are coming after me in two different vehicles.”
“Copy,” Zu responded. “Bravo team proceed.”
Raul kneeled beside Taz, the two of them staring through the gaps in the hedge. After a moment, Taz seemed to lean forward. Raul murmured a word. “Revier.”
Taz shot forward through the hedge, a streak of black with tan blurring his form.
“What the fu—” a man’s voice cut off with a surprised cry and the sound of growling.
Quickly, Raul forced his way through the hedge, holding some of the thicker branches of the hibiscus to make it easier for Mali to pass through. She slipped through as best she could, ignoring the light scratches of the branches. As soon as she was clear, Raul pushed her into a crouch next to the hedge. Then he rushed ahead.
There was Taz, struggling with a man dressed in some sort of deep green camouflage. Taz had the man’s arm in his jaws, and there was blood. As Raul reached them, he kicked something away—a gun.
“Aus.” Raul issued the command in a quiet, assertive tone, full of authority and confidence.
Taz immediately released his target.
“Down on the ground. Now.” This was clearly aimed at the injured man. “He didn’t break your arm but he could. Get down now. No talking.”
The man clutched his arm to his chest and dropped to his knees. Awkwardly, he lay forward on the ground, holding his injured arm away from the reddish brown dirt.
“Pass auf,” Raul murmured again. Taz took a few steps forward and sat, staring at the other man intently. “Stay still and my partner will leave you alone. Move in any way and he will be on you faster than anything you can think to do. Understand?”
No answer but the man remained still. Apparently, Raul was satisfied because he placed his gun back in his shoulder holster and approached the other man. Pulling zip ties out of his pocket, he bound the man at the wrists and ankles and dragged him over into the m
inimal shelter of the hedge.
When Raul and Taz returned to Mali, she wasn’t sure what to say but she felt she had to say something, anything, to reestablish a connection to these two. Otherwise, they were becoming very scary strangers in her mind. “That was kind.”
Raul paused and looked at her, his expression a brief flash of sadness, and then he was urging her forward along a line of cultivated banana trees toward the main house. “That wasn’t kindness. He needed to be out of immediate view so another guard wouldn’t catch sight of him and raise an alarm from a distance.”
“Oh.” Mali fell silent. It made sense. Of course it did.
* * *
Raul set his jaw and urged them forward. There were a lot of possible outcomes for today, and while he was prepared for the worst, he hoped for the best for Mali’s sake. Even if he’d had to agree with the rationale for her being here, he didn’t have to like it. The best he could do was to get her through this mission as safely and quickly as possible.
“This way.” He urged her along the line of banana trees, keeping her between him and the trees to provide her with as much cover as possible on the move. She was wearing a bulletproof vest but it wouldn’t save her from a head shot. He and Taz needed to minimize her chances of becoming a target as much as possible.
Mali followed his directions silently, her eyes wide open. Her breathing was normal for now but he was monitoring her closely. She’d taken in the sight of Taz mauling the guard’s arm in a detached, almost clinical fashion. For now, that was good. Later, a negative reaction could kick in, and he wanted to be ready to help her through it. So far, though, she seemed to have her mind on the plan.
“Bravo Team, this is Alpha.” Zu’s voice came in quiet but clear on the comm. “I am in position and have eyes on you.”
“Copy,” Raul responded.
It was good to have the reassurance of coverage but Raul didn’t relax. Zu was at a distance. Arin was somewhere out there, even farther away. They knew from the attempt on Mali’s life at the beach that there was at least one other sniper to deal with as part of the opposition. Arin’s main objective would be to neutralize the sniper threat and identify additional issues from a distance.
This was a simple plan. The faster they were able to execute it, the better their chances of success. As time passed, things would get more complicated.
“Bravo Team, this is Charlie.” Arin’s voice came across the comm, smooth and cool. “I am in position and have eyes on.”
Mali let out a small noise. It sounded like relief but Raul glanced back at her to be sure. She gave him a tremulous smile and a thumbs-up. Okay then.
They reached the end of the banana trees and had to dart into the shelter of a stand of solar panels. In his ear, Raul heard Zu. “Place has enough power to go off grid if necessary.”
It was good to note. If they’d tried an incursion at night, cutting the power lines from off-site wouldn’t have disabled their target as much as desired. Hopefully, they wouldn’t need to come back, but if they did, they had additional intel on the premises.
There was a garden at the edge of the solar panel units. They made it into the lush greenery bordering the garden without incident.
“Incoming. Not armed. Possibly a gardener or other domestic.” Arin’s warning was crisp.
Mali crouched down in the greenery, looking to Raul for a hint about what to do next. Good. He signaled for her to stay with an open palm facing toward her. Then he peered through the broad leaves of the plants around them to get a line of sight on their visitor.
Mali tugged at his pants leg, and then she whispered into her comm. “I know her. She’s part of my research team. Terri.”
Raul nodded. “I’ll get her.”
Mali glanced at Taz and back at him.
He frowned. “Not the same way as the guard. I’ll leave Taz with you and get her.”
Mali made a slight motion with her hand, waving away his comment. “I know it wouldn’t be the same. But just you would scare her, too. She doesn’t know you, and she’s already been kidnapped. We don’t know what else happened to her.”
He wasn’t sure either but this Terri was walking unaccompanied in a garden. There were some ugly possibilities as to why.
“No time.” Arin’s voice cut in with a more strident note. “There’s a guard coming around the other end of the garden. If he walks in, you’ll lose your chance to intercept the girl.”
Raul clamped a hand down on Mali’s shoulder as she gathered her feet under her. “Taz, Geh vorhaus.”
Taz left cover and walked ahead a few steps.
Raul called out, keeping his voice too low for any people to hear from a distance but the dog would hear him. “Taz, blieb.”
Taz came to a halt and stayed just as he was.
The woman, Terri, came around the corner and several steps closer before she noticed Taz and stuttered to a stop. She was medium height and build with pale white skin dusted in freckles and brown hair cut short around her chin. For someone in captivity for the last forty-eight hours plus, her makeup was on point. How? She wasn’t immediately afraid of Taz, thankfully, but she definitely didn’t know what to make of him.
Raul gave Mali’s shoulder a squeeze at the same time Zu’s voice came across the comm. “Bravo Team, Mali is to stay put. Sá to retrieve the target.”
Mali settled into her crouch. Raul thanked her silently for listening in the heat of the moment.
Raul slipped through the vegetation to a position just behind the woman as she leaned forward to look farther down the path, probably for someone from the house who might be accompanying the dog. Taz chose that moment to cock his head to one side in doggy curiosity. The woman let out a huff of laughter and tilted her head to the side to match.
Gotcha.
Raul left cover and wrapped his arms around the woman, one hand over her mouth and the other arm around her waist. He didn’t waste time dragging her, instead lifting her off her feet and pulling her back into the landscaping. As soon as they were hidden from casual view, he dumped the woman on the ground and pinned her.
“Taz, hier.” He called and Taz answered immediately, returning to his side.
He kept his hand clamped over the woman’s mouth as she tried to scream. It would take her a few seconds before she’d take a breath and give them a chance to get through her fear.
Mali rushed over, pushing Taz aside so she could kneel near Raul and Terri. Mali glared at him hard enough to punch a hole through him. He kept a neutral expression and looked pointedly down at Terri and back at Mali.
Mali narrowed her eyes at him, but her shoulders dropped as she turned to get into Terri’s field of vision. “Terri, it’s me. Shh.”
Terri didn’t respond at first, still struggling against Raul’s weight on top of her. Mali had to try three times to get Terri’s attention. As Terri settled and finally nodded understanding, Raul slowly removed his hand from her mouth.
He grimaced at the smeared lipstick on the inside of his palm and wiped it off on his hip. Hopefully, the stuff wouldn’t mess up his grip.
Mali started talking, low and urgent. “We’re here to get you and the others out.”
Thankfully, Mali didn’t mention how many were included in “we.”
Terri swallowed hard and tried to push up into a sitting position. Raul didn’t let her up. Something about her wasn’t right.
The woman darted a glance up at him, then at Taz over his shoulder, and then directed her attention to Mali. “Are you crazy? The university is handling this. The insurance will cover our ransoms. You could get us all killed.”
Mali sat back on her heels, startled by the anger in Terri’s tone. “The men who grabbed everyone were obvious. None of them wore masks. You think they’re going to let all of you go when you can identify them?”
Terri blinked and then pursed her lips. “You don’t understand. If I’m missing, they could hurt the others.”
“We’re going to get them now,�
�� Mali assured her. “You can show us where they are.”
Terri laughed, almost too loud. “This isn’t a game. You can’t just run in there and save everyone. It’s not that easy.”
Mali held a finger to her lips. “You’re making this harder. Why?”
Raul breathed, inwardly relieved. Mali might not be experienced but she was smart and observant. This Terri woman had gone from angry to patronizing, but in no way was she relieved to see Mali.
“Let me go and get out of here.” Terri tried again to push up against Raul. “I won’t tell anyone I saw you. Just let things go as planned, and everything will be fine. Don’t ruin it.”
Like hell. He didn’t let her up, but it was Mali who reached out with both hands and grabbed the sides of Terri’s head. “Where are they?”
He’d never heard that kind of intensity from Mali before, and apparently, Terri hadn’t either.
Terri’s face twisted into an ugly scowl. “They’re fine. They’re here right next to the main house.”
“Why are you allowed out here and they aren’t with you?” Mali wasn’t letting Terri turn her head, keeping the woman captive and focused on her.
The bravado left Terri in a rush of words and hot air. “I…I’m special.”
“Why?” Mali sounded hurt and angry and dangerously quiet all at the same time.
“Because she helped,” Raul answered when tears started to spill out of Terri’s eyes in rivulets of black mascara. “She’s cooperating now, too, probably keeping her host happy. She probably thinks she’s going to get a cut of the ransom, maybe a new job in his organization.”
Every guess appeared to hit home. Terri started sobbing. “If you already knew, why are you asking me?”
Raul clamped down on his disgust. “You confirmed a few guesses. Who the hell has access to makeup and everything else it took for you to keep looking like this? Kidnapping victims don’t come out without some wear and tear. You weren’t planning to go home with the rest of the team.”
Total Bravery Page 19
