“Where are you going?” Abd asked.
“We are finished here. If you don’t care about her treatment, then I have no trump card. Without that, we will simply go around and ‘round in circles, and we won’t solve a thing. I would prefer not to waste everyone’s time and find my way off this island. I bid you good—”
“You would walk away without knowing more about your mustang?
“—day,” Trace finished. He stopped and watched Abd for a moment.
“He’s waiting for me to tell him something, but I don’t know what Abd’s talking about,” Tiffany said.
“But we do. A mustang is an officer that rose out of the enlisted ranks. He’s talking about the person who betrayed us, and he just told you they are Navy,” Cry Baby said, hanging his head.
“Abd wouldn’t make it that easy” Tiffany whispered.
“He wouldn’t expect for you to have a room-full of SEALs watching on, either.” Cry Baby told her. “Tex? Think you can scan through the Khaki’s and tell me who the mustangs are and dealing with USSCOM or SOCEUR?”
“I’m on it,” Tex agreed, his fingers already flying over the keys.
“Khakis?” Tiffany asked.
“Officers. Tell Trace what a mustang is.”
Tiffany relayed the information. Cry baby had to give it to Trace. He never missed a beat. He took in Tiffany’s information and rolled with it like he’d known it the whole time.
“We know your contact was in the Navy. Again, that isn’t enough to switch courses with your wife,” Trace said. He shook his head, and Cry Baby could feel his ‘sympathy’ even through the screen.
“I’m sorry,” Trace finished.
“She doesn’t deserve to be here,” Abd argued, showing his first break in composure. Sweat dotted his brow and his pursed his lips.
“She admitted to everything you did. She belongs right beside you. What you did caused the direct death of hundreds. Some of the ISIS cells you worked with bombed military vessels, took responsibility for attacks on public events or more. Where else should she be? In fact, she may be more forthcoming with information on your Naval contact” Trace finished.
“There are three mustangs in the position to be used for intel,” Tex thundered. “We’ve got Rear Admiral, Lower Half, Douglas, Rear Admiral, Upper Half Mortesson, and Captain Chao.”
“Dammit, that’s high,” Cry Baby said.
“We knew it was,” Tiffany said.
“Yes, but we are closing in, and it doesn’t feel good. This is dangerous, extremely dangerous,” Cry Baby said.
“Then who is it? Who’s the mole?” Tiffany wondered.
“She had nothing to do with those attacks!” Abd roared. “She wouldn’t have known what she was looking at. I found his private server. I found what he’d been trying to hide and cover up through proxy. That’s what I sent her home for.”
It seemed the man had a heart. Despite being so hard to crack any other time, he’d broken at the thought of his wife in the same sort of captivity.
“Tex, what is he talking about? Proxy? Private servers?” Cry Baby asked.
“I’m looking. The mole had to have some sort of website, file, or server relating to illegal activity. It would be career ending,” Tex explained.
“Enough to get others killed for,” Wolf agreed.
“Blackmailed by the ISIS cell in Qatar, and the lives of SEALs were the collateral,” Heim fumed.
“Who? And are we safe?” Cookie asked.
They all shuffled and glanced around the room. The suspect had access to GITMO, protection, and highly classified information.
“I want you all to head back to the tents, and I’ll stay with Trace until the end. Tiffany, tell him to close it out. I’m going to put an order in for an extraction and some gear left out. When I say move, you’ll be briefed in route,” Tex said suddenly.
“What?” Tiffany said.
Cry Baby shook his head at her. “Don’t think right now, just do. Relay the message.”
“Trace, compromised. Pull interview,” she whispered.
On the screen, they watched Trace nod almost imperceptivity, and Cry Baby pulled Tiffany back against him and leaned into her ear.
“Tex will get us out of here. We’re surrounded my highly-trained soldiers and need to an emergency exfil,” he explained.
Thankfully she didn’t say a word as he straightened.
“I’ve been flagged, and it’s a black out,” Tex said through clenched teeth. “Extraction and gear secure, but we’re now on radio silence. Heim and Wolf, this is Ruby, and the stuff on that server? Illegal transfers of highly-classified documents for money.”
“Fuck,” Heim forced out. “We move. We hitting water?”
“Hooyah. Get everyone out,” Tex said.
They didn’t wait around for him to tell them again.
Chapter Fourteen
Vixen
Her stomach dropped and her mind went black. Ever trained warrior had a method for how they got ready for an upcoming battle. Some prayed while other meditated. She knew a few who raced through the rules of fighting, dirty or otherwise, in their heads in split-seconds just to calm the nerves. For Tiffany, visualization always worked the best. In the darkness of the hood they’d put over her head she imagined camp, where her things were housed, and what she’d have to lose to get out of here quickly. She hadn’t brought a phone or anything electronic, as that hadn’t been allowed. As SIS agents, they couldn’t touch anything that belonged to Trace or her, so she knew that Tex, and whatever evidence he’d found, would be safe with Trace.
There was a detachment for Trace to contact, extract with, and hide information. That was already in motion. But Tiffany refused to leave the SEALs. No way in hell she’d leave them to fend for themselves while she had a cush ride back to Britain. In fact, the very idea of being separated from Cry Baby like that made her heart stutter. No, she’d stay and fight her way out with her man, and drag his ass home with her until they had everything secure.
She took a steadying breath.
Talk it through, T.
In her mind, she saw the floppy tent and imagined a red arrow directly from the doors to the cliff.
About a quarter mile of flat out run. Top out at maybe at sixteen to twenty kilometers per hour, but closer to sixteen. Timeframe enough to make jump. How high?
She visualized the cliff, wondering how best to approach the jump. Cliff Diving was never something that should be taken lightly, she knew this. The speed with which they’d escaped stopped her from asking the SEALs, and they may not have a chance before they had to run. She didn’t want to risk slowing them down.
A jump from six meters above water and I’d hit the water at forty kilometers per hour. Possible injuries included dislocations, compression of spine, concussion, and broken bones if I hit the water without the proper jumping technique. I’d pancake. Tight, toes pointed, arms to the side, and slice.
She exhaled, and took her mind through the jump. She felt the water around her feet and pushed air out of her nose and didn’t let going into the water change how she would breath. She could make it, but it would be dangerous. No matter how she looked at it, escaping GITMO was set up to be nigh impossible. They prepared for the off chance that the upper command they found to be the mole wouldn’t send an unlawful order to detain and interrogate them to soldiers that would do as commanded, believing they were traitors. Tiffany knew the SEALs wouldn’t want to harm the guards at GITMO for doing their jobs, it would be the faulty leader who sent the command they’d want to destroy.
Her mind cleared as the van stopped and the guards hustled them out of the vehicle. So far so good. They hadn’t heard an alarm sound. After a few moments, the hoods were removed and they were left to their tents.
“I don’t like this,” Heim grumbled.
“No, and it’s gonna get shitty. Get all gear together, we were supposed to be leaving today anyway. Once we’re packed we can congregate. It won’t look odd if we
’re preparing to leave and waiting for Tex to get her,” Wolf said.
Tiffany sped into the tent she’d shared with Cry Baby.
“Are you okay?” she asked when he came in on her heels.
“No, but I will be. The faster we get off this island and get the evidence to who we need to, the better I’ll feel. My team needs to be released,” he said.
A muscled ticked in his jaw as he packed their things into the overnight bag they’d brought and looked around the tent for anything they’d missed.
“I’m sorry,” she told him. And she was. She never would have wished losing his team and fighting a battle he couldn’t do on his own to save them on him, even if he’d been her enemy.
“It wasn’t you that betrayed us. In fact, you put yourself out on the line to keep me out of the brig and in the fight. My guys will appreciate that, trust me. Heim does, and so do the rest of the SEALs out there.”
He leaned over and kissed her lips, but when he tried to pull back she gripped his face and held him to her. If this battle led to their deaths, she wanted to go with the taste of him on her lips. Meeting Cry Baby hadn’t been expected, and she didn’t know how any of this would turn out, but the smooth feel of his lips against hers, and the way he pulled her into the curve of his body made her heart soar. Each caress was better than the last, and she craved him like anew found drug—highly addictive and necessary for her to breathe.
“This isn’t the end,” he promised against her lips.
“You never know. We’re on the side of the island with cliffs and we’re going to have to jump, then swim for God knows how long to our help. This could be the end.”
He snorted. “You do realize you are going to be going into the water with frog men, right? We’ll get you through the jump and swim. Cookie’s the best swimmer I’ve ever come across in the SEALs. If I couldn’t pull you through, I know he’s got my back to make sure you are good. I just don’t understand why you didn’t leave with Trace.”
“If we’re captured before we get away, it’s better that I’m with my assets. There may be a chance I can get things stalled until Trace and get us covered,” she answered. It was the logical reason, and the one she felt most comfortable admitting.
“Or you just couldn’t leave me alone. I understand. I’m addicting and adorable,” he said.
His words were too close to what she’d thought earlier and she slapped him on the arm. But his joke eased some of the tension in her shoulders.
“Everyone loaded up?” Wolf called.
“Ready to go,” Cry baby answered. He grabbed her hands and pulled her with him as he exited the tent.
“How we going to do this?” Abe asked. He scanned the horizon and the open sea.
“We haven’t gotten word from Tex yet about where the rally point will be, but either way we are going to have to hit that water,” Heim said.
“Any guess to the height?” Mozart asked.
“At least thirty feet, maybe more,” Dude told him.
“That’s heavy. Without gear, that could be hell on the body. And we aren’t sure how long we’re going to have to swim. If they are firing on us, underwater would be the best option. But we have no respirators for the non-SEAL. Sorry Vixen,” Cry Baby said.
“No offense taken. I know I haven’t been trained to hold my breath as long as you guys.”
“Can it be scaled? From what I remember, there are places of larger rocks. Might be tricky, but moving along the rocks would be much safer than a direct dive. May also save the body from undue stress. Can swim for longer at that point,” Cookie added, for her benefit.
Vixen blinked back and forth between the SEALs. Her moments of visualization had helped, but the water was a SEALs home, and the information they tossed back was stunning. They all scanned the horizon and behind them in relaxed manners like they were just talking and waiting for their other man to arrive, but Vixen recognized the care and reason behind it. If she hadn’t been impressed with the prowess of SEALs before, she was now.
“Plan A then is scaling the cliff, if footing is available. Plan B is diving. Cookie will dive with Vixen. It’s better to have the best swimmer at her side,” Heim ordered.
Cry Baby grit his teeth but nodded in affirmation.
“Once we have a rally point we will swim underwater until release and travel to the site. I hope that he commissions a Mark V for us,” Wolf said.
“Then it would come from home and already on the way, if he did that,” Cry Baby said.
“Mark V?” Tiffany asked.
“A special operations boat we used on missions. It has the capabilities to be inserted by helicopter right into the water near us, if necessary. That would cut the time it would take to get to us,” Cry Baby explained.
She opened her mouth to speak as a whirring sound grabbed her attention. She and he SEALs spun to see Tex, racing toward them at top speed.
“Take the cliff,” Heim ordered, just as alarms blared.
“There’s our cue. Run, baby. I’ll be right behind you,” Cry Baby told her.
Her body sprang into action and she raced along with the SEALs. They surrounded her and Cookie was almost on her hip as they approached the cliff.
“If they say jump, go over, point your toes and press your palms to your thighs. Make yourself like a pencil and take a deep breath. When you hit the water, exhale through your nose, and I’ll take care of the rest. If they say scale, you will climb on Cry Baby’s back and let him scale with you, we clear?” Cookie hollered.
“Clear.”
The cliff grew closer and she felt her throat go dry. Would they be jumping or scaling, she didn’t know. Either option would be deadly.
“Dive!” Heim roared and her heart stopped.
Dive. Dive.
Heim and Wolf went first, their bodies agile and in unison as they straightened in the air. Next went Abe and Dude, though they race a bit to the right before they jumped. Cookie grabbed her wrist and pushed her to the left.
“We can’t jump right on top of them,” he told her.
Her heart pounded and her lungs worked as she pumped her legs harder. The alarms sounded, whirring louder, and a bullet whizzed by.
“There’s the welcoming committee,” Cry Baby called.
Mozart and Benny went next, just off a bit again to the course of the last jumpers.
“We’re next, and Cry Baby and Tex will take the rear,” Cookie yelled.
“Tex can get in the—”
“His CROW gear can handle submersion for six hours. Worry about your form. Let’s go!” Cookie yelled.
She got a split second to see the straight drop off bellow her as she leapt into the air. She followed Cookie’s instructions and locked her body into position, but it didn’t take away from the weightlessness. Her stomach hit her feet, and her heart jumped into her throat. Free-failing in the air, for a few seconds, the water stretched out as far as the eye could see, and the sky big around her, she was flying. As terrified as she was of the impact, right then was amazing.
She whooped, and Cookie laughed.
“You might just be a SEAL yet,” he hollered. The wind whipped around them, muddling his words, but she made them out, and felt the pride.
And then reality hit. The water rose faster and faster, and the choppy waves terrified her. She couldn’t see what was under her feet, and she could hit something hidden.
Close your eyes, and fall.
She closed her eyes, and when the water surrounded her legs, she breathed out threw her nose as she was taught. But it sucked the wind right out of her. Too hard. Her bones rattled and she gasped out, spewing all her air. She hadn’t been prepared for such a rock-hard landing. Hands framed her and then pulled her into a muscular body, but she fought. She needed to breathe, to get to the surface.
Cold lips pressed against hers and forced air into her lungs. Her eyes snapped open and she was looking into Cry Baby’s. He breathed life into her, calming her, and pushing her to hold on, even
as Cookie held her to him. The two of them kicked at the water with strong legs and propelled her forward.
They couldn’t surface yet.
Her mid kicked into gear and she nipped at Cry Baby’s lips. He pulled away from her and she pursed out the water that slid in during their disconnect. He shot her a thumbs-up sign and she nodded. Somehow, they’d escaped, and she held on to Cookie as he pushed through the water. But soon, the world dimmed and she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Her lungs burned for air, but they didn’t surface. She jerked, terrified she’d drown. Cookie tapped her shoulder with two fingers and she turned her head towards him. He cupped a fist and rubbed it in a circle on her chest.
Sorry.
Then he latched his mouth to hers. Balmy air pressed into her and she gobbled it up, able to breathe again. After a few seconds, he pulled back and looked away to Cry Baby, who clapped Cookie’s shoulder. Cry Baby wouldn’t have been able to give her more air after he’d already shared what he could spare of the oxygen trapped in his lungs. She understood, she just hoped they’d be out of the water before she had to kiss the rest of the SEAL team.
Chapter Fifteen
Cry Baby
There were dangers to being in warm water. Sure, hyperthermia and other factors came into play in icy water, but the body could survive longer, even after passing out, in chilly water. Anybody had better chance of being revived after their body dropped to certain temperatures and the body’s natural processes were slowed down. In warm water the body acted normal, and Tiffany never got trained to handle underwater swimming to this extent. Cookie got her to the MK V, but she was unconscious and unresponsive.
“Come on, baby, open your eyes,” he begged.
Her eyelashes clumped together and her dark skin had an ashen tone to it as the medics worked on her. True to his word, Tex had gotten them out of Cuba as quickly as possible. Between he and Trace, they’d gotten a MK V prepared for helicopter extraction straight from San Diego and Trace had the British SIS agents in route to escort them. In international waters, and under a joint country operation that hadn’t been sanctioned, the trade over to the British forces had gone smoother than expected. Still, he’d rather have Tiffany fussing at him for letting Cookie, and then Abe, kiss her underwater to keep her lungs full of air.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Vixen (Kindle Worlds Novella) (A SEALed Fate Book 3) Page 8
