Code Name: Nina's Choice (Warrior's Challenge)

by Natasza Waters

  Tadpole nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  Mace hung the sniping rifle Cobbs brought for him over his shoulder. “Let’s do this and get the hell outta Dodge,” he said.

  As they walked on uneven ground, Fox kept sweeping the landscape for unfriendlies. Ten minutes at a half trot they all hit the sand with the Griffin Industrial Park less than three hundred yards ahead of them.

  Mace scoped the small line of warehouses with his weapon. “One target walking, east end of the last building,” he said. He could easily take the shot, but they needed a closer look before they started dropping the exterior patrol.

  “Two o’clock. See that grouping of cacti? Good cover for two guys,” Caleb said.

  “Take Ditz,” Lieutenant Cobbs said. “Fox you’re with me. Tinman, you cover Mace.”

  “Roger that.” Fox shimmied to his knees.

  “Mace, you tell us when that guy has his back turned, we’ll get to the southeast corner of the building where those vehicles are parked and scope it out.” Cobbs turned to him. “Let’s hope this plan works. The more men we can draw outside and drop, the less will be covering Gabbs.”

  Mace nodded as he dialed a number on his phone. “We’re in position. See ya shortly,” he said and hung up.

  Within minutes everyone had made their position. In the distance Mace heard the approach of chopper blades. He and Tinman hit the sand running hard and low. The one guy walking outside turned his head up toward the noise. Mace stopped, dropped to one knee, took aim, and watched the guy fall forward near the vehicles. A shadow ran out, grabbed the body, and pulled him back out of sight. “One down. Standby,” Mace said.

  They waited.

  “What’s that?” Tinman asked with a harsh whisper.

  “What?” Mace said.

  “That,” he hissed.

  Mace listened. The distinct rattle made them both turn their heads slowly. Coiled and ready for attack sat one big friggin’ rattler. What the hell? They’d been in the thickest jungles and driest deserts, and it always seemed to be him and Tinman who came face to face with the wildlife. They exchanged a look.

  “Aw, man,” Tinman groaned.

  “Your turn,” Mace said. Its head drew back, its thick body tensing, and with only two feet of distance the conclusion was obvious. It happened so often they took turns sacrificing their ass to save the other. They’d been bitten and stung so many times it was a running joke in the squad.

  “If I’m sacrificing my ass to those fangs, you’re gonna get me a date with Nina’s sister.”

  “According to Nina, she’s a slut. Her words, not mine.”

  “I’m good with that.” He let out a deep breath.

  “What about Lumin? Looked like chemistry to me.”

  “That woman isn’t a weekend hot spot.”

  Mace slowly drew a knife from his vest. “Make your move.”

  Tinman hissed out his breath and leaped. The snake lunged and Mace grabbed it behind the head and brought his knife down. He expelled the air in his lungs while Tinman rolled to his knees and patted his ass.

  “Nice job, buddy.”

  “Heads up,” Fox said.

  The front door opened while the main entryway for truck arrivals remained sealed. Another man ran out the door. “Two coming your way, Lieutenant,” Ditz reported.

  “Got ’em,” Fox reported.

  Mace watched in the scope. Fox moved forward, and in quick succession they dropped. The bright forward light of the chopper came over the mountain range. Within seconds it hovered above the industrial park. “Thank you, Mr. Porter,” Mace said. When Steven offered his help and his own helicopter on the phone earlier, he wasn’t going to kick a gift horse in the mouth. Two more men ran out of the building, but instead of heading toward Cobbs they ran to the east straight at Caleb and Ditz. Both took aim.

  “Two more down,” Ditz reported.

  “That’s five,” Cobbs replied. “Let’s hope there’s only a bone crew left inside, but we’re on the clock now. They’re gonna know something’s up. Let’s move.”

  The squad converged at a point by the corner of the building. Since their security detail wasn’t returning, Pedro’s men were staying behind cover.

  A maintenance ladder attached to the building hung ten feet behind them. Ditz and Caleb motioned they were going to take it. Mace nodded. They waited until the guys had made the roof, looking for a way in or a visual of what was inside. A couple long minutes passed.

  “We’ve got a visual,” Ditz reported.

  “What do you see?” Cobbs asked.

  “Fifty feet of no-man’s land after entering. After that the warehouse is divided by racks. Barrels and shipping crates everywhere. It’ll be good cover. Standby,” Ditz said. “There’s five guys moving toward the front door. Two more have hung back. Looks like three offices at the back of the building. Someone just came out of the middle one. I can’t see Cayson or Gabbs, Mace.”

  “Copy that,” Mace said.

  “Seven of them, five of us. Good odds.” Fox adjusted his weapon.

  “Standby!” Caleb ordered. “Jesus Christ. Ten more guys just exited a hallway. How many fucking guys does he have in there?”

  “The right side of the interior is the least protected. Two guys are hunched down halfway to the door. If you’re going to firefight your way through, that’s the place to start,” Ditz said.

  “Caleb, we need you down here. Ditz, you keep your eyes on things up there. Tell us how they’re moving,” Lieutenant Cobbs said.

  They waited till Caleb was on the ground. This was not good. The odds were someone was going to take a bullet. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to get to that office, Lieutenant.” Mace checked his weapon. After so many years it was like another body part.

  Cobbs laid a hand on his shoulder. “Mace, we’ll be right behind you and clearing a path. You get Gabbs and we’re out of here.”

  The chopper landed in the desert. The blades transmitted a soft whip, whip. Steven Porter wasn’t shutting down, but instead ready to get them the hell out of there.

  “No one’s moving toward the door. They’re staying put. Think we drew out as many as we’re going to,” Ditz said.

  “It’s go time,” Fox said.

  “You want fries with that coke, sir?” Tinman grinned at Cobbs.

  Fox took the lead and checked around the corner for strays.

  In a tight line they kept their backs to the wall, and surrounded the door. One last look between them, and then Tony checked the door. Unlocked. Fifty feet was a long way to run when bullets were flying at you. They probably had more stockpiled ammunition than the squad had. Every shot would have to count.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Pedro leaned against the desk in his office, arms crossed. A menacing scowl plated his pockmarked skin. “If that is the police, you are a dead man.” His shiny black eyes fell on Gabbs who sat curled in the corner with her arms snuggly wrapped around her school backpack. “I can retrieve some of my lost funds from selling her overseas. You, however, are worthless.”

  Wade sat in the chair wearing his own scowl. The chopper hovered over the building, and his guts twisted into a ball. “Nina wouldn’t call the police. Her daughter means too much to her.”

  “Is she not your daughter too?” Pedro said, looking at him with disgust.

  Pedro trafficked women and drugs. When he didn’t get his way, he murdered whoever stood in it. Borrowing money from him had been a mistake, but it turned his stomach to have this piece of human trash looking down his nose at him. He ignored the question. Although he and Gabbs weren’t bound, they were hostages until Nina came up with the money. He’d asked for a million dollars. He only owed Pedro five hundred thousand. The rest would get him to Mexico and keep him afloat for a while. He knew his days as a naval officer were over.

  “I want Mommy,” Gabbs said, stifling her tears.

  He sighed and walked the few paces to kneel down before her. “You’ll be with her soon enough.�
��

  Gabbs didn’t really understand what was going on. She didn’t know he’d used her to wipe the slate clean. When she reached her arms toward him for a hug, he stepped back. “Be patient, Gabriella.”

  “I’m hungry.” She looked up at him, her big green eyes shining with tears. They were Nina’s eyes, and although a small flicker of guilt took flight, he doused it.

  Something dropped on the floor and slid into his shoe. “Feed her, so I don’t have to listen to the whining,” Pedro ordered.

  He picked up the candy bar, his own stomach growling. He unwrapped it, ate half of it and handed Gabbs the rest.

  “Thank you,” she said in a little voice, her glance darting fearfully to Pedro.

  The door opened and a big guy they called Saint, who wore his shades regardless of where they were or what time of day it was, walked in. “Sir.”

  “Is it the police?” Pedro’s scowl deepened.

  “Don’t think so. The chopper landed. I sent five men out to investigate. None of them are communicating with us. Romaro checked at the back door. It looks like a private or corporate craft, and no one has gotten out. Maybe it’s just someone in difficulty who had to land.”

  “Find out.” The words spit from Pedro’s mouth with sharp points hurtling into the chest of his senior security man. Pedro checked his watch. “Call the mother. I want the money transferred in thirty minutes.”

  “She’s getting it from her parents. They—”

  Pedro launched from the desk and grabbed Wade by the throat. “I don’t give a shit where it comes from. Thirty minutes, or your blood temperature drops to zero and she’s on a boat to Poland.”

  Wade yanked himself away and swallowed deeply. Digging in his pocket, he found his phone.

  Pedro slapped it from his hands. “Not from your phone, you fucking idiot, they can trace that. Use this.” He pushed a disposable cell into his chest, shoving him backward at the same time.

  Her cell rang once. “Hello?”

  “Nina—”

  “You fucking piece of shit,” she said with a snarl. “Where is Gabbs?”

  “I have her here with me. She’s not hurt, and she won’t be, but I need that money now, Nina.” He blinked when a small hand clutched his arm.

  “I want to talk to Mommy, please Daddy?”

  Pedro watched him and then nodded. “Say hello and then goodbye. Quickly.”

  Gabbs nodded, her red curls bouncing.

  “Mommy?”

  “Gabbs, please listen very carefully. Your father has done something very bad. I want you to keep as far away from him as possible. Now here’s a secret. Don’t tell anyone, Mace is coming to get you. When you see him, you run as hard and as fast as you can to him. No matter what Wade says, it’s a lie.”

  “I want to come home.”

  “Mace will bring you home, baby,” she choked. “You run to Mace, okay?”

  Wade yanked the phone from Gabbs’ hands. “Go sit down.” He put the phone to his ear. “You have thirty minutes to make that money happen, Nina, or Gabbs won’t be coming home—ever.”

  “Why, Wade? How could you use our daughter as chattel?”

  “You made the choice, Nina. You chose that SEAL over me. I don’t need my life ruined because you opened your legs and didn’t protect yourself. I won’t be turned into a monthly check if you’re not going to share yourself with me.”

  “But you meant something to our daughter.”

  He tightened his jaw. “Choices, Nina. She’s probably not my only spawn, but she came with a nice, fat money belt attached to her, thanks to your parents. Now get the money. I have account numbers, five hundred thousand in each one.” He gave her the routing codes and account numbers. “Thirty minutes.” He hung up and tossed the phone at Pedro. “Done.”

  Romaro burst into the room. “We’ve got trouble.”

  All heads turned toward him. Gabbs screamed and clamped her hands over her ears when the warehouse erupted in gunfire, and all hell broke loose.

  * * * *

  Mace and the squad made it across the vulnerable fifty feet with a lot of precious ammunition expended. Half the team went down the middle aisle, he, Tinman and Fox down the right. They dropped the two guys holding ground. Mace raced toward the back of the warehouse, Tinman and Fox covering him. Sparks flew off the racks with poorly-aimed rounds. More gunfire erupted from the other part of the building as Cobbs and Caleb took on the rest of the shooters.

  He craned his head to get a look at the offices and jerked it back when a guy in a leather jacket popped up from a five-by-five crate. “He’s standing ground in front of the office,” Mace said. He peered around the corner again and saw two guys dart into the office. How the hell was he going to do this? Gabbs and Cayson were pinned in the office, and Gabbs would be used as leverage. They couldn’t take them on in a firefight without risking her life. Tinman knelt at his feet, then shoved a small box across the floor. The guy in the leather jacket rose, and Mace took his shot, hitting him in the forehead.

  The echo of gunfire subsided.

  Speakers above their heads squealed. A voice with a distinct Spanish accent said, “This is very simple. You will leave or the girl and Cayson will be sacrificed.”

  Without her, Pedro had no bargaining chip and he knew it. “And then I’ll blow your fucking head off,” Mace shouted. “You’re right, this is easy. Your men are dead. You have nowhere to go, and all I want is Gabriella. You keep Cayson.”

  Wade’s voice boomed from the speakers. “Mace, if you don’t leave, he will kill her. He’s got nothing to lose, but his life, and he doesn’t give a shit.”

  Mace’s body tensed. He glared at Fox and Tinman.

  “Nina has thirty minutes to pay the money. We wait. Everyone wins,” Wade said. “Back off and Gabriella will not be harmed.”

  Mace caught movement from the next aisle. When he turned, no one was there. “Lieutenant, where are you located?”

  “Far left aisle, near the offices.”

  “Someone’s in the middle aisle.”

  Silence, followed by, “I don’t see anyone.”

  Ditz, still on the roof checked in. “I thought I saw someone too. He must be close to you near the back of the building.”

  “We missed one,” Cobbs murmured. “Watch for him.”

  Mace heard Gabriella cry, and his soul chilled to ice. “God damn it.”

  “Keep it together, Sniper,” his lieutenant warned.

  They had no choice. “I want to see Gabbs.” He paused. “If she’s unharmed, we wait it out. If not, we apply our rules of conduct, and you’re all fucking dead.”

  The speaker remained on. Wade must have been talking to Pedro. “SEALs don’t take prisoners. They’ll take the chance.”

  “I want to see Mace,” Gabbs cried out.

  “Mace doesn’t care about you, he just wants in your mother’s pants. Shut up,” Wade yelled at her.

  “Tell him you’re okay,” Pedro ordered sharply.

  Gabbs’ fearful whimpers filled the warehouse and squeezed his heart to the size of an atom. “Not good enough. I want to see she’s unhurt. If she is, then we back away.” He raised his weapon to his shoulder. It would be the most important shot of his life. Tinman’s hand fell on his shoulder.

  “Are you sure? Fuck, man, you have to be sure.”

  Mace nodded sharply, and put his eye to the scope. His body seized when the door cracked open. The son of a bitch holding Gabbs took one step out with her raised in front of him. His heart stopped. His breathing slowed. His finger rested against the trigger.

  His mind tore back to when he and Gabbs sat staring up at the stars on the beach the night of the SEAL picnic. She sat on his lap, resting against his chest, completely happy to stay there forever. Her little hand grasped a couple of his fingers and pulled his arm to snuggle her. She’d asked him what it was like to be a hero. He’d told her heroes came in all sizes. Above all else they were brave enough to do the hardest things even when they were s
cared. He blinked the tears from his eyes. “Gabbs,” he shouted. “It’s okay, I’m here.” He paused. Was she old enough, smart enough? Of course she was. She was Nina’s daughter. “Be brave,” he yelled out.

  Gabbs didn’t hesitate. She sunk her teeth into the guy’s arm gripping her around the shoulders. He hollered and loosened his hold. Gabbs wiggled like her life depended on it, and the guy’s grip slipped. Gabbs’ feet touched the ground. Two shots rang out. Both at the exact same time, his weapon would only put a sleek hole through the tango, but another weapon practically blew the guy’s head from his shoulders.

  Mace darted for her, but someone made it there before him. “Holy fuck.” The man swept Gabbs into his arms and came straight at him. Ghost!

  Gunfire from the office sent everyone to their knees. Ghost cradled Gabbs and rolled behind a grouping of boxes.

  “Bad move, my friend,” Pedro said over the PA.

  Bullets sparked above their heads. More of Pedro’s men moved in behind them. He’d called for reinforcements. From his angle he could see Ghost kneeling with Gabbs between his legs. She clung to his neck and he held her close, talking to her. She nodded at whatever he told her. If Ghost had Gabbs, the rest of the team could take care of business.

  The sound of several feet running told him they were vastly outnumbered. He didn’t have much ammo left, and he bet the others didn’t either, but they’d expend every cartridge to get Gabbs out alive.

  The squad converged.

  “Trade ya,” Ghost said, pulling the weapon from his hands.

  “Thanks, Admiral.” Gabbs was crying hard as Mace took her from Ghost. “It’s okay, little red, I’ve got ya. We’re going home.” Her grip was like a vice around his throat. He pulled his revolver from his belt. They all moved together, forming a line in front of him and Gabbs, firing down the aisles. Caleb’s weapon emptied, Cobbs’ a second later.

  “Head for the hallway,” Ghost ordered. “The back door.”

  Cayson bolted out of the office and jumped him. A roar of hate swelled in Mace. He swung around as Tinman pulled Gabbs from his arms and ran. Now he stood face to face with Cayson.