by Jade Dean
“Are these photos from the CCTV cameras of his own hideout?” Holt asked. His tone held a hint of incredulity. “You shouldn’t have been able to access those remotely.”
“You’ll find that there’s very little information the US government can’t access when they really want to know something,” Abby said.
Opening more files, they spent the next hour familiarizing themselves with the buildings and the layout of the island. The main building was smaller than Montoya’s mansion in the jungle on the outskirts of Rio. It had two levels, but they didn’t have any footage of the inside. The bedrooms would most likely be on the second floor, but they had no way of knowing which one Diego would be sleeping in.
Apart from the main building, there were four other structures. One sat right next to the water and was most likely a boathouse. The other three were probably servant’s quarters where the guards slept in shifts.
This operation would be similar to their last one, except their main goal was to destroy their target instead of breaking anyone free. In several of the photos, Diego had been accompanied by several women. Jackson confirmed that they weren’t the same women from the mansion that Holt had destroyed. All were beautiful and might or might not be there of their own volition.
Tatiana was almost always at Diego’s side in the photos. Her yellow-green eyes were without emotion in every shot that Abby had taken from the CCTV footage. She had a score to settle with the bleached blonde. The Russian had gotten away from her once, but she wouldn’t be so lucky the next time they came face to face.
“What’s the plan?” Dale asked once they were all familiar with the grounds that they’d be infiltrating in another few hours.
Ryan took charge, since he would be the team leader during this mission. Using the map and photos on the laptop for reference, he ran them all through the strategy that he and Abby had agreed on.
Matt wore a smile by the time the plan had been divulged to them. He’d get his wish and he’d be able to use his skills once again. It always made him happy when he was allowed to blow things up.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-One
After the plan had been hammered into all of them, Ryan dismissed his men to try to get some sleep. Now that they were far from Washington, his sense of alarm had faded. He wasn’t sure why his home town should be more dangerous than the island they were heading for, but he didn’t question the notion. He settled on the floor next to Abby and she allowed him to pull her into his arms.
If they hadn’t had an audience, Abby would have stripped Ryan down and spent the next few hours lost in pleasure. Instead, she had to make do with his chest pressed up against her back as she tried to fall asleep. She eventually did and was sucked into a familiar nightmare.
Ryan felt Abby tensing up and knew she was having a bad dream. It wasn’t the first time she’d been caught in a nightmare. She had them nearly every night that they’d spent together. He never asked her what haunted her dreams. He already had a pretty good idea what it would be and who was responsible for giving them to her.
His upper lip curled and his hands tightened around Abby’s torso. She made a small sound of protest and he relaxed his grip. Logan Matthews, her old boss, had sent her out to torture and kill God only knew how many people. His final order had been for her to murder the wife and children of a terrorist. Abby had refused to carry out the mission and her team had turned against her. It had been a setup, of course. Matthews had tested Abby, knowing that she’d draw the line at taking out innocents. He’d instructed his men to kill her and their attempt had been unsuccessful.
Ryan believed Abby was reliving the night that she’d been forced to eradicate her squad to save her own life. She’d be dead if she hadn’t, but that didn’t ease her guilt. He’d have felt just as guilty if he’d ever had to murder one of his men. She was good at hiding her emotions when she was awake, but they crept through her walls when she was asleep. A surge of protectiveness swelled and he pulled her against him more firmly. Even when she was asleep, she was aware of him and she rolled over to face him. He was glad to see her brow smooth out and her nightmare slip away. Abby had never had anyone to rely on before and she was still adjusting to having him by her side. It was his profound hope that they’d be able to survive their mission and then spend the rest of their lives together. Surely even souls as stained and black as theirs deserved some happiness.
Abby’s internal clock woke her several hours later. Ryan was still asleep and she spent a few minutes watching him. He was only two years older than her, but he seemed far more mature than an average thirty-two year old man. Of course, there was nothing average about Ryan Sheldon. He possessed skills that few other men had. That was one of his main attractions. He was her equal in every way and he was the only man that she’d ever allowed herself to love. Some part of her still believed she didn’t deserve him, but she was learning to drown it out. Everyone deserved to be happy, even a murderer like her.
He woke as soon as she tried to extricate herself from his arms. He sent her a smile that warmed her to her toes and she again wished they were alone in the cargo hold of the plane. Both donned headphones so they could talk.
“How far away are we from the drop zone?” Ryan asked. His fuzziness faded rapidly as Abby checked her watch. She looked as fresh as if she’d spent the night in her bed rather than lying on the uncomfortable metal floor.
“One hour,” she replied.
“I’ll wake the others,” Ryan offered. Doran tended to sleep with a knife in his hand and Ryan saw that that hadn’t changed. He nudged the agent’s foot with his boot and stepped back as Josh woke.
Instantly alert, Joshua sat up with his knife held ready. Ryan stood out of arm’s reach wearing a nostalgic smile. Everyone had learned to keep their distance whenever they had to wake him up. Dale and Matt were slightly less dangerous to rouse and both sat up when Ryan kicked their feet.
“We’re nearing our destination,” Ryan shouted and they scrambled to their feet.
Without needing to be told, all three moved to their pile of equipment and worked together to get everything in order. Holt tossed a waterproof bag to Abby and she nodded her thanks. Her backpack fit inside it with room to spare. The laptop should be able to survive being dunked as long as the bag stayed waterproof.
Taking the wetsuits that Jackson handed him, Ryan walked over to Abby and held one out. It was much smaller than his and it should fit her well enough. They didn’t have many female agents in the SOB, but Dale had managed to scrounge up a wetsuit anyway.
They’d all changed into dark clothing before leaving Washington and left them on beneath the wetsuits, which made them even harder to squeeze into. Abby’s suit was slightly too large, so she had less trouble suiting up. She dropped her boots into the waterproof bag then tied it to her waist. Ryan was struggling to do his zipper up, so she brushed his hands away and tugged it upwards for him.
Checking her watch again, she signaled the others to move towards the cargo doors. They’d removed their headphones when they’d slept and talking was difficult with the amount of engine noise that echoed through the hold. Holding up her hand, she indicated that they had twenty minutes to go.
All five agents waited with tense expectation until Abby nodded for Jackson to open the cargo door. They’d felt the jet descending and saw dark water beneath them as the door slowly opened. Wind whipped around them, trying to tug them outside. Donning his goggles and flippers, Jackson waited for Abby’s signal. When she held her thumb up, he shouldered his bag, ran to the end of the ramp and jumped.
Holt went next, followed by Doran. As the strongest of the group, Josh had been tasked with being in charge of the largest piece of equipment. His muscles bulged as he carried the package and his bag to the end of the ramp then he leaped out with a whoop of pure enjoyment.
Abby went next and landed in the water a short distance away from the others. Ryan hit the water shortly after her and swam to her side. Th
e jet powered away and she caught a glimpse of the cargo door closing before it was lost from sight.
They gathered into a loose circle, facing outwards and searching for any sign that they’d been spotted. They were too far from the shore to see the bright lights of Rio, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been seen. They waited for boats to appear, but after a few minutes of quiet, they figured the Brazilian version of a Coast Guard weren’t on their way to arrest them.
“Are you ready to hunt down Montoya?” Ryan asked his team.
“Very ready,” Abby said for all of them. “Let’s get this done.” This time, they wouldn’t let Diego get away. He would shortly be trapped on the island that he thought was his sanctuary. They would give him no chance to escape from justice. It was far past time for him to pay for his crimes and he wouldn’t be going to jail. They’d send him to a far hotter place. Abby smiled, but it was hard, cold and extremely unpleasant. She couldn’t think of a more fitting destination for a mass murderer than hell itself.
₪₪₪
Rogue Revenge
₪₪₪
Chapter One
Visibility was always low while floating in deep water and it was much worse in the dark of night. Even when a wave lifted her up higher, Abby saw only blackness surrounding the small team of agents treading water a few feet away.
Goggles kept the water out of her eyes, even if they didn’t do much to enhance her vision. The ocean off the coast of Rio de Janeiro was warm, thankfully, and her wetsuit kept her dry.
She and her four unlikely companions had leaped out of the back of a US government cargo plane only a few minutes ago to embark on a perilous mission. Abby was doing her best to keep watch for anyone approaching while Ryan and his former teammates assembled their transportation.
Ryan, her boyfriend of only a few short weeks, had once belonged to a clandestine agency known only as the Special Ops Branch, or SOB for short. Three agents, Jackson, Holt and Doran had volunteered to accompany them on their hunt for Diego Montoya. Each agent was deadly in their own way and she was glad of their assistance. She barely knew them, yet she’d already come to trust them. Unlike the members of her own squad, these three men had integrity and honor.
Abby and Ryan were also agents, but both had walked away from their jobs due to personal reasons. Ryan’s wife had been murdered by Montoya two years ago and Abby had been caught up in his quest for vengeance several months ago. They’d met by pure chance and she’d become his captive. She wasn’t sure exactly when she’d fallen for him, but he’d laid claim to far more than just her body when he’d taken her prisoner. Her heart belonged to him now, even if she hadn’t told him that yet.
Ryan saw Abby watching him and he wished he could see her expression clearly. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but she seemed to be smiling. He’d expected her to be grim now that they were closing in on their prey. She was an enigma that he doubted he’d ever figure out. Her mystery was part of her appeal, just like her dark haired, gray eyed beauty. Her fierce combat skills were also a turn on.
Turning back to the task at hand, he helped the others hold the rubber dingy still as Doran pulled the rope that automatically inflated it. Like magic, the dingy began to fill up with air. It folded out into a sturdy vessel that would be just large enough to contain them all. It came complete with a motor and enough fuel to carry them to their destination.
Ryan was the first on board when the dinghy finished inflating. He hauled the others inside, pulling Abby up last since she was the smallest and lightest by far. They left their wetsuits and goggles on during the journey to the island where Montoya was hiding. Constant spray from the waves kept them soaked as Josh Doran guided the vessel through the water. Abby glanced at the tiny compass on her watch every few minutes and pointed in the correct direction to keep them on course.
A cluster of lights finally appeared after they’d been travelling for nearly two hours. They closed in on the island and Joshua switched off the motor when they were still at a distance where they wouldn’t be heard by anyone standing guard. Paddles were produced and the four men swiftly propelled them closer.
As planned, they approached the island from the south. A crucial part of their strategy was to stop their target from fleeing. Montoya had already eluded Ryan twice and he was determined that that wouldn’t happen again. The best way to ensure that would be to disable any transportation they found.
They paddled towards the only building that had been built over the water and stopped when they were half a mile or so away from the boathouse. Matt slid into the water and swam towards the long, wide white building. He became lost to their view when he ducked beneath the water to enter the structure.
Abby picked up the paddle that he’d left behind and stroked in time with Jackson as they headed to the east side of the island. Doran was the next to enter the water. The boat became much lighter once his heavily muscled bulk was gone. His goal was to secure the helicopter that she’d seen during her surveillance and to prevent anyone from boarding it.
Jackson and Ryan continued to paddle around to the northern end of the island. Abby conserved her energy since she’d just throw off their rhythm as the odd person out. Dale saluted them before disappearing over the side. His task was to reconnoiter the mansion and to try to locate Montoya. It was just after ten and it still early enough that their target might not have retired to bed yet.
The only two left in the boat now, Ryan and Abby paddled around to the west and angled towards a small stretch of beach. Neither was willing to be parted during such a dangerous mission and they’d opted to pair up.
Guilt tried to stir within Ryan when he acknowledged the depth of his feelings for Abby, but it didn’t have the same potency that it once had. He’d loved his wife, but Miranda had been gone for over two years now and it was time for him to move on. While his need to avenge her murder hadn’t abated, he was no longer willing to throw his life away to satisfy his revenge.
Everything had changed the day he’d met Abby. He thought he’d never love again, but she’d become just as important to him as Miranda had once been. He’d do anything he could to keep her safe, and she was willing to do the same for him. Even if it meant substantially increasing her kill count.
Leaping out of the dinghy when it came to a stop, Abby helped Ryan to pull it up the beach and into some dense bushes. Once dawn came, the vessel would be easy to spot, but their mission would be completed long before then.
A guard stood on the edge of the neatly clipped lawn about two hundred yards away. Bright lights from the mansion in the background threw his silhouette into stark relief and it also ruined his night vision. Staying in the shadows, they removed their wetsuits and placed them in the dinghy. They then donned their boots and strapped on their gun holsters and knife sheaths. They both wore black cargo pants, T-shirts and jackets to help them blend into the dark. Ryan’s blonde hair was almost too bright in the moonlight and he pulled a dark cap on to hide it.
One of Abby’s handguns was equipped with a silencer and it would have been almost pathetically easy to take out the bandito. Doing so would only alert their prey that the hunters had arrived. For now, they had to remain unseen and unheard.
Hunkering down beside Abby, Ryan fished binoculars out of his waterproof bag and scanned the two-story mansion and the two closest buildings. All were painted white and were well maintained. White seemed to be Montoya’s favorite color when it came to his taste in dwellings. His last mansion hideout had been quite elegant before Matt Holt had reduced it to toothpicks with several explosives.
Switching to thermal vision, he saw dozens of red blobs moving in and around the buildings. As they’d assumed, two of the smaller structures were guards’ quarters. He counted thirty prone bodies inside. That left nearly sixty people still awake. Some were women that had probably been brought to the island against their will. Montoya was used to having a harem and he wasn’t about to go without the pleasures of sex even during his exi
le.
Abby took the binoculars when Ryan offered them to her and zoomed in on the mansion. Montoya was somewhere inside and it was Dale’s job to find him. The rest of the team would remain in position until the mark had been spotted. Once he had, then they’d move in and take him out.
₪₪₪
Chapter Two
Dale swam the short distance to the island and was met with a rock wall rather than a sandy beach. Thanks to the satellite photos that Abby had procured through highly illegal means, he’d known he would have to scale the wall. Fortunately, he was in the most remote part of the island. The mansion was cut off from view by a densely treed garden that grew right up to the edge of the wall. It was unlikely that he’d be spotted infiltrating the grounds, but he would take the utmost caution anyway.
Removing his flippers, Dale tossed them up into the garden and waited to see if the small noise would bring anyone running. No one came, so he found a handhold and began to climb. Bare feet weren’t ideal for rock climbing, but he didn’t want to get his boots wet. A silent approach would be vital and squelching with every step wasn’t an option.
He scaled the ten foot high wall and peered over the top. Trees, shrubs and a variety of tropical plants met his eyes. No humans or guard dogs were in sight, so he hauled himself over the edge and crouched down to search inside his bag. He pulled out a device that was designed to detect alarms, bombs and tripwires. The screen was small enough to fit into his palm and green light lit up his face as he switched it on. Scanning the area, nothing showed up on the screen, so he switched it off and slipped it back into the bag. He didn’t think Montoya had sophisticated defensive means, but it didn’t hurt to be sure.
