by Lea Hart
“And that’s what is happening?”
“Sure is since we’ve been in a holding pattern for a week. A bored operative is an obnoxious one, and right now, Colt’s crush is the only thing keeping us entertained.”
“Poor thing.”
“The man is one of the most lethal operatives I’ve ever had the pleasure of working beside; he’s six-foot-five, two-hundred and seventy-five pounds of mean. Why would you say poor thing?”
“He’s always been polite and well-mannered around me. I think he’s a big teddy bear and one of the sweetest men I’ve ever met.”
“Until he’s on the battlefield,” Caid commented. “You think you’d have a drink with me when I get back?”
“What for?”
“So we can talk. Maybe we can fix things between us and…”
“What?”
“Be fucking together.”
“But I’m not always well-behaved. And we both know you don’t much like the reality of having a woman with fire and sass in your life.”
“I fucking love your fire; it’s just the risk-taking that’s going to take a minute to get used to.”
“You want someone who won’t give you a minute of worry.”
“True, but I know that’s not possible with you, so I have to learn how to handle you just the way you are.”
“You want to do that?”
“Yeah, ‘cause the alternative sucks.”
“Alright, Caid…we can have a drink when you get back.”
“Good, Court, that’s real good.”
“Be safe, Caid.”
“And if I can’t be that, then I’ll be the most lethal son of a bitch in the game.”
“Remember how worried you were about me?”
“Of course.”
“Multiply that by ten thousand, and you’ll get some sense of what I feel like right now.”
“Would I be a complete douche if I admitted how much I like the fact that you’re worried about me?”
“Yes.”
“Guess we have a lot to talk about when I get back.”
“Guess we do.” Kellan gave a little bark, and she looked down. “My dog doesn’t seem to think it’s the worst idea in the world, so we’ll have to see what’s possible when we’re face to face.”
“Tell your dog not to get too comfortable on my side of the bed because I plan on taking my rightful place before too long.”
Kellan barked again and then moved closer to Courtney. “Goodbye, Caid.”
“Bye, babe, see you soon.”
She ended the call and then laid her head against the pillows. “We’re in trouble, Kellan, no doubt about it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Caid sat on a box of ammo and read Ace’s nonverbal communication and knew their level of frustration matched. The ten plus years they’d been friends and operating together allowed them to transmit information in silent subtleties, and their eye-roll, eyebrow-raise, and ever-popular what-the-fuck brow was just as effective as a spoken paragraph. “I’m picking up what you’re putting down, brother.”
“Two freaking weeks of twiddling our thumbs is bullshit.”
“At least when we’re in the Sandbox we have daytime presence patrols to keep us busy if the nighttime raids slack off.”
“Remember how much we hated them, though?” Ace said with a laugh.
“I’d like to take one on right about now, which tells you how freaking bored I am.”
Colt strode in with a towel around his neck. “What’s up; any new developments?”
“We have a whole lot of nothing,” Caid commented.
Colt collapsed into a chair and wiped down his face. “I just did my second workout of the day, and if this thing drags on much longer, I’ll have a damn fine set of abs by the time we roll out of here.”
“I thought keeping a certain CIA operative’s coffee cup filled was taking up most of your time.”
“She shooed me off a couple of hours ago and told me not to come back.”
“The road to true love is a twisty one,” Caid commented.
“Seems yours straightened out a little after the convo you had with Court the other night,” Colt said.
“Hope so.”
“Gentlemen,” Kate called out. “Have some good news for you.”
“About fucking time,” Ace murmured.
Colt stood as Kate walked toward the group. “Hi, darlin’.”
“Colt, what did we discuss about using that term of endearment?”
“Nothing I want to remember,” he mumbled as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
Caid watched the five-foot-nothing operative crank her neck so she could stare down Colt and was impressed as hell when she didn’t waver for a moment. “You want me to run and get you a chair, so you don’t get a crick in your neck?”
“No, thank you. I’m sure Petty Officer Robinson will see the error of his ways before that becomes necessary.”
“Fine, Kate, I will call you by your first name for the duration of this mission but make no promises after that.”
“The way you’re behaving is telling me that…”
Colt threw up his hand and stepped closer. “Don’t say anything you’ll regret.” He checked his watch and rolled his lips together. “You’re probably a little hangry, so I’ll run and grab you a snack.”
Kate pushed her finger into Colt’s chest, making him step back. “I’m about to…”
Caid popped up and decided to save his friend from digging a deeper grave. “Have any updates for us?”
Turning her head, Kate blinked several times. “Yes, that’s what I actually came over here for.”
“Lay it on us,” Ace said. “Because I’m ready for our ticket to get punched and get something done.”
“SIGINT intercepted communication this morning pinpointing Oseguera’s location, and it looks like he’s got Dorchester with him.” Turning, she tilted her head toward the team room they’d set up. “Time to put a plan together.”
“Hot damn, it’s about fucking time,” Ace said.
Caid clapped him on the back as they walked down the hall. “Ready to go hunting.”
“You think she’s irritated or just annoyed?” Colt asked as he trailed behind. “Or maybe she’s just tired.”
Caid stopped and shoved his hands on his hips. “Doesn’t much matter since we’re about to go on an op.” He looked from side to side and then let out a breath. “You ready to be operational?”
“I’m always fucking ready, and you know that. Unlike you, I have room in my brain for more than one thing and will be on point just like I always am.”
Caid grinned. “Glad to hear it. And to answer your question, Kate is annoyed as fuck with you right now and backing off may not be a bad idea.”
“Figured as much,” Colt said quietly. “I’ll leave her be and give her a chance to miss my sparkling personality.”
“Good move,” Ace said. “Now, let’s go get the party started and find a way to get the president’s friend out of the country alive.”
Lt. Cmdr. Warner looked at the group. “Looks like our patience has paid off. We have good intel, and the diagram of the house the asset provided is going to be invaluable. I just got word that we’ll have an AC-130 Spectre flying overhead in case we need help, Ace. So, keep that in your bag of tricks in case you need to call them in.”
“Thank you, sir. Nothing I love better than having 20mm M-61 Vulcan cannons at my disposal.”
“Always comes in handy when you need to turn the rabbit into stew.”
“Roger that,” Ace replied.
Daisy walked into the room and nodded to the men. “I just spoke with our asset, and we have confirmation that Oseguera got his hands on some anti-aircraft missiles, so I wouldn’t recommend flying in.”
“Copy that,” Caid replied as he looked at the team. “Let’s get a plan in place and then we can feed it to the QRF forces.” Rubbing his hands together, he was glad they finally were able t
o get their asses in gear and looked forward to wrapping up the mission quickly and with everyone in one piece.
***
Caid adjusted his NVGs as they rolled in, and noticed how poorly lit the neighborhood was. Streetlights were nearly nonexistent, and only a few of the houses had interior lights on. Turning down the alleyway with ten-foot walls on either side, he hoped they wouldn’t prove to be the fatal funnel they usually were.
Not that they had much of an option since parking their asses anywhere on the street would’ve announced their intentions loudly and given Oseguera’s snitches a chance to inform their boss.
Plan for the best; be ready for the worst was repeated incessantly among team guys for a reason. And the plan they’d put together called for a roll-up assault to the target building, so they could minimize the movement on foot. They were hitting two simultaneous targets and needed to keep the surprise element on their side.
“ISR shows military-age males ten clicks off your pause.”
“Copy, HAVOC, we’re rolling up on target now,” Caid responded. “Assault team peeling off.”
“Copy, Charlie One.”
Caid watched the assault force comprised of GAFE forces quickly disembark and move in patrol formation and then gave his team the go signal. The team climbed out of their vehicles and split into dual columns instinctively with one squad on each side of the street. Caid was assault team one’s lead, and Ace was team two’s. “Rock and roll, gentlemen.”
Caid led his patrol up the ladder to set point and caught a quick glimpse of a military-age male milling around at the end of the alleyway. He’d only been illuminated briefly in a splash of scant light from a house and scurried out of sight before he could do anything. “I’ve got one guy at the far end of the alleyway,” he said quietly into his coms.
“Good copy,” HAVOC responded.
He reached the top of the wall and looked over. “Clear.” Cradling his M4, he rolled over and slithered down the wall, hanging for just a second before dropping the last three feet. Popping up immediately on his knee, he scanned the courtyard with his laser.
Colt came over next and picked up security to his right, and he kept his focus on the left while the other guys dropped one by one into place behind him. Taking no time at all, the men were over and in position within a matter of minutes. He heard Ace’s confirmation he was in place and moved to the breach point.
Setting security for his breacher, he stood point while the charge was put in place. Unlike most targets, this one was going to be a simultaneous breach because they needed everything to go off as quickly as possible, so Oseguera wouldn’t have a chance to make a deadly move on the president’s friend.
Speed, surprise, and violence of action were the plan, and he knew in his heart it worked better than almost anything else.
The C6 strips were set, and he and the breacher stood back as the sound of the explosion filled the air. Feeling the blast of hot air, he ducked his head and loved when shit went right. Shattered glass crunched beneath his boots as he took point and led the men inside. The slick marble of the foyer made him take careful steps since he wanted no part of Murphy’s law tonight.
They cleared through the front room and then made their way to a long hallway with several rooms on either side. They cleared each room one by one, and when they only had two left, he prayed they hadn’t hit a dry hole.
When they got to the last room, he buried his frustration and headed toward the roof. If Oseguera was like the muj they encountered in the Sandbox, he’d probably taken his hostage and fled to the upper levels.
The team moved quickly up the stairs, and he heard confirmation from Ace that he was doing the same. They both arrived on the roof from opposite ends of the structure at the same time and busted out.
Ace peeled off to the left and immediately took down an angry cartel soldier before a shot could be taken. Then Colt took out a man who was rushing them with a highly effective left hook, and he knew it was the right move since taking a chance the guy wore a vest and was ready to clack off wasn’t worth it.
Moving toward the two figures in the corner, Caid knew in his gut they’d secured the HVT. “Time’s up, El Mencho.” Keeping his finger on the trigger, he secured Oseguera, relieved him of his weapons, and then handed him over to Ace so he could flex-cuff him.
“Esto no es el final, mi gobierno no te dejara tomar custodia.”
“Don’t really care which country’s jail cell you rot in, El Mencho,” Caid replied. Sliding out the picture of the HVT from his vest, he held it up to the man trembling on the ground. “Target secured,” he said into his mic. “Well, Mr. Dorchester, it looks like your stay in Mexico is over. Are you ready to head home?”
“Yes,” he said quietly. “Appreciate the rescue, gentlemen.”
“All in a day’s work,” Caid replied as he helped the man up. “Let’s see about our ride out of here.”
The team moved downstairs and waited for the assault team to finish their business and give them the okay to move. Once they received it, they busted out of the front gates with their target and prisoners in tow.
Hearing confirmation that the little bird was en route, Caid was about to move his group to LZ when he heard the assault team leader’s voice in his coms. “Repeat, bad copy.”
“Contact front.”
“Fuckers,” Caid hissed as the team moved the target packages back inside the wall. “Sitrep,” he barked into his mic.
“ISR is tracking eight military-age males loaded with machine guns and RPGs two hundred meters from your pause.”
“Going to make things interesting,” Caid muttered to himself, looking down the long stretch of open space. “Ace, secure packages.”
“Copy that.”
“On your six, brother,” Colt said quietly.
Caid moved forward, knowing the rest of the squad was falling behind. Head on a swivel, he moved with purpose from cover to cover, hugging doorjambs while scanning for his next position or strong point.
Too damn quiet, he thought as they reached the half-way point. Catching Colt out of the corner of his eye, he noted he was looking back at the squad to assess the sitch.
The hum of expectation ran throughout the patrol, and he knew every man could feel it coming. “Come on, fuckers; just show yourselves,” he said quietly.
Seemed wishes really do come true because he couldn’t spot the shooter before he felt the heat of the first ten rounds that screamed down the alleyway toward his patrol. “Fucker,” he hissed as he spotted a man with a PKC pointed at their twelve o’clock position. A healthy dose of lead assailed the team, and with little cover or concealment aside from some skinny telephone poles, they had a nasty couple of minutes ahead of them.
The guys behind him opened up their guns immediately, and the rounds whipped the air around him with a furious snap-snap-snap-snap.
Incoming fire didn’t sound like what Hollywood would have most people believe. Firing your weapon is a loud bang, but when it’s coming toward you, it sounds like the snap of a bullwhip. He and the squad dumped rounds at the enemy as the assault team sucked into the surrounding area like ticks on a deer.
The unmistakable concussion of an RPG impact reverberated against the wall to his left, and he had no choice but to seek cover from the telephone pole. “Colt, strongpoint the fucking building to our right, we need to get off the X and lock down a fighting position.”
“Copy that,” he shouted in reply.
“Muthafuckin’ cartel wannabes are pissin’ on my day,” he muttered.
“Called in air support,” Ace said. “Find some cover, brothers, ‘cause we got some U.S. firepower about to bless our fucking night.”
Caid dumped the rest of his magazine and laid cover for his men as Colt secured point on the building. And just as he was about to turn and follow his men in, the bullwhip sound of an incoming round filled his ears and a bullet skidded across his knee and then another slipped underneath his vest.
&nb
sp; Reeling back from the impact, he caught his footing and a decade of muscle memory kicked in as he moved backward.
The ground beneath his feet rumbled as the AC-130 above them dropped a load of 105 mm howitzer fire. Consciousness began to slip as he stepped back, and he heard Colt’s voice and couldn’t make out the words. “Sitrep,” he said quietly as the sounds and smells of the gunfight began to recede.
“Got you, brother,” Colt shouted as he dragged Caid’s body inside the building.
“Thank fuck,” Caid murmured right before the world went black.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Courtney walked into to the Naval Medical Center and wondered if Caid was going to try and break up with her as soon as she walked in or wait until she was about to leave. Maybe today he’d try both, just to shake things up.
Not that it would do him a bit of good since she had no plans on giving him the pleasure of giving in to his demons. And for anyone concerned, those sons of bitches were loud and relentless.
Her big-bad warrior was in the fight of his life, and she knew that his uncertain future was fueling his anger, frustration, and resentment. God willing, his appointment with the orthopedist later in the day would ease some of the turmoil he’d been roiling in.
Or make it worse if the news wasn’t what they were both hoping for.
Loss of identity and purpose were going to be close to impossible for Caid to accept, and she knew that’s exactly what he’d feel if the doctor decided his knee wasn’t up to operational standards for an active SEAL.
Stepping onto an open elevator, she hit the button for the fifth floor and said her tenth prayer of the day and hoped that God’s plan and Caid’s were not too far apart because she knew he’d be crushed if his days on the Teams were over.
Courtney pushed open the door to Caid’s room and told herself not to take his behavior personally. “Good afternoon, honey!”
“You know, I find it interesting that I had to get shot up and on death’s door before you felt like using an endearment.”
