“I have a lead, but as Rao is here, I say we stick around a bit and follow that fucker. It’s only a matter of time before he goes to see Abbie. The man is a control freak.”
Nick grinned. “Just as well I stuck a tracker on the fucker’s car then.”
“What about the mother?”
“Oh, she ain’t going anywhere. She really is sick.”
Mercy leaned between the two front seats and handed James the picture she’d found.
A frown creased his brow as he looked at it closely before handing it to Nick. “We should get it to Imari, see if she can clean it up and find a location.”
Mercy snapped a pic on her phone and sent it back to the office with a message updating them on what had happened.
Thirty minutes later, Rao left, and the tail began. He led them on a wild chase around Daytona for hours but around nine-thirty that evening they struck gold when he started down a road Mercy recognized.
“This is the place from the photo.”
Imari was still searching for any property that might match the image, but it was a needle in a haystack until they had an area. Now she called it in, and Imari got to work. Keeping their distance, they followed until it became apparent that if they continued, Rao would pick up the tail. Pulling into the dark, unlit road, they let Rao go, praying the tracker would show them the way.
Chapter Twenty-Five
In his previous life, before joining the Air Force, James had struggled with patience, but never before had he had to fight the almost irrepressible need to pull his weapon and charge in. Focusing on Abbie’s safety was the only thing that kept him sane, as well as Mercy’s presence. She must have sensed his turmoil as she’d checked on him several times since returning from the hospital.
The moment Mercy got in the car everything had gone at lightning speed. Nick drove, keeping a safe distance behind Rao’s and an eye on the GPS dot, while Mercy changed in the backseat.
James reached out to Imari for what he hoped would be one last favor.
That was when the waiting game really began. Rao drove west out of Daytona Beach, stopped for gas and then again to get a beer before heading into the country. Imari tracked them via satellite, but James knew they were getting close. The photo Mercy had taken from the hospital room could’ve been taken anywhere around here. Houses became scarce, as did cars, and without Nick’s tracker, they would’ve lost Rao a thousand times or been found for sure.
Imari had guided them on a parallel route until they reached an abandoned barn. As per Imari’s last instructions, they were a mile south-west of what appeared to be a farmhouse.
Now they had two choices: wait for the rest of the team while building a plan, or attempt the rescue on their own. His gut screamed for the last option, so Nick and Mercy followed suit.
It took three hours from the moment they left the car to reach the farmhouse, with all the diversions Rao took. With limited equipment and weapons, no camouflage, and simple earpieces as a means of communication, the odds were mostly against them., James knew he was working with the very best though. If he could pull off a miracle, it was because Nick and Mercy were by his side.
Due to the large area, they had to split up, each taking a quarter. Another twist of the heart was having Mercy out of sight, but his woman was a weapon in herself. Now, belly down between trees, he was in a perfect spot to look at part of the main house, and most of the garden. Without seeing them, he knew Nick was on the opposite side of him and Mercy was to his left.
“I see Rao’s car parked beside the barn. Four bikes near it.” Nick’s voice was but a whisper.
“No movement outside. Two men in the kitchen, one person on the second floor, northeast corner. One target.” Mercy’s keen eyes were looking at all possible details, having already relayed the description of the men eating in the dining room, and even some of their weapons when they removed their coats.
Nick had relayed that Rao was in the living room with another man, most probably Hull, which meant that one person was taking care of Abbie on the second floor.
“If only we had heat sensors.”
Nick grunted at James. “No can do.”
“The men in the kitchen are heading out.”
At Mercy’s cue, deep laughter resounded in the late evening air, followed by a closing door. James heard the rumble of their Harleys before they vanished down the dirt road, behind the trees.
“Three targets inside, plus Abbie.”
In reality, Nick’s statement meant the three of them needed the advantage of surprise on their side. With two dangerous men and an unknown third person inside, Abbie could be caught in the crossfire. His niece was an innocent target in all this, and there was no way he’d risk her life.
“I think we should move in now. Stealthily. It’s our best shot as we don’t know if more of the MC will arrive. We take our chance, or we back out and come back another time. Your call, James.”
Nick made sense, even if deep fear insinuated itself through his veins at the endless list of what could go wrong. On the other hand, they were almost 100% certain that Abbie was inside, and that could change if Hull or Rao believed the Agency was closing in on them.
“We do it now. Nick, you’re with me. We’ll enter the first floor and take Hull and Rao down. Mercy, you go up and take care of whoever is with Abbie. You good with this non-plan?”
Nick exhaled. “It’s nothing new.”
“Just add in the part where no one is allowed to die, and I’m good to go.” Mercy’s voice was laced with menace and worry.
“Baby, same to you.” James was about to say more when Nick came back on the line.
“Keep that for when I’m not listening in. Have pity on me, guys. On your signal, James.”
Emptying his mind, James moved a little, readying his body for action. “No sound unless you’re cornered. Stay safe. Game on.”
The comms remained silent, and all James could hear were the leaves rustling in the trees. In the shadows, he circled until he saw a blind spot from his position leading to the wall beside the living room. It was impossible to see if Nick had made headway or not, and James didn’t want to use the comms unless absolutely necessary. He tested the window finding it unlocked. The tiny opening led into a small office. The place was cramped, and it was a challenge to squeeze inside and not knock the piles of paper and stacked boxes down. Another risk was that the old floorboards would creak if he stepped on the wrong plank.
Hidden behind the door, James listened. Apart from the male’s voices, it was relatively calm. Until a baby’s cry came from upstairs. Abbie!
His heart wrenched, but he focused on the immediate danger. Abbie was safe, and he had to trust that Mercy would keep her so.
Gun out, James clicked his tongue twice, a signal to Nick that he was ready. The moment he heard the same clicking noise in his ear, James attacked.
When he burst into the living room, tunnel vision took over. Hull and Rao barely had time to their feet at James’s appearance when Nick opened a side door.
Hull was the closest, but the biker didn’t seem impressed to be facing a gun and rushed forward to tackle him. James evaded him, but despite Hull’s size he managed to grab James’s arm, slamming it against the wall, forcing James to drop it.