A grunt sounded behind him. Jace whirled to find a guard on the floor with a knife sticking out of his back. Jace looked at the doorway and saw Cash there. Cash gave a nod, and Jace returned it. He glanced down at the dead man and realized that he had come close to being killed because he had been so worried about Taryn. If this mission was to be a success, he had to set aside emotion. He had to focus on the plan and what needed to be done.
Cash walked to the dead guard and removed his knife from the body. He wiped it on the dead man and slipped it back into its sheath. “We’ve got your back.”
“Thank you,” Jace replied.
Cash flashed him a grin. “Let’s go get your woman and her sister.”
“Guards are on the roof of your building,” Caleb said over the COMs.
Cash glanced upward. “I got this.”
Jace pressed the COMs button and said, “Likely on yours, as well.”
“Myles is headed up there now,” Caleb answered.
Jace moved from room to room, keeping an eye on Taryn and Boyd. He gripped his M4 tightly, wanting nothing more than to put a bullet between Boyd’s eyes for everything he had done to Taryn and Payton. But he couldn’t do anything until they brought Payton out. Jace knew Taryn had to tread carefully in how she pushed Boyd. And everything hinged on Taryn being allowed to see her sister.
What Jace hadn’t told Taryn was that if Payton wasn’t brought out, he was still getting Taryn away from this nightmare. They didn’t want a gunfight in the middle of the city, but if that’s what had to happen to get Taryn free and find Payton, then that’s what everyone was prepared to do.
“Clear,” Myles said through the COMs. “There are two snipers atop other buildings at nine and one o’clock. Their rifles are trained on Taryn.”
Jace drew in a deep breath and waited for Cash to tell them that he had taken out the guard on their roof. He didn’t have to wait long.
Cash was out of breath when his voice filled the COMs. “Guard is down. I also see the snipers.”
“Eldorado,” Brice said.
Now that Jace knew the second team was in position, he quickly found his spot and sighted his rifle on Boyd. Everyone was in place. Jace’s heart slammed against his ribs. He took a deep breath and shoved all emotion out of the way as he fell back on his training. He looked through the scope at Boyd, who sneered at Taryn.
Jace swiveled the rifle to the left and saw a tall man with black hair and dark brown eyes standing beside Boyd. He didn’t see a weapon, but that didn’t mean the guy didn’t have one. Jace knew that Boyd wouldn’t let anyone near him who wasn’t capable of protecting him.
Next, Jace looked at the other three guards, all armed, each of them looking around the complex as if they expected an attack.
“I’ve got the bastard locked in,” Myles said through the COMs.
Brice snorted. “We all do.”
“Jace?” Cooper asked, wanting to know if he wanted one of them to end Boyd.
Jace’s finger curved around the trigger. He briefly thought about taking Boyd out right then. It would be so easy. The son of a bitch was just standing there like he didn’t have a care in the world. He was responsible for putting Taryn through hell. For that, Boyd deserved to be wiped from this Earth.
“Jace?” Cash whispered through the COMs.
Jace blinked, remembering that he was no longer in the military and taking orders. “We keep to the plan until we know for certain Boyd isn’t bringing out Payton.”
They had talked in depth about what would happen if there was a firefight in the middle of the city. Jace was prepared for the consequences. While they had an escape plan that would, hopefully, get them out before the authorities arrived, Jace wouldn’t let any of them be detained.
This was something he’d asked for help with. This was his mission, and he would willingly take the fall for everyone.
Chapter 25
Eight hundred meters away, Ryan lay on his stomach and stared through the scope of his sniper rifle as he watched the two teams infiltrate the compound and get into position. They didn’t know he was there. No one did. He was too far away for anyone to even know he was watching, and that’s just how he wanted it.
This was the only way Ryan could be there for his friends and Brick without betraying his position as chief of police. It wasn’t exactly noble, but it was the best compromise he could come up with. He didn’t have a spotter, but that was fine. And, hopefully, they wouldn’t even need him.
He thought of his badge in his back pocket and knew that if things went sideways and he was caught, he would lose his position. While Ryan loved being a cop, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he hadn’t come to help. And if that meant he got fired, then so be it. He would find another job somewhere. At least his conscience would be clear.
Ryan had chosen the building because of its location, but also because it gave him a vantage point where he could look down upon the entire compound. The fact that he’d used his badge to get into the structure and onto the roof was something he had done before. Now, he used the scope to look down at Taryn, Boyd, and Brick as well as the three other guards.
It didn’t take Ryan long to find a member of Jace’s team atop an adjacent roof. Cash, also wearing all black, was on another roof. Two teams. A good move. One he would’ve made, as well. Then again, all of them were highly trained ex-military with plenty of experience.
“None of my friends are going to die today,” he whispered. Then he moved the scope and looked at Brick. “And neither is my cousin.”
* * *
Clayton sat at his desk, listening to the COMs with his hands steepled. Abby paced the office, twisting her hands nervously. He didn’t bother to tell her to sit down. Her brothers were out there. And though Cooper and Jace weren’t blood, they were part of their unit, which meant whoever they gave their hearts to was also part of their ever-growing family.
Abby paused and swung to face him, her big blue eyes meeting his. “They have to pull this off.”
“They will. Look what they’ve done before.”
“It wasn’t this.” She sank onto the sofa and dropped her head into her hands. “I knew they put their lives on the line in the military. It was easier then because I didn’t know about their missions and wasn’t able to listen in.”
Clayton rose and walked to his wife. He sat beside her and put an arm around her as he pulled her against him. “They’re good at what they do. I wish I was younger. If I were, I’d be right there with them.”
“I know. Part of me wishes you were there to look out for them, but then again, I’m glad you’re here.” She sniffed. “We’ve been so lucky. All of us. The closest we came to losing anyone was when Jace was knocked on the head, and Cooper was locked in the building rigged to blow. I’m worried we’ve run out of luck.”
He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “Do you really think I’d send any of them out there without some kind of backup? Doc is on standby, ready and willing to use his chopper however and whenever necessary.”
“Doc is only one man. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but they need more.”