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Tai shook his head firmly, eyes never leaving the road. “My team’s got this handled. We’ve successfully extracted countless hostages from far more deadly hostiles than one skinny, well-dressed lawyer. We got this. Never doubt it.”
His confidence was absolute. Tenaya didn’t doubt their capabilities for a second. And yet...
“What if things go wrong?” she pressed anxiously. “Jarrod doesn’t know how to handle guns. Someone could get shot.”
Tai’s expression hardened. “Contacting the authorities will only ramp him up. The more nervous he gets, the more unpredictable he’ll become. Not ideal, obviously. More importantly, though, say we do bring in the authorities. We’ll have no control over who shows up, how well-trained they are, or even what their motives are. It’s way safer for us to handle this ourselves.”
Tenaya wrestled with her fears. Every instinct screamed to call for backup, but she knew enough to realize the situation was so far out of her experience, she couldn’t evaluate her own ideas. She had to trust Tai’s judgment. Lives depended on it.
Her stomach dropped as Tai pulled up to the airstrip. Jarrod’s Mercedes sat haphazardly parked, making the nightmare dangerously real.
The flashy red two-seater contrasted starkly with the rustic airstrip surroundings. Even parked haphazardly, the car oozed luxury and arrogance.
It was so quintessentially Jarrod—an expensive status symbol both beautiful and cold. Devoid of any real warmth or humanity. Just like the man himself.
Seeing the empty vehicle made this twisted scenario feel all too real. Jarrod had torn Tenaya’s world apart without a second thought, all to further his own selfish aims.
Now Megan was paying the price for his egomania. Tenaya glared at the ostentatious vehicle. Jarrod’s reign ended today.
Tai parked the Porsche a few hangars away, out of sight but close enough to advance on foot. Moments later, the team’s SUV pulled up alongside.
Tenaya watched anxiously as six figures emerged, all decked out in full tactical gear. Black fatigues, combat boots, Kevlar vests—they meant business.
Each member brandished a handgun with easy familiarity. Even Paige had a gun. All except the shorter cyber-expert had rifles slung over their shoulders. The sight made Tenaya’s palms sweat.
These were seasoned professionals, faces set in grim determination. Bridger and Mason took point, advancing in a textbook staggered formation. The others fanned out to circle the hangar.
Tenaya envied their calm focus. Her own nerves jangled wildly despite Tai’s steady presence. This was really happening.
The hangar door was cracked open, making her blood run cold. The team advanced, staying well to the side of the opening and stopping about twenty feet away.
“Stay behind the SUV,” Tai ordered her and loped across the tarmac to join them.
Not going to happen.
Megan was taken because of her. She had to help make this right. Ignoring Tai’s furious glare, she approached the huddled team. “Let me help. I know how Jarrod thinks.”
Tai started to protest, but Graham held up a hand. “Alright then, give us your take on the situation.”
Tenaya quickly outlined Jarrod’s likely actions and reactions. The others listened intently, faces grave. “He’s impulsive and emotionally brittle,” she told them. “And he always thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room.”
Bridger smiled. It wasn’t a friendly expression. “We can work with that.”
The team fell silent as Tai deployed four drones outfitted with cameras and heat sensors. The screens showed two signatures in the far corner—Megan and Jarrod.
Tai and Bridger shared a knowing look, both smiling grimly.
“Kuatan all over again,” Bridger said.
Tai rubbed at the thick scar on his wrist, nodding. “You’ll have to drive this time.”
Tenaya turned questioningly to Kate. “They’re going big,” Kate explained, wincing. “Noise and destruction. Say goodbye to the Eurocopter, at least.”
Tenaya’s eyebrows shot up. Clearly this wasn’t their first risky hostage rescue. She had to trust their experience, no matter how reckless it seemed.
The drones circled the hangar as Tai issued rapid orders. Adrenaline flooded Tenaya’s veins when he turned to her. “I’m heading in. Do exactly what Bridger and your dad tell you to. We’re getting Megan back now.”
At the SUV, Tai helped her into a Kevlar vest. “Just in case,” he said grimly.
