Slowly, most of the room broke into applause, with a few shouting their appreciation. After Sydney climbed down the platform, she waited for Tank. Together, they stood by the open hangar as the women were escorted toward the waiting busses.
Tara hurried over and threw her arms around Sydney. “Thank you. I was so angry at first, but I believe you.” Then, she hugged Tank. “I have a lot of questions, bossman, but I’m guessing you won’t be able to answer most of them.”
“Tara, I’m sorry,” Tank said. “I’ll make it up to you.”
Tears filled her eyes and she stood tall, kissed his cheek. “You saved my life—all our lives. You don’t owe me an apology.”
“Take off as much time as you need,” he said.
“I’m going to the restaurant the second I get out of thathotel,” Tara said. “I’ve never been so excited fornormalin my entire life.”
She hurried over to a group as Greystone and Caroline joined them.
Greystone extended his hand to Sydney. “Excellent work, Fox Key. You are one hell of a shot.”
“Glad to be of service,” she replied.
“Great job, Iron Whisper.” Greystone pulled his brother in for a hug. “A BLACK OPS team arrested the pilots and crew without incident. They’re being handed over to the FBI.”
“Unfortunately, we’ve only managed to poke the bear harder,” Tank said. “We stopped their most-valuable shipment.”
“That leaves four terrorists,” Caroline said. “I’m confident Haqazzii will move on to his next target sooner than later.”
Greystone’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, tapped his comm. “Hey, Evelyn.” He listened. “Now?” More listening. “Got it. We’re on our way.”
As he shifted toward them, he tapped his comm and disconnected the call. “Evelyn Baker wants us at the White House. The President called a meeting.”
“I’ll take Sydney back to the site with me,” Caroline said.
“All four of us,” Greystone said.
“Yowza, baby,” Sydney murmured.
When the last woman had left the hangar, they thanked the airport crew for their help. Still dressed in their combat gear, the four made their way to their black SUVs as the early morning sun cast her first rays of light on the new day.
Sydney secured her rifle in its case, said goodbye to Caroline and Greystone, before she climbed into the front seat. Once Tank was behind the wheel, she said, “I’m done hiding in the back.”
She expected pushback, but Tank said nothing as he followed Greystone out of the airport.
Sydney had been so completely invested in the moment,she hadn’t had a second to process the past thirty-six hours. As Tank drove toward DC, she cracked open the window, let the cold air wash over her heated skin.
The Day of Destruction was still looming large, and something Sydney knew nothing about. Since she was on temporary detail with BLACK OPS, she couldn’t step into the Oval Office uninformed.
“You’ve got thirty minutes to bring me up to speed,” she said.
He glanced over. “On what?”
“The Day of Destruction. As a member of BLACK OPS, I can’t look like an idiot in front of the Prez.”
“I got you.”
As he explained how the terror cell had infiltrated America, then gone secretly about their business, she regarded him. Despite the mayhem of intercepting those women from boarding the jumbo jet, he looked as in-control and together as he always did.
In truth, he might say he loved running the family restaurant, but at the heart of it all, he was a Santini. A master assassin who’d learned at the knee of his father, then his brothers. Even his cousin Carrera and Sinclair Develin had a hand shaping him into a lethal weapon.
They’d had four hours of sleep, and he looked eager for the next chapter in this game of cat and mouse. Now that they were gaining the upper hand, his confidence shone through. Skilled, cunning, and brilliant, he could hack his way into anything, yet manage a difficult diner with ease and professionalism.
As he discussed the history of the Haqazzii terror cell and The Day of Destruction, he stayed high level, explaining that they believed Muhammed Haqazzii and his remaining three men were planning on assassinating the President—and possibly others—during the Presidential Inauguration in January.
