“It’s all good,” Sin said, his deep voice filling the area with his signature brand of confidence.
Sydney needed to keep moving. If she lay on the metal rooftop too early, she’d get stiff. If she sat, same problem, so she paced.
Back and forth, her gaze sweeping the crowd.
“I’ve seen the photos of the remaining terrorists, including Muhammad Haqazzii, dozens of times,” Caroline said. “I feel like I should be able to spot them, but in a crowd of seventy thousand, it’s impossible.”
“That’s comforting,” Sydney dead-panned.
Again, Caroline laughed. “I appreciate how calm you are.”
“Yeah, I’m the pinnacle of chill.”
Caroline handed her a pair of binos. First, Sydney focused on the faces of the football players, next on the coaching staff, press, and VIPs on the field. As her gaze wandered through the crowd, she found herself looking for the luxury skyboxes.
“Do you know which skyboxes are reserved for the Prez and his guests?” Sydney asked as she lowered the binos.
Caroline stood beside her. “The three in the center, and the President will spend time in all three.”
With the help of her binos, Sydney eyed the centermost skybox. As she homed in, she saw the First Lady talking with her children. “How many children does the President have?”
“Four sons, but there are a bunch of kids in that suite.”
Sydney sighed. “My job is intense enough, but now I’ve got the added pressure of doing it in front of childrenandon TV. This is the ugly underbelly of evil that no one should ever see. I like it much better when I’m skulking around in the dead of night.”
“If the terror cell is going to strike, and you can take them out, you will. But you willnotbe responsible for the mental health of everyone in this stadium. Do you understand me Sydney Austin?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Sydney replied. “And you tell me I’m bossy?”
“Sydney,” Tank said through the comm.
“Go,” Sydney said.
“How are you doing?”
“Nothin’ but chill,” Sydney replied as she peered into the next skybox. “Where are you?”
“In the hallway outside the luxury boxes. Greystone and I are about to check in with the President. We got athinggoing on here.”
“Okay.”
“The server list for the skyboxes wasn’t scrubbed,” he said.
“Well, that doesn’t make my job ten times harder or anything,” she snarled. “If there’s someone in one of those boxes, it’s all you, bud.”
“If I’m taken out, if there’s an ambush?—”
“Yeah, so that’s not happening,” she said. “How many BLACK OPS are with you?”
“Two per sky suite,” he said.
She moved the binos to the next suite. “I see Stryker and Emerson. Who’s in the other suites?”
“Greystone and me in the center box. Rebel and Brit in the third.”
“Where are my ALPHA spotters?” she asked. “I see SWAT on the sidelines. I don’t know everyone in ALPHA.”
“We’re the only ones in SWAT gear, unless Haqazzii and his team impersonateus.”
