Page 94 of Lion’s Den

A slow smile curved Dario’s mouth. “In my sleep. How big do you want it?”

“Shock and awe, and a big hole in the wall.”

His smile widened. “You’ve got it. Time?”

Cam glanced at his tactical watch. “Is ninety seconds long enough?”

Dario reached for his Go bag. “Plenty.”

Excellent. He sent a message to David and Elliot, then slid his phone away, satisfaction swirling in his gut. That done, Cam signaled the rest of his team and quickly laid out the plan.

Mission clock ticking in his head, he wrapped his hand around Sedona’s. “Come with me.”

She looked curious, but didn’t ask questions.

He led her from the kitchen, up the stairs, and down the hallway to what should have been a library full of books. Instead, the shelves were empty of everything except dust. He would have enjoyed filling this room with volume after volume of books.

Cam stopped in front of a built-in window seat with a hinged storage compartment. He gripped the edge of the cushioned lid, raised it, and motioned toward the dusty interior.

Sedona stared into the box and swallowed hard. Just when Cam was convinced that he’d have to pick her up and put her in the hollow rectangle, she took his hand and stepped inside the window seat.

“I’ll return as soon as I can.” This confrontation shouldn’t take long. He hoped.

She kissed him lightly. “Be careful.”

“Always.” He had more reasons than ever to watch his six. Cam wouldn’t be careless with his life or the lives of his teammates. He helped her lie down inside the window seat. “No matter what you hear, don’t come out. I’ll tell you everything that happens later.” Cam kissed her and closed the lid.

He stepped back, scanned the window seat, and saw no clues that Sedona was inside. Perfect. Cam glanced at his tactical watch. Fifteen seconds to go. He drew his weapon and readied himself for a hard and fast fight.

He set up in the doorway of the empty library and counted down the remaining seconds to Dario’s surprise. Right on schedule, a loud explosion rocked the house. Outside, men yelled and snapped out orders as many of them repositioned themselves to cover the hole Dario left in the wall during a faked escape attempt.

Seconds later, David murmured through the Fortress earpieces, “M Team infiltrating now.”

“Don’t shoot us by mistake,” Levi drawled.

“Good thing we insisted they take our extra comm devices,” Caleb said.

“Oh, yeah,” Elliot murmured. “It’s a more efficient way to insult them.”

“Not an insult when it’s true,” Owen whispered.

Cam rolled his eyes. Bunch of comedians. “Leave me a couple to interview.”

David snorted. “Is that what they call it these days? You heard the man. Cam needs a friend with info.”

“Depends on them,” Elliot said.

“Copy.” Cam understood. His fellow sniper would pull the trigger if necessary to protect his brothers, Cam, Sedona, and The Thunderhawks. “Same.”

“Figured.”

“Focus,” David snapped. Instantly, the comm chatter died.

“Ready to engage,” Dario said.

“Do it,” Cam murmured.

Soon, The Thunderhawks and M Team were at work. Sporadic gunfire erupted inside and outside the house, accompanied by screams, curses, and groans from the enemy who were down in and around the building. Over the comm system, both teams counted off the enemy combatants now out of the skirmish.