Page 44 of Thaddeus

She said ‘animals’ like we were talking about cute, fluffy bunnies and not vicious dogs trained to kill.

“No. We’ll tranq them if we can,” I told her.

“Is there anything you can tell us about Garcia’s camp or the house?” Brooks asked.

Emerson hesitated a moment before she glanced at the map.

“I think this is the road we took in.” She pointed to what looked like a private access road. “I remember going through the village there.” Her finger moved to the small cluster of buildings. “The house is actually small. One story. Four bedrooms, one bathroom. It’s an open floor plan. So when you walk in you can see the living room, kitchen, and small dining area. All of the bedrooms are on the right side of the house. Well, I guess that would be the east side, since the sun rose on that end. Oh, and it’s loud.”

“What do you mean, loud?” I asked.

“The dogs. They are always barking. Day and night, they never stop. That’s good, right? The guards won’t hear you coming over the barking.”

“It’ll be good until we put the dogs to sleep,” I noted.

Over the next hour, we ran through different scenarios. And as much as I’d tried to keep my headspace clear and concentrate on the op, all I could think about was Emerson’s declaration. She wasn’t stopping her crusade until she found Autumn and she didn’t care if she died in the process.

I couldn’t wrap my head around how much she’d changed. How different this hardened Emerson was from the sweet girl I’d known.

“Three teams,” Declan announced, running the plan one more time. “Alpha team will advance the house. Bravo will proceed directly to the dog kennels. Charlie team will wait in the boat until they have the all-clear. Any questions?”

“I have one. Why am I going? I thought you said I wouldn’t get near the camp,” Emerson inquired.

“Because we have new intel that says there’s a possibility there will be women there. We’ll need you and Tatiana to help calm them down,” Declan told her.

“What? Jefferson doesn’t keep women at this location. He trains his dogs here,” she argued.

“There’s more to the camp than what you saw.”

Emerson’s eyes widened and her forehead wrinkled. “What? He had girls there?”

The news that she’d been there and hadn’t known Garcia was keeping a stable of women less than a few hundred yards from where she was staying wasn’t welcomed. However, I was relieved she hadn’t known. I had no doubt had she known there were women on the property being held against their will, she would’ve done something stupid, like try to free them on her own.

“Everyone gear-up, we’re leaving in ten,” Declan declared.

“You didn’t answer me,” Emerson protested.

“You’re right, I didn’t. And we’re not discussing it further. I need you keep your shit straight while we’re out there. You listen to Brooks, and by listen, I mean, follow every order he gives you to the letter. No Rambo shit. No bolting and trying to be a hero. You and Tatiana go in only when it’s safe. If you give him any problems, he’ll tie your ass up and leave you in the boat.”

“You know, I’m getting tired of being threatened,” she huffed.

“I bet you are. So be a good girl and do as you’re told.”

“You’re a dick,” Emerson fumed.

“I’ve been called worse and if you think I’m a dick now, watch what happens if you fuck this up and get one of my men hurt. I have no time for bullshit, Emerson. One wrong step and people die.”

Declan didn’t wait to see if Emerson continued to argue, he turned his back on her and went toward the stairs.

It sucked because I wanted to soften Declan’s blow but I couldn’t. He was right—if she went off reservation and did something stupid, someone could die. And the one thing Declan had had enough of over the years was seeing his friends die in battle.

* * *

“Two minutes,” Brooks announced as he slowed the boat.

We’d easily found an unattended fishing boat a few miles downriver and commandeered it. Hopefully it would still be in one piece when we were done with it and we’d return it to safety. If it wasn’t, well, that meant we were fucked and stealing a boat was the least of our worries.

I’d done a good job keeping my eyes off of Emerson, but as we approached the dock, my gaze settled on her and all of the protective instincts I’d done so well tamping down, roared to life. I didn’t want her on the boat. I didn’t want her going into the den of evil and seeing more women who’d been brutalized. I didn’t want her wearing body armor and being put in harm’s way.