Page 36 of Until the End

Sierra would’ve asked Whiskey if he was sure, but time was running out with each passing second. Whiskey was fluent in Arabic and had a contact who could mobilize the police—even if no one was ever supposed to know they’d been in-country.

This was risky and reckless but a no-brainer. She couldn’t live with herself if those girls were shipped off and sold into slavery when she could’ve done something to prevent it.

She grabbed her weapon from the front seat, traded places with Whiskey, and gave him a nod of thanks. They’d worked together for close to a decade and the four of them were a team in every sense. In the field and on the home front.

Whiskey sped off in pursuit of the van.

Yankee and Victor ran down the back of the alley toward her, their heavy footfalls echoing off the brick walls.

Coming up beside her, Yankee glanced at the tail of the van just before it turned out of sight. He scowled down at her, his six-six frame even more imposing in the dry heat of the day and under the glare of his white-hot anger.

“There are five of them inside that building and now we’re down a man,” Yankee snapped at her, going ballistic. “We needed a full assault team.”

“It had to be done,” Sierra said. “I’m sorry. But it was the right call.” Or at least it was the only one her conscience would abide.

“No, it wasn’t. You’ve just put our entire team at risk.” Yankee got back on comms. “Whiskey, what were you thinking backing her up?”

“That she’s more stubborn than a mule and it was easier to help her than fight her.”

Yankee took a deep breath, visibly pulling from the edge of rage and falling back into collected team-leader mode. “Whiskey, geotag the van and contact the Jordanians to let them handle it. We have to breach without you.”

With the sealant on the front door, they needed to make their move now. Even if Nasser had sold them out and they were walking into a trap.

“Get back here as soon as you can. We’ll need a speedy exit once we have the package,” Yankee continued, referring to Khan.

“Roger.”

“We need to adjust the ingress plan since we’re short one.” Yankee threw her another glare. “Once we’re inside, Victor, cover the west side. Sierra, take the east and sweep upstairs. I’ll cover the north.”

They all knew the layout of the interior based on Nasser’s information. The north part of the building contained the main rooms and was likely to have the highest number of hostiles, making it the most dangerous. Two of them were supposed to cover that area.

“Let me go with you.” Sierra hadn’t calculated the risks in terms of putting her husband in the crosshairs. “The north section is too hot for one person.”

“You should’ve thought of that sooner,” Yankee said. “This was planned for four, each of us with a role. I need you to make sure no one comes down the stairs and sneaks up behind us.”

Yankee gave the hand signal to move in. Discussion over.

Victor tried the side door. The knob turned. It was unlocked as Nasser had promised. They entered a dimly lit anteroom.

There was another door. Victor pressed his palm to it and canted his head to the side. Following protocol, he was checking for heat, seeing if he detected any vibrations or picked up any sounds on the other side. Then he tested the knob. Locked.

“Shit,” Victor said, throwing the sling of his AR-15 over his arm. He whipped out a lockpicking kit from the cargo pocket on the side of his pants and got to work.

She glanced at Yankee and suspected he was thinking the same thing as her. Had Nasser tipped off the cell? What was waiting for them on the other side of that door? Were they walking straight into a trap?

Victor gave them a thumbs-up, signaling he’d picked the locks.

It would be radio silence from here on out until one of them located Yosef Khan.

Victor opened the door slowly. The low creak grated on her ears. Her adrenaline spiked. They all hesitated, waiting for any reaction to the noise from someone inside.

Nothing.

Weapons at the ready, they swept in using extreme caution. There was no hit squad waiting for them, no booby traps along the floor or walls from what they could tell.

Yankee nodded and gave the sign to advance. They all peeled off in their assigned directions.

Chatter came from the northside rooms, at least three male voices, making her pulse kick up. Yankee was sharp and one of the best. He can handle it.