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“Just set him down and walk away,” Nolan spoke up.
“Stay out of this, this is between your buddy and me. Come on, asshole, come take the kid out of my arms, or are you a chickenshit?”
“Oh God, I feel like I’m back in kindergarten,” Ryker chuckled as he started around the fountain. “Franklin, here you are calling me chicken. Are you going to start making clucking noises?”
Frank didn’t respond, and Ryker went right up to him. He went to take the boy out of his arms, but Frank didn’t let go. “Two things. First, I’m going to remember you,” Frank said.
Ryker sighed. “Everybody always does. Now release the boy.”
“Second,” Frank actually snickered, “I almost don’t want to tell you the second thing. It’d almost be worth it if you’re the one holding the kid.”
Ryker’s stomach dropped. “What?”
“Just that if you’re thinking that your sniper can take me out when I walk away you may want to reconsider that move.” He pulled back his shirt collar to reveal a wire taped to his skin that disappeared under his shirt. “If my heart stops or I lose consciousness, the bomb goes off, got it?”
Fuck! Frank had a dead man’s switch. Ryker’s heart pounded as he looked at the kid.
“Now who has shit for brains?” Frank laughed as he transferred the boy to Ryker’s arms and took a step back. Ryker signaled to Kostya, hoping he could see the motion for stand down.
“Copy,” Kostya said. “I heard.”
“Well, I wish I could say it’s been nice doing business with you, but it hasn’t,” Frank said. “I’ve got some stalwart young men who need rescuing. It was nice knowing you.”
With that parting shot, Frank and his men walked out of the gates, with the Omega Sky team’s guns trained on them the entire way.
“Landon, go to the gate and make sure they leave,” Kostya ordered. “Ryker, let’s get the kid inside where it’s cool. Landon, as soon as the coast is clear, get the SUV with Nolan’s pack. He’s going to need it to disarm this bomb.”
15
The little guy was sobbing and it was breaking Ryker’s heart.
“Ryker, you’re with me,” Kostya said as he tapped him on the shoulder.
Ryker pulled off his thobe and threw it onto the edge of a sofa. “Nolan, there’s a woman tied up and gagged in the closet. She doesn’t speak English, but she might be another good set of hands to help you out. She seemed like the capable sort.”
Nolan nodded, his concentration fixed on the bomb attached to the child.
“Linc, get your ass down from the roof of the school, you’re with me and Ryker. Gideon, do you have anything from Jase yet?”
“Negative.”
“Fuck. Then you’re still stuck at the hotel waiting for information. If you get anything that is different, you pull Jonas and Mateo out of guard duty and act on it.”
“Got you,” Gideon answered.
Landon came downstairs with no sign of a white robe and one pissed-off dominatrix. She was yelling at him in Polish, but he didn’t seem to give a shit. Instead, he brought her to the couch, and as soon as she saw the boy with the bomb, she broke away from Landon who rolled his eyes and started after her. Soon they were both coming out of the kitchen. She had a couple of dishcloths and cold bottles of water. She shoved Nolan out of the way and started applying cold compresses to the kid’s wrists and forehead.
“Looks like she has it all under control, we can leave now,” Kostya smirked.
Nolan flipped him the bird.
The SEALs’ heads turned when they heard the sound of the vehicle being driven into the compound.
“Our ride is here,” Kostya said, pointing out the obvious. “Nolan, are you going to be able to disarm that bomb?”
“I might need Gideon to research a couple of things for me. Part of this is new. But yeah, I’ll get him out of this before Frank gets to the tool and die plant.”
Ryker gave Nolan a nod, then went over to where Landon was feeling for Kaan’s pulse. “Don’t worry, he’s not dead. My guess is coke and ketamine. Nolan will know what to do, but if you get worried, just pour water over his head.”
