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“You’re on, Callie Girl.”
The group of four operatives did a recon of the area and the building from the exterior. Then they took count of the inhabitants the best they could, realizing it was daylight. When it was evening, those numbers would likely dwindle greatly.
“Alright, we have our intel. Let’s move out,” ordered Garrett. As he got into the SUV to drive off, he said, “Fuck, I’m too old for this.”
Callie laughed along with the two other operatives. “Can I quote you on that, dear?”
“Not if you know what’s good for you, sweetheart.” The group laughed louder.
***
JAC STOOD AT THE HEADof the table in their conference room, scanning the faces of his assembled team. They had borrowed a few more to round out the rescue team to fourteen. More, and it would be hard to get in unnoticed. They had located Audra’s hideout two hours ago, and now it was time to execute their plan to rescue Oakley.
It would be dark in another hour, and they would be ready. The air was thick with anticipation, and Ryker clenched his jaw, then took a deep breath, fully aware of the weight resting on everyone’s shoulders. Sharlee cued up an audio clip on the main overhead monitor.
The room fell silent as Sharlee, the unsurpassed deep diver of the worldwide dark web and more, played the audio recording intercepted just hours ago. Ryker’s jaw clenched as he listened to Audra’s voice, cold and calculating, discussing her plans for Oakley.
“Got this from a wiretap we’d set up on one of Audra’s known associates,” Sharlee explained once the recording ended. “She slipped up and mentioned keeping Oakley in the warehouse owned by the group. So, we are right on the money.”
“She sounds like she’s lost her grip on reality. It’s fanaticism and more,” observed Monroe.
Ryker’s eyes narrowed. His anger was palpable. “We need to find her now. I can’t even imagine what she’s going through.”
“Mark, let’s go over the entry plan,” Garrett continued, gesturing for the rugged man to join him at the head of the table. “We’ll need to be swift and silent, assuming there might be guards or security measures in place that are not electronic.”
“Affirmative,” Mark replied, his deep-set eyes focused on the task. “I’ve got a few ideas for breaching the property without raising alarms that Monroe and I have gone over. We can use suppressed weapons, night vision goggles, and other tactical gear to ensure we stay under the radar for as long as possible.”
Ryker nodded, his mind racing with thoughts of what Oakley must be enduring at that very moment. He knew they couldn’t afford any mistakes, not with her life on the line.
“Once inside,” Mark continued, “hopefully Kaden will have heat signatures, and we can identify not only trouble, but where they are keeping her. Unfortunately, we must go on an educated guess because the heat signatures don’t come with names attached. Even though we believe we know where they are keeping Oakley, and Carter and Ryker will go in there first, we’ll search room by room. Maintain continuous radio contact with our command center. If we encounter resistance, we neutralize it as quickly and quietly as possible. Our primary objective is to find Oakley and get her out safely. Everything else is secondary.”
“Understood,” Carter confirmed, his military training kicking into high gear.
“Okay, listen up,” Mark said, his voice serious and authoritative, cutting through the tense atmosphere. “We’ve got one shot at this, so we need to ensure we’re prepared for anything. Once we arrive at the property, we’ll split into three teams–one for entry and scrubbing, one for extraction, and one for backup and rear clean up. Levi and Jac, you’ll lead the entry team with me. Carter and Ryker, you are recovery. Jac, you will slide into extraction if it looks like you need to. Otherwise, work with backup. Bravo, you are rear entrance. Since you know each other, you will be better off working together.
“Ryker, you are with Carter until we clear the building; then, you are solely on Oakley duty. We don’t know what state she will be in, so having you talk to her will make the difference between a quick exit or a messy one. Once she is out, you and Carter get her to the hospital.”
“That leaves me and Callie to work the backup,” said Garrett. “We got that covered.”
Callie nodded. “We’ll watch your six, so you can get to Oakley.”
“Kaden and Sharlee, you two will be on surveillance. Monroe, you are our strategist. We need eyes on the ground, watching for any movement or signs of trouble and a way to circumvent that trouble if possible.”
“Roger that,” said Monroe. Kaden and Sharlee nodded in unison.
“Yes! I’ll finally get to use my tricked-out vehicle on a mission.” Jac looked at his too-excited wife and issued his warning.
“If you get out of the vehicle during the execution of this recovery, you won’t be sitting comfortably for quite a while. Get me?”
Sharlee couldn’t suppress her grin. She gave him a civilian’s version of a salute. “Aye, aye, Captain. Support only.”
Most in the room knew Jac was remembering when Sharlee went off on her own and showed up at a live situation in her new SUV, hoping to monitor and do her job from the scene. That didn’t go so well, but it was a turning point in their relationship.
“Charlotte,” came Jac’s warning reply.
“Understood,” Sharlee responded, her fingers already flying across the keyboard of her laptop, setting up the necessary surveillance equipment to be engaged in the SUV.
“Before we leave, let’s go over the gear we’ll need,” Carter said, moving towards a table laden with various supplies. “Night-vision goggles, body armor, lock-picking kits, and lasers. We want to keep things as quiet as possible, so no guns unless absolutely necessary. We have our standard issue if we need them.”
