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“Deke? Mason? You guys are the last ones in. Move it,” growled Colby from the other side of the globe.
“Coming, Mother,” quipped Deke as a whoosh of released energy seemed to drive them from the NLGP complex and escape tunnels.
It was as if a giant hand gave them a hard shove to propel them through the last few feet of the tunnel and then out into the waiting arms of the rest of the team who gathered them up and got them to safety. Turning back, they could hear the muffled explosions, could see the mouth of the tunnel belching smoke and debris, could feel the ground beneath them shuddering in response. And then there was silence—sweet, blessed silence as NLGP’s reign of terror was ended with a bang and then a whimper.
CHAPTER 20
EMERY
Windsong Manor
Mystic River, Alaska
“Why haven’t we heard from them?” Emery demanded as she paced back and forth in Colby’s office, wringing her hands. How the hell was Carson sitting so calmly with Amelia on the loveseat in the same room? Didn’t they know the kind of danger Mason was in?
“The op is running smoothly,” assured Colby in a calm and measured tone. “There isn't one member of that team that doesn’t have extensive black ops training and experience. There isn’t one of them that doesn’t know more ways to kill you than you know how to die. They’re making good time. In fact, they are ahead of schedule.”
“Is that a good thing?” fretted Emery. “Shouldn’t the goal be to be on schedule, not in front of or behind it?”
Emery didn’t like knowing Mason was halfway across the world where she couldn’t be with him. At the risk of not wanting to be overly dramatic, she tried to keep herself from thinking that if he went down, she wanted to be at his side. This realm no longer held purpose for her if he wasn’t in it.
Colby paused, laying his finger against the earpiece. “No. In this case, ahead of schedule means we’ve gotten the innocents out of the line of fire, the bad guys are either dead or about to be dead, and our people are pulling out so they aren’t trapped, or worse, when we blow the place.”
“If they weren’t, wouldn’t you just delay igniting the explosive devices?” she asked.
“They’re on timers,” explained Carson.
Emery swung around to face Carson. “Timers? Timers that are running? Timers that are set to go off even if our people aren’t safe?” She turned back to Colby. “Tell me he got that part wrong.”
“You told me you wanted the unvarnished truth. First, I don’t know that I’m capable of telling anyone the unvarnished truth, including myself. And second, you can either have the truth or you can have me tell you they won’t blow until everyone is clear.” He held up his hand. “It has to be that way to ensure we destroy that complex. The charges are rigged to blow in a specific order which will cause a cascade of failures in the infrastructure.”
Inside her cave lion roared. “If he doesn’t make it,” she threatened quietly, “neither will you.”
“You have a sweet face for someone so bloodthirsty,” said Carson.
“I’m a cave lion. It’s part of the DNA; deal with it,” she snapped at him.
Colby turned the monitor so they could see what was happening in Reykjavik. It showed the exit out of the tunnel system onto a rocky shore. Emery was certain it was the one that was in the cliffs surrounding NLGP’s private harbor and dock. She saw Deke and Mason stumbling out of the opening, only to be gathered up by those already there, just before the tunnel opening belched what looked to be fire and brimstone—well, maybe not fire, but she was sure brimstone was involved.
She didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until the smoke and dust had cleared and she could see both Deke and Mason standing with the unit. Quickly, Emery counted the members of the team. If the number was right, she didn’t have to worry about who was missing. The number was right—six men had gone in; six men had returned and were pulling a small Zodiac from its hiding place and into the water. They would use it to rendezvous back with the submarine, which would return them to Kulusuk where Colby’s plane would be waiting to bring them home safe and sound.
Emery collapsed into one of the chairs at Colby’s desk. “Thank God. Please tell me it gets easier to be the one doing the waiting.”
“Again, you leave me with telling you the truth or telling you what you want to hear.”
She looked up. “Have I mentioned I hate you?”
He looked down at his watch. “Not in the last twenty minutes or so.”
In spite of herself, she laughed. The lynx-shifter was hard not to like or trust. It amazed her that so many people had failed to see the man that had lain behind the façade.
Colby tapped the comm unit. “Will do, but don’t get all mushy,” he said with a smile. He looked directly at Emery. “Someone wants to talk to you.”
She looked up and saw Mason’s handsome face on the monitor. It had black smudges of substances she was sure she didn’t want to know about as well as general dirt. He looked exhausted but happy with the outcome.
“I’m okay, babe. So is everyone else. I have something I want you to see. I haven’t watched it yet, but Deke has and assured me we’d both want to witness it. This took place only a few minutes ago.”
“Oh I like that,” said Carson. “We’ve been together since before we were born and she’s the one you’re worried about.”
