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The sound of a flushing toilet was followed by the more running water before the door flew open. “We’re a go on some action, then? About time we get back in the game.”
“Um, guys,” Hayley said, “does no one care that you’re heading exactly where those goons who kidnapped me were planning to set you up?”
The guys exchanged looks and shrugged.
“Not really. Now that we know what they’re planning, we’re prepared.” Scotty grabbed his jacket on the way to the door. “See you soon, Red.”
“Like hell are you leaving me here.” She slipped on her shoes, shoved her laptop into her messenger bag, and followed them out the door.
“Uh, I’m not sure that’s such a—”
“I’m coming,” she said. “And that’s final. Besides, who else is going to track Natalie’s movements for you?”
Scotty glanced at Kyle, who gave a curt nod, then closed the door. “Fine, but you stay in the vehicle at all times. Understood?”
“Understood.” She linked her arm through his, and they headed down the stairs.
Having Hayley at his side felt good, but damn if Scotty didn’t want to keep her safe forever—or at least until this mess was over. Either way, he’d be damned sure to protect her this time.
13
“You in position, Spence?” Scotty said, just loud enough for his Bluetooth earpiece to pick up. He crouched lower behind the hedge and peeked through the leaves. He was acting as Kyle’s second-in-command on this mission, running tactical operations despite his hand-to-hand combat expertise. Kyle had insisted he needed time to cool his jets after Hayley’s abduction, and much as Scotty hated to admit it, his team leader was right. He wanted to rip Becks’s head off with his bare hands, and that wouldn’t help anyone, not really. It would be satisfying as hell, but it wouldn’t get them any answers, and those were what they needed most. Plus, Becks had backup, and they didn’t have a clear idea of how many hostiles they’d be dealing with. Going in hot would just leave him exposed—and endanger his team when they had to focus on saving his ass instead of fulfilling their mission objectives. “Looks like we’ve got our target locked at six.”
“Roger.” Gage’s growl buzzed through the connection. “I see the widow near the riverbank. Spence, you got me covered?”
“Like a glove, dude.” Spencer said. The sound of him chambering a round into his sniper rifle echoed through the earpiece.
“Right, team,” Kyle said. “The plan is to get in, grab Natalie, and get out. We will deal with Becks and the kidnappers later. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” the team said in unison.
“For Nick,” Scotty whispered and crossed himself, his ritual before every dangerous mission these days.
“For Nick,” his teammates responded in unison over the Bluetooth.
Beside him, Hayley sat with her back against a brick wall, her laptop open. He still couldn’t quite believe that she’d talked him into bringing her along instead of staying in the car. When had he become such a pushover? What was it about her that had him breaking all his rules? As much as he loved women, he never let himself get attached. He knew all too well that it only led to heartache. You couldn’t count on civilians to stay the course, to stick with you through thick and thin. Only in the military, with his brothers, had he found people he could truly rely on. They were the permanent part of his life. Everyone else was temporary.
Now, though, he wanted to be around Hayley all the time—although he’d still argued vehemently that she should stay where she’d be safer. Hewouldhave to get tangled up with a woman who was as stubborn as he was. Oh well. At least with her close, he could keep an eye on her, even if it was distracting as hell.
He’d given her his cell phone to use as a Wi-Fi hotspot during the nab and grab, so she could monitor the latest surveillance feeds and hopefully give them an advantage over Becks and his team.
Through his binoculars, Scotty watched Natalie enter their section of the park, then glance around as if she was on the lookout for trouble. She was thinner than the last time he’d seen her, paler, more fragile. Of course, faking your own death after losing your husband would do that, he supposed.
She stuffed a slip of paper into the small purse slung across her body, then walked briskly toward the backs of the historic row houses along the Potomac. A small bridge crossed the water and would provide an opportune spot to snatch her—at least, that was the plan they’d come up with.
“I’m going in,” Gage said. “See you on the other side.”
“How well did you know Natalie?” Hayley asked. “Before all this, I mean.”
Scotty shrugged, his attention focused on keeping his team safe. “About as well as anybody, I guess. Why?”
“Just wondered.” She continued tapping at her keyboard. "So you knew she had a criminal record?”
“Yes.”No.He hadn’t known that. Then again, it wasn’t his business. She was his buddy’s wife, and if Nick loved and trusted her, she had to be okay. He adjusted his binoculars and followed Gage’s progress toward the bridge. “I’m a little busy right now, Red. Can we talk about this later?”
“I just think it’s weird, that’s all,” Hayley continued, as if he hadn’t spoken. “From the data I’ve found, she basically fell off the grid at around age fourteen, then reappeared eight years later, working as a waitress at a bar in Georgetown. There’s no record of high school graduation, no college, no nothing.”
That was kind of strange. But then, not everyone went to college. Not everyone graduated from high school, either. It wasn’t unheard of. He squinted as Gage made his way down the opposite side of the canal from Natalie, scanning the nearby rooftops and windows for any sign of the enemy. So far, nothing. The riskiest part of the venture, however, was yet to come. A niggle of unease took root in his gut.
