Page 71 of Ruby

“All right men,” Hawk says as Ranger’s team joins the rest of them. “We know Ruby’s being held about two clicks north. Thankfully the cabin is surrounded by thick wooded areas of evergreens. So despite the snow, we shouldn’t be too obvious as we move in. Ranger?”

“Yes, Sir,” The older leader of team two steps forward. Ranger is in his late forties, which isn’t old for the average person, but he’s practically ancient in the special forces’ unit. He’s just over 6’2” and still just as muscular and fit as the rest of the team. He’s getting some salt in his dark brown hair especially along his temples and throughout his trimmed beard.

“Once we reach the cabin, circle your men behind the cabin. No one escapes. Got me?” Hawk’s jaw is set in a hard line. His anger over what Ruby’s going through warms Tank’s heart. His brothers feel almost as angry about Ruby’s abduction as Tank does. He knows they’ll do everything they can to bring her home just as he’s backed many of them in their times of need with their women.

“Yes, Sir!” Ranger’s voice rings with determination. He turns to Tank. “I’m sorry about your woman. We’ll make sure not one of those fuckers get out of this. Either in custody or greeting the Devil himself, these assholes will meet their fate today.” He gives Tank a firm clasp on his shoulder meeting Tank’s eyes, conveying his determination to help Tank rescue Ruby at all costs. Tank nods, letting the man know he gets his meaning. Ranger isn’t worried about the consequences of their actions on American soil, today. His only concern is that of Tank’s, securing Ruby and bringing her home. The rest of Ranger’s team gives him pats on the back or a shoulder clasp as they move out ahead of Deadeye’s team. Without words, they each send him the same message. Tank has never been more grateful to have his band of brothers than he is in this moment. He watches as Ranger leads L.A, Jasper, Frog, Slick, Badger, Cage, Casper, Merlin, and Spock off into the snow-covered forest.

“Let’s roll out,” Hawk calls to the rest of them. They make the mile long trek through deep snow over uneven ground. They cover the distance in near record time. As the cabin comes into view, Tank is ready to rush the front door, but he knows they need to execute this perfectly to prevent Russo from murdering her before they can reach her.

The team converges in the trees on the south side of the cabin. From their vantage point they can see the area in front of and the south side of the larger than expected cabin. A large SUV is parked in front. Lights are streaming from the windows and light gray smoke is coming from the chimney. Hawk motions them to cluster up.

“Mercury, Worm see what intel you can get from this side of the cabin.” Both men acknowledge the order with a chin lift. Rising to their feet, they move through the trees until they are as close to the structure as possible before sprinting across a snowy patch of ground between the trees and the cabin. “Virus, Hack,” Hawk continues, “get drones up in the air. See what’s on the other side of the cabin and monitor the road leading in. I don’t want any surprises.” Virus and Hack slip off their packs, pulling the equipment they need, readying two drones to head out into the waning light. “Ranger, get your men in place. Relay any information you find.” Another chin lift is Ranger’s only acknowledgement of Hawk’s command. His team rises as one. They move out on silent feet, like ghosts sweeping across the terrain. Tank adjusts the comm unit in his ear, willing each one of these men to hurry and get the information they need. Every moment that passes is torture for him. His need to see and hold Ruby close is riding him. The nagging fear that he’s too late growing with every second.

Just when Tank is ready to say, fuck it, and go in after his woman with guns blazing like Rambo on steroids, the comm crackles.

“Eyes on target,” Mercury’s voice barely a whisper. Tank moves from his squatting position in the snow, onto the balls of his feet, ready to move. Straw’s arm on his shoulder keeps him from rising and charging toward the cabin. “Last room on southside of cabin.” Tank’s eyes swing to the light coming from the window on that section of the cabin. “Informant is hovering near target. Tango has target’s brother and father, too. Both men look rough, but she seems relatively unharmed.”

Relatively? What the fuck does that mean? Tank rises despite Straw’s attempt to hold him back. Hawk cuts Tank a look that stops him in his tracks. The look says hold; we need to know more. Tank grits his teeth, staring at his longtime friend and leader. Mercury’s quiet voice draws his attention once more. “I’m counting three tangos including the informant.” Relief floods him. They only need to eliminate two assholes to get to Ruby. Everyone around him rises to their feet, readying to move forward, but a new voice on the comm has Tank’s gut twisting with an acidic burn.

“Incoming tangos,” Hack says from nearby. Tank shifts so he can see the screen Hack has in front of him. Another large black SUV is coming up the road to the cabin. Tank looks back to Hawk, begging with his eyes for them to make their move. The more tangos on site, the more difficult it’ll be to secure Ruby. A slight shake of his head dashes Tank’s hopes in an instant. Logically he understands, the SUV has already stopped in front of the cabin. Whoever is inside will be in the house before they can reach and breech the room. Several men exit the vehicle and head inside. Moments later, Mercury speaks softly into the mic once more.

“Seven tangos now. Russo’s father along with three of his goons have arrived.” Tank knows they have these men severely outnumbered with both teams in play, but seven men in the room with Ruby is frightening, even more so knowing what these men do to those who cross them. Can they safely eliminate all of them before one of them has a chance to hurt her?

Hawk’s frown tells Tank he’s thinking along the same lines.FUCK!His hands make fists at his sides. The need to punch something is overwhelming, but he can’t afford to bust his hands up beating the shit out of a tree, so he elects to hold off until his can bust his hands on Russo Jr.’s face. Tank turns to Hawk.

“Now what? We need to get in there!” Tank is shaking fiercely. Russo will regret the day he was born if Ruby’s hurt when Tank gets to her. Tank will make his death slow and painful. The man will beg for death by the time Tank is finished with him. Tank has seen a lot of fucked up shit in his years of service. Every one of them in stark detail. He’ll give Russo a taste of each and every one of them. His tight control is breaking. He rarely loses control. Only a couple of times in his youth did he go off and do something totally stupid. Thankfully Straw and his grandparents had been there to reign him back in, but he isn’t sure anything will stop him, this time, especially if Ruby is killed before they can get to her. He’d rather die than live one day without her. God help anyone, whether friend or foe, who might be in his path if that happens.

“Fucking hell!” Mercury exclaims over the comm. Tank tenses, looking back to the window where his world is just on the other side. He begins to move in that direction before Mercury gets out his next words. “There’s another woman in the room. Unknown: her role in all of this.” Tank knows the woman could be an innocent, or she too could be a threat to Ruby. Tank’s never hit a woman or considered doing so, but she tries to harm Ruby, all bets are off.

Hawk, Deadeye, Ace, Bull, Straw, and Wallace are at his side as he hurries toward the cabin. When they are fifty yards from their destination, Deadeye, Bull, and Ace break off heading to the front of the cabin, leaving Tank, Hawk, Straw, and Wallace to join Mercury and Worm near the door to the room where Ruby is being held. Virus has confirmed there are no exits on the north side of the cabin, and Ranger’s team has the back covered.

Tank hurries across the snow in a crouch. When they reach Mercury, he’s alone. Tank scans their surroundings, but Worm is nowhere to be found. “Where’s Worm?” Hawk demands. Mercury motions up and to the their right. Tank catches a glimpse of Worm’s boots as he clears the roof.

“Worm is readying to breech the upstairs, come down from the top when we breech the bottom,” Mercury replies. “Thermal scanning doesn’t indicate anyone upstairs.” Hawk dips his head in understanding. It’s a good plan. Tank looks to Hawk, begging for permission to set this plan in motion. Hawk brings his hand to his right ear activating his microphone.

“Worm, let me know when you’re inside.” They sit with bated breath waiting for a response.

“I’m in,” comes a whispered reply. “Making my way to first floor.” A long pause as they wait, listening to hear Worm say he has made it to the door of the room where Ruby is being held. Tank rises up to peer into the room through the window. Hawk’s hand on his shoulder is no deterrent. Tank knows Hawk is afraid once Tank sees her, he’ll go in Rambo style like he’s been wanting to do since the moment the cabin came into view through the trees, but Tank will do what is necessary to keep Ruby alive. He just needs to see her.

The room is large. Russo has his back to the window Tank is looking through. Ruby’s father and brother are to Russo’s right in chairs. Tony’s head is bowed. Puddles of blood stain the floor around both chairs. Antonio’s chair is turned slightly so Tank can see his face. Damn the man looks bad. Eyes swollen shut, lips busted and swollen, everything bruised deep shades of purple. A man approaches Antonio a knife in his hand.

“No! Please!” Ruby cries out. Tank’s head whips in the direction of the sound. She’s on the other side of Russo near the door to the room. A man Tank recognizes as the undercover FBI agent is next to her. He’s holding Ruby back, preventing her from running to intervene on her father’s behalf. There are others in the room, but Tank can’t see them from his angle.

Tank takes in the sight of Ruby. She’s in bulky gray sweat pants and a cream-colored long sleeve t-shirt. Drops of red blood are scattered down the front. She looks frightened and tired. Her face is bruising on the right side. Dried blood trails along that side of her jaw from a split in her right lower lip. The growl that escapes him is deep and low. Hawk jerks him down before he gives their position away. Thankfully the glass in these windows is thick enough to prevent any one inside from hearing his freak out.

“I’m at ground level down the hall from the room where the target is located,” Worm whispers. The rest of the house has been cleared.” Tank is relieved they won’t have to worry about more assholes rushing them when they breech.

“Worm, I want you to deploy two flash grenades on my mark,” Hawk commands him. “Then secure the unknown female once you’re in the room.

“Got it,” Worm replies.

“We’ll be breeching on my mark,” Hawk informs all members at once. Hawk flips off his microphone and turns to face Tank and the rest who are huddled under the window. “Wallace, you take out the man with the knife. Straw, you and I will get the newcomers.” Meaning they’ll each take out two if no one else gets to them first. “Mercury you get Russo or anyone else who gets in our way.” Mercury grunts. Always being a man of few words, Tank expects nothing else. “Tank, your concern is getting to Ruby.” Tank snorts, as if Hawk needed to tell him that. Hawk flips his mic on, “It’s go-time, boys! Three, two, one! Breach! Breach! Breach!”

58

RUBY

Ruby watches in horror as Carlo moves toward her father with his knife in hand. Tony still hasn’t regained consciousness. She has seen his shoulders rise slightly, letting her know he’s still breathing, but for how long? Russo, Sr. and his goons arrived moments ago along with the bitch Julianna. Sr. is angry, Jr. hasn’t gotten all the information they’ve wanted from her father and brother.

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