Chapter 12
“You son of a bitch!”
Trace turned his head just in time to see Coop’s fist flying into the left side of his jaw.
Damn. For a sniper, he’s got a good swing.
“You were supposed to get her the hell out of there!” The angry man punched him again. “You were supposed to keep hersafe!”
And Coop was supposed to be at the hospital with his fiancée. Not here, in this not-so-abandoned building where Ryker had instructed the team to meet.
The women and children were locked safely away at the Homeland Security building, and Olivia, Jake, and Mac had been given extra protection at the hospital.
Olivia’s brother and his wife were going to continue holding steady at their undisclosed location, where they were still watching over Jake and Olivia’s daughter.
Bravo Team had returned from their latest op with instructions to take their families and significant others and go into lockdown as well.
“What the hell happened?” Coop went after Trace again.
He stood his ground but didn’t hit back. He simply stood there, letting Emma’s brother take his anger and fear out on him. Hehadfailed the man, after all.
Worse, he’d failed Emma.
“Goddamn it, Sean. Knock it off!” Derek wrapped his arms beneath Coop’s and pulled him back. “This shit isn’t gonna help us find your sister.”
“We wouldn’t have tofindher if this asshole had done his fucking job!”
“I’m sure Winters did everything he could.” Grant’s deep voice rumbled as he chimed in.
“Did he?” Coop’s seething glare shot back to Trace. “Did you?”
“Yes,” Trace hissed. Using the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his split lip. “There were two tangos, and—”
“Oh, well that explains it!” A sarcastic sneer grew on Coop’s face. “You were fucking Delta Force, for Christ’s sake. You can’t take out two men by yourself?”
Emma’s brother shoved his palms against Trace’s chest, causing him to stumble back a step. Trace ground his back teeth together, the leeway he’d given the man about to wear the fuck off.
“You weren’t there,” Trace took a step forward.
“No, he wasn’t.” Agent Ryker, who’d been watching the scene from the corner of the room, intervened. “None of us were, so why don’t you walk us through what happened.”
Keeping his fists at his sides to keep from swinging back, Trace did his best to justify his total mission failure.
“They took out the agent guarding us, and then presented as one shooter. Emma and I were in the bedroom when the first shot came through one of the south windows.”
“The bedroom?” Coop thought for a moment. “When I called, you told her to get dressed.” Wide-eyed, he attempted to go after Trace again. This time, it took Derek and Grant both to hold him back. “You were supposed to be protecting her, not getting into her goddamn pants!”
Trace was quick to get into the other man’s face. “It wasn’t like that.”
“No? Then whatwasit like?” Coop shook his head. “Actually, never mind. I don’t want to hear the details of how you got my littlesisterto fuck you.”
“Be careful, Sean.” Trace’s voice dropped to a lethal level. “I haven’t swung back out of respect for Emma. But you talk about Emma like that again...”
“What?” Coop mocked him. “You gonna kick my ass?”
“If I have to.”
“Enough!” Trevor pushed between the two men. “You two can sort this shit out later.Afterwe find Emma.”