On paper, Garrett and his teammates were senior travel insurance agents for a company known as Travel Assurance Coverage and Operations.
The company’s headquarters was in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, though there were offices located around the globe.
What the public saw when they drove past their high-rise office building was exactly what their boss wanted everyone to see… A high-end company that sold personal protection and extraction insurance to those traveling abroad.
What the public didn’t see—what theycouldn’tsee—was that Garrett and his team actually worked for a clandestine group of operators known as Tactical Operations, or Tac-Ops for short.
The acronym happened to work for both their cover jobs as insurance agents and their true reason for employment. A brilliant move on their boss’s part.
While Garrett and the other members of Tac-Ops Onewerelicensed travel protection insurance agents, they were also specialized, below-the-grid operatives who took on government-sanctioned jobs.
Jobs that very few people knew about. Ones that included, but were not limited to, hostage location and rescue.
In short, the multi-million-dollar insurance agency was a legitimate front for what they’dreallybeen hired to do…
Help rid the world of the worst mankind had to offer.
Thanks to the United States’ long standing and unwavering stance on negotiating with terrorists—theydon’t—it was up to companies like Tac-Ops to step in when Uncle Sam refused.
Not that anyone within the American government would ever acknowledge their existence. Each team member was well aware of the ramifications should they be caught and captured on foreign soil.
To put it simply, if Garrett and his team screwed up, they’d be ass out.
But despite the risks, they’d signed the dotted line without hesitation. Just because they got out of the military didn’t mean their loyalty to their country’s citizens had waned.
It didn’t matter if it was one innocent or one hundred…if someone fucked with the United States, the men of Tac-Ops would do whatever they had to in order to take them down.
Case in point.
More than ready to get the job done and leave this Godforsaken place, Garrett spoke into his coms once more.
“Please tell me you have the bastard in your sights.” The comment was directed toward Bones.
“Just…about…there.” The former Marine Raider let his words linger. A whisper of a shot followed and then, “Got ’em!”
With his movements instant and fluid, Garrett wasted no time rolling back onto his stomach and repositioning his weapon. Using the night optics mounted atop his SR 25 rifle, he found his next target.
Releasing a slow, controlled breath, he did what he’d been trained to do. With a precision he took pride in, Garrett began the countdown in his head.
Three…two…
His lungs deflated with a slow exhale. His hot breath feathered past his parted lips as it brushed over them.
He pulled the trigger.
Bitter sulfur and smoke warred with the sweet smell of gun oil as the lethal round was released through the weapon’s chamber. The combination of scents provided Garrett with a feeling of comfort he’d only ever found on the battlefield.
Through his lens he watched the man crumble to the ground like a deflated balloon. One Garrett had popped with less than five pounds of trigger pull.
“Party’s started, boys.” Bones’ Texas accent was laced with anticipation. “Time to drink up.”
Garrett’s lips curved upward. The other man’s good looks, charismatic personality, and laid-back demeanor allowed him to thrive in just about any situation. Right now, the former Marine’s tone gave away his desire to finish this and get the hell home.
I feel ya, brother.
Over the next several minutes, the sound of crackling gunfire filled the night air as they continued with the first phase of their plan. One by one, the team systematically took out each of the tangos standing between them and their objective.
With all visible threats neutralized, they began closing in on the building currently housing the hostages. A dozen barely qualified private contractors hired by the U.S. government to help train local military and other security agencies.