Despite the contractors’ own lack of sufficient training and experience.
For the past three weeks, the group of men had been held against their will after being ambushed by Syrian insurgents unwilling to accept the positive changes happening in their country.
It was Tac-Ops’ job to locate, rescue, and return the hostages to safety.
They’d found them. Now they just needed to get them out alive and transport them back home to their families.
Let’s do this.
“Keep your eyes peeled, gentlemen.” Digger’s deep voice commanded as their boots whispered over the dry dirt. “No mistakes.”
As their team leader, it was Digger’s job to make sure they were at the top of their game. But Garrett was tempted to tell the man that his order was unnecessary.
They all knew what was at stake.
Experience had taught them that one fuckup was all it took to change—or end—a life forever. Or in this particular case,twelvelives.
With their weapons held securely in front of them, Garrett and the others moved shoulder-to-shoulder as they crossed the dry stretch of land between the hillside and the decrepit building.
Their steps were precise and purposeful. Their boots marching swiftly across dirt and rocks as they stayed alert, ready to pull the trigger at the first sign of danger.
“Tac-Ops One, do you copy?”
The familiar voice reached the ears of every team member. As usual, Garrett, Apollo, and Bones remained quiet so Digger could respond.
“Affirmative, Shadow. What do we know?”
“Your perimeter’s clear. Hostages are still in the same location, northeast corner of the building. There are seven tangos inside. Two with the hostages, three standing guard in the main area, and two more moving around inside the building’s entrance. They know you’re coming, so be ready.”
No shit.Garrett smirked. He was tempted to point out the fact that the gunfire had been a dead giveaway but kept his smartass comment to himself. This wasn’t the time or place for their usual, friendly banter.
“Copy that,” Digger mumbled. With his night vision goggles focused on the door they were inching toward, their leader addressed the team once more. “All right, boys. You heard the woman. Let’s take care of these assholes and get those people home.”
Letting out a low “Hooah”, Garrett once again forced his breathing to remain steady as they reached the large, stone structure. With Shadow serving as overwatch, he felt confident in their approach.
Using her mad skills on the keyboard, the mysterious woman was the team’s eye in the sky, so-to-speak. Shadow saw everything…and missed nothing.
No matter where Garrett and his team found themselves, she was always there. Watching over them from the start of each mission to the end.
She’d inform the team of any and all threats her high-tech system detected, doing all she could to warn them of possible menacing forces in their vicinity.
Yes, Shadow was brilliant, to say the least. She was also something of an enigma.
Always working from an undisclosed location, her voice provided a touch of calm in the midst of chaos.
Everyone on the team trusted her. Every piece of intel…every suggestion she offered…they all took her at face value. Despite having never met her in person.
Other than their boss, no one knew her real name or how she’d come to work for Tac-Ops. What the team did know—the only thing theyneededto know—was that the woman they all called Shadow had their backs. Always.
“Breaching the building’s entrance now.”
Digger’s hushed voice broke through Garrett’s thoughts. Positioning himself to the right of the rusted metal door, he watched as Apollo pressed the breach strip onto the door above the handle.
On Digger’s order, the other man pressed the remote detonator. A fraction of a second later, the device exploded.
With a burst of smoke and minimal debris, the locking mechanism was destroyed. Using the sliver of space between the jarred door’s edge and its frame as a pathway for their bullets to travel, the men inside wasted no time in their attempts to neutralize Garrett and the others.
Anticipating the tangos’ reaction, the team waited for a break between gunshots to return fire. Just as they had countless times before, each member took his assigned infiltration position and began moving in on their targets.