Silence filled Rocky’s built-in comms system, and he didn’t have to be psychic to know what the others were thinking. No one on the team was willing to risk even a single innocent life. Not when their sole purpose for coming to Tijuana was to locate and rescue the hostages.
Not just some of them.Allof them.
The part where they got to rid the world of six heartless, murdering sons of bitches who valued money over human life, well, that was just icing on the cake.
“Uh…Boss?” Cade’s tone was laced with concern. “We may have no other choice but to go with Plan B.”
“Why?” Christian responded immediately. “What are you seeing?”
“I’m not exactly sure. One of the male hostages is sitting next to the American doctor. The two seem to be engaged in a pretty heated, but silent, exchange.”
“Heated how?” Liam asked before anyone else had the chance.
“Every time the HT looks away, Dr. Rawlins swings her head toward the local doc and the two begin mouthing words back and forth to one another. While I can’t be sure, it seems as if the man is planning to do…something. Try to attack the HT would be my guess. But whatever it is, Rawlins is trying damn hard to change his mind.”
Ah, hell.
The last thing any of them needed was for a hostage to play hero. That shit hardly ever ended well for anyone. Especially the rogue hostage.
Something Dr. Kerrigan Rawlins—a thirty-three-year-old emergency room doc from Chicago—also seemed to understand.
A low curse reached Rocky’s ear before he heard Christian’s frustrated voice once more. “Is the Rawlins woman keeping the guy in check?”
“Don’t think so,” Cade cut the man short. “She’s trying, but he already managed to get his ankles untied without detection. So help me, he does this…ah, Christ. What the fuck is this guy thinking? He’s going to end up getting her—” He stopped himself short to clear his throat before continuing with, “Damn it, he’s going to end up getting themallkilled.”
There was more emotion present in the former Green Beret’s tone. A darker edge that wasn’t typically present during an op.
He’s probably just as pissed as you are about the fact that these fuckers are holding an American citizen for ransom.
And from the sounds of things, that same American—along with the other innocent lives hanging in the balance—was being put at even more risk than before by a guy who’d clearly reached the end of his proverbial rope.
Rocky slid his crosshairs in a steady glide back and forth between the HT and the hero wanna-be. He got that the middle-aged doctor was probably scared out of his wits and wanted nothing more than to get home to his family.
But brave as it may be, if the desperate man didn’t stop and think things through, he could very well end up getting himself and several others killed.
“He’s right, Boss.” Rocky continued watching the anxious hostage closely. Through his scope, he could see the sweat beading on the terrified man’s forehead. He could almostfeelthe guy’s desperation for freedom and safety.
But it was the look in the man’s brown eyes that had his trigger finger twitching…
Fear.
Despair.
Determination.
He’s going to do it. The idiot is actually going to try to?—
“I think he’s going to do it,” Cade parroted Rocky’s thoughts. “Fuck me running. Dr. Rawlins is trying like hell, but…goddamnit! The guy’s…shit!He just stood up, and he’s charging toward the?—”
The sound of a muffled gunshot came from inside the building as Rocky watched the disheartening scene unfold through his scope.
Just as Cade had relayed to the others, the frantic doctor had waited until the HT turned his back to pace in the opposite direction. When he did, the local doctor jumped up, ran toward their one captor, and threw his entire body on the guy’s back.
The two men struggled for the weapon, but only for a few seconds. That’s all the time it took for the HT to regain control and shoot the man in the chest.
Now, there were only three hostages in need of saving…and Rocky and his team were left with no other choice but to act. Following another low curse, Christian gave the only order left to give…
“Plan B, it is.”