It had been radio silence ever since.
No calls. No texts. No messages to him or anyone on the team letting them know she was still alive and that she was okay.
Shadow had simply up and vanished without a single fucking word. And though he’d never admit it to this man—or anyone else—Slade had been so damn worried he hadn’t had a full night’s sleep since.
“I don’t have all the details.” Owens handed him a file from the top of his desk. “But I’m fairly certain she’s going after this man.”
Slade opened the folder and scanned the glossy photo, along with the first of what appeared to be several pages of personalintel. He didn’t recognize the man’s face or name, nor any of the multiple aliases listed at the top of the page.
“Am I supposed to know who this is?”
“No, but I know him very well. And unfortunately…so does Shadow.”
“Why is she going after him?” Slade needed the man to get to the damn point. “What the hell did he do?”
“He killed Shadow’s mother.” Real pain flashed behind Owens’ worried stare. “He murdered her in cold blood, and if we don’t find Shadow before it’s too late…”
Owens let his worried voice trail, but Slade’s lungs froze at the thought of what had been left unsaid.
Shadow dead? That wasn’t an option.
No fucking way I’m going to let that happen.
As far as he and the others were concerned, Shadow was one of them. There was no way any of them would leave her hanging out to dry. Especially when she’d come through for them time and time again.
“What do you need?” Slade asked, willing to do whatever the man said if it meant ensuring the mysterious woman’s safety.
“I need you to find the man in that folder before Shadow does. But you’ll have to be careful, and…you’ll have to be discreet.”
“Discreet?”
Shadow’s missing and in potentially mortal danger, and this man’s worried about being discreet?
“It’s not what you’re thinking, Digger.” Owens seemed to read Slade’s mind. “I only mean this is a very delicate operation. As such, you’ll be going in alone.”
“You want me to work this thing solo?” He frowned. “Boss, this is Shadow, we’re talking about. Why the hell wouldn’t you want every man on the team on this?”
“Because if she’s doing what I think she’s doing, there’s only one way this works…and that’s you going in after her, alone.”
Slade spun on his heels and stormed back around to the other side of the desk. Reaching behind his head, he dug his fingertips into the tensing muscles at the back of his neck.
They didn’t do solo jobs. That wasn’t how Tac-Ops operated. But now Owens was not only asking him to go after Shadow, secure her safety, and bring her back home…he was asking Slade to do all that without the help and support of his team.
It’s Shadow, dumbass. You know you’re going to say yes. Besides…what’s the worst that could happen?
“Why me?” Slade turned back to his boss
“Because if anyone on the team can get through to her, it’s you.”
A deep, humorless chuckle rumbled through his chest. “And what makes you think I’ll be able to convince her of anythi?—”
“You were ten when your mother was killed by that coked out kid, correct?”
Digger’s spine stiffened and his heart kicked hard at the familiar pain that never seemed to completely go away. “Fuck you, Rafe.”
“No, fuck the asshole who stole your childhood!” The other man slammed his glass down onto the desk so hard Slade was surprised the damn thing didn’t shatter. “And fuck the man who did the same thing to Shadow when she was only six.” He shoved a pointed finger toward the folder. “Onlythatson of a bitch didn’t just steal Shadow’s childhood. He murdered her beautiful, innocent mother when that little girl was standing less than five feet away.”
Jesus.