“We did.”
There was a slight pause before he heard her sweet voice give a resounding, “Good.”
Beckett couldn’t help but smile as the two made their way past the slain terrorists. A few yards up ahead, he saw Digger and Apollo walking down the hill toward them.
“Falcon and the kids are secure and on the bird,” his team leader announced.
Before Beckett could make introductions, Shadow’s voice suddenly filled the comms.
“Nice work, Bones,” the mysterious woman commented. “Though, I have to admit, you were inside a bit longer than I would’ve liked.”
He put a hand to his ear to adjust the small mic still nestled there. “Sorry ’bout that. Ran into our fifth hostage and needed to make sure we were clear to exit.” Looking back over his shoulder at Evie, he found her still following his directions to the letter. “You don’t have to hold onto me anymore if you don’t want to”—he veered from his current conversation and addressed her directly— “but if it makes you feel safer, you can hang onto me until we reach the helicopter.”
Without a word, the newly freed woman released his belt loop and began walking at his side. The void from her touch created a sense of disappointment, which was confusing, to say the very least.
“I’m going to assume that’s Evelynn Mitchell you’re talking to,” Shadow commented. “The others already filled me in on eliminating the single tango guarding the girls. Is she good to make it to the extraction point, or does she need a medical evac from your location?”
“She’s good.” He glanced down at her and smiled. “A little banged up and dehydrated, but she’s…good.”
His assessment of her condition might be a bit embellished, but they wouldn’t know the extent of her injuries until they could get her to a hospital for a thorough check-up. He could, however, get a jump-start on the issue of dehydration.
As Shadow continued speaking, Beckett grabbed the military-grade water bottle each man carried with him in the field and handed it to her. “It’s not cold, but it’s wet. Just be sure to take small, slow sips so you don’t get sick.”
“Thank you.” She took the bottle and immediately began to unscrew the top.
He watched her closely to ensure she didn’t gulp down too much too quickly, but like all the other orders he’d given up to this point, Evie followed his instructions and took her time.
“That’s great, Beck,” Shadow responded to his assessment of Evie’s condition. “Any additional casualties I should be aware of? And none of that plausible deniability BS you guys are always trying to pull.”
“Ah, come on now. You know we’re just lookin’ out for our favorite techie.”
“Well, as much as I appreciate the sentiment, it makes my job a hell of a lot easier when I have all the intel in my arsenal. I can’t protect you if I don’t have all the facts.”
“You’ve got ’em all this time,” he assured her. “Trust me, if there were more to share, I’d tell ya.”
“Good. Now, how many tangos did you encounter inside?”
“Just the one guarding the room where they’d been holdin’ Evie and the girls. Dig took him out shortly after breaching. He and Apollo stayed behind to watch the entrance while Falcon took the girls to the chopper, and I finished clearing the remaining rooms. That’s when I found Evie. Other than her, the rest of the place was like a terrorist ghost town.”
Beckett didn’t mention the part about Evie fighting him like a wildcat or kicking him in the balls. Not because it would embarrass him but because it might embarrassher.
It didn’t make a lick of sense given that they’d only just met, but Beckett felt extremely protective of this woman. More so than any other hostage he and his team had rescued in the past.
And he had no earthly idea why.
“Well, we can’t ask for a better scenario than that,” Shadow noted. “As for now, satellite imagery shows you’re in the clear. There are still two tangos guarding the cave’s back exit, but they appear to be oblivious to your presence…or the fact that their asshole friends are dead.”
“Guess we should probably hit the road before they make that particular discovery.”
The woman in his ear agreed. “If Miss Mitchell is good to go, then yes. Get your sweet heinies moving so we can get you all home and put this one behind us.”
“Copy that, Shadow.” Beckett confirmed. “The four of us are headed to the extraction site now.”
“I’ll keep an eye out from my end and let you know if there’s any trouble along the way. Until then, no news is good news, so unless you hear otherwise, stay on course. I’ll notify both Falcon and the pilot that you’re on your way.”
“Hard copy, Overwatch,” Digger also gave confirmation he’d heard and understood the order.
With Shadow temporarily offline, Beckett finally had a moment to introduce his teammates. “Evie, I’d like for you to meet Digger and Apollo. Dig’s our team leader, and Apollo, well…he’s whatever we need him to be. They’re both former Navy SEALs and two of the best men I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”