by Norris, Kris
Six nodded, glancing at his buddies. “Okay, so he didn’t get stuck in some rat-infested, third-world country site like we’d hoped. Which means it’s quite possible he’s been running units this entire time. Giving orders. Definitely not good. What’s the really bad news?”
“He was being transferred to another facility this morning, only his convoy didn’t quite make it. Jack just sent me this photo. The CIA is worried he’ll hold true to his threat and release all the intel Ellis had on McCormick to the press. So, they’re cooperating—a bit.” Cannon handed over his phone to Six. “Does the bastard in the SUV look familiar?”
Six squinted, huffing out his next breath. “Slader.”
“Now we know why he sent a team after you, yesterday. He was getting ready to hijack McCormick’s ride. Probably planned on having Kam locked away and ready by the time he got back.”
“So, now we’ve got them both in the mix.”
Colt pounded a fist on the table he was sitting at with Ellis. “I should have put a bullet between his eyes when I had the chance.”
Ellis nudged him. “You’d be dead if you’d tried.”
“But, so would he.”
“Stop second guessing what you did, Colt. He wasn’t worth losing your life over. Besides, I don’t care who’s in the mix. Just another fucker we’ll deal with.” Six leaned forward. “All I want is a plan of attack.”
Cannon glanced around, gaze lingering on Crow for a few moments. “There’s really only one option. We need to retrieve that intel. See what’s on there.”
Six glanced at Crow, and Kam knew he was asking him how much to reveal to Cannon.
Crow rolled his eyes. “I already told them everything before you and Kam dragged your asses out of the bedroom.” He grunted. “So much for national security and need-to-know only.”
“We all know how to keep our mouths shut.” Cannon thumbed at Coen. “Even Brady seems to have kept it a secret that our buddy, Gibson here, is really MI6.” He glared at Gibson. “Thanks for letting us in on that when we were facing McCormick before.”
Gibson chuckled. “It wasn’t anything to do with my agency. Just me helping out a few blokes.”
“Seems like it was, we just didn’t know it, yet.”
“Trust me, the bastard’s definitely on my radar, now. Though, I’ll be keeping this one off the books until we know exactly what this list is.” He nodded at Crow. “No offense, but I’d like to see this Rosetta Stone finding, first, if you don’t mind.”
Crow shrugged. “You’re not gonna like it when you do. Though, that does bring up the obvious question… How are we going to get our hands on it?”
Cannon tapped his chin, looking at Kam. “Assuming Kam can get the intel, it seems like there are limited options as to how she does that. One, we go to Jack, and he gets us access to the DoD interface, and Kam retrieves the intel.”
Crow edged forward on his seat. “But then the DoD will gain possession of that list.” He held up his hand when Cannon looked as if he was about to tear a strip off of Crow. “Easy, big guy. I’m not saying Admiral Hastings isn’t all above board. But we know, firsthand, that McCormick had plants everywhere. No way to know if some of those are still intact, especially since it’s apparent you didn’t topple his organization by having him arrested. In short, we can’t trust that the list won’t get back to McCormick or Slader.”
“So, what do you suggest? The CIA? Because there’s no way I’m giving this list over to them.”
Crow placed a hand on his chest. “Are you saying I can’t be trusted? That hurts, bro.”
“Not you, jackass. Your superiors, on the other hand…”
“Which leaves us with, what, exactly?”
“Destroying it.” Kam met the gazes that snapped her way, holding her head high. “We destroy it. That, or we parcel it up and return each bit to the rightful owners. But no one should be entrusted with the entire list. It’s just too much temptation with too many horrific consequences if we choose poorly.”
Six nodded. “Kam’s right. Either we nuke the information or we bag each organization up and send it back.”
Crow grinned. “You would agree with her. It’s a husband’s duty.” He dodged the coaster Six tossed at his head. “Does your wife know about these violent outbursts?”
“That’s enough.” Cannon grinned as he sank down beside Jericho. “How about we get our hands on this drive, first, then decide whether we deep-six the intel or return it? Because we could be chasing ghosts, here.”
“Agreed.” Six glanced around at the men. “But if we aren’t going to use Hastings’ connections, how do we gain access? It’s not like we can waltz onto a base and borrow a computer. Even if we called Phoenix, we’d be risking the guy’s career, and I’m not willing to do that to him. To any fellow brother.”
Crow sighed. “I think I can help out with that. There’s just one catch…”
Cannon grunted. “There always is.”
“Since we can’t go directly through any of our professional connections, we’ll need to gain access through a third party. While my original JSOG unit was decimated, one member survived. Though, I doubt she’d help me out. Shoot me on sight, definitely. But I know my way around their facility. Have some old authorization codes. It should be enough to get us in without tripping any alarms. From there, we’ll have to find a way to use one of their computers to download the intel. But it should be inside the DoD enough for Kam to work her magic.”
“Exactly what facility are we talking about, Crow?”
“The secret one the NSA has south of the city by the wharf.”
Cannon groaned. “So, you want to break into a high security NSA facility then use their computer to hack into the DoD archives? All without getting caught?”
“I’m fairly confident my codes will still work.”
Cannon frowned, then his eyes widened. “Fuck. You fell for an NSA agent, didn’t you?”
The muscle in Crow’s temple jumped as he visibly shut down the hint of emotions playing across his face. “If you have a better idea, Cannon…”
“Why do you think I’m pissed? There really aren’t any good options.” He turned to Six. “Well, buddy? What’s your take? Because we all know if you’re not on board, it’s not happening.”
Kam’s eye twitched. Had Cannon seriously just bypassed her and defaulted to Six? Shouldn’t she be deciding if it was worth the risk since she’d definitely be part of the team?
Six’s hand on her thigh. Squeezing. Grounding her. “Thinking Kam should decide if it’s worth trying, since she’ll be the one accessing the computer. I’ll just be along for the ride.”
And just like that, she fell harder. Loved him a bit more.
Cannon grunted when Jericho gave him an elbow in the ribs. Hard. “My apologies. Kam? Your thoughts?”
Kam gave Six a smile then focused on Cannon. “Like you said. We don’t have many options. If this is our best shot, I say we take it. We all know Slader won’t stop until he gets what he wants. Either we take that away, or spend every day looking over our shoulders.”
“Looks like we have a plan.”
“One other thing.” Crow. Hands clasped in his lap. “I can only take one other person with me besides Kam. Even then, three is pushing it. The rest of you can set up exterior surveillance. Pray we don’t need a full-scale invasion if things go south.”
“This plan just keeps on getting better. Fine, Crow, Six, Kam—you’ll go in. Rigs, I’m hoping you can get Blade and ensure the surrounding area stays clear. Midnight, you and Gibson are on sniper duty. I want a clear path for Crow both in and out of that building.” He focused on Gibson. “You are good with a sniper rifle, right?”
Gibson smiled. “One of my favorite pastimes, mate.”
“Good. I want you two to aim for tires and non-lethal hits if it comes down to that. The rest of us will be strategically placed. Make sure Slader doesn’t crash the party. Brady, we’ll have you on standby, though I really
hope we don’t need you.”
Coen shook his head. “I’ve seen the way you guys work. Sooner or later, you’ll need me.”
“Great. Even the doc has a sense of humor. Okay, we’ll go over the logistics. Map out our intentions then hit the building. Time isn’t on our side, and the faster we wrap this one up, the better.” Cannon winked at Six and Kam. “After all, our lovebirds have a honeymoon to get to.”
Chapter Nineteen
Forget about being nicknamed jackass, Six’s new call sign should be dumbass. Because there was nothing sane about what they were about to attempt. In fact, if Six had even a neuron left still firing, he’d hike Kam over his shoulder, stuff her in his truck, and just start driving. Stop when he ran out of land. Hell, maybe he could find a ferry or cargo ship that would take his Tacoma and continue on because this mission was shaping up to be a colossal mistake—the kind that got good men killed. That would take away the best thing to ever happen to Six—landing on Cannon’s squad included.
Sitting in Gibon’s other truck a block down from the nondescript, fifteen-story building with blacked-out windows close to the water—closer than he’d have liked to Gibson’s safehouse—brought everything into perspective. The mission. His out-of-control feelings for Kam. All the ways this op could go sideways, starting with the possibility that they were being watched. While he hoped Slader hadn’t gotten a bead on them after they’d switched vehicles at the airport, nothing was guaranteed. And if there was even a chance the man could track them back to their home base…
Six groaned inwardly. They had to make it in and out of a high security complex that was apparently some top-secret intelligence gathering hub before they worried about whether Slader would find them. Hell, they could be rotting in cells within the hour if things didn’t go their way. Including the part where Crow used some older-than-shit set of codes to get them inside.
Six had gotten another flash of that woman—the one that occupied a large amount of Crow’s thoughts, if Six was right. And he was. Watching the man when he’d absently mentioned one of his team had survived—that she would love to shoot him on sight—had told Six all Crow had kept to himself. And sixth sense or not, Six had a suspicious feeling today’s excursion might just land them face-to-face with Crow’s past. Her in particular. Which would either give them an in, or land them in jail. Probably after an ass-kicking where Crow was concerned.
Crow nudged him. “You ready? Got your head in the game?”
Six simply stared at the man.
Crow shook his head. “Fine, you’ve got all of your six senses on high alert. Which is good because we’re going to need them. Especially if these damn codes don’t work.”
“You said you were confident they would still be active.”
“Did I? What I meant was, they should work. Hopefully. Like a good eighty percent chance of success.”
“Eighty? Really?”
“Would you settle for a strong sixty-five?”
“Fantastic. Maybe we should go back to Cannon’s idea and get Jack. At least, we won’t end up incarcerated…” He pinned his gaze to Crow’s. “Or dead.”
“Don’t be a drama queen. No one’s dying.”
“But getting shuffled off to some NSA black ops jail bunker after your ex-teammate shoots us in the ass?”
Crow grinned. “What good is living if you’re not on the edge, buddy? We both know we thrive on this kind of adrenaline rush.”
“Us, maybe, but we’re putting Kam’s ass on the line, too.”
“I’m sitting right behind you. Must you talk as if I’m invisible? And my ass is fine.”
Six glanced over his shoulder, giving her a long, slow sweep before winking at her. “You ass is more than fine, sweetheart.”
She rolled her eyes, but he noted the hint of pink along the upper swell of her breasts just visible beneath the v-necked shirt. The way it crept up her neck and into her cheeks. Damn, she was adorable.
Not that now was the time to focus on how fucking beautiful she was. How his damn hands itched to touch her—pick up where they’d left off this morning when Gibson had interrupted them. Christ, Six could still see the pale expanse of soft skin, smell the earthy scent of her arousal. Feel her muscles jumping beneath his touch. He’d been so close to finally tasting her—a feat he would have achieved last night if he’d been thinking with the right head. Had maintained even an ounce of control instead of mindlessly claiming her against the door. In the shower.
He needed more of her. More touching. Tasting. Drowning in her. Which meant eliminating this threat, once and for all. And like it or not, this was their best shot.
Crow tapped on the com around his neck. “Alpha one, ready.”
Cannon replied next, with all the others checking in. Stating they were in their designated positions. That the mission was a go. Six cursed the cold slide of fear down his back. Not for him. He’d faced much worse and muscled through. But Kam… This was outside her wheelhouse. Even with her newly acquired skills, she hadn’t trained for espionage. Covert missions behind enemy lines. And despite the fact they were infiltrating a building instead of a hostile fortress deep inside foreign borders, they were still breaching a boundary. Still putting their lives on the line. Call him crazy, but Six didn’t share Crow’s optimism that the agents inside wouldn’t open fire if they got caught.
Another nudge. “You ready? Thinking about how wrong this is?”
Six chuckled. “And you call me a mind reader. Besides, being cautious keeps us alive.” He turned to Kam. “I know you can handle yourself, but don’t take any unnecessary risks in there. And if I tell you to duck…”
She smiled sweetly at him. “I’ll duck. Unless it means you or Crow will get shot. Then, I’ll have to consider my options.”
“You said that on purpose just to make my eye twitch, didn’t you?”
Nothing but that sweet smile still staring back at him.
He huffed. “Okay. Let’s go. And if Crow actually gets us inside, we’ll adapt from there.”
Crow scoffed as he got out, looking at Six over the hood of the vehicle. “That hurts, buddy.”
“Let’s hope the pain helps you focus. Everyone ready?” He glanced at Kam, smiling when she nodded. “We’ll walk like we belong here. Figure out how to get to a secure computer once we’re through the doors.”
Then, they were moving. Crossing the road and continuing along the sidewalk. Only pausing long enough outside the set of glass doors to double check each direction—ensure there weren’t any bystanders. Tangoes or otherwise.
Four seconds and they were confident the area was clear—were proceeding inside. The foyer opened into a long hallway, a bank of elevators on one side. Stairs at the back. Crow walked past the elevators, heading for the stairwell. A plain black box was positioned on the wall to the left of the door. He touched it, activating a blue screen then started punching in codes.
Six arched a brow, scanning the area. “Call me crazy, but I expected the works. Security guards. Metal detector. Possibly dogs.”
Crow shrugged. “If they had all that, then the public would know this isn’t a telecommunications office. It’s supposed to be on the down-low, though there have been reports claiming it’s an NSA center. However, most people don’t believe it when they peek through the windows. Of course, the super sensitive stuff is underground. But, we’d have to take the elevators for that. And even if I could get us onto them, we’d never step foot onto one of those floors without the official backing of the CIA. So, we’ll stick to the upper floors. It should still be good enough to grant Kam access behind the DoD firewalls.”
“If you could get us into the elevators? I thought you’d chosen the stairs to have more control over who might see us, not because you didn’t think you could access them.”
“That is why we’re taking the stairs. It’s just a coincidence that my passcodes might not work on the elevators. Higher security since that’s how you access the lower levels.”
&
nbsp; “Great. It’s been thirty seconds, already. If they’re watching us… And we damn well know they are…”
“I’m working on it. I have a few different options to go through, okay? And they put them on a rotating schedule. Since, I’ve been out of it for a while…”
“Forty-five seconds. Kam, get behind me in case those damn elevators open up with a squad full of armed men.”
Kam scoffed. “So you can do what, exactly? We’ll be caught either way.”
He growled. Did the woman have to fight him at every turn? He just wanted to keep her safe. Be her shield in case things went sideways and bullets started flying before everyone came to their senses—realized three people weren’t a match or a threat to their forces. He couldn’t help it if he was hardwired that way. He hoped it was one of the traits she admired about him.
Kam frowned, studied his face, then sighed, moving in beside him. She didn’t say anything just positioned herself in such a way Six’s body was covering hers. And damn if that didn’t make his fucking chest physically hurt. Right in the center. A hard thump of his heart increasing the tight feeling.
Her hand brushed his, a gentle squeeze sealing his fate. He was bound to Kameron Monroe, and no amount of claiming to the contrary would ever change that.
“Got it.” Crow smiled as the keypad blinked green, the audible click of the lock disengaging sounding through the door. “Figures, last fucking sequence I tried. And it had to be her codes. Karma really is a bitch.”
Her codes? Obviously the woman from Six’s time leaks. The one Crow had said would love to land a couple rounds in his ass. The woman he couldn’t seem to get out of his mind. Not that Six could delve into that line of questioning, now. But he’d revisit it as soon as they were clear. Would get some answers—maybe offer a few suggestions. Anything to ease the dark aura blanketing Crow like a damn death shroud.
Crow opened the door then waved them in, checking behind him before scanning the stairs. “The first several floors are all pretty low security. Probably won’t give us the kind of access we need. But the upper eight—they’ll have a direct line into the DoD. All we need is an empty office, and we’re set.”