SWAT Standoff

by LENA DIAZ,

  A SWAT team vanishes.

  Can two partners put aside their differences to save them?

  Playing hero backfires on sexy SWAT team member Blake Sullivan. He infuriates his partner, Donna Waters, as much as he attracts her. But before they can resolve their differences, they discover that the rest of their team have been kidnapped by an unknown assailant. Now as they race to rescue the small Tennessee town’s real heroes, they share a growing mutual trust...and a hot, life-changing connection.

  Tennessee SWAT

  “Blake?” Her voice was hoarse.

  She thought she was reading the signs right, that he’d finally noticed she was a woman. But she was afraid to make any moves without knowing for sure. “Are you hungry for the cheeseburger? Or...me?”

  His gaze shot to hers. “What cheeseburger?”

  “Oh, thank God,” she whispered, just before he swooped down and pressed his lips to hers.

  They were both gasping for air when he broke the kiss.

  “Donna?”

  The sound of her name whispered in husky, deep tones next to her ear sent shivers up her spine.

  “I want to feel your skin against mine,” she whispered. “You have too many clothes on.”

  He swallowed and rested his forehead against hers. “Are you sure you want this?”

  Finally, finally, he was as hungry for her as she’d been for him for so very, very long.

  “If you stop right now, I’m going to shoot you. How’s that for being sure?”

  SWAT STANDOFF

  Lena Diaz

  Lena Diaz was born in Kentucky and has also lived in California, Louisiana and Florida, where she now resides with her husband and two children. Before becoming a romantic suspense author, she was a computer programmer. A Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award finalist, she has also won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. To get the latest news about Lena, please visit her website, lenadiaz.com.

  Books by Lena Diaz

  Harlequin Intrigue

  Tennessee SWAT

  Mountain Witness

  Secret Stalker

  Stranded with the Detective

  SWAT Standoff

  Marshland Justice

  Missing in the Glades

  Arresting Developments

  Deep Cover Detective

  Hostage Negotiation

  The Marshal’s Witness

  Explosive Attraction

  Undercover Twin

  Tennessee Takedown

  The Bodyguard

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  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Blake Sullivan—The newest member of the Destiny, Tennessee, SWAT team is struggling to fit in. If he doesn’t figure it out soon, the fate of the entire team could hang in the balance.

  Donna Waters—Tasked with helping fellow SWAT officer Blake learn the ropes, her skills will be stretched to the limit when it’s just her and Blake who have to save the rest of the team.

  Richard Grant—This FBI supervisory special agent is supposed to investigate a murder and determine what happened to the SWAT team. But does he really want to help? Or is he putting up roadblocks to stall the investigation?

  Colin Lopez—Grant’s right-hand agent. But why is he slipping off to Knoxville every day? Could he be the one behind what’s happened to the SWAT team?

  Rodney Lynch—When Blake and Donna need insider information, they turn to this Destiny police officer. Is he feeding them valuable information or sending them on a wild-goose chase?

  Tim Nealy—Hired to help with a SWAT team exercise, his claims cause severe problems between the FBI and Blake. Is he trying to sabotage the investigation?

  Stacy Bell—Another one of Grant’s agents, she seems sympathetic to the SWAT situation. But her reasons for being in Destiny may be more complicated than anyone realizes.

  Sanchez—This alleged Colombian drug lord keeps coming up as each thread is pulled in the investigation. He may be critical to finding out who’s really behind what happened.

  This story is dedicated to the Tennessee Takedown readers who demanded that I make it a series. I’ve absolutely loved writing these stories about the Destiny, Tennessee, SWAT team. I hope readers love SWAT Standoff, the exciting conclusion to this thrilling ride.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Excerpt from Major Crimes by Janie Crouch

  Chapter One

  SWAT Officer Blake Sullivan crouched behind some honeysuckle-vine-covered logs and peered at the weathered gray barn through his rifle scope. His target was little more than a shadow in the second-story window that had probably lost its glass long before Blake was born. How the suspect had managed to get up that high without crashing through the rotten stairs or floorboards was a mystery. The dilapidated building should have collapsed long ago in the violent winds that sometimes blew down from the nearby Smoky Mountains. Blake imagined the only reason that it hadn’t fallen down yet was that it was sheltered from the elements by a thick stand of Tennessee sugar maples and white flowering dogwoods.

  With the early morning sun slanting through the trees behind him, and a lull in the light spring breeze that had been blowing moments before, conditions were perfect to take the shot. He eased his finger from the cold frame of his rifle to the smooth, welcoming cradle of the trigger.

  Two chirps followed by a high-pitched whistle sounded off to his left. It sounded just like a bobwhite bird, common here at Hawkins Ridge and Tennessee in general. But Blake knew better. That was the SWAT team leader, Dillon Gray, signaling him. But if Blake looked away, he might lose the perpetrator. Dillon would have to wait.

  Ignoring a second, more insistent whistle, he edged the barrel of the rifle down a fraction, exhaled slowly and squeezed.

  Pop.

  Red bloomed across the suspect’s chest. He cartwheeled backward, disappearing from sight.

  Blake grinned. One down; one to go. Now he could see what Dillon wanted.

  He looked over his left shoulder. The team leader stood a good twenty yards away, talking to Donna Waters, the only female member of their team. Dressed in green camouflage, they both would’ve completely blended into their surroundings if it wasn’t for the white S-W-A-T letters across Dillon’s back. Neither of them seemed to notice Blake. Whatever Dillon had wanted earlier must not have been that important.

  Blake turned his attention back to the barn. Had the suspects split up? Initially, they’d worked as a team, staying close together. If they stuck to that plan, the second one had to be somewhere close by.

  Nearly a full minute later, his patience was rewarded. A dark shadow moved near some trees to the right of the building. The man furtively looked around as if to see whether anyone had spotted him. Destiny, Tenness
ee’s entire seven-member SWAT team, plus their chief, was out here somewhere. Correction, six-member team, now that Colby had taken a new job a couple hours’ drive from Blount County.

  Blake glanced back to signal Dillon and Donna. But, either they were blending in with the trees so well that he couldn’t see them now, or they were gone. He considered radioing the team to let them know he’d gotten one of the suspects and had eyes on the second. But he worried there might be static or that the sound of his voice would spook his prey.

  He scanned the front of the barn again. The suspect took off, sprinting across the clearing toward the woods. Blake jerked up his rifle. The man looked right at him, his eyes wide with panic. He lunged for the cover of some pine trees.

  Pop, pop.

  Missed. The man disappeared into the dark gloom of tree cover.

  Blake cursed and straightened, knees popping from crouching so long, and took off in pursuit. When he reached where the man had entered the woods, he shook his head. The guy was about five foot five and probably weighed a buck thirty, if that. He should have been light on his feet, easily weaving his way through the thin early-spring vegetation without leaving much of a trace. Instead, he’d plowed through like a linebacker, heedless of breaking small branches and leaving clear footprints in the dew-laden grass. He might as well have put out a sign saying Bad Guy Went This Way. Either the guy was an idiot, or he was extremely clever, trying to lead Blake into an ambush.

  Another birdcall chirped behind him, this one the not-so-convincing squawk of a blue jay. There was no mistaking SWAT team member Randy Carter’s signal. Blake rolled his eyes. He doubted even a novice in the woods would think that was a real bird. He paused and glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, Randy stood in the same copse that Blake had left just moments ago. Randy motioned for him to come back and made another motion toward his left.

  Blake shook his head, held up one finger and pointed down the path where the suspect had disappeared.

  Randy insistently pointed to his left again.

  Blake tightened his hand on his rifle in frustration. If Randy couldn’t understand a simple signal, then that was his problem. Blake refused to put the team in danger by breaking off pursuit. The suspect could circle back around and sneak up on one of them, or he could escape altogether. Ignoring Randy, Blake headed into the woods.

  Ten minutes later, he found the suspect. The man was holding his rifle above his head to keep it dry as he waded across a waist-deep stream.

  Blake brought his rifle up and stepped from the cover of trees. “Police. Freeze.”

  The suspect whipped around.

  Blake squeezed the trigger. Pop.

  The suspect let out a blistering curse. A dark red stain covered his right shoulder. Blake took another shot, giving the man a matching stain on the left.

  “I give up! Stop shooting!” The man held his gun over his head and glared at Blake.

  Blake kept his rifle trained on him. “Work your way back to this side of the river. If you make any sudden movements, I’ll pop you again.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed with the promise of retribution, but he started forward as ordered.

  After taking the man’s gun, Blake pulled a set of handcuffs from the holder on the back of his belt.

  The man’s brows shot up. “Really? You’re going to cuff me?”

  “It’s all part of the game, my friend. Turn around.”

  “You don’t play fair. That second shot was completely unnecessary.”

  “I play to win. That’s all that matters.” He clicked the cuffs into place, slung the straps of both rifles over his shoulder and marched the man back toward the barn. Now that it was safe to break radio silence, he pulled the two-way off his belt and opened a channel.

  “Blake to base. SWAT two, suspects zero. I got both of them. The first one in the barn, the second at the river. I’m on my way back with the second one.”

  His prisoner glanced over his shoulder, aiming a frown his way.

  “Keep moving.”

  The man gave him a look that should have made him burst into flames.

  The radio remained quiet as they strode toward the barn. No one answered Blake’s call. He pressed the button again.

  “Blake to base. Copy?”

  No answer. Maybe they were in a communication dead zone. Cell phones were virtually useless out here. He supposed the same thing could happen even with their powerful radios. Or the equipment could be malfunctioning. Destiny was a small town with an equally small law-enforcement budget. Their equipment wasn’t exactly top of the line and was rarely purchased new. The only reason that Destiny could even afford to have their detectives operate in a dual role as a SWAT team was that neighboring townships augmented the Destiny Police Department’s budget. In return, Destiny SWAT responded to calls across several counties, when needed. But even the extra money never seemed to be enough.

  When they moved into the clearing by the barn, Blake jerked to a halt and drew in a sharp breath. There, lying on the ground, were his teammates—everyone except their leader, Dillon. They were all dressed in green camouflage uniforms, covered with red splotches.

  Chapter Two

  Blake’s prisoner started laughing. He was tempted to shoot the man again.

  “I see you got your suspect,” someone snarled close by.

  He whirled around to see Dillon Gray striding toward him. Beside him, Chief Thornton’s white puff of hair lifted and fell with every step he made. Both of them looked mad enough to wrestle hornets.

  A sinking feeling settled in Blake’s gut. What had he done wrong this time? He looked to his teammates for support. But they were all lying motionless on the ground. He cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders as Dillon stopped directly in front of him, the chief a few steps back.

  “What happened?” Blake waved toward the team. “I don’t understand. I took out the first suspect in the barn. I know he didn’t get off any shots. And I followed this guy to the river.”

  “There were three suspects,” Dillon snapped. “While you were off gallivanting alone, the third suspect ambushed the rest of the team.”

  Blake’s gaze dropped to the red splotches on Dillon’s chest that added weight to his accusation.

  “But our intel said there were only two.” Blake motioned toward his prisoner, who was still laughing, but was now sitting on top of a rotting log. “This guy took off, so I—”

  Bam. White-hot pain exploded through Blake’s jaw and he slammed back onto the ground. He glared up at Dillon, whose fist was still clenched as if he were ready to punch him again.

  “What the hell was that for?” Blake snarled. “I got two of the bad guys.”

  “Yeah. You did. But you ignored the signals from both Randy and me and went all Rambo on your own.” Dillon waved toward the bodies on the ground. “You weren’t here when the team needed you.”

  Blake shoved to his feet. “I don’t know what has you so fired up. If an entire team can’t handle one bad guy without my help, you should be mad at them, not me.”

  “You idiot.” Dillon took another step toward him.

  The chief grabbed his shoulder. “Easy,” Thornton said. Then he let Dillon’s shoulder go and moved back, making it clear that he trusted his most senior officer to handle the situation. But he’d rather it not devolve into a fistfight.

  Blake wanted to punch both of them. He’d done his job. It was the rest of the team who’d failed.

  Dillon’s jaw clenched and unclenched several times before he spoke again. “You can get up now,” he told the team. “Everybody reload your paint guns and get fresh camo. We’re doing this again until we get it right.”

  A chorus of grumbles sounded from the others as they stood. But they dutifully headed toward the stacks of supplies on the other side of the clearing, where their gear was laid out for th
e day’s training exercises.

  “Tim, you okay?” Dillon asked the man who’d played the suspect that Blake had “killed” in the river.

  “A bit bruised. He shot me twice. That second one was out of pure meanness.”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake. You didn’t go down,” Blake said. “I had to make sure you were dead.”

  “I was in the water. What was I supposed to do? Go under?”

  “It might have been more convincing.”

  The man swore.

  Dillon waved Tim toward the other SWAT team members. “Have one of the others uncuff you. If you don’t want to stay for round two, I understand. You’ll get paid either way.”

  “Nah, that’s fine. As long as he isn’t part of the next exercise.” He angled his chin toward Blake.

  Blake rolled his eyes. The man was being melodramatic. But then Dillon stepped closer, blocking his view of their pretend-perpetrator.

  “That won’t be a problem,” Dillon said. “Blake’s not participating in any more training.”

  Blake frowned. “Why not?”

  “Seeing your teammates lying dead on the ground isn’t answer enough?”

  He barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “You obviously staged that for effect.”

  “You’re right. We did catch the third suspect. But it was a close thing. None of us knew there was a third one out here. The chief surprised us with that element, which just proves how important it is to always be alert and operate as a team, watching each other’s backs.” He poked Blake in the chest as if for emphasis. “You were supposed to watch your partner’s back. But Donna said you took off without her halfway through the scenario. What was that about?”

  Blake felt his face flush with heat. He glanced toward the trucks. Donna had already changed into fresh camo and was retying her blond hair into a ponytail. She was also the only member of the team not paying attention to him and Dillon. Had he upset her? Did she feel that he’d let her down?

  She’d been training him for several months, teaching him the Destiny Police Department’s way of doing things, which wasn’t the way he’d been trained in Knoxville. He was supposed to stick with her today. But when he’d seen the suspect racing through the woods, he’d taken off in pursuit, without waiting for his partner.

 
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