“This sounds really dangerous.” She looked at the map in front of the conference room, her body nicely sore from the previous night.
Jethro looked over from the end of the table, where he was poring over some documents. “It’ll be fine. Wolfe and I have both done this before.”
Wolfe nodded, studying satellite images of the hills he planned to parachute into from way too high.
Jethro stood. “We need to leave in five minutes to catch the military transport.” With a nod to her, he exited the conference room, shutting the door and leaving them alone.
“Please be careful and promise you’ll come back,” Dana said.
Wolfe put the papers down and reached for her, settling her on his lap with an easy strength that zinged butterflies through her abdomen. “I promise I’ll be careful and will return.”
She played with his dark shirt. “I understand how you’ll get into the hills, but I didn’t quite catch how you were gonna get out.”
“Well, if all goes well, a friend of Jethro’s in a helicopter is going to get us out of there.”
She bit her lip, searching for the right words. “I trust you to come back.”
He tugged her ponytail back and kissed her neck. Then he lifted his head, his dark gaze serious. “The second Gary gets wind that we’ve blown up his heroin, he’s gonna be out for blood. So I need you to stay with my team and Roscoe until I get back. Promise me.”
“I promise.” She kissed him, marveling at the firmness of his mouth. “I’ll miss you.” His plan was to return to D.C., and then go to the cabin he’d rented to wait for Gary to show. In other words, he would use himself as bait and keep her safely away from danger. “This plan had better work.”
“It will.” Wolfe kissed her, going deep and taking possession. Then he stood and placed her on her feet. “Try not to do anything dangerous until I get back.” He kissed her again and then turned, striding out of the room and heading straight for the elevator with Jethro. Seconds later, they were gone.
She pressed her lips together to keep from calling him back. They could never live normal lives with Gary out there waiting to strike, so she understood Wolfe’s need to get this mission behind them. Roscoe padded in as if sensing she needed support, and she dropped to the chair to hug him, burying her face in his fur.
Pippa came in afterward with a tray of cupcakes. “I bake when I get nervous, and so, here.” She slid the tray across the table.
Dana straightened her back. Enough wallowing and giving in to fear. Sugar was another matter. She took a cupcake and bit into it, smiling at the delicious blend of vanilla and nutmeg. “This is amazing,” she said around a mouthful.
“Thanks.” Pippa took a vacated seat, today wearing skinny jeans and marvelous brown boots. Her mahogany hair tumbled down her back, and her pretty eyes were relaxed but concerned. “How are you doing?”
Dana gulped down the rest of the cupcake. “I’m eating my feelings.”
Pippa laughed and reached for a white frosted cupcake. “I’ll eat some feelings, too.”
Roscoe yipped.
“No,” Dana said. “No more sugar for you.” He’d snuck two cookies earlier in the day and then had danced spastically for about fifteen minutes before dropping into a loud snooze. She played with a pen on the table to keep from reaching for another treat. “How are you and Malcolm doing?” she asked.
“Fantastic, although he’s a little on edge with this op. Like the rest of us.” Pippa finished her cupcake and brushed crumbs off her jeans. She stood. “I have to get some stuff finished, so I’ll let you get back to work. We need a spa day when this is all over, and I’ll look for a good one and make the arrangements.” She patted Dana’s shoulder and left.
Dana smiled. “Thanks.” Pippa was one of the nicest people she’d ever met. Drawing her laptop across the table, she started typing her article, beginning with Candy’s disappearance. She was freelance now, and she wouldn’t sell the story until Wolfe was safe and it was over, but she could start now. It’d probably be a three-part article when she was finished, and she’d put Candy’s byline first.
She got lost in writing, taking her time, petting the dog every once in a while.
When the elevator dinged outside, she grew still, her hands halting on the keyboard. What time was it, anyway? Her stomach growled. Must be around supper time.
Nari soon entered with Dr. Georgetown in tow. “Look who we have.” She winked at Dana and then gracefully exited, shutting the door behind herself.
Heat climbed into Dana’s face. “Oh. I totally forgot about the follow-up blood tests. Wolfe isn’t here right now.”
Today the doctor wore red plaid shorts and a bright blue shirt with a peacock above the left pocket. “I was golfing today, so it was no problem to stop by.” He dropped his worn doctor’s bag on the table and drew out a syringe still hygienically sealed and wrapped in a container. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” Dana said. “No aftereffects from the drugs.”
“That’s what Wolfe said. I’ve been checking in with him daily, and he has reported on you as well.” The doctor drew a rubber band thingy from his bag. “I just want to make sure the drugs have cleared your system and all is well. Does that work for you?”
She held out her arm, laying it on the table. “Sure.”
The doctor wrapped the rubber around her vein and tapped a few times before using a wipe to clean her arm. “This is going to pinch.” He smoothly inserted the needle and drew blood into the attached vial.
Dana looked away from the blood to keep from throwing up.
The doctor watched the vial fill. “There we go. Isn’t it nice that life has calmed down a little?”
Her mouth gaped open. Oh, the poor guy had no clue.
* * *
Wolfe hated leaving Dana, but he had to finish this game of cat and mouse with Gary. The only way to draw out the bastard was to really piss him off, and destroying the drugs he’d trafficked to Mexico was an excellent way to do that. Then they could finally end this thing.
He led Jethro to the C-130 on the airstrip and was met immediately by his military contact, Cathy Roberts, as she crossed around.
“Cathy.” He hugged her and then turned her to meet Jethro. “Professor Jethro Hanson, please meet Colonel Cathy Roberts.”
They shook hands. Cathy looked good with her black hair cut short and her back ramrod straight. “You guys ready for our training exercise?” She used her fingers to make air quotes. “It’ll take us nine hours or so to get there. You have a ride out?”
“Aff irmative,” Wolfe said.
“Well. I want to check out this bus, too.” She smiled and turned to run to the front of the plane, where another pilot waited.
Jethro’s eyebrows rose.
“What?” Wolfe asked, looking around. Oh. Cathy was a surprise? “She’s one of the best pilots I’ve ever known, and she has also commanded in various positions throughout AFSOC. She’s phenomenal, man.”
Jethro nodded, and they settled into seats across from each other, falling asleep the minute the plane rose into the air.
Wolfe awoke to darkness, cold seeping into gear that Cathy had generously provided for them. It was the good stuff, too. He’d brought his own guns and knives—ones he knew well.
Jethro stretched awake, looking as relaxed as if he was settling in for a night of football, except for his alert eyes. He glanced at his watch, nodded, and reached for the tank to breathe pure oxygen for forty-five minutes to flush the hydrogen from his body
Wolfe did the same, breathing deep.
At about forty minutes, Cathy turned and gave them the sign. Wolfe stood and suited up with Jethro’s help and then did the same for the Brit. They each had a small oxygen tank, compasses, and GPS devices. When the green light came on, he moved to the back door of the plane, which opened. He checked his gear again, gave the sign, and then jumped out.
The wind grabbed him, and he waited several seconds before pulling th
e rip cord. In a HAHO, a high-altitude high-opening jump, he felt in control. Cold wind batted at him, and he finished counting and aimed. An image of Dana filtered through his thoughts, but he pushed it aside, focusing only on right here and right now.
The Brit followed him.
Flimsy clouds surrounded him, and he glanced at the compass, breathing the oxygen. They were right on track. Cathy had somehow acquired good explosives for this training mission as well. He coasted down for quite a while, adjusting his course easily, eventually landing near a rocky hill and running to slow down. Then he unclipped the chute and wrapped it up as Jethro did the same, looking for a place to hide them.
Jethro stashed them behind some rocks before jogging up. “Nice jump. We’re about two miles from target.”
Wolfe ditched the oxygen. “You up to a jog?”
“Affirmative.”
Wolfe checked his pack and silent radio before reading his compass. He freed the binoculars Cathy had provided, scouting the area, looking for heat signatures. Nothing close. So he replaced them, swung his pack to his back, and started jogging up the hill, keeping alert for any sounds.
Jethro easily kept pace, and he’d been an expert on the jump. Wolfe should probably find out more about this guy when he got the chance.
They reached the top of the first hill and kept running, going for about twenty minutes until they came to another hill. This one was guarded by two guys with machine guns.
Wolfe motioned for Jethro, who nodded. Wolfe took the one on the left and Jethro the right, dropping them with no shots fired. They were both unconscious, so Wolfe tied their hands and feet before dragging them out of sight.
Jethro slapped duct tape over their mouths, stood, and jogged back toward the hill. When they reached the top of the one they wanted, Wolfe crouched down and pulled out his binoculars. He pointed. “There.” Adrenaline percolated throughout his veins, providing focus and a buzz that would help keep him alive.
A patrol of two men walked by what looked like an entrance into the adjacent hill.
Jethro watched them go. “Hello, underground lab.”
“I hope our intel is good.” Wolfe was fine destroying any drug lab, but this had better be the one working with Gary. The combined sources of the Deep Ops teams were good, and more than a couple had directed him here.
It was around two in the morning and wouldn’t be dark for long. The lab was probably as empty as it was gonna get. “Let’s clear it,” Wolfe said, shimmying down the hill.
Jethro followed suit. They reached the bottom and crouched, running full bore for the metal door set into the rock. He counted to three and opened it.
Wolfe darted inside, gun sweeping. Nothing. Empty corridor, cold and wet.
Jethro shut the door. “Let’s move, mate.”
Wolfe took point, inching down the corridor and drawing on his mask to protect his lungs from any chemicals. He’d dealt with enough drugs in his system lately. They reached a lab that was empty but well stocked. Then another empty lab.
Voices came from up ahead, and he hurried, finally reaching a working lab. He motioned for Jethro to move past the entrance without being seen, and Jethro nodded.
Wolfe did the same, coming to a storage room. He forced open the door and sucked in air. Stacks and stacks and stacks of bagged heroin. Millions and millions of dollars’ worth of the deadly opiate. He stepped inside and drew off his pack.
A guard appeared from the other side of the stack, starting and gasping, his body tensing. He lifted his weapon.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Dana stretched out on Wolfe’s sofa after a dinner of delicious beef Wellington with Pippa and Mal. If Mal didn’t marry Pippa, Dana was going to. That woman could really cook. As if conjured by the thought, Pippa knocked on the back sliding door before stepping inside, holding a stack of glass containers in her hands.
“Hi,” Dana said, standing. She couldn’t eat anything else tonight—she was happily stuffed.
“Hey.” Pippa moved to the fridge as if she’d done so a hundred times before. “I have leftovers and some goodies for the upcoming week.” The stunning brunette took a moment to organize the rest of the fridge’s contents as if she couldn’t help herself.
Dana had followed her into the kitchen. “I kinda love you.”
Pippa laughed, the sound free and happy. “Ditto.”
Dana’s friends were a small and select group, and it felt good to add Pippa to that number. Pippa was always nurturing Dana and Wolfe with food, and Dana wanted to reciprocate. What did Pippa need? A thought struck Dana, and she reached out for Pippa’s hand. “I have an idea. As soon as all of this craziness is over, let’s get hold of my sister Katie.”
Pippa tilted her head. “Okay?”
“Yeah. She’s a shoe buyer for Neiman’s. We can either take a weekend and go visit her, or we can talk her into bringing a boatload of samples here.” It was well known that Pippa loved boots. She also suffered from social anxiety but was branching out more these days.
Pippa’s eyes lit up like those of a kitten seeing its first goldfish. She grabbed Dana’s other hand. “A buyer for Neiman’s?”
“Yes,” Dana said, laughing. “It kills her that I’d rather wear tennis shoes than anything else, but she’s gonna love you.”
Pippa impulsively pulled Dana in for a hug in a rare show of trust. “Oh, thank you. I can’t wait. Can you imagine seeing the next line before it’s public?”
Dana wasn’t sure what a line was, but she hugged her new friend back anyway.
The slider opened and Malcolm, looking ripped and dangerous, paused outside. “Um, what’s the hugging about?”
Pippa released Dana and turned, actually hopping once. “Dana’s sister is a buyer for Neiman’s, and she can bring the next season’s samples here sometime. Can you believe it?”
Mal’s strong eyebrows rose. “I, ah, I don’t know what that means.”
“Shoes, boots, sandals,” Pippa said, moving excitedly toward him. “All here, all new. All mine.”
Mal’s eyes softened and he reached out to touch her face. “That sounds great. Although, isn’t there a limit to how many pairs of boots one set of feet can wear?”
“No,” Pippa and Dana said in unison.
Mal chuckled. “I’ll trust you on that.” He tugged Pippa outside, the obvious gentleness in contrast with his dangerous appearance. He drew Pippa close and pressed a kiss to her temple, while unobtrusively scouting the area to each side of the house, no doubt looking for problems.
Dana could just sigh in happiness at the love between the two. They’d certainly earned it after Malcolm had been shot while undercover and Pippa had escaped from a dangerous cult. It was nice to see them relaxed and not looking over their shoulders constantly.
Well, except when they were watching for Gary Rockcliff. He was a threat to the entire team. Thank goodness everyone was involved in the case now. The unit members had some definite quirks, but they got things done when they worked together. The intervention with Wolfe had been a little tense, but there had been something sweet and caring about it.
Mal turned serious, zeroing his focus in on her. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us? We have a guest room, and both animals are welcome, too.”
“I’m sure,” Dana said. She’d probably be up all night writing and worrying about Wolfe, anyway. “Thanks for dinner, and the goodies. I’ll see you two tomorrow morning before we head in to work.” They still had to discuss the interviews with HDD, but she just couldn’t worry about one more thing right now.
Mal nodded. “Okay, but lock the door and set the alarm right after we leave. The sensors and cameras aren’t up around the properties yet, because Agent Frost had to special order all of it. Got it?”
“Yep.” Most of the Deep Ops guys were pretty bossy, weren’t they? In fact, so was Nari when it came to her meetings and Brigid when it came to her computer room or anything to do with the Internet. They should rename themselves the Bo
ssy Bunch instead of Deep Ops. Dana chuckled and moved to shut and lock the door.
Dinner and talking with Pippa had been a nice distraction, but her stomach still hurt and her shoulders felt as if she’d had them tensed for days. Nothing would help that but Wolfe getting home safely. She turned back as Roscoe padded in from the bedroom, stretching after a nap. He headed for the back door. “Need to go out, huh?” She opened the door and let him bound out, watching him chase his tail around the backyard as darkness slowly began to descend.
Then Kat came out of nowhere, also wanting to go outside. He had a litter box in the laundry room, but he seemed to prefer the outdoors, so she let him wander out and sniff the grass, following Roscoe. The humidity hung low and heavy as she stepped out on the deck and sat on the stairs, shutting the door so as not to cool the outside, as her dad would’ve said.
She took a deep breath, looking out at the fence that enclosed the two backyards together. Beyond the fence was a trail and acres of forest, teeming with wildlife. How in the world was Millie Frost going to set sensors and cameras everywhere? It seemed impossible, especially since Wolfe and Pippa owned forty acres between them. Their bungalows were at the end of a long country road with forested land across from them.
The quiet countryside reminded Dana of home, and she leaned back against the glass, trying to relax. The animals played, chasing each other, Kat halfheartedly swiping at Roscoe’s nose.
She let them goof off for a while until they both looked too hot, and then she called them in. “It’s going to cool off someday,” she said, standing and shutting the door to securely lock it before setting the alarm.
Both animals headed for their bowls of food. The AC brushed her skin, and she shivered at the contrast with the heat.
She might as well get back to work. Instead of using the home off ice, she spread her notes across the kitchen table and started typing on her laptop, feeling cozy with the animals in the house and Mal and Pippa next door. Her thoughts kept returning to Wolfe, and she hoped Jethro was as good at backup as Angus had promised.
Her burner phone buzzed, and she scrambled for it. Maybe it was Wolfe. “Hello?”
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