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“I’ll meet them on the tarmac. We’re going in tonight. Diego is heading the team, right?”
“Yeah,” Adam answers with a sigh, knowing why I asked.
The ex-SEAL specialized in counter-terrorism and covert missions. He’s been part of our security firm for over six years and has served us well with his experience and professionalism. Diego leads a special operations team we regularly deploy for high-risk jobs.
“Good.” I nod vigorously. “He always brings more ammo than we usually need.” Diego has less reason to use weaponry than when he was in the Navy, but he sure loves access to it.
“Bryce! Take a fucking minute,” Tristan warns.
I face him unblinkingly. He has to see how pointless it is to go against me.
“In approximately forty minutes, I’m going to need you to create a distraction that evacuates that hotel,” I state.
“Jesus,” Tristan mutters while inhaling sharply.
“Less people will be at risk if you evacuate that hotel, Tristan. We’re going in tonight, with or without your help. Send Diego the hotel blueprints.” I’ve already studied it carefully and drafted a plan for entry and extraction. “I’ll go over the plan when he lands, but I need the team to be familiar with the site.”
“You got it,” Adam says.
“Well?” I address my uncle.
“Forty minutes to evacuation,” he says, eyes unwavering.
My drive to the terminal and the huddle with Diego’s team happens in a blur. I’m itchy with anxiety but I have to trust my instincts. Turner wouldn’t bother with all the demands and the theatrics if he intended to kill Ana. He really thinks he’s got enough of an upper hand to pull off a meeting tomorrow.
He’ll be dead by then.
Thirty-seven minutes later, we’re pulling up to the target. Ongoing surveillance outside the suite’s living room confirms the placement of ten guards. Diego splits up our team based on that intel. Mentally and physically preparing, we quietly squat in the dark, rechecking our bulletproof gear, holsters, guns, and extra clips.
We’re ready.
Tonight, we’re aiming to disarm and detain the security hired by Turner, but that’s up to them. If they even reach for a gun, they’re dumber than they look. They can surrender or get shot, as far as I’m concerned.
They willingly took an innocent woman, bombed a public building full of people, and continue to endanger those in the hotel by their very presence. Assholes, all of them.
The first wave of our infiltration consists of agents who will sweep the entrances and disarm any guards in the lobby. A few will be working the perimeter in case there are other captors we might not have accounted for via surveillance. They will also be our ground floor resource if, for some reason, Turner slips through our grip upstairs.
Everyone else will be with me and Diego. We’ll be accessing the penthouse via twelve flights of stairs. The elevator to the penthouse has been deactivated so no one is going upstairs without our knowledge. The only combat we should face is the men guarding the suite.
This isn’t the first time I’ve joined one of our special operations, but this one is different. Everyone knows Turner is mine. I’m the one who gets to kill him, because he isn’t just a hired gun. A man who targets my Ana and her family has forfeited his right to live.
Right on time, the alarms go off. There’s the first rush of people leaving the lobby and the hotel restaurant. The scuffle makes it easy for us to get into position.
As we climb, more people rush to the staircases in robes or half dressed. People manifest a range of expressions from confused to annoyed to distracted. They barely notice us easing up instead of down.
Meanwhile, we climb.
When the last of the hotel guests are behind us, we slip on our ski masks. The first guard to assess the situation in the stairwell gets it hard. Diego uses the butt of his gun to crush the guard’s nose before throwing him down. Two of our people disarm and handcuff him to the stairs. The next guard isn’t as lucky. He barely has time to reach for his gun before the swish of Diego’s silencer, his gun directed at the man’s foot. Once crumpled to the floor, he’s easy to restrain. Noisy as fuck, but taping his mouth works well.
I step over his writhing body and rush the hallway, pushing to get to the penthouse first. A big man barrels at me and I brace myself for impact. I also lower my center of gravity and make sure my shoulder hits him at his solar plexus. His momentum, with the help of my upward motion, hauls him over my shoulder. When he’s down, I leave it to the other agents to keep him there.
My job is to get inside the penthouse bedroom.
Get to Ana.
Kill Turner.
We enter the suite. Diego and his team handle the four guards who have their hands in the air. They must have seen the carnage in the hallway and realize they’re outnumbered and out armed.
