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Bridger’s watchbuzzed insistently on his wrist, jolting him awake from a deep sleep. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the darkness of the bedroom.
A text from Jason.
Instantly alert, he untangled himself from Jane’s warm embrace and slid out of bed, grabbing his phone off the nightstand as he padded down the hall to the study.
He texted Jason back, letting him know he was awake and available. Seconds later, his phone buzzed with an incoming call. Bridger’s heartrate redlined. Jason had been known to forget about time differences in the past, but this felt different. Urgent. Jay-man didn’t call often, especially not at this hour.
“Yo, bro,” Bridger answered.
Jason got straight to the point. “I’ve got intel confirming the Consortium is active in the Endurance area. You need to get Kate and Fenn out of there, now.”
“Copy that.”
Any lingering softness from sleep evaporated as Bridger snapped into mission manager mode, his mind racing with the details he needed to coordinate.
Where were Tai, Graham, and Paige? He mentally cataloged their locations, estimating how quickly he could assemble the team. Tai was in Miami, Graham in L.A., and Paige in New York. The de Havilland was still in Endurance, obviously. Could he get his hands on another suitable plane on such short notice?
Small details. He’d figure it out.
But first, he needed to talk to Jane. She deserved to know what was happening, deserved to be a part of this mission in whatever way she could.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the conversation to come.
A groan on the other end of the line made Bridger’s stomach plummet.
“You won’t have a good weather window for at least twelve hours. Maybe twenty-four,” Jason said.
Bridger rubbed the back of his neck. “We’ll get as close as we can ASAP and wait it out. Nothing else to do.”
“Roger that.”
“I’ll contact them as soon as I send out a message to the team,” Bridger assured his friend.
“Understood.”
They reminded each other to stay in contact and stay safe.
“Affirmative,” Jason said before ending the call.
Bridger headed back down the hall to wake his bride, his footsteps heavy with the weight of the situation. At least Christmas was still almost a week away. As long as the weather cooperated, he’d have the whole team home in time to make Christmas Eve services.
Jason, though, was another matter.
As he entered the bedroom, Bridger made a silent promise to himself. Next year, the Consortium would be nothing more than a bad memory, and the team would be back together. The entire team.
He gently shook Jane’s shoulder, his touch warm and reassuring. “Jane, baby, wake up. We’ve got a situation.”
Jane stirred, her eyes fluttering open as she took in Bridger’s serious expression. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice thick with sleep.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, taking her hand in his. “Jason called. The Consortium’s active in Endurance, and Kate and Fenn are in danger. I need to get the team together and head up there as soon as the weather clears.”
She sat up, her brow furrowed with concern. “How bad is it?”
“Not great.” He couldn’t bring himself to share his true assessment. Not when she’d be stuck back home, worrying. “Jason’s got intel suggesting a major player is in the area. We need to move fast.”
Jane nodded, her eyes fierce with determination. “What do you need me to do?”
He smiled, his heart swelling with love and pride. This was why he married her. She was always ready to jump in and help, no matter the situation. “Keep the Christmas spirit going. And bake. We’re gonna need lots of cookies when we get back. I’ll keep you updated on our progress.”
