Page 32 of Lethal Justice

Chapter Eighteen

Time ticked by so slowly,Frida wanted to scream. After she and Malco returned to the Agency following their talk with Ward, it was obvious they’d needed to adjust their plan. Not only did storming the castle provide too many risks to the team, but they had to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation or a direct attack from the gang members.

It had been fascinating to see how the experienced and trained agents examined a mission and twisted it inside out, covering all possible and impossible avenues. The plan was to get the young people from the list by checking their habits and kidnapping them when they were at their most vulnerable. And most especially, alone.

That required a few more days of planning and tailing each of them to finally decide where they could pluck them out.

Another hurdle had been convincing Malco to let her tag along, which had failed. In fact, the entire team was against it, especially due to the fact that everything was planned to the minute, and everyone had to be masked and leave like ghosts. However, Mercy had come up with a suggestion so Frida and the team back at the base could be kept in the loop: body cams.

The most sensitive extraction was the one to rescue JaKheel. Danie hadn’t been informed of their plans yet and was staying in a safe house an hour’s drive away. The team also planned to bring everyone to that location once the situation had settled. In the meantime, everyone had to act normal so no one watching them would become suspicious.

The team would need to continue with their normal routines—Mason driving Cleo to get pastries every morning, Sydney and Kingsley training their dogs with Caitlin, and James and Cain running to the taco truck every noon. And Frida didn’t mind riding with Malco at night to his house so he could make love to her until she forgot the danger they were all in.

But now, a major shift was about to happen. Cleo had stayed behind as per Mason’s instructions, safe in the compound. James and Caitlin remained as well while the others were in the field, heading to their targets.

In the conference room, the wall of screens followed each team, but Frida’s attention was on Malco’s body cam.

It was obvious the team were on point and had prepared for every eventuality, but Malco had chosen to be part of the team retrieving JaKheel, which was the most volatile and explosive extraction. The young man didn’t have a routine the team could analyze, going in and out of the compound at odd hours being at Bullet’s beck and call. The only alternative they had was to follow him until they saw an opening.

“Would you like more coffee, Frida?”

Cleo smiled as she replaced her cold cup with a fresh one. “Thanks. At this rate, I won’t be able to sleep for the next several days, maybe weeks, which may be a good thing, because it won’t be easy to close the case, even with strong witnesses. Proving corruption isn’t easy, even if it’s true.”

The purple-haired woman with adorable fairy-like face winked. “But I have no doubt you’ll be successful. All you need are strong witnesses willing to spill the beans, and our team is doing exactly that right now.”

Frida knew her husband Mason was also in the field. “How do you cope knowing Mason is out there putting his life at risk? Doesn’t it bother you?”

Cleo turned her pale eyes to the screens for a moment, and Frida knew she was watching one particular body cam. “I’ve seen firsthand what Mason is capable of accomplishing, how skilled and dangerous he is in his own right. Also, I’ve come to trust every single person in the Agency.”

James smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Well, you’re welcome. It’s always a pleasure to protect lovely ladies such as yourselves.”

Even if the man intentionally dripped seduction, a glint in his eyes shone with deep amusement. With his endless charm and the physique of a model, he naturally drew attention. No wonder he’d got the nickname of Romeo, it naturally fit him. However, even if she admired how handsome he was, her mind constantly returned to Malco and his darker charms. He was the first lover who’d seen her for who she was, her past, her broken soul. The more time she spent with him, the more she saw how his own brokenness complemented hers, making her stronger in return—making both of them stronger.

She heard Kingsley’s voice, the team leader in charge of retrieving JaKheel.

“We have a visual. Target is with two men in a car heading west. We’re in pursuit.”

All three went silent, their coffee completely forgotten.

The other teams dimmed in her mind as Frida’s body lurched toward them, toward one man.

The team retrieving JaKheel were divided between two vehicles: Kingsley and Malco in the first, Mercy and Nicholas in the second.

Kingsley’s voice came over the speakers once more. “We’re turning away from them, we’re too visible and don’t want to spook them. Team Two, come forward and take over. We’ll detour and get back behind you in a moment.”

Silence again, except the faint sound of the engine. This time, it was Mercy’s voice that came through, low and stern. James moved forward as she spoke, his body tensing.

“I have them in view. They just parked in front of a gas station. I think we have our opening. One suspect is at the tank, the other is heading inside. The target is outside, leaning against the car about to have a smoke. The doors are closed, there’s no one else in sight—requesting approval to launch extraction.”

Frida’s heart stopped at the request. Everything was about to go down now, it seemed.

“We’re fifteen seconds away. Launch extraction.”

From that moment, Frida was unable to breathe. Surprisingly, everything was silent at first. The team had discussed various methods of extraction and had decided on strong tranquilizers and guns as a last resort.

It was difficult to see anything clearly through the body cams as everything became blurry and started spinning as they rushed out of the cars.

As he’d said, Kingsley announced their arrival fifteen seconds later. Malco remained as silent as Nicholas, although Frida believed she could hear him breathing.