Page 49 of Guarded from Corruption

Matt hacked into all the surveillance cameras in the building; he swears he can see everything, but what if there’s a blind spot he didn’t notice?

The fear expands inside me until it’s hard to breathe. My heart is pounding in punishing blows. Air whistles through a constricting throat.

Fuck.

This fear is different from anything I’ve felt before.

All the things I’ve done as a Ranger and a Green Beret, all the treacherous missions, times when I wasn’t sure I would make it—but this, this is worse.

“I don’t like this.” As Dante turns in the front seat to look at me, I bite out, “They’re taking too long. I don’t like it. Maybe we should abort the mission.”

In the dim of the SUV, Dante’s eyes flash with sympathy. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes.” But this is what Jade wants. Didn’t I tell her it would be safe? If we can end this for her tonight… My jaw clenches. “Fuck. No. Just?—”

“They’re coming out.” Matthew’s voice is calm, but with an undercurrent of urgency.

In the seconds I took my eyes from the screen, the men made a quick exit and are now hurrying toward their car. It’s a nondescript sedan, just like a dozen others in the parking lot. It’s the kind of car your gaze moves right past as you’re driving on the highway. The perfect car to transport an unwilling and unconscious victim.

My muscles are so tight, I’m nearly vibrating with tension.

From our vantage point, we have a clear view of the two men—both dressed all in black, hoodies pulled tightly around their heads, gaiters covering their faces.

And Jade.

My Jade. Being carried by a man that isn’t me. Isn’t one of my trusted teammates.

She’s a magnet drawing me to her. Every cell in my body wants to take action.

“We’ve got this,” Xavier says quietly. “I got the tracker on their car. Jade’s tracker is working perfectly.”

“And her band is reporting normal pulse and blood oxygen levels,” adds Rhiannon. “She’s okay.”

“She’s not okay,” I snap. “She’s unconscious. Some fucker is about to put her in the—” My voice catches as I watch the man who isn’t carrying Jade pop the truck of their car.

Fuck. Jade in the trunk. Alone. What if she wakes up? She’ll be so scared. What if she gets sick?

“You don’t need to watch this.” Matt pats my arm. “We all have eyes on Jade. If it’s?—”

“No.” It’s almost a growl. “I promised Jade I’d be with her the entire time. And that means watching everything. Even if I hate it.”

“It’s going to be okay.” Erik turns around in the passenger seat to look at me. His tone is quietly confident. “We planned this out. None of us would have agreed to let Jade do this if we didn’t believe it would work.”

My heart twists violently. “It has to work. It’s Jade. I can’t… I promised her.”

“We’ve got this.” Dante’s calm voice draws my gaze. From the front seat, his features are deep in shadow, the faint light from the laptop barely reaching his face. “Remember. It’s a mission. Focus on that. Everything else will follow.”

There’s a second when I want to argue. To ask if he has any idea how I’m feeling.

But then.

Shit. He’s right. Jade doesn’t need a worried and protective boyfriend right now. She needs the trained soldier who can bring her home safely. The skilled team that can help put an end to this.

“Okay.” I swallow back my fear and focus on the years of training and experience. The years of tamping down emotions so I could do my job. Years of reliance on logic and facts and meticulous planning for every possible contingency. Lifting my chin, I nod sharply. “Let’s do this.”

“They’re moving out,” Erik says.

“As soon as they get out of the parking lot, we’ll move,” Dante replies.

---