Page 78 of Dangerous Obsession

Cole turned in to the large clearing, drove all the way across the gravel lot, and did a U-turn so he was facing the road. He cut the engine and pressed a button on the lower part of his dash to open the back tailgates. All four side doors swung open, and everyone piled out.

Viking rounded the front of the SUV, stood next to Cole and scanned the area.

At the back of the property, there was a long metal-roofed building that appeared to be a shop area. Parked around it were three white pickup trucks with the reservoir logo on their doors, a couple of four-wheelers, two dump trucks, and a front loader. They were all secured behind a high chain-link fence.

Toward the front was a smaller, single-story building in the style of a log cabin. A sign on the door readAdministration.

“Sammy’s got overwatch from the boutique all the way to the far west side of the reservoir.” Cole tugged a map from a pocket on his pants and spread it out on the hood of his SUV. “No matter where he pops up, she’ll be able to see him and will let us know.”

Viking checked his watch. “Per his instructions, Marigold should be leaving in about thirty minutes to meet him.”

Was she still working at the store? Now was not the time to check up on her. He needed to trust that Sebastian’s people would take good care of her.

“Everyone, gear up.” Cole checked the time. “We’ll get to the cabin, retrieve Shayna, and be back at the trailhead by the time he arrives.” He grabbed his bag from the SUV and set it on the ground to unload what he needed.

“His plan must be to hide near the trailhead so he can see when she pulls up.” Viking grabbed his tactical vest, pulled it on over his long-sleeved black T-shirt, and secured it in place with multiple Velcro straps.

As usual, his Glock 21 semiautomatic rested comfortably on his hip, and its matte black finish blended in with his black tactical pants and shirt. He reached into his duffle, grabbed his backup weapon, and tucked it into the drop leg tactical holster secured around his thigh. OSI had the holsters specially designed and built to each operator’s specifications. Extra fully loaded magazines for both pistols were transferred from his duffle and safely tucked into multiple pockets on his vest.

Zippers whirred, pistol slides clacked, and theripfrom Velcro could be heard coming from every team member.

Headlights appeared, and everyone’s hands dropped to their weapons. A moment later, they recognized Hawk’s red truck, and, as one, they lowered their hands and finished gearing up.

Hawk cruised up and parked next to Cole. He climbed from his rig—vest on, armed and ready to go.

He bobbed his chin up at Viking. “How’s your girl holdin’ up?”

“As well as can be expected. But she’s strong.” He looped the strap of his rifle over his head and across his chest so the MK13 Mod 5 hung close to his back.

The rifle could hit a target up to twelve hundred meters out. But he planned to be up close and personal with Barnum. The asshole needed to experience a level of fear and pain that would surpass anything Marigold had suffered at his hands.

“Circle up.” Cole exuded authority without having to raise his voice.

The team gathered around him.

“First, is everyone wearing their bio-patch and have you confirmed transmission?” His gaze traveled around the group, and one by one, they nodded. “Our objective is to get to the cabin and grab Shayna. Once we have her, Viking and I will boogie back to the trailhead before Barnum shows up. Eddie, Hawk, and Calliope, you’ll bring her out.”

They all acknowledged his instructions.

“This is where we’re headed.” Cole tapped his fingertip to a red circle on the map. “We don’t know anything about this cabin, other than it’s isolated and close to one of the tributaries.”

The Occoquan Reservoir was fourteen miles long with tons of small tributaries that snaked through the heavily wooded terrain. Its watershed was five hundred seventy square miles and covered parts of four separate counties. The place was massive and could be dangerous to hikers who might happen to stray from the trails.

Fortunately, OSI used some of the most high-tech, military grade DAGRs, Defense Advanced GPS Receivers. The handheld device would make it easier to navigate through the dense woods.

Without hesitation, every single member of the team would put their complete trust in Hawk’s incredible scouting and tracking abilities. But he couldn’t be everywhere at once, so it was nice to have the advanced technology available to them.

Cole handed Viking and Hawk a DAGR. They both clipped them to their belts.

“Eddie, Calliope, and Hawk, you three load into Hawk’s rig, drive to this spot, and enter here.” His finger dragged along the road, stopped, and tapped an area east of their current location. “Come in on the back side of the cabin and fan out. Viking and I will head into the woods from here, take the most direct route, and approach from the front.” He turned to the sole female member of the group. “Calliope, once you find yourself a perch, let us know your location.”

“You got it,” she responded.

“Eddie, take this. I’ll need you to bring my rig to the trailhead.” Cole handed him the fob to his SUV. “We want to deal with Barnum first, so wait for my orders.”

Eddie nodded and stowed it in a pocket.

They all checked their NVGs, mics and earpieces and verified with the command center that their bio-patches were still operational.

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