Page 39 of Shadow Games

“What’s the nearest airport?”

“You’re ten minutes from Dulles. We’ll clear you a path. All flights will be grounded in the next five minutes or rerouted.”

“We need a squad and you get the best fucking veterinarian you can find out on that tarmac.”

“Will do.”

He dropped the phone, taking the towel Rowan handed him. There was blood everywhere beneath Echo, and he didn’t want to touch her because he might cause her pain. So, he stroked her head. “Thank you, girl.”

12

It was chaos when they landed. Men were screaming and yelling, waving guns, until Wyatt strode out of the plane carrying his dog. He ignored everyone around him and strode straight for the jacketed man at the back of the crowd. Rowan waved in the paramedics for Jack, who she thought would recover. He’d never lost consciousness and his bleeding had slowed, so she hoped the shot had just been to slow him down. If thetenientehadn’t been here, Jack would have had to fly the plane, so Britton probably hadn’t wanted to hurt him irreparably.

Rowan backed into the cockpit alcove to give the paramedics room to move. Thetenientewas standing there, cowboy hat low over his hard eyes, waiting to make his move and get away. She looked at him, one brow raised.

“You knew Britton…”

“Your man had brought him with him before,” Crúz said. “The family thought he would be taking over the operation.”

“Yeah, that’s probably not going to happen,” she said, voice wry. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“I didn’t do anything,” Crúz said, crossing his arms. She heard the jingle of the necklace from his shirt. “There was turbulence.”

She snorted, nodding her head as she turned her elbow to show him a big patch of carpet burn. “Definitely turbulence.”

Crúz shrugged, mouth hard. “Better than a bullet.”

“Yes,” she said softly, her thoughts going to Wyatt and Echo. It would kill him to lose two dogs.

They had loaded Jack onto a backboard. Thetenienteshifted. “If you will excuse me, I need to make myself useful.”

“Tell Abuela thank you. And that she’d better batten down the hatches. You know Britton is going to sing like a bird.”

Theteniente’s eyes widened when she mentioned the abuela, and he nodded, before he squeezed in next to the medics and offered to carry Jack down. Rowan knew he would merge into the bustle of the moment, then fade away into the background.

Armed men came in then, and she instinctively knew it was another SEAL team. Which one she had no idea, but they secured the plane quickly and efficiently. Britton was carried down the stairs by his arms, his feet dragging. They would need to get him medical as well, but she had a feeling they weren’t going to rush. The man had a kill sheet a mile long. He’d killed other SEALs! Once they learned that, it was hard to tell what would happen to him.

Finally, she was the last one on the plane. She glanced around, looking for anything they’d missed, but she didn’t see anything. It would have been nice if she had her tablet, but she thought it might be still in the Suburban, and it was on the tarmac in Pennsylvania full of holes.

She walked down the steps, shielding her eyes from the sunlight. Most of the hubbub was gone, though the SEAL team was waiting for her. One of the men stepped forward.

“Ma’am, we’re to take you to a meeting with CNO Bradbury. Can you come with us, please.”

Rowan looked at the man, wondering if she should ask for ID or something. “What team are you with?”

“Two, ma’am.”

She nodded, surprised that he’d answered. She glanced at the men, eight of them in total, decked out in desert gear and ballistic vests. A couple faced her, and the others faced out, looking for danger. They wore helmets with a bunch of crap on them, eye pieces and stuff, and wraparound sunglasses. Theylookedlegitimate. “You’ll understand, I hope, why I hesitate to go with you.”

The man who had spoken tipped his head. “Yes, ma’am. If you balked, we were told to tell you that Charlie had checked us out.”

Smiling softly, Rowan shook her head. She had no idea who the woman was, but she’d love to meet her. “Lead on, gentlemen.”

They escorted her to a nondescript four-story building outside of Wolf Trap, Virginia, just outside Arlington. Tiredness dragged at her bones as she walked into the building, and she knew it was letdown from the entire adrenalin filled morning. Wyatt was probably still on the chaotic ride as he waited for news about Echo, and she hoped the vet Charlie had found was amazing. The dog deserved amazing.

Team Two led her through the building to the back, then crowded into an elevator with her. The elevator went down. Way down. Further than was even marked on the panel in front of them. Two of the team stepped out first, then motioned her out between them. They walked down a long, nondescript hall. Rowan’s anxiety built. This didn’t seem to be a place where the head of the Navy would be. This seemed more like an interrogation unit or something. “Is the Chief here?” she asked, but no one answered her.

She spied a women’s room sign down an adjoining corridor. “Gentlemen, I hate to do this to you, but the target has to pee.” She made a beeline for the refuge, and no one stopped her. One guy held out an arm before she could enter. He went inside and checked the room. “Clear.”

---