Page 31 of Midnight Escape

“Doc, check him out and get him to whoever’s here to collect him. Everyone else hit the showers. I’ll handle this.” As Alpha team assistant team leader, Danny was responsible for everything—good or bad—that happened on an op under his command. This time, he hadn’t planned backup transport and somehow brought a small army into their rescue mission.

As he reached the war room, he took long strides, not even greeting Devon who looked as tired as Danny felt. His insides burned with a rage that could make the largest bonfire ever. When he found the office he sought, he entered, not wasting his time playing games.

Slapping his hands on the desk, Danny leaned his head down to look at AJ.

“We go on no more ops with just the four of us without a sniper,” he said firmly. “If we hadn’t had some black ops help, all four us wouldn’t be walking back in. And the FBI had its own group of spooks. Why weren’t they doing this shit instead of swooping in like an avenging angel and providing transport that doesn’t even belong to them?” His anger, frustration, and finally sarcasm bled into his voice and he wouldn’t change it a bit.

Alpha team had been prepared for the op. Although Cowboy had wanted to barge in, toss a few flash grenades, they’d agreed to accept the boy from his nanny. With no expected army, two of them could’ve handled it.

AJ ran his hand through his dark hair, and Danny couldn’t tell if it was frustration or something else on his face. “I know.” His soft tone warred with what Danny thought he’d seen. His stance in the meeting strengthened when AJ leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, like they weren’t discussing something that hadn’t been life or death.

“Did your help arrive? Okay.” AJ looked sheepishly. “I guess they did if you’re here.”

Danny also remained standing with crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed. He nodded although it’d been unnecessary. “Yep. I would’ve liked them earlier.”

“Arthur called and told me he’d sent them but didn’t know if they’d make it for cleanup.”

“Speaking of cleanup, that’s exactly what they’d have been doing for us if we hadn’t had them. Why was this a setup?” It still didn’t add up to him and that bothered him down to his toes.

Ignoring his important question, AJ aggravated him more by asking, “What did you think of the snipers?”

About ready to jump over the desk to keep AJ on track, Danny forced himself to shrug. “They were fine. They kept our asses alive. But I’m more worried about what we left.”

AJ waved off his words. “Before we forced Ken on medical leave, he approved Alpha team two snipers—which is what we want per team.” AJ shook his head. “I think the man is superhuman or something, working so long injured.”

It had taken a lot to finally get Ken to take medical leave after being shot more than once. If it hadn’t been for Sugar, he probably wouldn’t have taken the time. The problem was that she’d been their sniper and decided to keep one parent out of the action with the boy they were raising.

AJ picked up a bag of chips and offered him some. Danny declined and almost snatched them from him because last he’d heard, AJ’s wife said he was getting flabby in the gut, so junk food went out the window.

Somehow discerning Danny’s thoughts, AJ explained how his wife didn’t rule the roost and if he wanted—

Danny tuned out. He needed to give a full debrief, shower, and get home to Moira. He needed to see her and know she was okay. There’d been no message from the former DEA buddy he’d hired to covertly watch her. He took the silence as a positive sign.

AJ now discussed his son. Danny admitted Ace was a good and smart kid. But he’d had enough. He slammed his hands on the desk again, this time making AJ jump. “AJ, focus. You said you had two new sharpshooters for the team? Where the hell were they tonight?”

Looking at AJ, finding the corner of his lips curling into a smirk, caused Danny to feel even more nauseous. You never knew what to expect from the runt of the Hamilton men. It appeared AJ had a secret he was eager to share.

“Where were they tonight? They were covering your six.”

Thrown by that statement, Danny staggered back to the chair facing the desk. It took a moment to process exactly what he meant. “Are you telling me two of those ‘I-don’t-exist’ agents are joining us?” Not that HIS was a step-down, but…?

Somehow in the time he’d pondered things, AJ had put away the chips and turned serious. “Okay. Yes, two snipers are coming our way and will be on Alpha team. It gets better. One sharpshooter is an explosives expert while the other, his twin, is a top-notch handler.”

“Since they’re spooks, maybe we should split them up.”

“I don’t split from my sister,” a deep voice with a hard edge said from behind him.

Danny spun around to face the snipers from the helo and Alpha team’s newest sharpshooters. While you’d never mix the twins up, it was obvious they were brother and sister. Now. On the flight, she’d done a great job hiding the fact she was a woman. Like him, the siblings hadn’t showered and looked to be carrying gear.

Peering to the side, Danny caught sight of three sweaty, mushed camo-painted men. Either his team had come back to support him or they’d followed the spooks. Either way, he appreciated it. And now he knew AJ had been stalling instead of being an idiot.

AJ scooted around the desk in the small office and unnecessarily introduced them at the doorway, obviously noting the rest of the team waiting. He turned back to Danny with a quirk of his brow, and Danny chose to ignore any implied question with that expression.

They’d spoken briefly on the bird, but mostly just the thank you for arriving when they had and not dropping Danny as he flew behind him on a rope. Both gave a strong handshake, but there was no denying the brother’s grip had a ‘touch my sister and I’ll kill you’ feel.

“What the fuck?” Cowboy opened his mouth to say more and Danny cringed. The team didn’t know them yet. The siblings had said few words on their return flight. “Did we just start taking the first people who show up?”

The twins looked at Cowboy, and he looked down at Jane, then cocked the smile he used to pick up women. Danny knew his next words would be wrong. So very wrong. He reached to get Cowboy’s attention and stop him, but he was too late.

---