Page 64 of Cassidy

“Gabe is likely inside too,” she said, trying not to sound hurt by the way Gabe had taken off without telling her. “We need to take every precaution to make sure Gabe and Travis are not caught in the crossfire.”

“Of course,” Rhy had agreed.

She’d nodded, remaining silent as they’d jumped into the three SUVs and quickly covered the distance to the warehouse location Gabe had left on his computer screen. Just seeing how he’d identified the possible hideout had been like a kick to the chest.

So much for his having faith in her and the rest of the team, she thought with a grimace. Yeah, he was suffering from amnesia, but she and the others had proved their willingness to help and support him over the past thirty-six hours.

Yet he’d still gone off on his own.

Rhy wasn’t happy about the situation either, but their boss had maintained his cool, calm demeanor. When they’d reached the deserted stretch of highway where Gabe had left their rental, she’d caught a flash of concern in Rhy’s gaze.

“We’ll go the rest of the way on foot,” Rhy said. “Jina, you cover the front door with your long gun, and, Steele, you’ll do the same at the back. Brock, you’re our negotiator if needed. Flynn, you and Cassidy will breach from the front. Grayson, you cover the south, Roscoe the north, Raelyn and Joe will take the back.” He raked his gaze over the group. The only missing teammate was Zeke who was still recovering from his shoulder injury. “I’ll coordinate. Any questions?”

No one opened their mouth to speak. Cassidy knew that the members of the team were anxious to get to work.

Especially her. She was glad Rhy had allowed her to be a part of the breach team. She’d feared he’d ask her to sit this one out.

It had taken several tense minutes for them to get into their respective places. They had their earpieces in place, their radio on a private channel to minimize outside noise. Joe was the first one to break radio silence.

“Rear door is unlocked,” he said in a low voice. “Assume Gabe accessed the building from this entry point.”

Cassidy’s stomach twisted so tightly she had to swallow against the urge to throw up. Of course, Gabe had gone inside with nothing in hand for a weapon.

Although she had noticed the USB drive was missing from his desk. She could just imagine his harebrained plan of using it to free Travis.

“Roger that,” Rhy said in an equally soft voice. “We know they are likely armed and dangerous.”

She glanced at Flynn. Brock opened his mouth to speak but hesitated when she lifted her hand to stop him. “Wait! I hear voices,” she whispered.

No one moved. Cassidy crept closer to the door, straining to listen. When she heard Gabe’s raised shout, demanding they throw down their weapons, she wanted to yank her hair out of her head with her bare hands. What was he doing? This wasn’t a video game!

Then he went on to say the place was surrounded.

That gave her pause. Did he know they were outside? She hadn’t seen any cameras, but it was possible. Knowing Gabe, though, this was probably another bluff. Either way, their time was running out.

She tapped her earpiece. “Things are escalating. No time. We’ll need to breach the front and rear entrances before they realize Gabe is not armed,” she whispered.

“Your call, Cass,” Rhy said.

The responsibility was heavy, but she didn’t hesitate. “On my count. Three, two, one.” Flynn and Brock used the ram to break through the front door at the exact same time she heard Joe and Raelyn doing the same from the rear. Conscious of the fact that Jina and Steele were both using sniper rifles, she kept her head down as she ran through the front door.

The sound of gunfire kicked her pulse into high gear. “Police! Drop your weapons!”

In a flash, she saw the three men, two with guns. Travis was lying on the ground, cuffed to a chair that lay sideways beside him.

She grabbed the closest armed man, twisted the gun from his hand, then pushed him toward the wall. Flynn was doing the same with the other.

The third man stood with his hands held high over his head. “I’m not armed! I’m with the FBI, and I’m not armed!”

The FBI? That was news to her, but she didn’t take the time to consider the implications of an undercover cop. She quickly cuffed the man she had pressed against the wall, then turned to scan the room for Gabe.

“Man down,” Joe said through the radio.

Gabe! She ran toward the sound of Joe’s voice, nearly tripping over Gabe’s prone figure sprawled on the ground in the opening between the front and back portions of the warehouse. He didn’t move, his eyes closed, and for a moment, she feared he wasn’t breathing.

“Gabe! Can you hear me?” She dropped to her knees beside him, running her fingers over his torso. It took her a second to realize he was still wearing the vest. Yanking the zipper of his coat down, she felt for the slug.

It was embedded in the Kevlar directly over his sternum. “Gabe, please open your eyes,” she begged, as she moved her fingers over the vest. She didn’t feel any blood, but she knew he was likely bleeding internally. “Call the Lifeline helicopter! Hurry!”

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