Page 8 of D-Day

He grabbed his backpack and started for the ramp following Joker’s tense shoulders. The moment he stepped off, he was drenched in the torrential downpour, soaking him all the way through—not anything he hadn’t had to deal with before, especially at BUD/S where he was either wet or sandy or both. He was glad they went right into a briefing. He would be good once he got immersed in this mission.

They were transported to a white brick building, the location of the re-established US Embassy, but US and Venezuelan ties were still a bit strained. The powers that be guessed it was pressure the Chinese were putting on the government to continue to cold-shoulder the Americans out.

The place wasn’t exactly up to snuff. It looked a bit rundown, water dripping from several bad spots in the ceiling. They filed into the room where there were several people waiting for them. He didn’t recognize anyone but took a seat with his other teammates. Once they were settled, a woman strode forward and captured his attention. She was beautiful, her hair black, straight, and long, grazing her hips, moving like an obsidian waterfall, her features were strong, high cheekbones, strong jawline, and stunning silver blue eyes beneath her black winged brows. No man in the room, including him, could help but admire her tall, athletic body with her nipped-in waist and full breasts beneath the white silk of her blouse, tucked into a pair of tight black jeans, finished off with black cowboy boots with metal at the heel and toe.

“Hi all, I’m Bailee Thunderhawk with the agency, and this is Inspector Hector Gil with thePolicía Nacional Bolivariana.”Her eyes traveled around the table. “He will be assisting us and our ATF agent rep…um rep…” Her eyes had landed on their big man, Bear. She blinked a couple of times and laughed with such a self-deprecating charm, D-Day found himself smiling and feeling sorry for her. “Ah, James…right, James Marlowe with this operation.” She blushed so prettily just across her cheeks. She looked away and her face turned grave. “There are several reasons you’re here, and the most prominent one is this guy.”

She put up a picture, and just about everyone in the room turned to look at him. “That guy looks just like you, D-Day,” Zorro said.

He sure did. A meaner, scruffier, and decidedly less fit version of himself.

“That’s quite the doppelgänger,” Blitz said. “He even has the same haircut. That’s freaky.”

The guy could be his twin brother, but D-Day actually couldn’t be sure he wasn’t related to him. Although his dad stayed pretty close to home, who knew what and whom he had done in his youth.

“Mr. Nolan, you are the man of the hour here. Since you resemble the gunrunner who has a meeting with the men who are brokering the deal with US military arms, we’re very keen for you to step in and assume his identity. It’s one of the reasons we chose your team to participate in this op.”

“And the other reason?” D-Day asked.

“You guys get the job done. Your record speaks for itself, especially in West Africa.” She picked up a file and consulted it. “Milo Prescott, you were instrumental in ferreting out the terrorist who attacked the embassy.”

“Professor nodded. “That was a big team effort between Tier 1 operators, your Shadowguards, and NCIS.”

“How did I know you would say that?” she said with a smile. “And your commander. Lieutenant Elias Jackman. You saved your father from a disgruntled serviceman, who was trying to kill you both, and foiled plans byAlmawquif Almuahad Lil’islam.”

He opened his mouth, and she held up her hand. “I know. It was a team effort.”

“It was.”

“And Mr. LaBauve. You supported and assisted the new ambassador to the mission. Once again, messing up a situation that could have been very bad for us.”

“And he married her,” Zorro said with a slick grin.

Bailee smiled back. “I see that. Congratulations.”

Gator nodded.

She walked closer to the table where Blitz was sitting. “And you, Mr. Berenger. You took it up a notch and went all the way to Russia with one of our excellent FBI agents, saved her life along with Aleksei Volkov’s family, opening the way for him to defect to the US and blowing open a huge conspiracy involving a powerful oligarch and his son and daughter, who were behind the ambassador and his family’s assassination. On top of that, you went after them and took them out while they were gunning for the whole Russian government. Well done. You brought to justice the people who killed our ambassador.”

She turned to Buck. “And Mr. Buckard. You and your team were instrumental in taking down a drug lord, something the DEA is still talking about. Hmm, and you married the daughter of the suspected coffee plantation.” She pursed her lips. “It seems that all women you’ve come across, you’ve married. I had no idea this was such a great place to find a husband.” Everyone chuckled, and D-Day could see this woman’s charm, but flattery and kudos were far from the nitty-gritty of the mission.

“What exactly do you want me to do?”

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“Well,broker a deal to get our weapons back.” She smiled softly. “How are you with accents?”

“I speak most languages, and I probably can manage an accent. What one are we talking about?”

“Australian.”

“Right. That’s one of the easier ones for me.” The Aussie accent was a more nasal, slower pace of speaking than an American accent. He could only describe it as a Texas/cowboy version of a British accent. His teammates all stared at him as the flavor of the accent came through his words. Bailee smiled.

“I’m not at all disappointed, Mr. Nolan.”

“D-Day,” he said. Then he pointed to his teammates. “Zorro, Bear, Buck, Professor, Joker, Gator, and Blitz.”

She nodded in understanding, her gaze lingering a tad longer on Bear.

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