Page 69 of Fast Vengeance

“Clear,” Freeman echoed a moment later. As team leader, he would be near the back of the line. “Let’s move.”

As soon as Gabe felt his teammate’s hand squeeze his shoulder, he switched on his NVGs and started down the stairs. A hand popped out from around the corner below, holding a weapon. The instant the shooter came into view Gabe stepped to the side and fired, hitting him in the chest. The man dropped, his rifle still clutched in his hands.

“Tango down.” Gabe raced for him, ready to put another round in him, but he didn’t twitch. Gabe kicked the weapon away as his teammates rushed past him down the stairs.

More shots rang out from up ahead. The distinctive sound of an M4 firing answered.

“Tango two down,” Granger said.

Gabe spun around to check the stairs above them. Still clear.

He turned and ran after his teammates, his heart rate picking up now that they were getting close. If Cap was down here they would find him and get him the hell out.

Gabe just prayed they wouldn’t be carrying his dead body with them on the return trip.

****

Seated in an empty office at the far end of the headquarters building, Victoria pressed her clasped hands to her lips as she sat on a bench, elbows propped on her thighs. Her eyes remained glued to what was happening on the other side of the window.

In the center of the long building, various Mexican and American officials were all gathered around their stations, monitoring whatever was happening on the other end of their comms.

Tracking intel. Satellite data. Working informants. Analyzing security and CCTV footage.

Anything and everything they could get their hands on.

While she sat stuck alone in here, slowly losing her mind with worry.

Officials had interrogated the man who had tried to capture her. He had apparently been hired by someone linked to Nieto, who worked in Mexican customs and immigration. The man didn’t know what Nieto wanted with her, he’d simply wanted the money for delivering her to Nieto.

The cartel had informants everywhere. Someone, maybe her would-be-kidnapper’s contact, had alerted the network the moment she and Oceane had touched down on Mexican soil. And likely the moment FAST Bravo had too.

That’s how they had gotten Brock.

She blew out a shaky breath, bounced her knee up and down, unable to tear her gaze away from what was going on in the main room. They wouldn’t allow her to watch what was going on. But she knew the gist of what was happening.

Oceane had disappeared shortly after the drop off. Whether or not they had been able to start tracking her again was unclear.

As for Brock…

FAST Bravo was on site and in position at the target house Oceane had identified for them. That was all Victoria knew.

The strain was slowly killing her. Her emotions were all over the place. Fear for Brock and Oceane kept swamping everything else.

A screen off to one side at the far end suddenly came to life. She raised her head.

It showed a darkened landscape, painted in shadows and a weird, neon green. The camera swiveled to the left, and a man’s face appeared.

Agent Rodriguez.

Victoria sucked in a sharp breath and surged to her feet. The team. It was a live feed from someone’s helmet cam.

She was up and heading through the door before she even realized she had moved. Her eyes remained glued to the video feed at the far end of the room. People stopped what they were doing to gather around it, blocking her view. She hurried toward them, her shoes silent on the carpet, straining to see what was happening.

Blurs of motion. Shadow and light. The distinctive crack of gunfire.

Her heart shot into her throat. Stuck there and wouldn’t go back down. Choking her. She struggled to suck in air, pushed her way through the knot of bodies blocking her view.

Brock. Had they found him? Was he alive?

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