Page 99 of Visions, Paws, and Claws

Laughter greeted his words. “Aw, shit. And I was gonna work on my tan,” Crank quipped. He smirked at Brick. “I guess you’ll still be able to.”

Brick frowned. “Fuck that. I have a kitty to deal with.”

Horvan scanned the faces of his men. “Study the map of the compound. Work in your teams. Every one of you has a specific job to perform. No one is redundant.” He grinned. “And if you don’t pull your weight, Brick’s mate will leave a little gift in your boots.”

Hashtag held his hand out to Aric, but stopped halfway. “Is it okay if I pet the kitty—I mean, Aric?”

Horvan chuckled. “Wise move, asking first. Aric’s his mate, after all, and we tend to maim first and ask questions later if anyone touches our mates. That goes for Aric, too.”

Brick didn’t answer right away, and then he smiled. “I think it’s okay just this once. Aric says it’s fine too.”

Hashtag scritched Aric behind his ears. “Hey, pretty kitty. You wouldn’t shit inmyshoes, would ya?”

Brick chuckled. “He says that depends on whether you brought a bag of Temptations with you.”

Hashtag gaped. “Hey, kitty treats don’t feature on my packing list.”

Dellan grinned. “You’ll know better next time.”

Brick scowled. “There isn’t gonnabea next time.” He bent over. “You hear that, kitty cat?”

Aric rolled onto his back, presenting a very fluffy tummy.

Brick laughed. “Nice try. You’re not forgiven yet.”

Hashtag made his way back to Eve and Roadkill. “I suppose I ought to know what counts as a treat for gorillas.”

She smiled. “Bring me a bowl of strawberries in bed and you’ll be on the right track. Throw in some bamboo shoots and you’re golden.” She took his hand in hers. “You’re not going to worry about me, are you? We talked about this.”

He sighed. “Last time I was on a mission, I concentrated on getting the job done and going home at the end of it all. Now?” He gazed at Eve and Roadkill. “I’ll do my best. Can’t promise more than that.”

If we weren’t on this plane right now, I’d kiss you so fucking hard.Roadkill’s intense stare sent heat curling through him.

That’s probably a good thing. PDAs in front of this crew? Yeah, no.

Then the plane banked left, and Hashtag straightened.

Time to switch into fighter mode.

IF THEREwas one thing Horvan admired about his team, it was their ability to hit the ground running, even before the sun had risen. Less than five minutes after reaching the site for the camp, the men got busy erecting tents in the predawn light, sorting out the portable generators and water supply and establishing a perimeter. The command tent was up in less than half an hour.

Hashtag had a quiet moment with Eve and Roadkill before he and about eight others went off in a truck, heading for the meeting point at Allagash with Johan and his team, about an hour and a half away. His job would be to get the drones airborne so they could get their first real-time look at the camp.

Horvan sent a coded message to Milo to let him know they were on the ground, while Doc did a briefing with the team of medics.

And now we wait.

Dellan entered the command tent, carrying a flask. “Flynn’s in charge of food. He said you’d need this.”

Horvan chuckled. “That man knows me too well.” He unscrewed the cap and poured himself a cup of strong coffee. He sniffed. “Damn, that smells good.”

“Saul said we’re sending drones to look at the camp. Is that safe? Won’t they hear them?”

Horvan sipped his coffee. “Drones usually make a distinctive buzzing or whirring noise, like an electric motor or a swarm of bees. But once they climb above a hundred feet from the ground, it’s much less noticeable—for human ears, that is. That’s why we’re gonna have them cruise at a height of about twenty thousand feet. They’ll appear like a speck in the sky. And Hashtag has orders to take his photos and be out of there as fast as he can.”

Brick came into the tent. “Aric’s asleep. We found him some fatigues, although it was tough with this crowd. We don’t have any guys his size. Thank God for Eve and her safety pins. At least he’s not gonna be performing any impromptu strip shows.” His face clouded. “H, I’m sorry. I had no idea he—”

“Forget it. I know how these things go. Remember the raid on the Bozeman camp? When I discovered my mates had followed us?”

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