Page 9 of Declan's Hope

Declan glanced at Solace who appeared about as antsy as he felt where they lay flat facing each other alongside the outside wall of the compound behind some bushes. The opening they had to go through was right there, but they’d had to wait due to technical difficulties.

And Garrett never had technical difficulties.

The whole setup so far had been hinky. Setup being the operative word.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking,” Solace whispered.

“Do you mean someone has either double-crossed us or whoever gave the colonel our intel was an idiot?” Declan nodded with a grimace as Solace met his gaze. “So, yeah.”

“He’s not an idiot,” the colonel groused into his ear. “But I’ll have questions when this is over.”

“Five minutes,” Garrett huffed.

He and Solace remained in the dark silence waiting for Garrett’s go-ahead as five minutes turned into eight.

“Got it,” Garrett finally muttered.

“You’re clear to go through the breach in the garden wall,” the colonel said. “Take up your ready positions on the other side.”

“Going in now,” Declan said as he followed Solace into the opening, where first they crawled then scooted on their bellies over fallen bricks and mortar through the low, narrow passage where the wall had deteriorated—one almost too low and narrow for him. “I better not get stuck in here.”

Solace made it to the other side, then peered at him where she sat crouched beside what looked like—from his uncomfortable position—a rose bush. She flashed him a grin while Garrett and Cal chuckled in his ear.

“Look straight ahead at the house,” the colonel’s low words came at them as Declan managed to finally crawl out and crouch beside Solace who had her neck craned over the rose bush. “You should see a gate leading from the garden. That will take you to a corridor under the main house.”

“I see it,” she whispered, then settled back into a crouch.

“I’ve been monitoring the heat signatures of anyone moving about, and those I see have to be guards. They haven’t been close to your location, but use caution getting to the gate.”

Declan followed Solace’s lead again as they maneuvered through the garden, keeping to the shadows cast from the moon over several tall trees interspersed throughout until they got to the gate. It wasn’t locked, so Declan carefully opened it—pausing and holding Solace’s gaze when it creaked. They barely breathed and stared at each other for several seconds, waiting for any voices shouting an alarm, but none came. He raised a brow at her and she nodded, so he continued to slowly pull the gate open until it was wide enough his body would be able to slip through.

Solace entered first, whispering, “Inside,” before leading them down the dank passageway with dim lights hanging from the ceiling every ten feet or so. Male laughter rang out ahead and Solace held up a hand for them to halt. They pressed against opposite walls in a shadowed area as a conversation between two men in rapid Spanish echoed down the corridor.

“I’ve got a guard complaining about their guest,” Solace whispered low to everyone tuned in. “She’s…a little bitch. Fucking crying all night and…” She tilted her head toward the voices. “Salazar’s had enough.” She frowned. “The other guard is laughing and agrees… Stupid kid, blah, blah, blah… I can’t wait to hear her cry when Salazar…” Her words trailed off as her stricken gaze went to his.

Declan didn’t need her to translate what she’d just heard. His normally unflappable friend’s eyes filling with horror spoke volumes. And they had no idea how long they had to ensure this child’s innocence remained intact.

Solace stared toward where the voices faded, her own cracking on, “Duncan, we’re running out of time.”

“Solace, I know you,” came the colonel’s quiet—almost intimate—reply. “You won’t let anything happen. Just get to her.”

Declan checked his weapons and tried to calm his racing thoughts as Solace took in and let out a deep breath, before her features hardened. He followed her as she headed off down the corridor at a pace much brisker than might be considered stealthy. But he didn’t have a problem with it as he kept at her back. If they ran into anyone, that person wouldn’t be going any further.

“Son of a bitch.”

“What’s happened?” Declan growled at Garrett’s exclamation, then winced at the colonel’s sharp, “What the fuck is it now?” as he and Solace halted at the door that would lead to a storage area within the house.

“Damned signal is going shoddy on me.”

“Maybe it’s our location,” Cal added in. “I can—“

“No. That’s not it. I’m getting interference from… I’ve got it.”

“Dammit,” the colonel muttered, followed by a fraught silence until he finally said, “Keep with the plan, but watch your backs. Once you… I see movement heading toward Ana’s location. No one’s above you. Go.”

“Salazar,” Solace muttered low as Declan cautiously opened the door and peeked out. One direction led to what they knew to be the kitchen and the other to a set of stairs leading to the second floor—and Ana.

“Definitely clear,” Declan said over his shoulder before Solace slipped passed him and hurriedly headed for the stairs. He stayed close behind her with his gun drawn as they silently made their way to the second floor and a landing overlooking the interior courtyard. “Be ready—“

---