Page 49 of SEAL the Deal

“I’ll call Conner,” said Maria. “You get a warm shower. Jenny’s locker is over there. Her clothes should fit. Don’t you worry about any of this, Leonie and I will sort it out.”

Ali followed them into the command room and watched as the two women snapped into action. Suddenly overwhelmed with fatigue, she sat in a chair and sipped her coffee. Finally, she felt like she could rest. Help for Mike and the others was on the way.

ChapterFourteen

Jenny’s lips felt soft and warm as they pressed against Rick’s cheek. He sighed turning his head until he could kiss her full on the mouth. Her tongue pressed against his then ran its way across his face leaving a wet trail. “What the hell?”

His eyes darted open as Axe’s whiskers tickled his nostrils. The kiss had been a dream. All except the part with the tongue. He shoved the dog away. “Thanks, bud.”

He remembered he was lying next to Jenny and gently eased himself away so he could wipe his face and check his watch. It was a little after five in the morning.

“Good morning,” said Jenny as she sat up.

“Sleep well?” he asked.

“Surprisingly.” She gathered up the bedding, emptied out the leaves and stuffed it back into her pack.

Rick rose and checked the traps they’d built the night before. Everything was still intact. He picked up the shotgun and rifle then shouldered his backpack. “You ready for this?”

Jenny handed her pistol to him and checked her shotgun. “Let’s do it.”

They followed Axe through the woods until they reached the edge of the drug plantation. The sun was rising casting a soft glow across the crop.

“You sure about this?” he asked. “I can do it alone.”

She turned and placed a hand on the side of his face. Leaning in she kissed him softly.

For a moment Rick was somewhere other than the drug plantation. The location was irrelevant, all that existed was the taste and feel of her lips and mouth.

“We’re a team now,” she said when they parted. “Now, let’s rescue your friends.”

He grinned. “Fuck yeah.”

She kissed him again. “Get into position.”

Rick left her at the edge of the plantation and made his way between the rows of waxen green plants. He felt elated, partially because of the pending action, but mostly because Jenny liked him. He felt like a teenager giddy with first love as he stalked through the marijuana crop. Pausing he exhaled and focused. This wasn’t about him. This was about freeing Mike and the boys and then exacting a little revenge on the criminals holding them.

* * *

Harold and Ed led the hunting party. Hank, without his dog, and Carl, with his arm bandaged, had been relegated to supporting roles. The four men left the cabin at first light armed to the teeth with shotguns, pistols and two AR-15 assault rifles. Ed had a walkie-talkie attached to his belt.

“We’ll skirt the plantation,” said Ed as they paused at the edge of the clearing. “Harold can track a field mouse through a parking lot. Shouldn’t take us long to pick up their trail and run them down.”

“What if they legged it out of the park?” asked Hank.

“Then our buddies would have picked them up. Damn, do you two just play stupid or are you actually thick as shit,” snapped Ed.

Harold stood peering into the forest as his partner ripped into the other men. “Guys, I think I see something.” He pointed through the bushes.

Ed raised his AR-15 and peered through the scope. In the soft morning light he spotted something fluttering in the breeze. “This way.” He gestured for the others to follow.

The four men moved swiftly into the thick undergrowth that bordered the camouflaged plantation. Harold took the lead, scanning the soft ground for footprints.

He found a food wrapper stuck in the branches of a bush. Plucking it free he rolled the plastic between his fingers and sniffed it. “This is new.” He dropped to a knee and examined the ground. A trail of boot marks led into the forest. “They went this way.”

The path their prey had taken became even clearer to the tracker as they moved deeper into the woods. His experienced eye was drawn to broken twigs, scuff marks in the leaves and indentations in the soft soil.

Ed was the first to spot their quarry. “Down there,” he whispered, gesturing through a gap in the trees. A figure was walking slowly away from them. It disappeared into a thick patch of bushes.

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