Page 3 of The Unbuttoned Ranger
He must have passed out the rest of the drive, because when he opened his eyes, his pa was standing over him and the chopper’s blades whirred loudly in the distance.
“Pa, what are you doing here?” Sharp pushed through his cracked lips.
“Grimes, son.”
“That dumbass. I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
“Hang in there, son.” Bradley Creed stayed close as Sharp was loaded onto a stretcher. He didn’t like doing this to his pa. The old man had been through enough, over twenty years ago not to mention more recently.
“I’ll be fine, Pa.” Sharp’s dry mouth made it hard to speak.
Loaded in the chopper, Sharp stared into the ceiling of the bird, feeling a wave of weakness overcome him in a way that combating it seemed insurmountable.
If he made it out on the other side alive, he swore he’d change…
He’d be a better man.
CHAPTER TWO
Three weeks later in an undisclosed location
The plastic chair wasn’t the most comfortable but then again what did Sharp expect?
The bureau treated the Texas Heat Recon Team like they didn’t exist, because they didn’t on paper. They were ghosts, so to speak.
Long ago, the specialized unit was formed within the Texas Rangers, the tactical team had a clear mission to handle covert and overt operations along the Mexican border where local law enforcement faced limitations. The unit had taken down many members of the Knights Alliance drug cartel, which meant TH had made a lot of enemies during the last five years. The leader, Juan DeLupa, A.K.A“Silver”, named after the color of his eyes and hair, had been arrested a year ago on charges that finally stuck. Even his crook of an attorney couldn’t save him. As the kingpin had been led away in handcuffs, he’d threatened that he’d bring the sledgehammer down on those responsible for his capture.
Sharp guessed Silver finally made good on his promise.
But what Sharp couldn’t understand, why the ambush was more of a“friendly warning” than a fatal surprise attack. All four men who were targeted all survived. The attacks had been cleverly thought out and prepared—someone would have to know where the agents would be and their daily routines.
Laying in the hospital bed for those long weeks, Sharp had time to think about the case and come up with a theory. Injuring members of the team meant sending a clear message without escalating an outright execution. And, Silver wanted the team to be alive to suffer the fallout.
Yet, the bigger issue, how did Silver’s thugs know how to find members of the team?
This stunk of an inside infiltrator.
Sharp was sure he wasn’t the only one who suspected someone had leaked their identities.
“I bet my bullet wound looks worse than yours.”
Sharp jerked his chin. Hawkeye had his shirt sleeve pulled up showing off the still raw-looking scar on his arm. It had healed a lot since Sharp saw the man last.
Standing, Sharp shook Hawkeye’s hand firmly and gave him a hearty slap on the other shoulder.“It’s good to see you.”
“Those sum’bitches thought they’d wipe us out. I always knew you were a warrior, Creed. You should be six feet under, buddy.” Although Hawkeye grinned, his grim expression warned that nothing about the situation was humorous.
“If a man has nine lives I think I’m probably close, but who’s counting?”
“Glad to see you here. We’ve dodged enough bullets across the pond. Didn’t think I’d be dodging them on friendly soil while I’m walking down the street.” Hawkeye’s gaze filled with anger.
“Wonder what bullshit story the bureau will give us,” Ben“Bear” Lane said as he strolled in and dropped down in one of the flimsy plastic chairs that barely fit the man’s size. He didn’t have one ounce of fat. None of the men did. Staying physically fit wasn’t only mandatory, but a way of life. If ever they were in hand-to-hand combat they needed to make sure they could kill someone with their bare hands if the situation called for it.
“You know how all that red-tape bullshit goes,” Hawkeye took a seat and ripped open the wrapper of a candy bar. He had a sweet tooth.
Aaron“Sin” Sails strode in followed by Grimes who looked like he’d been sleeping in a box under a bridge. His hair had grown to his collar and his beard looked like something someone would use to scrub dirty dishes.
Grimes took a seat next to Sharp.“How are you?”
