Page 6 of Silver Sanctuary
“Sticker, please.”
“As you wish.” Jake grabbed a small basket off the counter and handed it to Brie. “Make sure you get one for your mom, too. She’s doing a great job with you. That deserves a sticker too, don’t you think?”
“Yeah! Mom, which one do you like?”
Stickers and paperwork secured, Embrie and Lacy left their appointment with their heads held high. Soccer was something her mother never would have given a secondthought to for Lacy. Hell, taking her to the doctor’s wasn’t something she ever even did. But Lacy was on top of it for her daughter, and that felt like such a win.
Two
Nothing like being in full SWAT protective gear to start the morning out right. Nash looked around the building. Everything was dark—too fucking dark. They should have briefed using night vision goggles, but those were a pain in the ass too. The team would just have to take their luck with flashlights and their handguns.
Their mission was clear: locate the kidnapping victim in the house and take down the suspects alive, preferably, but the team's safety, and the safety of the victim was top priority.
“Reaper, you in position?” Nash’s voice called out over the comms line.
Gunner was the team’s sniper and he had an incredible record. The most impressive shot Nash ever saw him take? The shot that saved Lily when she was in a bad situation a year ago. He'd pulled the trigger knowing his wife was only mere inches away from the target. Yeah, that had solidified the insane respect he had for his teammate.
“Yeah, Wings. I’ve got a lock on the hostage. Back room. South corner of the house. Two suspects, both with firearms.Can’t see the rest of the house. Unknown number of assailants inside.”
“Copy that.”
Nash’s heart pumped heavily in his chest. It was going to be an intense breach, and a tactic he hadn’t run in a long time. Shotgun resting against his shoulder, he nodded to Gage.
“Breaching on three,” Gage communicated as Nash lined up the first shot. “One. Two. Three?—”
BANG.
Pump. Aim.
BANG.
Pump. Aim.
BANG.
All three shots landed exactly where they needed to, the door to the house exploding inward as soon as Nash’s boot made contact with it.
Then, it was game on. Gage went into the house first, Nash right on his back. The two men swept through the first room, a large and mostly open space. No assailants, but the second Gage stepped into the hallway, he was firing at a target Nash hadn’t been able to lay eyes on.
“One down,” Gage’s voice called out. Steady, sure, ready to continue.
Nash nodded, and they followed through on their sweep of the building. Room after room was eerily empty as they made their way to the south end of the hall.
“Reaper.” Nash’s call for information was informal, but after working for so long as a team, he knew Gunner would immediately understand what he was looking for.
“Two still in the room. One by the door. One on the hostage.”
“You have a shot you can take on the one by the hostage?” Gage asked.
“I could take both of them in my sleep, Tracker.”
“Do it. We’ll sweep the room.”
Two thuds, right in succession. Nash didn’t need the confirmation to come over the headset to know Gunner had hit both targets.
“Both targets are down. Team one: enter room to confirm.”
“Copy that.”
