Page 69 of Bound By Water
He jumps up and grabs my hands. “I don’t mind, you know. In fact, it feels good to have your eyes on me.”
Pressing forward, I put my hands on his stomach and slide them up around his neck. “They’re pretty awesome. If only you weren’t leaving.” We agreed to hold off until we figure out the future, but damn, it’s so tempting.
River’s the perfect height. I don’t have to stretch to reach his lips. They’re right there, waiting for me. Tilting my head, I capture them in a long, remorseful kiss. “Forgive me?”
He shakes his head. “You’ll have to give me at least a dozen of those first.”
“Deal,” I capitulate, giving him the first of many.
CHAPTER35
QUAID
“Listen up!” I order. “Our team on the ground has noticed some new activity at the facility, and it’s not good. Last night, they loaded up a truck of prisoners and shipped them out. If we’re going to rescue the rest, we need to hit them at dawn.”
“Do we have a plan?” Captain Walker asks with a frown.
“Most of one,” I assure her. “We’ll figure out the rest now.”
“Sergeant Sellers, Adam, will provide cover for Sawyer, who will create a massive sinkhole behind the facility,” I begin, pointing to the young man who almost buried me alive earlier. “Something big enough to warrant Raven sending men out to investigate.”
Sawyer’s scowl never wavers. Earlier, when I asked him if he had the power to do what I needed, he raised a cool eyebrow and told me he could create a sinkhole large enough to drop the entire facility in it. Add in the amount of anger he’s carrying, and I immediately brought him on board.
“Divide and conquer. While their attention is split Lieutenant Brock, James, will use an illusion to lead the next group to the entrance. Once there, David will take out the electricity, and Oliver will force the guards to put down their weapons and open the gates,” I inform them.
“Jax will provide sniper cover. Pick out a good marksmen to lead the rear. I want you covering the front,” I tell him, then resume. “Captain Walker, Leisa, you’ll lead a team and take out the soldiers in the rear. Once you’re finished, make your way into the building and sweep for any opposition.” I’m confident they can eliminate the rest without our assistance.
“I’ll lead the second group through the front. Once in the courtyard, my team will split up and enter the facility here and here to search for captives,” I inform them, tapping the map to indicate the locations. “Oliver will lead a third team comprised of James, David, and Nash to the main office, where they’ll gather intel on the operations of this facility and any others.”
I straighten and look at each of the team leads. “Our time will be limited. My best guess is ten minutes max. Does everyone understand their orders?”
They nod, their faces reflecting the solemn nature of the meeting, but there’s an underlying excitement I don’t usually see in a war briefing. Even the youngest and most inexperienced members, David and Sawyer, are ready.
“Great. We roll at four a.m. That gives us six hours to load up and get in the air,” I inform them. “Gear up. Weapons and vests are in the courtyard. Load up on ammo.”
Everyone scrambles out of the room, senior leads pairing up with inexperienced soldiers to help them out.
I turn toward Oliver. “All good?”
Oliver slips off his jacket. “We need this win.” He tells me as if I don’t know what’s on the line.
I clap him on the shoulder. “Trust me. If I have to take them all out myself, we’re saving those prisoners.”
He exhales a long slow breath, then nods. “Since we don’t have a new place, we’ll have to return here. Any captives will be offered the safety of this compound until they figure out what they want to do.”
Stripping off the rest of his suit, he steps into his fatigues, shedding the sophisticated persona and donning the skin of the lethal soldier he’s trained to be. He stands, snaps his shoulders back, and grabs his pack.
“We have a lot to do. Let’s go,” he says, striding out the door with me by his side.
* * *
Rumbling fillsthe crisp morning air, and the ground shakes under our feet. A sinkhole seventy yards wide suddenly appears behind the facility. Minutes later, men rush out of the facility to investigate exactly as we anticipated.
“Cut the comms,” I order Nash, looking over at him.
Tall and lanky, his dark hair falling in his brown eyes, wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt instead of fatigues, he looks more like a grad student than a sergeant in the Army. The technopath dips his chin and flips the button on the grey, rectangular box in his hand. “Sweeping now.” His eyes never look up from the laptop in front of him.
The biggest computer geek I know, I honestly wasn’t sure how he’d do in the field, but like the rest of us, he’s ready. “James, you’re up. Leisa, get into place.”
