Page 137 of Fatal Intent
Donovan stepped closer. “How long were you separated from the others?”
“About an hour.”
A frown. “Why?”
“I had to place several bombs in strategic locations and needed to slip past the enemy to do it.”
“Were the rest of your teammates together?”
“I don’t know, Donovan. I assume so. That was Seth’s plan.”
“Did you notice if they were protective of their packs?”
“No more than normal. We carried a lot of gear with us, just like you do when you’re on a mission.”
“You and your teammates left the military soon after Red Dawn.”
Not a question, but it was true. “Yes, we did.”
“Why?”
“The ineptness of our commanders and the inaccurate data for our missions. Plus, we’d had more than our share of injuriesover the years, and our bodies were slowing down. None of us wanted to end up being sent home in a casket.” He shrugged. “We’d had enough of the Sand Box, injuries, and the deaths of good men who were gone too young.”
“Why did you become a cop?” Gino asked.
“We wanted to help people and to work within the law to take criminals off the streets of Ardmore. We wanted to make our community a safe place to raise a family.”
“Then why did you leave law enforcement?” Donovan glared at him.
“Seth and Noah were framed for murder, so Echo unit went undercover together to clear their names and to stop a conspiracy.”
The SEAL’s expression morphed from suspicion to astonishment. “Your team saved the president?”
He inclined his head, glad that Donovan had figured out the truth for himself so fast. Maybe, just maybe, he and Rayne could escape this situation alive.
“Are you talking about The Brotherhood?” Gino asked.
“Yes.”
“I heard about that convoluted plot. You couldn’t have handled all the work yourselves. Too many players were involved.”
“Rayne and her teammates partnered with us as well as two other black ops teams from Fortress. Federal law enforcement also helped.”
“Are we going to believe what Bowen has to say without verifying the facts with the rest of his team?” Lawson demanded. “He might be twisting the truth with lies.”
“He’s right,” Chase murmured. “Grant would say anything to save his woman’s life. What if he’s mixing truths with lies so you can’t hear the difference, Donovan?”
“There’s a sure way to find out if he’s telling the truth,” Ellis said. He smiled down at Rayne. “Let me do a little work on our hostage. Nothing too dangerous, just enough to bring beautiful screams of pain.”
Grant clenched his hands. No way. He wasn’t letting these jerks torture Rayne.
Finally, Seth said, “We’re in position. On three, dive to the floor, Grant. Same for Rayne if you can signal her.”
“Not happening,” he said in answer to Seth and Ellis.
“I don’t see how you can stop me.” Ellis laughed as Seth’s verbal count hit three.
One of the kitchen windows exploded inward, and a side of Ellis’s head disappeared in a pink mist.
