Page 11 of The Dragon's Dream Mate (Savage Shifters Special Ops 3)

The third thought had me jumping out of bed and snatching up my phone. Simone. Had I received any additional messages from her?

I was very disappointed to find out that I hadn’t.

That’s okay, I reassured myself.

It was a miracle that she was able to get the first message out without being caught. At least I hoped she hadn’t been caught. What if she had been caught?

“Stop,” I shouted.

Lucian looked at me as though I had lost my mind. “Are you okay?”

“I am. My brain was just crowded with a million different thoughts.”

He nodded sympathetically. “I’m sure that Simone is just fine.” After a pause, he said, “Get dressed. We are all going to get some breakfast, and then we’ll make a plan for the day.”

I nodded. We were moving at an excruciatingly slow pace for me. However, I did understand that we had to move very carefully. One wrong move could put the team in danger and could put the kids in even greater danger.

As I slid on my jeans and a sweater, I also reminded myself that we were moving a lot faster than we would if it were an official FBI investigation. Sometimes the red tape caused so many delays that often the bad guys would slip out of our fingers before administrators figured out which way to go.

I pinned my hair up in a bun at the top of my head and slid on my glasses. I wanted to make sure that they all took me seriously as an essential member of their team. I didn’t want them to push me aside because I used to know Lucian, because I was an FBI agent, or because I was a female.

Before I left the room, I sent a few more thoughts Simone’s way. We’re coming, baby girl. Just hold on for a little bit longer and stay strong.

I hoped that she would hear my words in her heart, if not her mind.

I joined Lucian and Gage in the hallway. We were waiting on Damian and Jared, who met us a few seconds later.

Breakfast was quiet. It seemed that each person was lost in their own thoughts.

My leg shook non-stop under the table. I didn’t even notice that I was doing it until Damian looked up and smiled at me.

“I know this is nerve-wracking. If I were in your shoes, I would be climbing the walls. I promise that we are the best of the best. We have rescued people in similarly tricky situations. We rescued Jared’s fiancé from some Iranian terrorists not too long ago,” Damian said.

I flashed him a weak smile. I knew that he was just trying to make me feel better. According to my leg, however, I was still antsy. I couldn’t make it stay still.

After breakfast, we met in Gage’s room. He connected with his team members back at home.

“The van just stopped for a longer period than it has during its trip,” Alex reported. “We’re pretty sure that it has reached its final destination. It is at the same location that we had already located. It seems that it is going to be where we are going to find the kids.”

After we got the details, we decided that we were going to let everyone get settled at the house. It would be easier to get them out if they were feeling comfortable and laid back. The guards, especially if they were lower level in their criminal organization, would be more likely to start shooting if they were on edge.

They might also be looking for trouble if they were just arriving at the house where they were keeping the children. Also, we didn’t know how many guards were going to be present at the house and how many kids we were planning on rescuing.

The team decided that the in-depth reconnaissance would take place after dark so that the spy would be less likely to be seen.

However, to make sure that no one moved, the guys would each shift to take turns watching the house.

Lucian took the first watch.

I stared at my phone, willing it to ring or chime with a message from Simone telling me that she had escaped and that she was safe. I would still go through with the mission of saving the rest of the kids, but it would be such a relief to know she was safe.

Finally, I sighed, realizing that this waiting game was a fruitless endeavor.

I changed into my work out clothes and headed to the hotel’s gym. I needed to get some energy and frustration out.

My headphones were blaring out some hair band music from the 1980s, which I find to be the best workout music. Sweat was pouring out of every pore while I ran on the treadmill.

Gage soon joined me. After I ran my daily miles, I turned off the machine, sat down on a bench, and opened a water bottle.

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