Page 81 of In The Trenches (Owens Protective Services)

“Hayes.”

“What did he do?”

“Other than be an asshole? I have no idea, but I’m about to find out. I need Red on this one.”

He looked over at me and nodded, knowing what I was saying. Since Fox wasn’t with me, there was no one I trusted more than Red to get to the bottom of what was happening. The drive over to the office didn’t take long. I parked across the street and waited for everyone else to pull in. Eli pulled out his binoculars and scanned the building. It was running on backup power now, and I could see movement inside.

“What do we have?” I asked Eli.

“Third floor, two by the windows, and three on the top floor.”

“Top floor,” I said with a slight grin.

“Oh, man,” he laughed. “Red’s going to be pissed. You know he doesn’t like that shit.”

“But he’ll do it.” I finished wiring up my comms system as Eli did beside me. “Bullseye, comm check.”

“Copy that, Bullseye. Comms are live and clear,” Red answered.

“Thumper’s good,” Tate replied.

I shook my head at Eli. “I hate when he refers to himself in the third person.”

I shoved my door open and stepped out, leaving Sally in the truck. I didn’t think I’d need her for this. That was for after we found out where these assholes were holding Beth.Ifthey were holding Beth.

“Eli, your team is with me. Thumper, go around back and clear the field.”

“On it, boss.”

We walked across the street casually, trying to blend in, which was comical considering how we were all dressed.

“Movement in the lobby,” Eli said as we approached. “I count five guards.”

“Pretty hefty for the middle of the night,” I answered.

“Are we doing this the easy way or the hard way?”

“Too many cameras. Let’s get inside, then we’ll make our move.”

I knocked on the front door, waiting as one of the guards approached. He warily opened the door, his hand on his gun. “The office is closed.”

I pulled out my official badge Rafe sent me, stating I was working with the alphabets to get this mess cleared up. After reading the inscription and frowning, he nodded and let us in.

“I’ll just announce that you’re here.”

“Tell Mr. Hayes that we have information for him.”

He nodded and radioed upstairs. Eli, Red, and Kavanaugh started spreading out around the lobby, making the other guards nervous. I glanced around as if I didn’t have a care in the world, but I was checking for cameras. We’d have to clean them on the way out. The sign on the wall indicated maintenance was down the hall, and that’s most likely where we’d find the control room.

I scratched my jaw, pointedly looking in that direction. Eli whistled something jaunty, making me smile. Meanwhile, Red and Kavanaugh leaned against the wall as the guards appeared even more agitated. We were definitely in the right place.

“You can go up. Sorry, you’ll have to use the stairs. The elevator is stuck in the basement.”

“Good to know,” I grinned. “Wouldn’t want to fall down an elevator shaft.”

I nodded to Eli as Red and Kavanaugh followed me upstairs. Just as the door was closing, I heard Thumper’s team come in from the back, taking out the guards. Eli would be in the control room in no time. I rushed up the stairs, knowing I didn’t have much time. I burst into Hayes’ office, glad that I caught him by surprise. He stood suddenly, stepping back when he saw us all enter.

“What’s going on?”

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