Page 62 of No Mistake

Dex nodded.

“Well, hang on, you didn’t actually put it on him. You gave it to the bartender, who put it in his beer,” Mackie said.

“He swallowed the tracking device?” Ryan was confused.

Mackie chuckled. “You could say that. It’s a new fancy liquid. No taste, but when swallowed, it radiates. Sends out a heat signature, which we can track.”

“Holy shit. I feel like I just walked into a James Bond movie.”

“It’s still in testing phase, so we weren’t sure it would work. But there was no way we could put a regular tracking device on him, so we gave it a shot and got lucky,” Sam added.

“And you paid off the bartender to put it in his beer.” Ryan looked at Dex.

Dex nodded again.

“This is the house.” Kelly brought up an aerial shot.

“As you can see, the house is more remote than the last one. No neighbors, one road in and out. No way we can do a drive by. They would notice,” Sanchez said from the screen.

“What about cameras?” Ryan asked.

“We’re not picking up any signal from the house,” Kelly answered him. “Doesn’t mean they don’t have cameras, just that the signal is jammed from any detection. No street cameras nearby. Perfect hideout.”

“No drones either. Tracer’s not stupid. He’ll have detection for one of those. Not worth the risk,” Dex said.

“I agree. So, considering who might be in that house, and the fact that we have to go in blind, Onyx is taking this. Baxter, you’ll stay with Sophie until we have secured Perez and his people,” Sam said.

“My team will run back up and make the arrests,” Sanchez added.

“What about Tracer?” Ryan asked.

“What about him? If he’s there, we round him up with the rest of them,” Sam answered.

Ryan stayed quiet, knowing this was not the time to question him.

“And guys, the tracking liquid won’t last. We could lose it at any time,” Mackie said.

“We have a blueprint of the house and a chopper waiting. Get your plan together. There’s only three hours until sunrise,” Sam said. “And just to remind you”—he looked at Dex—“Vitelli alive if possible.”

“Copy that.”

Ryan poured himself a coffee and stayed on the video call while the team planned the op. He might not be there with them, but he could still contribute.

With the plan finalized, Dex said he’d call when it was done. Now, all Ryan could do was wait. He considered going back to bed. Snuggling against Sophie was tempting as hell. But she was probably asleep and the less she knew about what was about to happen the better. Once the raid was over and he knew Chloe was safe, then he could wake her up with the good news. And maybe they could celebrate.

Jeez, just thinking of Sophie laying upstairs in his bed made his temperature rise. He needed to cool down and keep busy until Dex called. He was not used to being on the sidelines of an op. Sighing, he headed to the basement where there was a second bathroom and took a cold shower. It helped. Feeling not quite so horny, he went to check on Sophie. She was sleeping soundly. He stood watching her for a few minutes, surprised at the emotion he felt, the warmth in his heart. She looked so perfect there in his bed. He wouldn’t mind seeing her there every day.

He closed the door gently, shaking his head. How the fuck did he feel this way and he hadn’t even had sex with her? It made no damn sense to him. What was going to happen when they did finally have sex? Jeez, he was going to end up a hopeless sap!

Making himself comfy on the couch, he found the ball game highlights on TV and settled in to wait for Dex’s call.

Chapter 12

Tracer cursed the uneasy feeling in his gut. It had been there ever since the meeting with Dawson. He’d checked his car and himself for trackers but found nothing. He made sure he wasn’t followed, but that uneasy feeling wouldn’t go away.

When Tracer got back to the house, he and Perez had gotten into it. The man was lucky the boss wanted him alive because he was ready to put a bullet in the man’s head. Twenty-four hours and this whole shit show would be over.

Luis had been up and moving around, using the crutches Tracer had gotten for him. The man was in pain but didn't complain. Alejandro Vitelli considered complaining as weakness, something Luis, no doubt, learned a long time ago. Thanks to Chloe, he was alive. Not that she would be thanked for it.

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