Page 83 of No Mistake

Ryan arched an eyebrow. “Master. Mmmm I like the sound of that.” He kissed her swiftly on the mouth one more time and was gone.

That’s what it was like with a special operator. Never knowing when they would be home or gone. Not knowing what they were doing, but knowing it was dangerous. Mark used to disappear, too, on deployments with his team. Sometimes he’d be gone for weeks. She’d been concerned, but nothing like the gut-wrenching sadness she felt now, not knowing when, or if, she would see Ryan again. She realized then it was because she’d thought she’d loved Mark, but she hadn’t. Not really. She loved Ryan. Yes, it was quick, and it scared her to death but she felt it. Her heart felt it; every bone in her body felt it. If he didn’t come back, how the hell would she get over it?

RYAN HAD BEEN EXPECTING the text to report in, but it hadn’t made it any easier leaving. Never before had he hesitated in walking away from a woman he’d been with when duty called. This thing with Sophie had him tied up in knots. For the first time ever, he wished he could have stayed. Maybe because it was so new between them. Sophie was still fragile, he could see that. It wasn’t easy being with a man like him, his job. Not just the danger, but the never knowing when they might spin up, or for how long. Not knowing if you would be able to speak on the phone, or if they’d be off grid. It would take some getting used to, but Sophie was strong. She’d been around military men most of her working life, understood the job they did, so hopefully she would handle their time apart, and when he got home, he looked forward to making up for lost time.

Tracer had confirmed Luis Vitelli and Ricardo Perez were in Mexico and were at Alejandro’s home. He also then provided the address where the weapons should be. It seemed they were staying here on US soil, which was somewhat concerning. They had taken down several key cells when they captured Reyes Lazir, but this suggested Reborn were regrouping in California.

“So we take the weapons, then go to Mexico?” Ryan asked.

“That’s the plan.” Dex checked his gun, then looked at him. “Your head needs to be here tonight.”

“It’s here. I learned my fucking lesson.” This tension was really beginning to piss him off.

“Alright, team. Let’s go take away Reborn’s new toys.” Dex led the way out of the Farm.

The address Tracer had given them was a warehouse not far from the Port of San Diego. The team knew the area well, definitely a bonus. Satellite had given them a clear line of sight. No one appeared to be guarding the building outside, but thermal imaging suggested at least six men inside. Armed. Certain areas were out of range, so there could be more. Reborn were a well-funded terrorist organization, and they would certainly protect a shipment of weapons this size.

Raven had formulated a plan at the Farm and were now in position, waiting for Dex’s word to start the assault.

“Raven 1 to base. In position, preparing to breach,” Dex said into coms.

“Copy that, Raven 1. A reminder that we need one of them breathing, so we can find out where those guns were headed.” Sam’s voice flooded everyone’s ears.

“Copy. Raven 1 out.” Dex signaled to the team and counted them down. Three, two, one. Execute.

The team moved swiftly and silently. They set door charges and the explosion gave them the element of surprise as they entered the warehouse. Gunfire erupted. As Steve cut power, the place was plunged into darkness. The team’s night vision goggles gave them the advantage. Two minutes later, the gunfire stilled.

“Everyone clear?” Dex asked through coms.

Ryan and the rest of the team checked in.

“Raven 3, give us light.”

Steve restored the power and Ryan scanned his surroundings, gun raised to ensure the terrorists were down. Several dead bodies were sprawled across the floor. Dex was securing one hostile, and it looked like Tyler had another live one.

“Boss, look what I found,” Mackie called out.

Dex handed his prisoner over to Steve and motioned for Ryan to follow him.

Mackie stood over three crates. He’d pried open one of the lids, revealing dozens of AK47s. Ryan helped him open the other two; more rifles and handguns.

Ryan whistled. “This is enough for a fucking army.”

“There’s more,” Donnie called from behind them. Ryan and Dex went to see what he had found. Donnie had opened two more crates. Shallower, they were more rectangular. Peering inside, Ryan cursed.

“Jesus Christ, there’s enough C4 there to take out most of San Diego.” He looked at Dex to see he was just as shocked.

Dex activated coms. “Base, this is Raven 1. Six terrorists down, two alive, no team casualties.”

“Roger that Raven 1. Great work. Shipment?”

“Got the shipment, and more. Sending you pictures. These guys were gearing up for a war. You might want to get FBI down here.”

“Sanchez and his team are on their way. You can hand over the prisoners to him. They’ll secure the scene and take care of the bodies. You guys can return to base.”

“Copy that base. Raven 1 out.”

Sanchez and his team arrived twenty minutes later and took over. Raven walked back to their SUVs.

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