Brody glanced down at his feet. “They both did.”
Lydia’s anticipation fizzled like air leaving a balloon. She lifted her chin. “No matter, we can check both of them if we have to.”
She turned, making her way toward the command room. Brody caught up beside her. “You didn’t let me finish. You know… you have a bad habit of that?”
Lydia lifted a brow but kept walking.
“That’s why the general has assembled two teams, one to raid each of the warehouses. Jaime, Marlaina, and I have been assigned to go with you.”
Lydia paused again. “Really? What about catching Floyd? I thought that was his top priority. What changed?”
“You don’t know the general at all. He really is a good man. He wants to see Rick make it back safely and will do everything in his power to make that happen. It’s just… this is as close as we’ve ever come to pinpointing Floyd, the little prick.”
Lydia resumed her trek down the hall.
“Don’t get me wrong, we will catch him, if not today then another day, and we’ll all do it together,” Brody explained as he walked beside her.
The atmosphere in the command post was hopping. People were scurrying around and clacking away at keyboards. Not one person tried to stop them as Lydia had feared.
She pushed through the big metal door and breathed in a whiff of fresh air. Night had fallen, just like she’d thought. It would help with their cover. Two groups stood around the caravan of Humvees, the general in the middle of the pack. His pep talk ceased when he spotted Lydia. The general motioned them over.
“Lydia, you are going with Team Alpha.” He handed her a small com to put in her ear. “You’ll be able to communicate through this.”
Four muscled warriors moved to stand next to her and Briggs, and she had to wonder how it was they could be stealthy with their bulging muscles.
“I’m going with the Beta team, and I’ll be in direct contact with Brody, so stick close to him.”
Lydia nodded and looked at the twin.
“Floyd wants you, so he won’t hurt you, but try not to get captured. We have intel that he has his own gifts, and we have no idea what they consist of. Just stay sharp and try not to use all of your energy at once. Let Brody do the heavy lifting just in case you need to protect yourself,” the general ordered. His strong stern voice commanded authority and resonated enough for both teams to hear.
A shiver traveled down Lydia’s spine. She’d been high on caffeine when she’d announced she was going. Now that it was getting closer and more real to her, she wasn’t about to back out, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried. There were more lives on the line than just hers now. Nevertheless, she was going, but the burden of everyone’s welfare hit her. She was no longer worried about just herself and Rick, but the additional people that were going to follow her into the fight.
Raindrops landed on her arm. She looked up at the sky wondering if this was a sign of things to come. Thunder sounded in the distance as each team got into their vehicles. Apprehension assaulted Lydia’s midsection. The rest of the men talked as if they did these types of missions every day. Jaime and Marlaina were each texting on their phones, without a care in the world. Lydia silently wondered if she’d ever get used to it.
She shook her head. “No way.”
The rain came down harder as she concentrated on the barely visible outline of trees that lined the road as they drove farther from camp. They were in the middle of nowhere. Why anyone would want a warehouse out in the boondocks didn’t make sense; unless you were a psychopath that collected others’ gifts. Lydia tried to remember their route, in the event she needed to make a run for it.
Briggs sat beside her, his eyes trained on the passing greenery. He would know how to get back if they were caught in a jam. He remained quiet until the vehicles pulled to a stop. He pushed open the door and stepped out. He held a hand to Lydia, and she slid across the seat. “Stick with me and Brody. Don’t leave my side.” Briggs grinned. “Unless I’m losing, then stick with Brody.”
Lydia lifted her hand to her stomach to squelch her nerves. She grabbed her coffee thermos and threw the strap over her head and across her body. There wasn’t going to be a chance of her losing it in this forest. It was her lifeline, the only thing she possessed that would give her enough energy to get to Rick and get him out.
****