“Wouldn’t expect you to, brother,” Shadow murmured, throwing a black look Zeke’s way.
Dane was conferring rapidly with the two leaders of the military groups, and then he turned back to his own men. “The black ops groups are going to make their way in, clear a path as quietly and as undetected as possible. This is what they do. What they’re best at. We need to stand down and let them do their job. When they give me the go signal, then everyone goes at once from all sides. Isaac, from Shadow’s report, Jenna is still in the east wing with Jaysus present. Our objective is to clear any other possible obstacle or threat until we get to where he’s holding her. You’ll go in with Black Ops One while the second black ops group falls back to give support and to make sure no one crawls up our sixes unannounced. Shadow and I will have your six, and everyone else will fall back in a seek-and-protect role.”
Isaac nodded, impatience burning a hole in his gut. At least Dane hadn’t kept him out of the action altogether, especially after his eloquent speech about not having any fucking perspective. Any other time that would get his ass benched faster than he could blink, but they all likely knew the consequences if they even tried it now. Isaac would take on the enemy himself and he’d tear the motherfuckers apart with his bare hands, just as he would destroy any other obstacle between him and his reaching Jenna and getting her to safety.
“We’re a go,” Dane said as the first group moved out, the second falling in behind.
“Fuck, I hate waiting,” Isaac growled.
“We all do,” Dane said in a surly voice Isaac wasn’t used to. “Chaps my ass to have had to call in every marker ever owed to me because we couldn’t get the fucking job done ourselves. That shit’s going to change. If we don’t have the manpower to protect our own women, then something is really wrong. I don’t give a flying fuck what it costs—we’re expanding operations and adding to our numbers, and that means we hire more of the best and only the best. If I have to steal some of the baddest asses from the military, I’ll do it, and if I have to pay for it myself then so be it. It’s bullshit that our women have had to suffer because we got caught with our fucking pants down and outnumbered to boot.”
“You won’t have to pay for it,” Beau growled, surprising everyone with his arrival. “Caleb and I will be more than happy to foot the bill. Our old man had more money than God and he was probably an even bigger asshole than Jaysus, so it’s only fitting that his money be used for something good for a change.”
“What the fuck are you doing here, Beau?” Dane asked in a low, dangerous voice.
“Look, I’m not any happier about it than you, although being stuck on the sidelines while letting the rest of you risk everything for the woman who saved everything precious in my life is also bullshit. But it was either me or Ari, and so I think you see why I’m here and she’s not. The women were pissed that they were being babysat and being kept out of the action. For fuck’s sake, the stubborn woman just got shot and nearly lost our child and I nearly lost them both, and she’s pissed because she wanted in to exact her own brand of revenge for that asshole daring to fuck with her child.”
“Can’t see that I can find much fault in that,” Zeke admitted.
“Righteous,” was Dex’s one-word response.
“Ari sent a message for you, Dane, since she knew you’d have a kitten there was one less person to protect the women. Caleb is there, but my brother is hardly a match for Ari’s powers, so if any protecting is to be done, it will be done by Ari and Eliza. Trust me, she’s pissed. Only my threat to rat her out to her father got her to stand down, although as we speak, she’s plotting retribution with her mother, so I’m fucked either way. She said to tell you that the women are just fine, thank you very much, and that if you spent as much time focusing on your mission to rescue the woman who needs it as you do worrying about the rest of them, Jenna will be just fine and home before the sun rises. I’ll only add here that someone would be a damn fool to take on Ari and Eliza both.”
There was a series of muffled coughs and suppression of laughter as Dane blew out his breath in disgust and shook his head. “Jesus, Beau. Can’t you control your woman at all?”
Beau just lifted his middle finger to Dane in response. “Just wait until you go down, Mr. Smooth. Then we’ll see who controls his woman and who doesn’t. I don’t even know who she is yet, but my money is on her controlling you, hands down.”
“Jesus, I’m glad Lizzie wasn’t here to hear that particular remark, Dane, or you’d be ball-less and singing soprano right now. Lucky for you, Gracie sweet-talked her into staying behind,” Brent said, warily looking around as if worried Lizzie would be the next surprise arrival and had heard the remarks.
Dane scowled at Brent and then threw a Kevlar vest at Beau, smacking him right in the chest. “If you’re going to show up on an op then damn well come prepared. You could have been shot coming in and Jenna would have never made it in time to save your sorry ass.”
“Someone needs a reminder about who signs the fucking checks around here,” Beau muttered even as he suited up.
“Fuck you and your checks,” Dane said sourly.
“Righteous,” Dex repeated, and Isaac merely nodded his agreement.
Isaac had had enough of the chitchat and was growing more impatient by the minute. He knew it had been a few minutes at most since the black ops groups had breached the building, but it seemed like an eternity. He stood there, dying a little more with each breath, as he tensed, waiting with dread to hear the first sound of combat. But the silence stretched on until it felt as though his sanity was slipping away, piece by shattered piece.
He closed his eyes and focused on Jenna’s smile. Her beautiful, unusual eyes, her angelic features, most notably the pale, almost white hair that spilled down her back in unmanageable curls. He loved her hair, the wildness of it, how it never could be tamed and how it suited her.
I’m coming for you, baby. Please, I’m begging you. Hold on for me. Don’t leave me alone in this world without you. I’ll never survive. I don’t want to survive without you to wake up to every single day for the rest of our lives.
Suddenly Dane straightened, his hand going to his earpiece, his gaze sharpening as he concentrated on the report he was receiving. A split second later, he grabbed his assault rifle in the ready-for-shit-to-get-real position and said, “Time to lock and load. They’ve cleared the bottom floor and are holding on the stairs for Isaac. Jenna hasn’t moved from the east wing and neither has Jaysus.”