Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

“Sorry, guys. Looks like this is gonna be a solo act, after all.”

Beckett “Bones” Stone adjusted the tiny mic in his ear. “Uh…Shadow? Can you please repeat that? My comms must’ve glitched because it sounded like you just said we’re on our own with this one. Which is?—”

“Exactly what I said, Bones,” the brilliant woman’s jovial voice filled his ear once more. “Owens just got word that the Delta Force team that was supposed to assist got diverted to a potential situation somewhere near the Iraqi border earlier this morning.”

Rafe Owens was former British Intelligence and the brainchild behind Tactical Operations. Known as Tac-Ops for short, the private hostage rescue team consisted of Beckett—or Bones as his teammates called him—and three other hostage rescue specialists.

Like Beckett, his teammates were all former special forces who’d decided to use their military experience and training to continue fighting the good fight for private citizens who found themselves in dangerous situations.

Sometimes the people Beckett and his team rescued were clients of Travel Assurance Corporation—the privately owned travel protection insurance agency also owned by Owens—and sometimes Tac-Ops was sent around the globe by none other than Uncle Sam himself.

Every job the team had been tasked with, so far, had been nothing short of mission success. But Beckett and the others knew it didn’t take much to fuck up an op, and there wasn’t a single man on the team looking to fail.

“And we’re just now hearing about this change of plans because…” The trailing question came from Digger, their team leader.

As a former Navy SEAL, Digger—whose real name was Slade Garrison—should be used to rolling with the punches by now. But Beckett had worked with the stoic man long enough to know the guy hated surprises. Especially when those unexpected moments threatened the success of their mission.

And even more so when innocent lives—especially children’s lives—were involved.

“Hey, now, don’t shoot the messenger.” Shadow went with her go-to response. “Besides, this is the U.S. government we’re talking about. Nothing ever goes as quickly as it should, and it rarely happens as planned. But you don’t need me to tell you that, do you, Dig?”

Pushing aside his own frustration at the unexpected turn of events, Beckett felt his lips twitching with the urge to smile. Shadow wasn’t just the team’s sassy tech goddess, she also served as their overwatch.

Despite never having met the woman, every man on the team trusted her. Not only with their lives, but also those they’d been charged with saving.

Hell, they didn’t even know Shadow’s real name. Yet, the amazingly mysterious woman was as vital to their success as anyone else on the team.

Beckett included.

He looked to his right, where Digger was currently lying belly-flat in the dry and rocky dirt. Like Beckett and the rest of their elite hostage rescue team, the man was dressed in head-to-toe desert camo. The man’s M110A1 automatic sniper rifle was resting steady against the weapon’s bipod, and though Digger was actively involved in the conversation, his sights were locked on what he was seeing through the Geissele optic mount.

“The good news is, twelve members of the Taliban faction you’re currently observing left the area about twenty minutes before your team arrived,” Shadow spoke up again. “Not sure where they went or what’s on their terrorist agenda for the day, but as long as they stay away, you should be golden.”

“Copy that,” Digger grumbled. “I’ve counted seven tangos moving in and around the target, but there’s an unknown number inside, which means?—”

“You could be gravely outnumbered,” Shadow finished the sobering thought. “Trust me, I know. I’ve been watching things closely from here for the past several hours, and our current satellite footage supports the intel of no more than ten tangos currently on site.”

“If only that satellite of yours could see through mountain walls,” Falcon mused.

Positioned at an elevated spot several yards behind where Beckett and the rest of the team waited, the former Army Ranger was the best shot Beckett had ever seen.

“Look, guys,” Shadow spoke up again. “I get that this isn’t ideal, but it’s our current reality. And the bottom line is, our marks are running out of time, and that means?—”

“We need to quit our bitchin’ and start making an alternate plan,” Beckett wrapped up the woman’s thought for her.

Because Shadow was right. It didn’t matter that their backup team got pulled onto another op or that there was an unknown number of tangos inside the cave. The fact was, an American schoolteacher and four young Afghan girls had been taken hostage days ago, and it was up to him and his team to rescue them from hell.

We’re here, darlin’. Just a little while longer and your world will be right as rain.

Okay, so perhaps that was a bit optimistic. Especially since they had no way of knowing what the woman or those poor little girls had been through. Beatings, rape, and humiliation were just a few of the horrific possibilities someone in their situation could possibly face.

Beckett just prayed this group of extremists were like most they’d dealt with in the recent past, and they’d merely kept their hostages locked up somewhere, bypassing the unnecessary abuse.

His gut tightened as a familiar image filled his mind. Big smile. Adorable dimples. Long, brown curls his fingers itched to touch.

Evelynn Mitchell.

That was the name of the thirty-one-year-old teacher currently being held against her will by a group of militants. Assholes who hid behind their so-called ideology that believed females shouldn’t be afforded the same education as men.

If you asked him, it was a total bullshit excuse for them to act like misogynistic pigs, and Beckett and the others were looking forward to teaching those assholes their own kind of lesson very, very soon.

“Okay, so new plan.” Digger’s deep voice rumbled through the comms. “We wait until dark. Once the sun goes down, we’ll make our approach. Falcon, you’ll remain in position while Bones, Apollo, and I move in.”

“Don’t forget the drone,” Shadow reminded them. “It won’t do much after you breach the cave, but she can offer another set of eyes in the meantime.”

Beckett had almost forgotten about the drone. Designed specifically for the team, Shadow had created the tiny flying machine to do exactly as the woman had just described. It didn’t shoot bullets or launch explosives, but it could give them a bird’s eye view of the enemy to ensure no tango went unnoticed.

“Once Falcon activates it, I’ll take over the controls. That way, I can alert him of any threats he may not otherwise be able to see.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Falcon commented.

“Too bad it doesn’t have X-ray vision,” Apollo chimed in. “Don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not really looking forward to busting into a cave without knowing for sure what we’re up against.”

Like Slade, Apollo—A.K.A. Ethan McAllister—was a former SEAL. The guy’s specialty was hand-to-hand combat, hence the nickname. At six-four and weighing in at roughly two-twenty-five, the man was a muscular beast. It didn’t hurt that his reach was nearly eighty inches, giving him an even greater advantage over the average asshole.

“I know this isn’t ideal,” Shadow repeated the sentiment. “But all intel we’ve received so far on this thing has all been solid, so there’s no reason to think the max head count of ten is inaccurate. Besides, you guys have worked with much less in the past, and you’re all still here to talk about it, aren’t you?”

Beckett grinned, knowing the brilliant woman’s lighthearted comment was meant to calm the waters, so to speak.

“Let’s just hope luck remains on our side,” Apollo grumbled low.

“Luck has nothin’ to do with it, my friend,” Falcon told their disgruntled teammate. “Like Digger said. We’ll wait until it’s dark, sweep the place clean, and get you back home to that new wife of yours before she can even have time to miss you.”

And there was the real reason behind Apollo’s concern. During a recent op, the other man had been unexpectedly reunited with his high school crush. The two reconnected while Nicki was under the team’s protection, and after the sweet artist was kidnapped and nearly killed, Apollo wasted no time in claiming her as his own.

The happy couple had been married a few weeks now, and though Beckett had never had the kind of soul-deep love his teammate was lucky enough to find, he understood his friend’s desire to make it back to his bride in one piece.

Same went for Falcon whose sweet wife, Avery, was back home, no doubt waiting for the sharpshooter’s safe return. The two met on a cruise ship, of all places, and according to his teammate, they had an instant and undeniable connection.

Ironically enough, both Avery and Falcon were taken hostage while on an excursion in the Dominican Republic. Thanks to their quick thinking and brave actions, the couple—along with the other hostages—had been rescued, and the militant group responsible had been effectively taken down.

Both men were lucky enough to find the kind of love that would stand the test of time, and Beckett couldn’t help but wonder when, or even if , it would happen for him, too.

Of its own accord, the image of Evelynn Mitchell’s smiling face flashed before him once again. Before he could remind himself how incredibly inappropriate it was to even be thinking about such things on an op—especially since he’d never met the woman—Apollo’s voice rang through the comms once again.

“You’d better be right, Bones,” the other man offered. “Something happens to me, Nicki will have all your asses.”

“Same goes for Aves,” Falcon added to Apollo’s warning. “Trust me, I’ve seen that woman in action. She’s a helluva lot tougher than she looks.”

Beckett scoffed. “Tell us something we don’t know. Hell, I’d rather take my chances with the pricks we’re after now than be on Avery’s or Nicki’s bad side.”

“I second that.” Shadow’s slightly raspy voice returned to the conversation, despite having never met them or the Tac-Ops wives.

Redirecting the conversation to their current situation, Digger took control once more. “Hey, I have an idea.” The decidedly single man’s tone oozed of sarcasm. “How ’bout we focus on why we’re here and leave the lovesick bullshit back home, where it belongs.”

Silence filled the comms for a handful of seconds before Apollo popped back with a drawled, “Says the man who’s more afraid of a committed, long-term relationship than a room filled with C4.”

“I’m not scared of jack shit, asshole. Now can we please keep our heads in the game?”

“A bit defensive, are we?” Beckett chimed back in. “Besides, our game has been delayed until sundown, remember? We’ve got nothin’ but time to waste.”

“This is an op, jackass. Not some chick-flick gab session. If it doesn’t pertain to the mission, it doesn’t need to be discussed.”

“Damn, Dig,” Falcon addressed their team leader directly. “Someone piss in your cornflakes this morning or something?”

“Cornflakes, Digger?” Shadow joined in the fun. “For some reason, I always pictured you as a Honey Nut Cheerios kind of guy.”

Several snickers filled the small mic in Beckett’s ear as his shoulders shook with a chuckle. But after a quick glance in Digger’s direction, it became very clear the irritated man hadn’t found the humor in Shadow’s joke.

“Not gonna bite, huh?” Shadow asked rhetorically. “Okay, fine. I’ll check in when it’s closer to go-time. Until then, you know the drill.”

“Heads down, eyes on the prize,” Beckett answered for the group.

“Exactly. Talk soon.” Shadow signed off, leaving the men of Tac-Ops to do little more than sit and wait.

They passed the time by fine-tuning their new plan of attack. When the time came, Falcon would remain in his current position. With the expert sniper watching their sixes, Beckett and the others would carefully make their way down the steep hill they were on.

Once they reached level ground, he and the others would quietly take out any tangos standing between them and the entrance to the faction’s man-made cave. After that, they would go inside and get what they came for.

From the intel they’d studied on the plane ride here, there was a small labyrinth of tunnels and rooms the Taliban militants they were after had built. Living quarters, workspaces, places to store their weapons and ammo…

The crude system also provided the terrorist group with space for their food and water caches, as well as an area to keep their money and other stolen valuables safe.

Through the scope mounted on his M27 IAR—infantry automatic rifle—Beckett could see a cook station built around the base of a tree. The design allowed the smoke to dissipate throughout the limbs and leaves above, preventing detection from the air.

Clever bastards.

He brought the tango covering the cave’s entrance to the center of his crosshairs. His gut tightened, and his trigger finger itched, but he drew in a deep breath and forced his muscles to relax.

As hard as the waiting could be, he understood full well the importance of patience when it came to an op, especially when five innocent lives were on the line. But by the time the sun was nearly set, Beckett and the others were more than ready to get the party started.

“You boys still with me?”

Shadow’s return sparked the team back to life.

“We’re in position and ready to move,” Slade responded instantly.

“Excellent. Okay, so from what I’m seeing, nothing’s changed, numbers-wise. There are five tangos moving around the cave’s exterior on the east, where you’re facing. I show one at the entrance, two standing guard on either side, a few yards away at the mountain’s base, one where the road leading out of the valley begins, and one in a sniper’s position located on the second ledge on the eastern portion of the mountain. Satellite shows two additional guards at the cave’s west entrance, but we’re hoping you can get in, secure the hostages, and get out before they even realize you’ve been there.”

“Copy that,” Digger acknowledged.

“Everything’s a go on our end, so whenever you’re ready, you’ve got the green light. Oh, and I’m sure it goes without saying, but watch for boobie traps. Groups like these tend to have a hard-on for that sort of thing.”

The woman wasn’t wrong. Beckett and the team had definitely had their fair share of experience in trip wires, hidden IEDs, and all sorts of other homemade traps set by the enemy.

Lucky for them, they’d all been well-trained in the art of detecting such devices. Even so, one could never be too careful when dealing with murderous assholes like the ones in their sights.

Letting Shadow know he’d heard the warning she’d given, Digger responded with a clear, “Hard copy on traps.”

“The chopper will be waiting at the designated exfil location to retrieve your team and the hostages.” The woman who’d served as the team’s overwatch from its conception gave a brief pause before adding a slightly softer, “Our connection will be lost as soon as you enter the cave complex, so be very careful, gentlemen. I’ll be here when you get out.”

Beckett hated the idea of losing touch with Shadow for even a minute, but thanks to the mountain’s impenetrable surface, they didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t the first time they’d entered the enemy’s territory blind, and it wouldn’t be their last.

“Okay, boys.” Dig wasted no time pushing himself to his feet. “You heard the woman. Keep your eyes peeled and watch your step. We’re no good to the hostages if we get our asses blown to bits.”

As he and Apollo followed the man’s lead and stood, Beckett’s mind immediately turned to the beautiful schoolteacher being held captive somewhere inside that cave. He prayed they were all still alive and that they’d be able to walk out of their prison.

He had no way of knowing what shape Evelynn and the girls would be in when they located them, but it didn’t matter. Beckett and his teammates were getting them the hell out of there, even if they had to carry them the entire way back to the chopper.

Even if it’s the last thing I do.

To some, the fact that he and the others were willing to put their lives on the line for complete strangers probably seemed crazy. Certifiable, even.

But for the men of Tac-Ops, it wasn’t about the risk to their own personal safety. It was about helping those unable to help themselves and making the world a safer place in the process.

One sadistic prick at a time.

“Copy that, Boss Man,” Apollo acknowledged Digger’s directive.

Beckett piggybacked with his own, “You lead, we’ll follow.”

Just as they did with every one of the team’s lifesaving missions.

“We need to move fast on this one.” Digger started to walk. “Shadow may have eyes on the west entrance, but without the additional team, there’s no way for us to cover both sides of the bastards’ hideout.”

They also had no way of knowing for sure how many tangos were inside the cave, which meant this could turn out to be a very bad day for them all.

Come on, God. Give us another one. Evelynn and those girls deserve a chance at freedom.

With the silent prayer sent to the heavens above, Beckett and Apollo fell in line behind their leader.

The three men began marching down the side of the hill. The ground they covered was mostly dry dirt and rocks, with the occasional boulder or bush to help provide cover.

Like his teammates, Beckett kept his rifle up and at the ready. All three men had removed their field sunglasses and switched instead to their clear, Gatorz non-polarized shooting glasses.

With their eyes protected and their vision unobstructed, the team kept their targets in sight by using the L4G24 NVG—night vision goggles—attached to their Ops-Core Maritime helmets. The three men continued traversing the rugged terrain, and when they approached the point of no return, Digger held up a fist as the universal signal to stop.

Both Beckett and Apollo halted their movements, waiting silently for their team leader to give them further instructions.

“Falcon, what’s your status?” Digger whispered into the comms.

“Ready when you are, brother. Say the word, and I’ll start cleaning house.”

Beckett’s pulse spiked as a hefty dose of adrenaline was pumped into his system. This was it. There was no going back. Once that first shot rang out, every man down there would know he and the others were here.

The goal was to take out the tangos watching the cave’s exterior with enough speed and precision so they could avoid alerting those inside of their presence. But if they lost the element of surprise, the hostages’ lives—as well as the team’s—would be in immediate mortal danger.

Come on, Falcon. Do your thing.

He held his breath and waited, keeping his previously designated targets in his sights. Digger lifted his fist once more, silently counting down from three. When he reached one, he gave Falcon the green light the sniper had been waiting for.

“Go!”

Falcon’s first shot was silent, thanks to the man’s elevated position and the suppressor locked in place at the end of his gun. Though they couldn’t see the target fall, their teammate confirmed his latest kill.

“Sniper down,” Falcon informed them.

With his next breath, Beckett watched through his goggles as the men positioned near the cave dropped where they’d stood. First one and then the other.

It wasn’t until the second man at the cave’s entrance fell that the asshole watching the road even realized what was happening. By the time he spun around and raised his rifle in defense, it was too late.

Beckett had already taken aim.

Like the others, the man’s body gave a slight jerk before falling lifeless to the ground.

“Let’s move!” Digger spoke with authority.

The three men covered the distance remaining between them and the cave’s dark entrance. Keeping Shadow’s previous warning in mind, Beckett kept his head on a constant swivel to avoid making a rookie mistake and setting off a trap designed to kill them all.

Lucky for them, these guys hadn’t bothered with boobie traps. Arrogant bastards probably thought they were too invincible to fall prey to an attack in the middle of nowhere.

Guess you thought wrong.

The three men passed by the bodies of the two guards as they entered the cave. Almost in unison, they slid their NVGs back up to their helmets with one hand while keeping their weapons steady with the other.

As planned, Digger took the lead while Apollo remained sandwiched between Digger and Beckett. As the tail of the trio, Beckett spun around to double-check that no surprises were heading their way through the cave’s entrance.

Seeing the coast was clear, he turned back and fell in line behind Apollo. The air around them felt thick and smelled of rock and dank humidity as they made their way further into the enclosed space.

Several small lights had been placed along the cave’s narrow path, aiding in their efforts to traverse the main corridor with speed and efficiency. Rooms had been cut out within the cave’s interior walls, and it was obvious multiple people had, at one time or another, used the space for shelter.

Disappointment threatened to steal his focus. So far, there’d been no signs of the hostages, and other than the men they’d handled prior to entering the cave, they had yet to cross paths with any additional targets.

Come on, Evie. Where the hell are you?

The unplanned nickname just sort of came to him as they approached the end of the cave’s main corridor. Forming a T, the rugged path split into two directions, and Beckett prayed Dig made the right choice.

Using only hand signals to communicate, the man in charge motioned to the right. As they walked in single-file, Beckett noted how much smaller the underground compound was compared to others they’d encountered in the past.

In theory, that should make locating the hostages a much easier task. But after clearing the five rooms positioned along the path they’d recently entered, his gut tightened with worry that they may not even be here.

Digger pointed to another turn up ahead. After confirming no immediate threat was present, Beckett and the others began their march in that direction. Every booted step they took carried with it another layer of dread as Beckett and the others were met with more of the same…

Empty rooms with no sign of life.

But as they approached yet another narrow pathway of rooms, Digger held up his fist, and all three men halted their steps immediately. The former SEAL motioned to something at the end of the shadowed hall, and it took Beckett and Apollo each a split second to realize what their leader had spotted.

A man was there, and he was standing guard outside a closed-off room.

Bingo.

Beckett’s grip on his gun tightened. He readied his trigger finger and didn’t dare take his eyes off the asshole. Digger gave the signal to begin their approach, but before the trio could take their first step, their target turned his head toward them.

The surprise in his eyes was clear to see, even from where Beckett stood. The man shouted something he didn’t understand as he raised his rifle and aimed it in their direction.

Digger’s bullet tore straight through the terrorist prick’s head before the other man could even start to pull his trigger.

“There!” Beckett pointed to the crude wooden door where the deceased had been posted. “That has to be where the hostages are being held.”

With their weapons held steady and their eyes laser-focused, the three members of Tac-Ops approached the door with caution.

“Watch my six,” Digger ordered as he slung his rifle over his shoulder. Squatting down, he began inspecting the door for possible explosives.

After giving them a thumbs up to let them know they were in the clear, he stood and readied himself to make entry through the door. Beckett and Apollo got into position. Beckett stood to Digger’s right, keeping his back against the rough rock wall adjacent to the door.

To Digger’s left, Apollo stood with his back to the wall, his head moving from side to side to keep watch on the section of hallway from which they’d come.

Their team leader dipped his chin, letting them know he was ready to make entry. Mimicking the man’s move, both Beckett and Apollo let the man know they were ready.

Please let them be okay.

Digger opened the door. The stench of sweat and fear filled Beckett’s nostrils as he and the others kept their weapons up and at the ready.

Someone screamed. Another whimpered. And in the very next moment, Beckett realized…

It’s them!

Terror filled the girls’ faces as they remained huddled in one of the back corners of the room. Squished together for comfort, it was clear these were the four students from the file their boss had provided.

Their olive skin was ashen with dirt, and their hair matted and disheveled from days of neglect. Dark circles marred the skin beneath their innocent eyes as they stared up at him, but other than being dirty and weak—most likely from being dehydrated and malnourished—the girls thankfully appeared to be unharmed.

And right now, they were looking back at him, Apollo, and Digger as if they were public enemy number one.

With Digger watching the door for any threat that may arise, Beckett quickly lowered his weapon and put a hand in the air. Keeping his tone soft and his movements slow, he inched his way toward them.

“It’s okay,” he promised. “We’re Americans, and we’re here to take you home.”

One of the young girls rose to her tiny bare feet. Her accent was thick, but he understood her perfectly when she asked him, “Are…are y-you really here to save us?”

“We are,” Apollo backed the claim.

Beckett glanced around, his gut tightening when he realized the fifth hostage was nowhere to be seen.

“Your teacher,” he prompted. “Where is she?”

“They took her,” the little girl he recognized as Benesh spoke up next.

“Took her where?”

“We don’t know.” She shook her head. “The man who has been guarding us came and got her a little while ago, but we haven’t seen Miss Evie since.”

A string of curses flew through Beckett’s mind. Had the bastard taken her somewhere else so he could question her? Beat her? Worse?

With no way of knowing for sure, they had to assume the worst. Which meant they needed to find Evelynn Mitchell fucking yesterday.

We’re here now, darlin’. And we aren’t leaving without you.