Page 55 of Protecting Bree
“Tex,” he returned.
“Fuckers disabled the trackers,” Tex said next.
“Yeah.”
“I agree with Ryleigh’s assessment that the truck is headed for the coast, likely for Ensenada. Wheels going up in two hours. Can you be ready?”
Smiley blinked in surprise. “The commander’s working on getting clearance.”
“He can continue working on it all he wants. I’ve already got it. But there’s only room for four.”
Smiley’s heart was in his throat. He shouldn’t have been surprised Tex had already arranged transportation and gotten clearance, and yet he still was.
“So…who’s going?” Tex asked.
Smiley blinked again. “What?”
“Who’s going?” he repeated.
Smiley looked from the legendary former SEAL to the anxious faces behind him.Hewas supposed to choose who’d be going south to try to find and rescue the women? He didn’t want to leaveanyonebehind. His team was his rock. They all had different and vital skills.
And then there was Wolf’s team. They weren’t activeduty anymore, but they were just as capable as they’d been before they retired.
Taking a deep breath, Smiley went with his gut. “Me, Cookie, Kevlar, and…you, Tex.”
“Me? Shit, man. I’m the least capable of everyone in this room,” he told him.
“Bullshit,” Smiley countered, even as everyone else voiced their disbelief at the same time. “You have more skills on your fucking phone than most people do with an entire bank of servers at their disposal. Yes, the woman who’s working with you is good, but she’s notyou. You have the combat experience, and you’ve been in the heads of assholes like Castillo for longer than Ryleigh’s probably been alive.” Smiley turned to Hurt. “I’m sorry, Sir, but?—”
Hurt cut him off. “No. You’re right. As much as it kills me, I’m not the best person for this mission. I’ve been out too long. I trust you to take care of my wife. To get her home.”
Smiley nodded, respect filling him.
“I’m gonna call Tate,” Blink said. “I should’ve done it last night. I know this isn’t an official mission, and he and his Night Stalker team are on the other coast, but they have connections. Former Night Stalkers who’ve retired to Mexico. If needed, maybe one of them could be useful.”
Gratitude threatened to overwhelm Smiley. He’d spent so much of his life keeping people at arm’s length, for his own self-preservation, he hadn’t even realized it was no use. They were already under his skin. Still had his back regardless. These men were his brothers, his family, in every sense of the word. When he hurt, they hurt. When the woman he loved was threatened, they all took itpersonally. Just as he had whentheirloved ones were in trouble.
They were a team, they banded together. And if that meant staying behind and holding down the fort while he was gone, that’s what they’d do.
Relieved no one was upset with his choices, Smiley turned to Cookie, who hadn’t said a word.
“Cookie?” He wasn’t even sure what he was asking, but he supposed he wanted reassurance that he’d chosen correctly. That Cookie was up to the task. That he could control his emotions in order to be an asset rather than a liability.
Smiley’s own emotions were all over the place, but he was channeling them into a single focus. Finding Bree and the other women, and killing anyone who dared stand in his way. He’d chosen Tex for his technological skills, yes, but he’d also be an asset in case there was any bloodshed. The last thing he wanted was to spend the rest of his life in some shitty Mexican prison, and he knew Tex would be the man who’d be able to spin whatever happened and get them cleared.
Cookie approached Smiley and put a hand on his shoulder. The determination in his facial expression matched what Smiley felt in his soul. “Let’s do this. Let’s go get our women back.”
“Two hours,” Tex said firmly.
“Make it one,” Smiley countered.
“One,” Cookie agreed.
“That work for you, Kevlar? Assuming you want to go see Remi before we leave?” Tex asked.
“One is more than enough time,” Kevlar reassured the others.
The only people who headed for the door were the four who would soon be on their way to Ensenada. The others stayed where they were in the room. It was obvious no one was leaving until the women were located and rescued. Most of the men had brought their phones up to their ears, probably to call their wives, but Smiley was already focused on the task ahead of him.
