Page 76 of Cold Silence
“Roger that.” Her excitement for the op shone in her eyes.
Travis’s frustration over missing the takedown grew.
Eryn glanced at her teammates. “We’ll see if you bad boys can keep up with my fade.”
They chuckled, and Travis liked Eryn even more. She was the complete package. Smart. Skilled in IT. And possessed tactical skills too. Just the kind of person Gage would have on his team.
“Okay, any questions?” Gage asked.
“Usual stack order?” Coop asked.
Gage nodded.
Travis didn’t bother asking the order that they lined up in when preparing to breach a door. Stack order didn’t matter to him, but it did for them. A consistent stack told each operator what to expect of the guy in front of and behind him. And Travis suspected their stack had to do with their injuries and how each man made up for the other one in the event that their bodies failed.
“Any other questions?” Gage asked.
“Nah,” Jackson said. “It’s a pretty straightforward and simple op.”
“Still,” Gage said. “Don’t let that make you complacent and let your guard down. That’s when bad things happen.”
“Roger that,” Jackson said.
Gage signaled for his team to move out, and the warriors marched off, heading straight for the motel.
Travis went back to the vehicle and slid behind the wheel. He considered inviting Claire up front, but she was better off in the second row where she could hit the floor if needed. He fired up the engine in the event that he had to make a quick exit. He locked the doors and focused on the motel room.
“I’m sorry you’re missing out,” she said. “It wasn’t my intent. You’ve worked hard to resolve this. In fact, without you and your resources, we still wouldn’t know who stole the prototype.”
“No worries,” he said and tried to sound convincing. He tapped his earbud. “Now I need to listen into the op in case it goes south, and we need to evacuate.”
“Oh, sure. Right.”
Great. She sounded hurt again. He wanted to fix things, but he couldn’t now. Not when his attention was needed on the takedown.
He watched and listened in, his pulse kicking up. The team made their way to the motel, where they moved parallel to the building, a tactical move to keep White from making them.
Near the door, Gage stopped and held up his hand. “You’re on, Eryn. Be your most convincing and get this guy to open his door.”
Eryn released her hair from a rubber band holding it back then shook it out. It fell in sleek black waves over her shoulders. Not many men would likely resist opening the door to her, but then White was hiding out and could be highly unpredictable.
She knocked on the door. “Becky. It’s me. Eryn. Open up.”
She stood back a bit so White could get a clear view of her in the peephole.
Travis counted down. One. Two. Three. Hit twenty-five and the door came open.
Eryn didn’t speak but shoved hard, pushing White back. Coop barreled inside. Then Jackson. Gage last.
“Hands. Hands. Hands where we can see them,” the men called out.
“Got him,” Coop’s voice rose above the others.
“What’s going on?” Had to be White speaking. “You must’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
“Are you Warren White?” Gage asked.
“Yes.”
