Page 47 of Innocent Target

“I’m gonna kill that motherfucker,” James hissed, having heard everything over the comms.

“Yeah, get in the queue, lover boy.” Mercy pulled the wig off her head and shook out her blonde tresses.

“I have a lead, but as Rao is here, I say we stick around a bit and follow that fucker. It’s only a matter of time before he goes to see Abbie. The man is a control freak.”

Nick grinned. “Just as well I stuck a tracker on the fucker’s car then.”

“What about the mother?”

“Oh, she ain’t going anywhere. She really is sick.”

Mercy leaned between the two front seats and handed James the picture she’d found.

A frown creased his brow as he looked at it closely before handing it to Nick. “We should get it to Imari, see if she can clean it up and find a location.”

Mercy snapped a pic on her phone and sent it back to the office with a message updating them on what had happened.

Thirty minutes later, Rao left, and the tail began. He led them on a wild chase around Daytona for hours but around nine-thirty that evening they struck gold when he started down a road Mercy recognized.

“This is the place from the photo.”

Imari was still searching for any property that might match the image, but it was a needle in a haystack until they had an area. Now she called it in, and Imari got to work. Keeping their distance, they followed until it became apparent that if they continued, Rao would pick up the tail. Pulling into the dark, unlit road, they let Rao go, praying the tracker would show them the way.

Chapter Twenty-Five

In his previous life, before joining the Air Force, James had struggled with patience, but never before had he had to fight the almost irrepressible need to pull his weapon and charge in. Focusing on Abbie’s safety was the only thing that kept him sane, as well as Mercy’s presence. She must have sensed his turmoil as she’d checked on him several times since returning from the hospital.

The moment Mercy got in the car everything had gone at lightning speed. Nick drove, keeping a safe distance behind Rao’s and an eye on the GPS dot, while Mercy changed in the backseat.

James reached out to Imari for what he hoped would be one last favor.

That was when the waiting game really began. Rao drove west out of Daytona Beach, stopped for gas and then again to get a beer before heading into the country. Imari tracked them via satellite, but James knew they were getting close. The photo Mercy had taken from the hospital room could’ve been taken anywhere around here. Houses became scarce, as did cars, and without Nick’s tracker, they would’ve lost Rao a thousand times or been found for sure.

Imari had guided them on a parallel route until they reached an abandoned barn. As per Imari’s last instructions, they were a mile south-west of what appeared to be a farmhouse.

Now they had two choices: wait for the rest of the team while building a plan, or attempt the rescue on their own. His gut screamed for the last option, so Nick and Mercy followed suit.

It took three hours from the moment they left the car to reach the farmhouse, with all the diversions Rao took. With limited equipment and weapons, no camouflage, and simple earpieces as a means of communication, the odds were mostly against them., James knew he was working with the very best though. If he could pull off a miracle, it was because Nick and Mercy were by his side.

Due to the large area, they had to split up, each taking a quarter. Another twist of the heart was having Mercy out of sight, but his woman was a weapon in herself. Now, belly down between trees, he was in a perfect spot to look at part of the main house, and most of the garden. Without seeing them, he knew Nick was on the opposite side of him and Mercy was to his left.

“I see Rao’s car parked beside the barn. Four bikes near it.” Nick’s voice was but a whisper.

“No movement outside. Two men in the kitchen, one person on the second floor, northeast corner. One target.” Mercy’s keen eyes were looking at all possible details, having already relayed the description of the men eating in the dining room, and even some of their weapons when they removed their coats.

Nick had relayed that Rao was in the living room with another man, most probably Hull, which meant that one person was taking care of Abbie on the second floor.

“If only we had heat sensors.”

Nick grunted at James. “No can do.”

“The men in the kitchen are heading out.”

At Mercy’s cue, deep laughter resounded in the late evening air, followed by a closing door. James heard the rumble of their Harleys before they vanished down the dirt road, behind the trees.

“Three targets inside, plus Abbie.”

In reality, Nick’s statement meant the three of them needed the advantage of surprise on their side. With two dangerous men and an unknown third person inside, Abbie could be caught in the crossfire. His niece was an innocent target in all this, and there was no way he’d risk her life.