Page 115 of Silver Linings

“Don’t shut down on us now, Reap.”

“What the fuck am I supposed to do, Wings? You want me to lose control and yell? Maybe I should punch one of you to get the fucking rage I feel building up in my chest out before we go out there to find the fuckers who think they can take my wife.”

“I’d say punch Hawk, but he’s not here running his mouth, so I guess I’ll just say no to that part.”

Gunner let out an emotionless laugh.

“Hey asshole. I might not be there, but I can fucking hear you talking through the comms.” Hawk’s voice chirped through his earpiece.

“Whoops, might have forgotten about that for a sec. Sorry, bud.” Nash laughed and shrugged at Gunner.

“I just want to be done with this. I want her back in my arms and I want to know that they didn’t touch her. That they didn’t hurt her.” Gunner pressed his fist into his chest. Fuck, the fear of losing her was clouding his mind. He tried to push the thoughts of Lily away, but it was impossible.

“We all want that for you. But right now, you need to snap into mission mode. You need to be ready to take the shot if you’re called on. Are you going to do that?”

“Fuck yes. I’ve never missed a shot, and I don’t plan on missing tonight.”

“Good, because can you imagine how embarrassing that would be for Lily? All these stories she’s heard about how great her husband is as a sniper and then he fucking misses in front of her. Lord.”

“Phoenix, it’s a privilege to be on team comms. If you can’t shut the fuck up and stop antagonizing Gunner, I’m going to accidentally drop you from the line.” Gage didn’t look up from the computer screen he was busy typing code on.

“Yeah, yeah, quit your bitching, Tracker. Reap knows I’m just trying to rile him up so he calms the fuck down.”

“How the hell is that supposed to work?” Stone grumbled.

“Actually, it did,” Gunner sat up and tightened his tactical gear. “Thanks, Hawk.”

“Anytime, bud.”

“Let’s go over this one more time,” Nash said as the satellite image lay in the dirt in front of them.

“We don’t fucking have time for this. If it’s the Santoros, they might move Lily and Sloane off to some auction. Maybe they even have buyers already lined up that are on their way to this piece of shit cabin. I’m not leaving my wife in there one more goddamn minute.” Gunner turned and headed for the tree line. According to the satellite image Gage had pulled up, the team needed to trek about a quarter of a mile northeast to an extensive field. Once they crossed that, they’d come to the cabin where Sloane’s tracker had last pinged.

Gunner’s heart clenched. It had been over an hour since it last gave a signal. Maybe the battery had died, and it was still in the same location as Lily and Sloane. Or maybe it had been ripped from Sloane, and left behind as they moved the women.

Fuck. He tried to focus on the communications running through his earpiece as he made his way to the field.

“We’re coming up behind you, Reap. Doc and I are going to head to the cabin and Wings will have your six.” Gage’s voice was cold, his friends clearly all locked in to their rolls.

“Heard.”

Gunner laid on his stomach and focused the sight of his rifle on the cabin.

“I’ve got eyes on Lily.” His skin felt like it was on fire. There was his wife, almost fully undressed, standing in the middle of the cabin. Not a single line of fear written on her face. God, he was proud of her. But he was going to hurt the fuckers who were doing this to her.

“Any signs of Sloane?” Gage asked.

“Not yet. You guys in position?”

“Almost there.”

“Fuck, someone’s coming up to the house,” Stone said.

“Gunner, you seeing this?”

“I’m not taking my eyes off Lil.” A second figure joined her in the window, with their back to Gunner. The look of pure hatred on Lily’s face was confusing. Until the man turned around and Gunner finally saw who was there with her.

All that time, it hadn’t been Cole Trudall or the Santoros.