Page 63 of Ravaged Hearts
None of us were deluding ourselves. There was a real risk that if Owen and I ran into trouble, the team wouldn’t reach us in time. We’d be dead before they even scaled the wall. I accepted that, as did Owen, although the thought of anything happening to my kid brother terrified the hell out of me.
Brandon sat beside me as we bumped along the potholed road. He checked our location on a tablet. “Arriving at the infil position in two mikes.” He jerked his chin toward me. “You squared away?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because you’ve barely slept, eaten, or had your shit together since Hope offered herself up as bait.”
My response was an unamused grunt because the bastard was right. But none of that mattered. Hope needed me, which meant my focus would be razor-sharp as soon as I dropped into the compound.
I adjusted my lucky blade at my thigh. “It’s my woman in there, so if you think there’s anyone more motivated than me to do this op, go ahead and let me know.”
“It’s not your motivation I’m questioning. It’s your ability to make rational decisions when this mission is as personal as it gets.”
I shifted to face him fast. “Then tell me, who would you send if it were Sage being held in that compound? Who did you send when it was me in that tunnel in Venezuela?”
He had no comeback. When one of us was injured or isolated from the pack, Brandon was the one who took point onfixing things. Not only because he was a good leader, but also because he felt responsible for everyone. He’d been the one to track me down when I’d been taken hostage. He’d led the recovery mission and carried my broken body to the helo, thinking I stood little chance of surviving.
“Okay. I get it,” he said. “I just want you to know that if you’re not feeling one hundred percent about going in there, any of us will gladly do this for you. You never need to doubt our commitment to extracting Hope safely.”
“I know.” I exhaled deeply. “But you’ll have to beat me unconscious before I sit out this op.”
Brandon snorted. “I figured you’d say something like that.”
“One, this is TOC. How do you copy?” Sage’s voice came through my earpiece. She’d act as our tactical operations center so Brandon could focus on the op.
“Good copy, TOC,” I responded. “Why don’t you tell us about our hunting conditions this evening?”
“Twelve guards on duty. Shift change was two hours ago. You’re not going to believe this. Eight of the guards are grouped in the northwest corner watching a couple of roosters attack each other.”
I arched a brow. “You mean a cockfight?”
“Sorry,” Sage responded. “The comms glitched. A what fight?”
“Cock,” I said louder into the mouthpiece.
Sage cackled, and since the rest of the team was listening in, they had a laugh at my expense, too. Before I could grumble at her, Sage added, “Hey, what do you get when you cross a rooster with an owl? A cock that stays up all night.”
As the team’s laughter settled, Kane chimed in. “What did Mrs. Duck say to the big black cock?” Everyone went silent, waiting for a smutty pun. “Quack, of course. Ducks don’t talk.”
There were several groans as Kane slapped his thigh and guffawed at his awful joke.
This game was familiar. We’d ease the pre-op tension with jokes, roastings, or anything to momentarily distract us all from the seriousness of what we were about to face.
“All right, jackasses,” I said. “Time to get our game faces on. Sage, how many…rooster cages are there?”
“I’m counting maybe a dozen birds, and this fight is the first. If all those guards stick around to watch, it’ll leave a skeleton crew patrolling the perimeter. That’ll take the heat off your entry.”
I glanced at Brandon, and he gave me a small nod, letting me know that he, too, felt like Sage’s update was a good omen. “Remember, Decker. Don’t go getting toococky.”
I rolled my eyes before peeking through the opening in the canvas covering the back of the truck. “We’re almost there.”
Sitting across from me, Owen nudged the toe of my boot with his own. “We ready to do this?”
I slung my rifle over my shoulder. “Watch and learn, motherfuckers, as the Decker brothers take down the biggest cartel in Mexico.”
The guys gave their final words of encouragement, a few offering up fist bumps. Owen grabbed the wire cutters.
“Good luck,” Brandon said. “We’ll see you at the exfil point.”