Page 29 of Tactically Acquired

Fuck, why couldn’t he miss that detail just one time? “We didn’t get here on time. We got stuck in traffic,” I lied. Well, technically, it was true. Yes, we were lost, but traffic was a bitch. There’s no way we would have made it no matter what.

“There are shell casings on the ground. A lot of them. Thumper’s trying to contact the director and find out where Audrey and Spencer are.”

“Good. Call me when you have an answer.”

He hung up—just like fucking Cash. I shook my head and jogged back to the truck.

“Let’s move!” IRIS shouted. “Rae’s got them headed east!”

“What about Spencer and Audrey?” I shouted.

“Never showed up at the studio,” Thumper retorted.

“What do we have?”

“Two tangos and a shitload of ammo. Looks like our baddies!” IRIS shouted.

“We’re a half hour behind,” I pointed out.

“Only fifteen minutes,” he corrected me. “Rae’s gonna give us a shortcut.”

I slammed the door as I got in back, giving IRIS the front so he could direct Thumper. I pulled my weapon and checked it, then grabbed the weapons bag and started going through it, preparing for whatever we came across.

I planted my boot against the seat, keeping myself in position so I didn’t slide around as I worked. Minutes flew by as we swerved in and out of traffic, bypassing as much of it as we could, taking the shortest routes possible.

“That’s them up on the right!” IRIS shouted. “Once we get to the other side of the bridge, it’s a fucking disaster of interchanges.”

“We have to take them out now,” Thumper snapped.

I took in the traffic and the length of the bridge. There was no good place to take out the vehicle. “Get me up alongside them.”

“I swear to God, if you go out there with a fucking umbrella, I’ll shoot your ass,” IRIS snapped.

I chuckled and rolled down the window as Thumper hit the gas, trying to get around the traffic. He jerked the wheel to move over, but the sound of a horn had him slamming on the brakes before we could get over.

“Son of a bitch,” he muttered.

I narrowed my eyes at the vehicle passing us, my eyes widening in surprise when I saw the face in the SUV beside us. “Was that…”

“Was that who?” IRIS asked.

“Wolf.”

“Who?”

“Wolf,” I said again. “From Reed Security.”

“Who the fuck is Wolf?” IRIS asked.

Dammit, I couldn’t remember his fucking name. “He’s the one on the team with that chick and her husband.”

Thumper snorted. “That’s clear as mud.”

He jerked the wheel as the vehicle passed, then hit the gas and rode their ass all the way. We were catching up, but not fast enough. They were still a good five cars ahead of us and the bridge wasn’t long enough to catch them before the interchange up ahead.

“We gotta get up there, Thumper!”

“I’m working on it!” He jerked the wheel again, taking us another lane over. We hit the curb, our wheels riding the edge as the whole right side of the vehicle scraped against the guardrail. Metal screeched in the most horrifying sound, but we passed the car, ignoring the way he waved his fist at us.

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