Page 83 of Over the Top

The other SEAL considered for a moment. “Lemme make a quick call to Poppy’s security team across the street.”

Gunner counted the seconds impatiently until Spencer reported, “All quiet over there. But I’ve told them to be on high alert.”

“And us?” Gunner asked.

“We hold our positions and wait.”

Gunner huffed. He hated the idea of sitting and waiting until the Oshiros decided to make a move. It was the right call, but he was itching to take these hostiles out and get on with his life. His life with Chas, dammit.

He knew patience was one of the SEALs’ greatest virtues, and Spencer was right to call on it now. But God, it was hard. He sank to his haunches and scanned in a three-sixty around the position. It was a good spot for a hide, on a slight rise with clear sight lines in every direction.

He probably ought to bring his SEAL-instilled patience to bear on Chas as well. The guy’d said he loved him again last night but had been more asleep than awake when he did it. This morning Chas had made no reference to it and didn’t seem to remember doing it. But Gunner could wait the guy out. He would say it again. And next time Gunner would make sure Chas was wide-awake to hear him say it back.

The stars wheeled slowly overhead and the night grew colder. Through his binoculars, Gunner watched Chas go through the motions of putting Poppy 2.0 to bed and moving around the house, turning out lights and generally shutting down for the night. He took pleasure in watching Chas’s slim, athletic silhouette through the windows, and a warm feeling filled his gut at the mere sight of him. Lord, he had it bad for Chas.

The last light, his and Chas’s bedroom light, winked out in the front corner of the house, and darkness fell inside the structure. Chas wouldn’t be asleep, if he had to bet. The poor guy would be lying in bed, jumping at every creak the old house made and at every puff of wind blowing outside.

A half hour passed with nothing happening. If the Oshiro soldiers were out here, Gunner had to give them credit: they were patient compared to most civilians.

Spencer murmured, “Dray, report.”

“All clear in the back. They haven’t come around here to jump the house from this side.”

“Gun, report.”

“All quiet in front.”

“I don’t like this,” Spencer replied. “We know they were here. Why aren’t they hitting the target?”

“They had to have IR gear. They must’ve figured out Poppy’s not in there.”

“So they just left? We killed one of their guys and held another one captive. Why wouldn’t they at least try to kill one of us? Vengeance is serious business for guys like these.”

Gunner had no answer. Spencer wasn’t wrong.

Spencer sighed. “Let’s run a carousel.”

He was referring to a maneuver where they would move clockwise around the house, circling it while remaining equidistant from one another. It was an effective way for a few people to patrol a large area.

“Gun, swing out close to the road and see if there are any vehicles parked down there.”

“Wilco.” Which was short forwill comply.

He headed into the woods and was nearly to the front property line when he spotted a single heat signature. The guy appeared to be lounging against something, and there was a big, faint blob of heat just beside him. Vehicle engine block that was still warm. The guy was leaning against a car. Two more blobs indicated a total of three vehicles parked a dozen feet or so off the road.

Gunner reported low, “I’ve got one tango guarding three vehicles which appear to be hidden just off the road.”

Dray said tersely, “Three vehicles? That means we’re looking at a dozen or more tangoes.”

“Sounds about right,” Spencer replied.

“Then where are they?” Gunner demanded.

“I know where they’re not,” Drago replied. “And that’s here. This place is as quiet as a tomb. We’ve got no action at all on our property.”

Gunner didn’t get it. Spencer was absolutely right—the hostiles should be out for blood. If nothing else, they would need to show the big bosses they were being effective, at least in part, after having lost custody of Poppy in the first place. Why hadn’t Chas or the three of them been attacked?

Had something spooked them? Had they changed plans? What the hell were he, Spencer, and Drago missing?

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