Page 85 of Dagger

He took a slow step forward, letting the faint glow from a nearby lamp reveal more. The SUV’s passenger side door was open. Inside, Brawler glimpsed Quinn’s unmistakable curls and a grim-faced Langford. Alarm crackled through him.Son of a?—

When the guy hefting Dagger dropped him carelessly into the hatch, Brawler’s anger erupted. He eased Beast sideways, shielding the dog in the shadows.We’ve got one shot.

Just then, the hatch guy spotted Brawler. The muzzle of a pistol rose, spitting fire. Adrenaline pumped through Brawler as he dropped into a crouch. “Get him,” he snarled under his breath.

Beast was a blur, muscles coiling like a spring. A second later, the man with the gun howled as jaws clamped onto his arm, driving him to the ground in a savagely efficient takedown. Shots fired wide, zinging harmlessly into the night.

The guy in the passenger seat yelled for them to move and slammed the SUV’s door. The engine roared and the vehicle lurched forward, Flash, Dagger and Quinn trapped inside. Brawler sprinted forward, shouting into the darkness, “Breach, breach!”

The SUV’s taillights vanished around the corner, leaving only scorched rubber on the pavement and a churn of dust in its wake. Fury flared deep in Brawler’s gut. Langford had them all.

He skidded to a stop beside the man Beast had taken down. “Release!” he barked, and Beast dropped the man’s arm instantly, teeth bared in a low growl. Brawler grabbed the gasping henchman by the collar, yanking him upright.

“Let’s see how tough you are,” Brawler muttered, shoving the man toward the figures racing to his call. The captive wasn’t going anywhere. Brawler would make sure of it.

He cast one last glare into the darkness where the SUV had disappeared, rage pounding in his temples. Beast at his side, hackles up, mirrored his tension.Langford was a dead man.

Brawler bargedinto the conference room, shoving the captured henchman so hard the man stumbled and crashed into a chair. The room was already brimming with tension, Twister, Shark, Bondo, and Easy stood like living barricades around the table, while Tex paced at the head, radiating rage. Emma hovered near the corner, eyes like violet flames, barely restraining her own fury.

The prisoner tried to stand, but Easy hooked a hand under his elbow and yanked him upright, only to slam him back into the chair. Brawler felt an animalistic snarl building in his throat, everything in him screamed for justice, for retribution.They took Dagger and Flash.The thought made his blood roar.

“What the hell is going on?” Tex demanded, voice deadly calm but threaded with violence.

The guy mumbled something unintelligible, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes. Emma slammed her fist on the table, rattling the metal. She leaned in, getting right into his face. “You don’t want me to lose my patience,” she snapped. “Because if I walk off in disgust, you’ll be left here alone with Dagger and Flash’s brothers.” Her hand gestured to the assembled SEALs.

Brawler stepped closer with Beast at his side, the dog stiff with pent-up aggression. He growled, barked, and the man flinched away. Twister, Shark, Bondo, and Easy all closed in around the prisoner, forming a ring of intimidation. The man paled, clearly realizing that Emma’s warning wasn’t an idle threat.

“Answer,” Tex growled. “Now.”

The prisoner swallowed. “Langford…he’s got a deal going.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed. “With whom?” She radiated a controlled fury that reminded Brawler of a loaded gun, seconds away from firing.

The man hesitated, lips parting in a sullen grimace. Brawler tightened his grip on the prisoner’s shoulder, nails digging through the fabric, a silent promise of pain. “Tell her what she wants to know,” he said, voice low, “or I’ll cut you loose and let Beast here use you for a chew toy.”

He made a subtle hand gesture. Beast, already keyed up, launched into vicious snarls, snapping his jaws inches from the guy’s leg. The prisoner yelped, clutching his injured arm as he tried to lean away from the dog’s lethal teeth.

“All right!” he gasped. “Herrera! Miguel Herrera!”

Emma stiffened. “Herrera is dead. He?—”

“Drone,” the prisoner said, a sly note creeping into his voice. “Langford bugged the room. He warned Herrera. The drone strike never touched him. He was long gone.”

“Where is it!” she lunged at him, grabbing his shirt.

“Under the conference table. He’s going to know that you—” She punched him hard. “You should have told us that right from the beginning, you sorry piece of shit.” Emma erupted in a string of curses fit to match any sailor when she found the bug. “How did this escape the sweeps?”

He winced as he smirked, licking the blood from his split lip. “He removed it. He’s cagey and studied your routine.”

“That’s on me,” she whispered. “Hear this, Langford, you fucking traitorous bastard. You made a big mistake messing with us. We’re coming for you.” She dropped the bug and grounded her heel into it.

Ignoring the call, the prisoner continued, “Herrera…he wants to make an example of that architect woman. Show thelocals what happens when they invite Americans to build new embassies. Dagger…Herrera’s got a personal score after losing Ramos.”

Brawler’s jaw clenched so hard it hurt.Ramos.That was Herrera’s cousin, the sadistic warden they’d dealt with once before. So, this was all about revenge on a SEAL. Dagger had been the unlucky target.

“Flash?”

“We were only supposed to grab Dagger,” the man added hurriedly. “But your other guy got in the way. That’s it, I swear.”

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