Page 47 of Deuce

I heard Deuce holler something to Ace about church and I tried to wrench my arm away from my dad.“You have got to be kidding me!They’re going to go to church and pray for her?”

“Shhh.”He held me to him like he had when I was a little kid and crying about some stupid issue I’d thought was important.“They call it church when they call a meeting of all the members.They’re going to brainstorm a solution, and then they’re going to go get Janet back.I trust them.That should tell you a lot.You know how many people I trust.”

I frowned at him.“You barely know these guys.”

He shook his head.“But I do know them.They’re SEALs.They may not wear the uniform anymore but deep down, where it really counts, they’re still SEALs.Courage, honor, and commitment aren’t just fancy buzz words.They’re ideals that every one of these guys live by every day of their life.If it’s possible to save Janet, they will.And if Janet is hurt, they will rain retribution down on the assholes who dared to lay a hand on her.You could not have stumbled into a better group of guys.You can count on them.”

I had to hope he was right.

* * *

Deuce

I was heartbroken to have to forcibly put Sophia on lockdown, but at least she wouldn’t get herself killed.I knew her dad understood, which was a bonus.I wasn’t sure I had the energy to lock horns with him right now.I quickly updated Ace and played the message for him.

He called church.Immediately.And put everyone on high alert.That meant serious shit was about to go down.

The guys at the bar turned operations over to the prospects.The guys out enjoying the day turned around and made a beeline for the clubhouse.The guys already here dropped whatever they were doing and headed to church.

The prospects doubled up guard duty on the gates and at strategic points around the perimeter.The women and kids all stayed indoors, away from windows and any points of entry.Emma was still away cramming for exams, and Ace called and warned her he was sending a couple of prospects to guard her for a few days.She’d been with him long enough not to ask questions.

Yeah, it was that serious.

It took less than twenty minutes for the fully patched members to gather in church.Ace locked the doors and explained the situation.Then he opened the floor for ideas.They flew fast and thick.These guys weren’t politicians, and no one suggested we try to talk the assholes down.

Plans were suggested, considered, and dismissed.

Finally, Ace held up his hand for quiet.“We have agreement on some key points.”He picked up a marker and stood at the board at the front of the room, laying things out point by point.“One, they have one hostage -- female -- no military training and probably scared shitless.”

An angry murmur went around the room, and he held his hand up again to silence them.“Two, they’re proposing the old stable area at the fairgrounds for the exchange.It’s deserted this time of year and it’s outside of town so any noise that’s made won’t draw attention.This seems to indicate they might be expecting us or them to be firing weapons.For argument’s sake I’m going to assume they plan on using firepower at some point.”

Most of the men in the room nodded in agreement.

“Three, and most concerning, is that they want Deuce’s woman as a trade.In her favor, she’s smart, she can shoot well and accurately, and she has some hand-to-hand combat training if things do go south.Understandably, Deuce doesn’t want to risk her.”He looked around the room.“Anything anyone wants to add?”

Beast stood, looking thoughtful.“I have an idea that might work.”

* * *

I checked my gun and spare ammunition for the tenth time.I wasn’t happy with the plan, and neither was Joe.No one managed to come up with anything better, though, and the calculated odds of success were high.

And Sophia was on board.She still figured this was her fault.We tried to convince her otherwise.If it hadn’t been her, they would have snatched another woman and that one might not have been able to escape.She did, and now we had a chance to take the whole shitshow down.

But we were using her as bait, which made me twitchy as fuck.Even Ace admitted there was a risk factor, but he insisted it was low.We geared Sophia up with a flak jacket and reinforced gear.Under her hoodie, it was invisible.We tucked knives into her boots, and a revolver into the back of her Kevlar pants.We used every safety precaution we could think of, but something could still go wrong.Something could always go wrong.

“You sure you want to do this?”

Sophia nodded her head.“I have to try.I know things could go bad, but they could also go well.If things were reversed, she would do it for me.”

I took a deep breath.“I just found you.I don’t want to lose you.”

She looked at me.“Same.”

“Stations all a go?”Ace’s voice crackled over the intercom in the range rover.

Answers came in from all the teams, spread out around the trade area.I held Sophia’s gaze as I answered.“Locked and loaded.”

A few moments later the order came down.“Move out.”

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