Page 65 of Hack
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Carter paced the supply room at the STK house, wondering what he needed, or better yet, what he could carry with him on the plane without being stopped and strip-searched because he had a ton of odd supplies with him. In the end, he decided that he was going to have to buy most of his stuff once he got there. He was going to take a large vial of the medication they used to secure and keep a person from talking or moving, but other than that, he didn't dare risk taking anything with him.
"Here." Beau, the team's doctor walked in and handed him a vial labeled insulin. "They won't question this. Just shove it in your carry-on. There are enough there for four uses. I don't dare give you more liquid since you're flying. Let them know you have it when you check in, and don't worry if they do a visual inspection of the bottle. You'll be fine."
"Thanks." Carter took the vial. He glanced at it nervously. "How much do I use?"
"Once you are there, drop by any pharmacy and buy insulin syringes. You'll fill it full. One milliliter. They are smaller syringes than we use here, but it will get the job done. The effects will last twenty to thirty minutes, so make sure you secure him before he starts to recover," Beau told him.
"That won't be a problem." He had plans to tie the bastard up the moment he got his hands on him. "Anything else from a medical standpoint?"
"Other than wear gloves and don't get blood all over you." Beau sighed. "I wish I could be there just in case something goes wrong."
"You have a job and family here. I promise if something goes wrong, I will go to a hospital. I've promised Archer I'm coming home no matter what. So breathe easy. I'll get help if I need it." He'd just have to come up with a good story to how he got injured if he had to see a doctor.
"Then that's all I have. Just stay safe and hurry home." Beau pulled him into a hug.
"Thanks, Beau." Carter refused to get emotional. He was coming home and everything was going to be fine.
Beau pulled back. "Take care out there, okay? I've seen the way Archer looks at you. You have something good to come home to."
Carter smiled. "He's a good guy, but I'm not sure what will happen. There's still a lot to figure out."
"Don't let your mind fuck you out of this one. Follow your heart." Beau slapped him on the shoulder. "I look forward to seeing you when you get back." He turned and walked out of the room.
Carter sighed as he leaned against a stack of boxes. He didn't want to think about Archer with his heart or his mind right now, but that was almost all he could think about. He needed to focus, because in just two hours, he was heading to the airport to catch a flight to North Carolina. They'd planned for two days and they couldn't wait any longer. The girls needed to get home to their families and Lyle needed to die a painful death.
He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was nervous as hell. He was so far out of his element. This wasn't who he was. In all the times he'd laid awake in bed imagining the things he'd do to Lyle if he ever caught him, he had seen himself as sure and confident, able to torture the fucker without a single thought to what he was doing, but now, he was about to get sick every time he thought about walking into that house and taking him down.
That didn't mean he wasn't going to do it.
Hell no.
He'd been waiting too long for this, and the image of his daughter in that grave, the reminders of all he'd lost, that was what was going to push him to make the asshole suffer as much as he could. He could get sick after he was home, but until then, he was going to swallow back all that sour bile that threatened to come up, and do what he needed to do.
Pushing away from the boxes, he tried to think of what he still had to handle here. He'd been through the mental and physical lists hundreds of times, making sure that he was ready. Most of the work would happen once he was on the ground in North Carolina. He needed weapons, knives, gloves. The gun he had would be checked on the plane, that way he wouldn't have to worry about obtaining one there in a short amount of time. He didn't have time for background checks and other shit. He needed to get in and out within hours of landing.
He was going to stay the night in North Carolina, then fly home tomorrow. There was no point in lingering. Once the police were on scene and the girls safe, his job would be done. He was only spending the night so he'd have time to shower and calm his nerves after having taken Lyle out. The last thing he needed was to walk through the airport amped up after killing the guy.
He kept reminding himself that he'd be in touch with the team throughout almost the whole thing. As much as he wanted to do this on his own, the others were right in forcing him to let them help. Having them watching security systems and satellite images was going to make this a hell of a lot easier and safer.
The house was quiet, and the sting the team had been planning was canceled for a day so that they could focus on helping him take down Lyle. He didn't like that they were putting things off, but Xander insisted that he be around to watch everything go down on the satellite feed. He couldn't argue. It wasn't as if he could force Xander to go out on a sting, and since Kasey was out of town, Xander and Bryon were the only two who could go out, and Bryon wasn't about to miss any of the North Carolina action either.
He made his way down to the living room, pausing as Archer glanced up from the couch.
"You ready to leave?" Archer asked.
"Soon. I've got a little time." He slowly made his way over to the couch and offered his hand to Archer. "Come with me." This was what he was dreading more than anything. Saying goodbye, leaving him behind. They'd worked together on this, put the clues together, but now, he needed Archer to stay here where it was safe. He wasn't going to ask him to blacken his soul with what needed to be done. Archer was too good for that.
Archer didn't question it as he took Carter's hand and stood.
In silence, he led Archer down the hallway to one of the guest bedrooms. He pulled him in, flipped on the light, and shut the door. He released Archer's hand and leaned back against the wall. "I don't want to say goodbye."
"I don't want you to either." Archer's voice was husky with emotion. "So don't. This is just until later. I'll see you tomorrow when you get home. I'll talk to you on the phone tonight once you're safe." He stepped forward, crowding Carter's body with his as he pressed him up against the wall. "You're taking a quick business trip, nothing more." He ran his nose along Carter's neck as if memorizing his scent.
Carter gripped Archer's arms, holding him there. "When this is over, we talk. I promise."
Archer nodded.
