Page 7 of Guarded By the SEAL
You only get one chance to nail this bastard.
Wyatt Sorenson studied the map of Warsaw Mountain, committing the intricacies of the terrain surrounding his target’s mansion to memory. The mission to nail Marco Steele was the most important of his career. Steele was a human trafficker and arms dealer who’d been skating by under the facade of a legitimate import/exporter for far too long.
Wyatt and his teammates had been charged with taking him down, but one hell of a blizzard was sweeping through the southeast portion of Colorado. HERO Force would need to battle the elements to get to the mountain, then battle Steele’s forces once on the ground.
He would have preferred better weather, but their commander, Jax Andersson, had received high-quality intel that Steele’s latest shipment of human cargo was stuck at his compound, waiting out the storm. Only a small window of opportunity existed in which they could catch him red-handed.
Logan O’Malley entered the tactical operations room. “Wheels up in thirty minutes,” he said. “They’re refueling now.”
“Excellent.” Wyatt folded the map.
Logan gestured to it. “Paper?”
Logan was smart as shit, a former agent with the NSA. But he was young, and his naiveté showed through his rough exterior like sunlight through a split in the drapes. “Technology is good, Doc,” said Wyatt, knowing the other man was laughing at his use of an old-fashioned paper map. Wyatt had programmed his GPS as well—he had all the latest technology ready to go—but it was important to cover all his bases. “But it’s better to have a backup, just in case.”
Nothing was going to foil this mission—certainly not a faulty GPS or a sun flare that garbled the signal. He was a former Navy SEAL, and being prepared for any scenario was ingrained in him like breathing. He would use the high-tech gadgetry available to him, but he would be ready to complete his entire mission without it.
Trevor Hawkins pushed through the door, energy coming off him in waves as he leveled his stare at Wyatt. “You ready to get this bastard, Bulldog?”
He and Hawk would be leading the charge, Jax and Doc waiting in the wings. It was a scenario they’d practiced and rehearsed countless times, the only variable remaining the actual execution. “Hell yes, I’m ready.”
The intercom buzzed. “Bulldog, there’s a call for you.”
Wyatt exhaled heavily. Who would be calling him here? He picked up the receiver, irritated with the disruption. “What?”
“Is this Wyatt Sorenson?” It was a woman’s voice, breathless and shaky.
“Yes.”
“My name is Teslyn McGregor. I’m in trouble.” She laughed without humor. “That’s a huge understatement.”
He had no idea how she’d gotten his name, but clearly she was calling the wrong man. “I can transfer you back to the operator. They should be able to help you.” He moved to hang up the phone.
“Wait! Ghost said you would help me.”
Ghost.Keane Bryson, a Delta Force soldier, his brother in arms, and one of the few men for whom Wyatt would do anything. His eyes shot to Hawk’s. Was this woman going to throw a wrench into his plans to get Steele? “How do you know Ghost?”
“I’m friends with his girlfriend, Rayne. I didn’t know who else to call. I thought maybe Ghost could help us, but he’s out of the country and he had Rayne tell me to call you. Please, I don’t have anyone else to turn to.”
Wyatt shifted his weight. He didn’t want to help this lady. He wanted to get Steele, had been planning to get that bastard for nearly a year. But if Ghost sent this woman to him, he couldn’t just turn his back on her. “What’s going on?”
“Someone killed my mother and set fire to her trailer. My little sister managed to escape. My mother was afraid this would happen, that someone was after her, and that she couldn’t trust the police. I don’t know what to do.”
“Where are you?”
“Osprey, Mississippi, about thirty minutes east of New Orleans.”
He pinched the skin between his eyes. That had to be six hours from Atlanta. “Hang on.” He looked to Hawk and Jax, the two members of HERO Force who’d be with him in Colorado. “I have a woman in Mississippi who needs protecting. Ghost told her to call me.”
Jax didn’t miss a beat. “Do what you need to do. I can put Ralph on the Steele mission.”
Damn it, he didn’t want to give this one up. Besides, Ralph’s wife was pregnant and struggling with severe morning sickness. “What about Jessa?”
Jax nodded once. “He can handle his own family. Take care of the woman for Ghost.”
Wyatt turned to Doc, resigned but annoyed with this sudden change in plans. “Logan, find me a safe-house to meet someone between here and Osprey, Mississippi.”
“Alabama’s between the two. I’m on it,” said Logan.
