Page 10 of Gwen's Delta
As much as it disappointed Merlin to lose the time off, Woof had it worse. He’d planned to fly to DC to spend a week with his girlfriend, Nori. She’d tried to get time off, but her job at the State Department was too busy. He’d hoped to surprise her.
“On the last check-in, their asset said they were planning on kidnapping an American couple,” Turano answered.
“That’s not their usual mode of operation. Don’t they stick to military targets?” Merlin asked. His research told him they differed from how the rest of ISIS operated.
“You’re right, but times have changed. We think they’ve brought in fresh blood from one of the ISIS groups in Syria.”
“Have there been any kidnappings reported?” Woof asked. “Or are we just assuming it will happen based on intel?”
“The CIA insists that their guy hasn’t been wrong yet. As of now, there have been no incidents reported. But that could change at any moment. These are some surveillance photos the CIA sent over. We believe this is their base of operations.”
Merlin and the guys gathered around Turano as he spread the images on the table.
“It’s barren desert,” Woof said.
“How are we supposed to get in there without detection?” Zip asked.
“Does the CIA know the targets?” Merlin asked, adding to the questions they hoped Turano could answer. The more he studied the photos, the less Merlin liked the thought of dropping into the middle of the Sinai with no cover.
“Nothing so far, but their operator is supposed to check-in early morning Cairo time. I need you back here for a briefing at zero eight hundred. Stay close to post just in case the shit hits the fan.”
“Copy that, sir,” the team replied.
“Typical CIA shit,” Magnus “Duff” McCormick groused with his usual bluntness. While they were a tight-knit team, Duff usually kept a bit of distance, and it seemed safer that way.
“The CIA will have a briefing packet for us. With any luck, it will be before we need to head out,” Turano said with a sigh.
“And if not, we just drop in blind and hope we can find their operator and the HVTs?” Zip asked what they all wanted to know.
This would be Zip’s first mission since he’d returned from medical leave. He’d almost died during an attack in Killeen after a tango had tracked him down. It was a spillover from one of their missions and never should have happened.
Talk about a clusterfuck. The cold reality had hit them hard when they realized they weren’t as invisible as they thought. Zip and Woof worried about the women they were dating, and it had caused issues in their relationships. For Merlin, it had been another reason to remain single…until he’d had a special coffee date with Gwen. Could he put her through the worry?
Turano said, “Most likely, except they want to keep their operator embedded.”
“You’re telling me that the CIA doesn’t give a shit that their operator’s cover will be blown when we show up?” Merlin asked.
“Supposedly they’ve given him an exit plan. I’m hoping to have more intel for the morning briefing.” Turano closed the lid of the laptop and gathered the images from the table. “Anything else?”
“No, sir.”
“Excellent. See you at zero eight hundred.”
The door had barely closed behind Roe when Zip turned to Merlin with a devious glint in his eye. “Where the hell were you? Roe almost started without you. It was obvious he was getting impatient.”
“If I’d known about this meeting, I would have stayed home. But since I had the day off, I drove over to Lancelot to check out a bookstore.” Merlin counted down the seconds until they started in on him. They thought it was hysterical that he collected books.
“That’s where you went on your day off?” The dour look on Duff’s face said it all.
“Yeah, it surprised me to find a bookstore that sold rare books around here. So I went to check it out. It’s a tiny town, but it has excellent coffee.”
“Maybe we should start a book club?” Woof teased.
“I would if any of you asshats could read.”
“Fucker,” Zip said with a laugh.
Merlin expected worse from his brothers in arms. It was part of being a family, one that would give their lives for each other. The goal was to make sure they didn’t have to, and they’d been lucky so far. They’d had some close calls, though, like with Zip.
