Page 67 of Gwen's Delta
She wanted to trust him, to believe him, but if he was wrong, she’d never see her parents again. As the full impact of the situation hit her, she jumped up and knocked over the chair. “Bathroom?”
“Down the hall,” Zip answered.
Running down the hallway, Gwen threw open the door and barely made it to the toilet before she vomited. She didn’t realize Luke had followed her until he held her hair and rubbed her back while she heaved. When she finally leaned back from the toilet with tears pouring down her face, he handed her a damp washcloth.
“I can’t lose them, Luke. I just can’t.”
He sat on the floor and pulled her onto his lap. Holding her close, his voice rumbled against her head. “You won’t lose them, princess.”
Turning her face into his chest, she let the tears fall. She didn’t care if she wasn’t strong. They were all in extreme danger, and it rocked her to her core.
Chapter 18
Merlin seethed with pent-up anger. The desire to end the men threatening his woman was overwhelming. Gwen had been inconsolable. He’d held her and offered what comfort he could as they sat on the bathroom floor. When her tears finally tapered off, he carried her into their room and put her in bed.
Gwen begged him to stay with her until she fell asleep, and though he had work to do, he couldn’t leave her side. As he stretched out on the bed, he pulled her against him. She rested her head on his chest and a few remaining tears dampened his T-shirt.
Torn between wanting to hunt down the tangos and stay by her side to keep her safe, Merlin’s heart warred with his head, his training—everything he’d been for the last ten years. It was the reason he’d never settled down, never opened himself up to being in a long-term relationship. But even as the thoughts flitted through his mind, he realized he wouldn’t give up one moment of life with the woman at his side. He’d just have to adapt, and he did that very well.
As her breathing steadied, he slid out from under her, taking care not to wake her. Soundlessly, he closed the door behind him and went down the hall. The team was sitting at the dining room table, working on their laptops.
“How is she?” Zip asked when he noticed Merlin watching them from the doorway.
“I’m not sure. Devastated. Broken. Pick one. It’s exactly what I wanted to avoid. I swear, if I ever get my hands on Sand, I will shred him.” Merlin paced the room as he vibrated with anger.
“I get it; we all do. But it’s not his fault. It’s the op, it’s always the op,” Woof said.
It didn’t matter. Even though Woof was right, Merlin needed a punching bag, and Sand, the motherfucker, was the perfect option.
“You need to calm the fuck down. Nothing has changed except the timeline,” Duff growled. That was more than Duff usually said, and it broke through the blackness in Merlin’s head.
After a deep breath, he stalked over to the table and reread the email. They had less than twenty-four hours to put their plan into place. Merlin looked over his shoulder at the closed bedroom door. Then he locked his feelings for Gwen in a box and shoved it into the back of his brain. It was time to put all his focus into the mission. When they got back home, he’d unlock the box…if she didn’t dump him when she found out the truth that there was more to this mission.
Two hours later, they’d changed the plan to adapt to the new parameters. The drop off in the café would make it easier to monitor the surroundings. They’d have to dress as locals to blend in since members of Daesh could have identified them. Duff would take the inside surveillance as he would blend better than the rest of them.
Woof would cover the back of the building with Jangles, and Merlin and Zip would watch the front. They were the best of the best as far as teams went, but not knowing who all the players were made it more difficult. But they had prepared for every scenario they could imagine.
“I want to check out the neighborhood. Make sure we’re not missing anything,” Merlin said as he pulled out a Ka-Bar and a Sig from the weapons crate. Lifting the leg of his tan, chino pants, he slid the knife into his boot. Then he tucked the gun into his waistband. To make sure he had it concealed, he slid a khaki button-down shirt over his black tee.
“I’ll come, too,” Duff said as he loaded up with weapons from the trunk.
After an intense discussion, Zip stayed behind to watch over Gwen, and the others went with him to check out the café. Since Zip had met her more than once, they hoped she’d feel more comfortable with him. They’d tried to convince Merlin to stay with her, but he was in charge, and he needed to make sure everyone stayed safe.
The safe house was within walking distance of the café. But even in mid-afternoon, the streets were overcrowded with people and cars. As the team wove their way through the people, Merlin figured it would be the same the next morning. Rather than have Gwen struggle with the heavy bag and the crowds, she’d be better off taking a taxi to the restaurant.
Not wanting to leave anything to chance, he made a mental note to call the driver from earlier.
The men spread out once they approached the Tamara and checked out every conceivable angle of attack. Duff got the cushy job of checking out the inside and sampling the baked goods.
The closer they got to the restaurant area, the worse it got. It would be a cluster fuck at zero nine hundred. The terrorists had planned well. If the tangos escaped out either the front or back door, they’d disappear into the crowd in seconds. Their only option would be to get them before they left the café. It was also the most dangerous with the greatest likelihood of civilian casualties.
After their thorough recon of the area, they returned to the safe house. Each of them took a different circuitous route to reduce the odds of being followed. Merlin was the last to return. It surprised him that Gwen was still sleeping.
“She never woke up?” he asked Zip after checking on her.
“No. I checked on her every thirty mikes.”
“Do you think she’ll be okay tomorrow?” Woof asked.
