Page 18 of SEAL's Tempest
As they watched the men, one of them answered a satellite phone. Tempest tried to read his lips, but he turned away from the camera.
“I don’t think we’re getting out of here anytime soon. I need to contact Quinn,” Josh said as they continued to watch the activity on the other side of the door.
“I’m not sure the comms will work inside all of this concrete, but we might be able to find a satellite phone in one of the offices.”
“Do you want to check while I try to reach Quinn?”
“Sure.” Tempest checked the receptionist area first then continued to look in each room, hoping to find a phone. After checking the third office, she started to think she wouldn’t find one. Her breath caught as she realized she was supposed to be alone.Šventoji Dievo motina—Mother ofGod. What would she have done if she was alone?
It would be okay. It had to be.
Tempest rubbed her sweaty palms against her jeans and took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She would not panic. She was a badass, just like her father had told her since she was a child. She could do this. Failure was never an option. She’d never failed; there was no reason to do so now. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on slowing her breathing.
You. Are. A. Badass.
A badass.
A badass.
As her heart rate slowed and the paralyzing fear ebbed, she remembered the failsafe. It was only a matter of time before the men tried to blast their way through that door. When they did, it would trigger the self-destruct. This damn building would end up being her final resting place. Not just hers. Josh’s, too.
Velniop!
Tempest needed to warn Josh. To let him know that there was a very real possibility that they weren’t getting out of there alive. It was selfish of her to be thankful he was with her, but he didn’t deserve to be stuck there, it wasn’t his mission.
As she raced through the rest of the offices, she prayed she’d find a phone or a working computer. Anything to notify Knox of their situation. Her hands shook with desperation as she rifled through the contents of all the desks and file cabinets in each office. She found nothing but pens and paper.
The only place she hadn’t checked was the breakroom. Tempest deliberately saved it for last. Of all the places to stash a phone, that wouldn’t have been her choice. But all she found was some water and protein bars.
Grabbing them, she made her way back to Josh, hoping he’d been able to reach Quinn.
* * *
Josh pulled his comm unit out of his pack as he observed the activity on the other side of the door. It was obvious the men didn’t realize they were on camera even if they knew he and Tempest were inside the building. That didn’t help him since he couldn’t speak Marikistani. When Tempest returned, hopefully she’d be able to read their lips.
A sixth man had shown up, and he argued with the one who’d been making the call earlier. It didn’t bode well for them getting out of there anytime soon.
Fuck. When he thought about Tempest being trapped here alone and needing to come up with an exit plan, his protective instincts surged. He clenched his fists to keep from punching the wall. No one should be operating on their own, it was too fucking dangerous.
After taking a breath to settle himself, Josh tried to raise Quinn on the comms. But he heard nothing but static. The team should have been in range unless they had moved to the EXFIL outside Zdolnihiv.
Not ready to give up, Josh walked around the room and kept trying. He looked up as Tempest appeared in the doorway. Disappointment chewed at his stomach when he didn’t see a phone in her hand, just water bottles.
“No luck, huh?”
“Unfortunately not. Please tell me the comms worked.” Tempest she put the water bottles and some protein bars down on a desk.
Outwardly, she looked calm, but she began twisting her ring. Josh fought the urge to take her into his arms and hold her for just a moment, comforting her in the only way he knew how. He knew better than to try it.
“No luck here yet, either, but I’m not giving up.”
As soon as he’d said the words, his comm squawked in his ear and he held up his hand to Tempest.
“Falcon 2, do you copy?” The connection wasn’t clear, but he could make out Quinn’s voice.
“Copy that, Falcon 1,” Josh responded.
A grin spread across Tempest’s face. He didn’t have the heart to tell her they still weren’t clear. She was experienced enough to figure that out on her own, but it hadn’t sunk in yet.
