Page 19 of SEAL's Tempest
“Falcon 2, sitrep.”
The sound cut in and out as Josh moved around the room, trying to get a better connection. It didn’t improve, but maybe it would be clear enough for Quinn to understand.
“Retrieved package successfully. Tangos obstructing exit. Falcon 2 out.” Josh hoped it was enough.
A moment later, Quinn responded. “Falcon 2, clear copy. Stand by.”
“Can he hear you? What did he say?” Tempest asked.
She’d rushed across the room when he was talking to Quinn. But her focus was split between him and the activity on the other side of the door. He figured she didn’t realize she was twisting the hell out of the ring on her finger. It was amazing she hadn’t worn away some of the skin.
Unable to stand by without doing something, Josh took her hand in his. She looked startled when she met his eyes, then looked down at his hands. She must have realized he’d caught her showing tell. A blush colored her cheeks.
“It’ll be okay,” he said. “Quinn said to stand by. My guess is he’s communicating with JSOC to determine an exit strategy.”
Tempest nodded but looked away from him, her shoulders tensing.
“I hope they can come up with an option,” she said. “I had a lot of contingency plans, but not for this scenario. Basically, if they try to blow the door it’ll trigger the self-destruct and boom.”
“Fuck.” He hadn’t expected that. They needed to find a way out of there sooner rather than later.
“Falcon 1, come in,” Josh radioed. He didn’t need his team getting into a firefight with the assholes and inadvertently blowing them all to kingdom come.
“Copy, Falcon 2, what’s up?”
The connection sounded a little clearer. He wondered if the team had changed their position. “Do not engage with tangos. I repeat, do not engage with tangos while in the building. Falcon 2 out.”
It was the best Josh could do. If Quinn had questions, Knox could fill him in.
“Good idea. I hadn’t thought that they might stage a rescue attempt,” Tempest said as she moved closer to the video monitor.
“Can you figure out what they’re saying?” Josh asked.
“Some of it. They keep turning away from the camera. It looks like someone has told them to hold tight and wait for orders. But the guy with the phone is angry. He doesn’t want to wait. I’m not sure he’ll follow instruction or not.”
“Fucktastic. Apparently, not all military are as disciplined as we are.”
“Right?” Tempest flashed him a strained smile. “What do we do now?”
“Wait. Just like those assholes on the other side of the door. Give Quinn a chance to come up with a plan or not.” It didn’t pay to sugar coat it. They knew the risks every time they went on a mission.
“Okay,” Tempest said and mumbled something he couldn’t make out.
She walked over to the desk and grabbed two bottles of water and two of the protein bars.
She handed him one of each. “We might as well have a snack. We’re probably going to be here for a while.”
Josh lifted the bottle to his mouth and sucked down the cool water. It had been hours since he’d had anything to eat or drink, but he tucked the bar into his pocket. There were other rations in his pack, too, but they didn’t know how long they’d be in the lab. It was better to ration the rations. He grinned to himself at the joke until he saw the strain on Tempest’s face.
“Do you want another water?” Tempest asked as she took a few sips out of her bottle.
“No, better not. We don’t know how long we’ll be here, and I’m not sure how safe the water from the tap would be.”
“There are two cases of bottled water in the breakroom, so we should be okay. But there were only six protein bars.” Tempest took a bite and made a face as she chewed. “I can see why. No one would want to eat this crap.”
Josh laughed. Three days ago, if someone had told him he’d be stuck in a room with Tempest while cornered by tangos, he would have called bullshit. Hell, she’d been ready to kick him in the balls earlier when he’d told her he was coming with her. The woman never ceased to amaze him.
She had to be worried and probably scared. He was. Sure, they were trained and knew the risks, but no one went on a mission expecting to die or to be captured. Both were very real possibilities. But instead of throwing a tantrum or becoming hysterical, she was making jokes.
