Mission: Her Protection (Team 52 #1)(8)

“Hey, where are you?” Blair’s throaty voice came through the line.

“Getting beer.”

“I’m at your place. We just got called in. I was close, so I volunteered to pick you up.”

Lachlan frowned. “We just got back.”

“Apparently, emergencies don’t wait for us to take time off,” Blair said dryly. “And this mission is priority.”

Shit. It was serious, then. Dreams of a quiet night and a few beers disappeared in a puff of smoke. There was a flash of blue-and-red lights outside and Lachlan saw the police cruiser pull up.

“Okay, let me deal with the police, and I’ll be back in ten.”

“Police?”

“Someone decided to rob my local convenience store.”

There was an amused snort. “They still breathing?”

“Yes, but not through his broken nose.” Lachlan shot the man a glare and he shrunk back.

“Stupid bastard,” Blair said. “The X8 is fueled and waiting for us.”

“Acknowledged. Where are we headed?” Lachlan would get a full briefing on their high-speed jet-helicopter, but he liked to be prepared.

“Northern Canada.”

Brr. “See you in ten.”

He closed the phone and watched the police officers step inside. Ricky rushed over, and launched into an excitable account of what had happened. The older officer looked at the sobbing robber, then to Lachlan.

“Military?”

“Former,” Lachlan answered. What he did now was classified.

“Special forces?”

He nodded.

“SEAL?” the officer asked.

“Marine Force Reconnaissance.” Most people lost interest after that. While they’d often heard of the exploits of Navy SEALs, Force Recon was less well known. Which was just how they liked it.

The officer’s eyes widened. “Force Recon.” Clearly, he’d heard of the Force Reconnaissance teams. “Well, thanks for not killing him.”

Lachlan quickly gave his statement, his mind already turning to his upcoming mission.

Someone out there needed him and his team. He flexed his gloved hand. It was time for Lachlan to do what he did best.





Chapter Three





The experimental, jet-powered X8 helicopter came in low over the Gilman Glacier.

Lachlan pressed one hand to the doorway leaning into the cockpit, watching Seth and Blair in the pilot seats, bringing them closer to the Hazen Research Base.

The X8 not only had coaxial dual rotors, it had a wide body with jet engines, giving the aircraft the best elements of both helicopter and plane. It possessed more than double the speed of most helicopters and had an increased range. They’d had to do a mid-air refuel en route, but they were now coming in on their target.

Ahead, Lachlan took in the stunning view of the ice glinting in the morning sun through the X8’s wide windshield.

“Who the hell would want to come out here?” Seth said. “On purpose.”

Seth Lynch, a former CIA agent from the Agency’s Special Activities Division, sounded bored. Lachlan knew the man well and knew that wasn’t the case. Tall, dark, and lean, Seth was very good at letting people only see what he wanted them to see. Lachlan had given up trying to work out how many languages Seth spoke or how many accents he could mimic.

Seth wasn’t bored. Far from it.

“Apparently, a team of scientists from universities all around the world,” Lachlan answered. “To study glacial ice.”

Seth looked back over his shoulder and raised a dark eyebrow. He was wearing his all-white, cold-weather gear, his hands moving easily over the X8’s controls. One side of his face was smooth skin, while the other side was covered in a mass of scars.

“Sounds like they ended up with more than ice.”

“Yeah,” the blonde woman beside Seth said. “They had an unwelcome visitor.”

Blair Mason’s blonde ponytail swung behind her. Lachlan’s best friend and second-in-command was also former Marine Force Recon.

She was tough and competent as hell, and had fought beside Lachlan for years. He’d saved her life a time or two, and Blair had more than returned the favor. The woman was an expert in close-quarter combat, and fought mean. There was nothing the woman loved more than tossing bad guys on their asses, usually after she toyed with them for a bit first.

“Yeah.” The frantic transmission he’d listened to had been playing over and over in Lachlan’s head. A man identifying himself as Dr. Samuel Malu had called in a distress call requesting help. The transmission had ended on a terrified scream, and the sound of…something else.

Lachlan spotted the outlines of the domes in the distance. He turned to the rest of his team. In the back of the aircraft, Smith Creed, Axel Diaz, and Callie Kimura all sat, bodies relaxed and also clad in white cold-weather gear. Big, burly Smith, a former Navy SEAL, was cleaning his rifle. Former Air Force Pararescueman Callie—the Team 52 medic—was sorting out her medical backpack. Axel looked like he was asleep, but Lachlan knew the former Delta Force soldier could be awake and move fast when required.

“Okay, listen up. We’re nearly at the camp.” His team all looked up. “Something appears to have attacked these scientists, but we have no idea what. There should be nothing out here but ice. We’ve tried to establish contact with the base, but there’s been no response.”