A Covert Affair (Deadly Ops #5)(70)

They entered hard, their weapons up as they pushed through the haze of smoke.

The shouts were nonsensical, mainly just “police” and “run.” A burst of staccato gunfire went off, then ended just as quickly.

“Gunman down,” Dax said through the comm line.

As the smoke cleared, Nathan spotted two men hunched over on the floor near a foldout table. Beers and playing cards were scattered over the top. He couldn’t see any civilians, just huge containers backed against one wall. He had a feeling he knew what was in them.

One of the men clawed at his eyes with one hand and blindly groped at his back for a weapon tucked into his pants.

Nathan shoved his M4 into the guy’s spine. “Face down, hands above your head!” He retrieved the weapon, shoved it into one of his pockets as he secured the groaning man’s hands and feet into flex cuffs.

“Got your six,” Freeman said over the comm.

There were always a few precious seconds when an operator’s back was exposed in situations like this, usually when securing a target. He’d worked with Freeman enough to trust the guy with his life. Hell, they’d almost died together not too long ago.

“Two targets secured,” he said into his comm after cuffing the next groaning man.

Less than ten minutes later, the smoke had cleared and a dozen men with ties to a local Russian gang were facedown on the floor in a single line with their hands and feet secured.

Nathan’s team had found two locked containers of women and children, all in various conditions of shock or terror, though they were all malnourished to an extent.

And none of them seemed to speak any English.

His gut tightened as he radioed Burkhart. “Targets all secure and we’re gonna need a Russian translator.” He assumed the women and children were Russian, given some of the phrases, but he couldn’t be certain.

In that moment, the darkest part of him wanted to line up the men on the floor and execute them all. No one had a right to own or sell another human being. It was one of the most deplorable acts in the world.

For now he compartmentalized what was going on and kept his game face on. They’d been able to save a lot of people tonight. He’d take the win.

Very soon, he planned to take the biggest win of all, Amelia’s heart.





Chapter 19


Burn phone: prepaid disposable phone.





“Thanks for walking me out,” Amelia said to Manuel as they left the restaurant. From now on she was going to make sure everyone had an escort when they walked to their vehicle, regardless of the time of day.

“Of course. I just hope things will settle down.” He glanced around the full parking lot.

“Neal confessed, so hopefully things will.” That had nothing to do with Tessa’s going missing, but Amelia kept that thought to herself. She paused along a row of vehicles as a BMW with tinted windows turned down the parking aisle they were about to cross.

Manuel frowned and actually held out a hand in front of her, to protect her. The likely subconscious protective motion was ridiculously sweet, warming her from the inside out. Considering she felt like crap at the moment, it eased some of the stiffness in her shoulders. Not by much, though.

When the sleek silver car slowed and the window rolled down, she tensed until she saw Collette Mercado behind the wheel. Wearing Fendi sunglasses with amber lenses, the woman smiled widely. “I must have perfect timing. Are you leaving?”

Amelia nodded before laying a gentle hand on Manuel’s forearm. “You can head back in. My rental’s right there.” She tilted her chin to the next row across from them.

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. I’ll see you tomorrow. Afternoon, though. I’ll be at Amelia’s in the morning.” Amelia’s was short for La Cocina de Amelia.

He nodded once before heading back through the throng of parked vehicles. She turned and smiled at Collette, even though she was certain the look didn’t meet her eyes. She was too damn tired to paint on a happy face. “How are you?”

“Good, but I should be asking you that. I’m surprised you’re at work so soon.” Her voice was sincere enough, but something about Collette bothered her. It was subtle, but she had an entitled air that rubbed Amelia the wrong way.

Or maybe she was just projecting her own insecurities. Amelia had seen her the day before at Mercado’s, but Collette had disappeared after saying hello to them. “Staying active keeps me sane,” she said, lightly laughing. It was the truth. She needed to keep busy, though this had more to do with Nathan than anything else. When he’d come by late last night, she hoped they might be able to work through some of their stuff. Instead she just felt even worse today and they’d resolved nothing. Which wasn’t anyone’s fault. She understood that he’d been called away to work.

“I understand that. Listen . . . I have a favor to ask and it’s okay if you say no. I took a chance coming to see you today, so I’m hoping it’s fate I ran into you.” She smiled that wide smile again and for a moment it reminded Amelia of a shark. “I, God, this is a little embarrassing, but I’m thinking of investing in a new restaurant. Well, a potential one. I could ask my father, but you’re the expert, so I was hoping you could come look at the property. My friend is actually buying the building and will be starting his own business, but he approached me with a business proposal. It looks solid to me, but . . . I was really hoping you’d check out the area and just give me your general thoughts. I know location matters as much as anything else. I’ll buy you lunch,” Collette added, almost as an afterthought.