Code Name: Nina's Choice (Warrior's Challenge) (39 page)

They waited.

“What’s that?” Tinman
asked with a harsh whisper.

“What?” Mace said.

“That,” he hissed.

Mace listened. The
distinct
rattle made them both turn their heads
slowly. Coiled and ready for attack sat one big friggin’ rattler. What the
hell? They’d been in the thickest jungles and driest deserts, and it always
seemed to be him and Tinman who came face to face with the wildlif
e. They exchanged a look.

“Aw, man,” Tinman
groaned.

“Your turn,” Mace
said. Its head drew back, its thick body tensing, and with only two feet of
distance the conclusion was obvious. It happened so often they took turns
sacrificing their ass to save the o
ther. They’d been
bitten and stung so many times it was a running joke in the squad.

“If I’m sacrificing my
ass to those fangs, you’re gonna get me a date with Nina’s sister.”

“According to Nina,
she’s a slut. Her words, not mine.”

“I’m good with that.”
He
let out a deep breath.

“What about Lumin?
Looked like chemistry to me.”

“That woman isn’t a
weekend hot spot.”

Mace slowly drew a
knife from his vest. “Make your move.”

Tinman hissed out his
breath and leaped. The snake lunged and Mace grabbed it behind t
he head and brought his knife down. He expelled the air in
his lungs while Tinman rolled to his knees and patted his ass.

“Nice job, buddy.”

“Heads up,” Fox said.

The front door opened
while the main entryway for truck arrivals remained sealed. Another man
ran out the door. “Two coming your way, Lieutenant,” Ditz
reported.

“Got ’em,” Fox
reported.

Mace watched in the
scope. Fox moved forward, and in quick succession they dropped. The bright
forward light of the chopper came over the mountain range. Within s
econds it hovered above the industrial park. “Thank you,
Mr. Porter,” Mace said. When Steven offered his help and his own helicopter on
the phone earlier, he wasn’t going to kick a gift horse in the mouth. Two more
men ran out of the building, but instead
of heading
toward Cobbs they ran to the east straight at Caleb and Ditz. Both took aim.

“Two more down,” Ditz
reported.

“That’s five,” Cobbs
replied. “Let’s hope there’s only a bone crew left inside, but we’re on the
clock now. They’re gonna know something
’s up. Let’s
move.”

The squad converged at
a point by the corner of the building. Since their security detail wasn’t
returning, Pedro’s men were staying behind cover.

A maintenance ladder
attached to the building hung ten feet behind them. Ditz and Caleb m
otioned they were going to take it. Mace nodded. They
waited until the guys had made the roof, looking for a way in or a visual of
what was inside. A couple long minutes passed.

“We’ve got a visual,”
Ditz reported.

“What do you see?”
Cobbs asked.

“Fifty
fe
et of no-man’s land after entering.
After that the warehouse is divided by
racks.
Barrels and shipping crates
everywhere.
It’ll be good cover. Standby,” Ditz said. “
There’s
five guys moving toward the front door.
Two more have hung back. Looks like three o
ffices at
the back of the building. Someone just came out of the middle one. I can’t see
Cayson or Gabbs, Mace.”

“Copy that,” Mace
said.

“Seven
of them, five of us.
Good odds.” Fox adjusted his weapon.

“Standby!”
Caleb ordered. “Jesus Christ. Ten more
guys
just exited a hallway. How many fucking guys
does he have in there?”

“The right side of the
interior is the least protected. Two guys are hunched down halfway to the door.
If you’re going to firefight your way through, that’s the place to start,” Ditz
sai
d.

“Caleb, we need you
down here. Ditz, you keep your eyes on things up there. Tell us how they’re
moving,” Lieutenant Cobbs said.

They waited till Caleb
was on the ground. This was not good. The odds were someone was going to take a
bullet. “I’m going to
do whatever it takes to get to
that office, Lieutenant.” Mace checked his weapon. After so many years it was
like another body part.

Cobbs laid a hand on
his shoulder. “Mace, we’ll be right behind you and clearing a path. You get
Gabbs and we’re out of her
e.”

The chopper landed in
the desert. The blades transmitted a soft
whip
,
whip
. Steven Porter wasn’t shutting down,
but instead ready to get them the hell out of there.

“No one’s moving
toward the door. They’re staying put.
Think we drew out as many as
we’re
going to,” Ditz said.

“It’s go time,” Fox
said.

“You want fries with
that coke, sir?” Tinman grinned at Cobbs.

Fox took the lead and
checked around the corner for strays.

In a tight line they kept their backs to the wall, and
surrounded the door. One last look between them, and then Tony checked the
door.
Unlocked.
Fifty feet was a long way to run when
bullets were flying at you. They probably had more stockpiled ammunition
than the squad had. Every shot would have to count.

Chapter Twenty-three

Pedro leaned against
the desk in his office, arms crossed. A menacing scowl plated his pockmarked
skin. “If that is the police, you are a dead man.” His shiny black eyes fell o
n Gabbs who sat curled in the corner with her arms snuggly
wrapped around her school backpack. “I can retrieve some of my lost funds from
selling her overseas. You, however, are worthless.”

Wade sat in the chair
wearing his own scowl. The chopper hovered o
ver the
building, and his guts twisted into a ball. “Nina wouldn’t call the police. Her
daughter means too much to her.”

“Is she not your
daughter too?” Pedro said, looking at him with disgust.

Pedro
trafficked
women and drugs. When he didn’t get his
way,
he murdered whoever stood in it. Borrowing money
from him had been a mistake, but it turned his stomach to have this piece of
human trash looking down his nose at him. He ignored the question. Although he
and Gabbs weren’t bound, they were hostages until N
ina
came up with the money. He’d asked for a million dollars. He only owed Pedro
five hundred thousand. The rest would get him to Mexico and keep him afloat for
a while. He knew his days as a naval officer were over.

“I want Mommy,” Gabbs
said, stifling he
r tears.

He sighed and walked
the few paces to kneel down before her. “You’ll be with her soon enough.”

Gabbs didn’t really
understand what was going on. She didn’t know he’d used her to wipe the slate
clean. When she reached her arms toward him for a hug,
he stepped back. “Be patient, Gabriella.”

“I’m hungry.” She
looked up at him, her big green eyes shining with tears. They were Nina’s eyes,
and although a small flicker of guilt took flight, he doused it.

Something dropped on
the floor and slid into his s
hoe. “Feed her, so I
don’t have to listen to the whining,” Pedro ordered.

He picked up the candy
bar, his own stomach growling. He
unwrapped
it, ate half of it and handed Gabbs the
rest.

“Thank you,” she said
in a little voice, her glance darting fearfully
to
Pedro.

The door opened and a
big guy they called Saint, who wore his shades regardless of where they were or
what time of day it was, walked in. “Sir.”

“Is it the police?”
Pedro’s scowl deepened.

“Don’t think so. The
chopper landed. I sent five men out
to investigate.
None of them are communicating with us. Romaro checked at the back door. It
looks like a private or corporate craft, and no one has gotten out. Maybe it’s
just someone in difficulty who had to land.”

“Find out.” The words
spit from Pedro’s
mouth with sharp points hurtling
into the chest of his senior security man. Pedro checked his watch. “Call the
mother. I want the money transferred in thirty minutes.”

“She’s getting it from
her parents. They—”

Pedro launched from
the desk and grabbed Wad
e by the throat. “I don’t
give a shit where it comes from. Thirty minutes, or your blood temperature
drops to zero and she’s on a boat to Poland.”

Wade yanked himself
away and swallowed deeply. Digging in his pocket, he found his phone.

Pedro slapped it fr
om his hands. “Not from
your
phone, you fucking idiot, they can
trace that. Use this.” He pushed a disposable cell into his chest, shoving him
backward at the same time.

Her cell rang once.
“Hello?”

“Nina—”

“You fucking piece of
shit,” she said with a
snarl. “Where is Gabbs?”

“I have her here with
me. She’s not hurt, and she won’t be, but I need that money now, Nina.” He
blinked when a small hand clutched his arm.

“I want to talk to
Mommy, please Daddy?”

Pedro watched him and
then nodded. “Say hello and
then goodbye.
Quickly.”

Gabbs nodded, her red
curls bouncing.

“Mommy?”

“Gabbs, please listen
very carefully. Your father has done something very bad. I want you to keep as
far away from him as possible. Now here’s a secret. Don’t tell anyone, Mace is
comi
ng to get you. When you see him, you run as hard
and as fast as you can to him. No matter what Wade says, it’s a lie.”

“I want to come home.”

“Mace will bring you
home, baby,” she choked. “You run to Mace, okay?”

Wade yanked the phone
from Gabbs’ hands. “G
o sit down.” He put the phone to
his ear. “You have thirty minutes to make that money happen, Nina, or Gabbs
won’t be coming home—ever.”

“Why, Wade? How could
you use our daughter as chattel?”

“You made the choice,
Nina. You chose that SEAL over me. I don’
t need my
life ruined because you opened your legs and didn’t protect yourself. I won’t
be turned into a monthly check if you’re not going to share yourself with me.”

“But you meant
something to our daughter.”

He tightened his jaw.
“Choices, Nina. She’s pr
obably not my only spawn, but
she came with a nice, fat money belt attached to her, thanks to your parents.
Now get the money. I have account numbers, five hundred thousand in each one.”
He gave her the routing codes and account numbers. “Thirty minutes.”
He hung up and tossed the phone at Pedro.
“Done.”

Romaro burst into the
room. “We’ve got trouble.”

All heads turned
toward him. Gabbs screamed and clamped her hands over her ears when the
warehouse erupted in gunfire, and all hell broke loose.

* * * *

Mace
and the squad made it across the vulnerable fifty feet
with a lot of precious ammunition expended. Half the team went down the middle
aisle, he, Tinman and Fox down the right. They dropped the two guys holding
ground. Mace raced toward the back of the war
ehouse,
Tinman and Fox covering him. Sparks flew off the racks with poorly-aimed
rounds. More gunfire erupted from the other part of the building as Cobbs and
Caleb took on the rest of the shooters.

He craned his head to
get a look at the offices and jerke
d it back when a
guy in a leather jacket popped up from a five-by-five crate. “He’s standing
ground in front of the office,” Mace said. He peered around the corner again
and saw two guys dart into the office. How the hell was he going to do this?
Gabbs and
Cayson were pinned in the office, and Gabbs
would be used as leverage. They couldn’t take them on in a firefight without
risking her life. Tinman knelt at his feet,
then
shoved a small box across the floor.
The guy in the leather jacket rose, and Mace too
k his
shot, hitting him in the forehead.

The echo of gunfire
subsided.

Speakers above their
heads squealed. A voice with a distinct Spanish accent said, “This is very
simple. You will leave or the girl and Cayson will be sacrificed.”

Without her, Pedro had
no bargaining chip and he knew it. “And then I’ll blow
your fucking head off,” Mace shouted. “You’re right, this is easy. Your men are
dead. You have nowhere to go, and all I want is Gabriella. You keep Cayson.”

Wade’s voice boomed
from the speakers. “Mac
e, if you don’t leave, he will
kill her. He’s got nothing to lose, but his life, and he doesn’t give a shit.”

Mace’s body tensed. He
glared at Fox and Tinman.

“Nina has thirty
minutes to pay the money. We wait. Everyone wins,” Wade said. “Back off and
Gabr
iella will not be harmed.”

Mace caught movement
from the next aisle. When he turned, no one was there.
“Lieutenant, where are you located?”

“Far
left aisle, near the offices.”

“Someone’s in the
middle aisle.”

Silence, followed by,
“I don’t see anyone.”

Dit
z, still on the roof checked in. “I thought I saw someone
too. He must be close to you near the back of the building.”

“We missed one,” Cobbs
murmured. “Watch for him.”

Mace heard Gabriella
cry, and his soul chilled to ice. “God damn it.”

“Keep it together
, Sniper,” his lieutenant warned.

They had no choice. “I
want to see Gabbs.” He paused. “If she’s unharmed, we wait it out. If not, we
apply our rules of conduct, and you’re all fucking dead.”

The speaker remained
on. Wade must have been talking to Pedro.
“SEALs
don’t take prisoners. They’ll take the chance.”

“I want to see Mace,”
Gabbs cried out.

“Mace doesn’t care
about you, he just wants in your mother’s pants. Shut up,” Wade yelled at her.

“Tell him you’re
okay,” Pedro ordered sharply.

Gabbs’ fearful
whimpers filled the warehouse and squeezed his heart to the
size of an atom. “Not good enough. I want to see she’s unhurt. If she is, then
we back away.” He raised his weapon to his shoulder. It would be the most
important shot of his life. Tinman’s hand f
ell on his
shoulder.

“Are you sure? Fuck,
man, you have to be sure.”

Mace nodded sharply,
and put his eye to the scope. His body seized when the door cracked open. The
son of a bitch holding Gabbs took one step out with her raised in front of him.
His hear
t stopped. His breathing slowed. His finger
rested against the trigger.

His mind tore back to
when he and Gabbs sat staring up at the stars on the beach the night of the
SEAL picnic. She sat on his lap, resting against his chest, completely happy to
stay
there forever. Her little hand grasped a couple
of his fingers and pulled his arm to snuggle her. She’d asked him what it was
like to be a hero. He’d told her heroes came in all sizes. Above all else they
were brave enough to do the hardest things even whe
n
they were scared. He blinked the tears from his eyes. “Gabbs,” he shouted.
“It’s okay, I’m here.” He paused. Was she old enough, smart enough? Of course
she was. She was Nina’s daughter. “Be brave,” he yelled out.

Gabbs didn’t hesitate.
She sunk her teet
h into the guy’s arm gripping her
around the shoulders. He hollered and loosened his hold. Gabbs wiggled like her
life depended on it, and the guy’s grip slipped. Gabbs’ feet touched the
ground. Two shots rang out. Both at the exact same time, his weapon w
ould only put a sleek hole through the tango, but another
weapon practically blew the guy’s head from his shoulders.

Mace darted for her,
but someone made it there before him.
“Holy fuck.”
The man swept Gabbs into his arms and came straight at
him.
Ghost!

Gunfire from the
office sent everyone to their knees. Ghost cradled Gabbs and rolled behind a
grouping of boxes.

“Bad move, my friend,”
Pedro said over the PA.

Bullets sparked above
their heads. More of Pedro’s men moved in behind them. He’d called for rei
nforcements. From his angle he could see Ghost kneeling
with Gabbs between his legs. She clung to his neck and he held her close,
talking to her. She nodded at whatever he told her. If Ghost had Gabbs, the
rest of the team could take care of business.

The
sound of several feet running told him they were vastly
outnumbered. He didn’t have much ammo left, and he bet the others didn’t
either, but they’d expend every cartridge to get Gabbs out alive.

The squad converged.

“Trade ya,” Ghost
said, pulling the weap
on from his hands.

“Thanks, Admiral.”
Gabbs was crying hard as Mace took her from Ghost. “It’s okay, little red, I’ve
got ya. We’re going home.” Her grip was like a vice around his throat. He
pulled his revolver from his belt. They all moved together,
forming a line in front of him and Gabbs, firing down the
aisles. Caleb’s weapon emptied, Cobbs’ a second later.