Untamed (15 page)

The part that worried them
both was that neither one of them had an idea of what she might be popping into. She wouldn’t let that stop her. Tara and Ethan tried to think of every scenario or trouble into which she might jump. Men with guns guarding the General, dungeons, a lot of different scenes that might be dangerous. Bulletproof vests were brought up, as well as handcuff keys, and guns popped into her mind. She could literally conjure anything she needed as long as her mind didn’t go blank and she could concentrate. She was going to need all the help she could get on retrieving the General. The main variable was what type of hold or what gift Veronica might be using against him. If it was mind-related, there was a possibility that the General might even view Tara as a threat, maybe not even have a choice. Mind control was dangerous and not something she’d been trained to handle. And lord forbid if her mind was compromised in the process. 

He’d made her promise n
ot to go off all commando until he had everything set in place. He and Cathy would meet them back at the catacombs to help her with the mission. He hinted he had more arrangements, things that might help. She’d agreed, found a quiet abandoned corner of the parking lot, and shimmied back to where Brody was in the catacombs. The place was rocking with a flurry of energy. Several soldiers were moving around the room with purpose. She scanned the area, knowing Brody was somewhere nearby, either that or her shimmy senses had failed her. One of the men in the room pointed to the conference room, as if he could read her mind. She smiled, took a deep breath, and pushed through the closed door.

Chapter 15

Tara
straightened her shoulders and pushed through the doors with determination. She was on a mission to convince Brody that she was capable of finding the General. Hell, it wasn’t as though anyone knew where they had taken the old man. Jonah might be good at locating if he had a tracker or GPS to go by, but he was blind when he didn’t.

Tara
paused with her hand on the knob. Sitting around the conference table were most of the phantoms. Jamie, Briggs, Brody, and Jonah were all in deep conversation. All talking ceased when Tara walked in. 

The only phantoms missing from this little party w
ere Rick, who was probably by Lydia’s bedside, where she lay unconscious, and Ridge, who was with Gracie and the newborns. They were down four very talented and powerful people, but they could still accomplish the goal.

She slid into the seat at the end of the table. “What did I miss?”

Brody glared at her. “After watching the video of when Veronica took the General, we’re trying to come up with a plan to locate where she’s hiding out and detaining the General.”

She leaned back in her chair and waved her arm. “Well
, don’t let me stop you. What did you come up with?”

Brody’s gaze caressed her face. No,
no, no, there would be none of that. No seducing her to get his way.

Jonah spoke first. “I pulled the last location of the GPS
, on the SUV, that Veronica took when she left the base. It hasn’t moved in over twenty-four hours.”

Tara bit her lip.
“We already figured that they probably ditched it. If it were me, I wouldn’t have kept it.”

Briggs propped his elbows on the table. “That’s what I’m thinking. We’re in the process of cross
-checking abandoned properties with heat signatures to see if we can find him that way.”

“If they rented the property, even in a different name, then it’s not going to show up on your list
but we can still look into anything recently rented,” Tara reminded them, even though they probably already knew that. They weren’t stupid. They were actually a smart bunch of men and women. The fact that they weren’t suggesting she pop in on the General told her that Brody had kept that bit of information all to himself. He’d withheld the details of the one ability that would prove useful in a time like this.

They had enough firepower and concentrated energy
, from the Phantom’s gifts, flowing in the room that they could take out an entire army base of soldiers.

Everyone around the table offered up pros and cons of possible rescue attempt
s, assuming they could locate the General, and she listened with an open mind. If for no other reason than to appease Brody. Why the hell did she even care? It’s not like they were a couple, not like what they had was anything more than sex and working together. She wasn’t fooling herself that Brody had feelings for her like she did for him.

Thirty minutes later
, Ethan and Cathy walked into the room. Briggs and Brody grunted and gave a head nod in greeting as the newcomers slipped into empty seats next to Tara. Ethan dropped the black bag he’d carried in onto the table. It landed with a heavy thud.

“What’s in the bag?” Brody asked.

“Everything we need to make sure that this mission is handled efficiently and effectively without any harm coming to the General or to his rescuer.”

Jonah cocked his head. “If you’ve got a plan, then you’re a step ahead of us.”

Ethan unhooked a watch around his wrist and slid it to Tara.
Everyone around the table watched the move, seeming just as confused as she was.

“Uh…Thanks
, Ethan, but I’ve already got a watch.” She held up her wrist to prove her point.

Briggs chuckled.
“Not like that one you don’t.” He pointed to the watch as Tara picked it up. “That sucker is a special design. There are only a handful of those in the world.” Briggs glanced at Jonah. “I believe you recently concocted your own version of the Bennetts’ watches to provide GPS tracking.”

Jonah nodded
as Ethan explained the significance. It hadn’t been too long ago that Lydia Bennett had shown up at the compound. She and her sisters were the first to wear the GPS tracking watches. Their husbands thought it was a good idea in an attempt to keep them out of trouble when one of them had been kidnapped and later rescued. The technology of the GPS woven into the band, and not stuck behind the face of the watch, was what set the watch apart from any other technology in the world. It was only later that the men of Tactical Maneuvers each had one of their own, and Jonah was given permission to copy the technology.

Jonah’s phone
beeped, and Ethan grinned. “That would be your confirmation that Jake Donavan has successfully uploaded the tracking software into your system.”

Jonah’s face reddened. “That’s not possible. There is no way an outside
r has hacked into the database without being on the property.”

Ethan shrugged. “I
gave him an uploaded link to give him direct access.”

Brody
leaned forward and partially stood. “That’s crossing the line.”

Briggs stood and placed his hand on Brody’s shoulder. “We’ve known Jake Donavan for years, and the General trusts him. If Jake can help save the man’s life, then we’ll use whatever he
lp he can give us. Unless you would like to explain to your sister-in-law why you don’t want his help, then we’re using it. It’s that simple.”

Tara slid her watch off her wrist and put on Ethan’s too
-big watch. It hung loosely, halfway down her hand.

“I
don’t like where this is going,” Brody said, and Ethan ignored him.

Ethan stood and unzipped the black bag as he explained. “Fo
r those of you who don’t know, Tara has another gift that lets her pop out of one location and right into another location. I believe she calls it shimmying, even though others would call it teleporting.” He pulled a thin bulletproof vest from the bag and secured it around her.

“This vest is
made from the latest material. It will stop just about anything that is thrown at you, including knives. It’s made with a fire resistant, chainmail-type Kevlar with the strength to stop bullets. This little baby isn’t even on the market yet, although Jake Donavan’s company has already started the required testing.”

Ethan pulled guns and knives from the bag along with various holsters. He leaned down and started securing the holsters and weapons to her body
as he continued to explain.

“Tara is going to pop over to where they are holding the General.” Ethan glanced up at Jonah. “Jonah is going to track where she lands
, so we have the coordinates of their hideout.”

Tara glanced at Brody. His face was an unnatural shade of red.
She fully expected to see steam start rising out of his ears at any minute. He narrowed his eyes but didn’t say a word.

“W
hen she appears where the General is being held, if there is any way she can help to free him, then she will. She’ll need to stay on location for a total of three minutes for her GPS to readjust and kick us back the new location information.”

He placed his palms on her shoulders. “
But, at the first sign of trouble, you get the hell out of there whether the GPS has had time to readjust or not.”  Ethan glanced at Cathy before returning his gaze to Tara. “If need be, we’ll come up with another plan.”

Brody
stood, shoving his chair back. “Who the hell left you in charge of this mission?”

“I’m the only one in this room
who doesn’t have an emotional tie to the General or to Tara.” He glanced at her. “You know what I mean.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and turned back to Brody. “I have every faith in Tara and her
ability; she
can
do this if you give her the chance. And she’s the best shot we’ve got. So let’s put it to a vote.”

Briggs stood. “I agree.” He glanced down at his wife. “Jamie, what do you think?”

“I think she’s ready and, in the event of trouble, she can escape before anything happens.”

Brody rounded the table. “I vote no.” He took Tara’s hands in his. “Tara
… baby, don’t agree to this. We’ll find another way.”

She might have given into him and opted out of the rescue if she
’d thought there was another way. She’d never considered herself a soldier, never thought for one minute that someone else’s life, besides her own, might rest on her shoulders. There was no other choice. Not when it was Gracie’s dad who was missing. She wouldn’t leave the General’s life to the chance they might find the location.

“I
’m his only chance. I have to try. Please understand.”

Brody’s jaw ticked as his eyes searched her face. He dropped her hands and walked out of the conference room. Her heart fell into her stomach. He
, of all people, should have wanted her to try. He was the one person who had trained with her. He was the one person who knew what she was capable of, unless he didn’t have faith in her ability to fight.

Tara plopped down in the chair as the realization hit her. He didn’t think she could handle the fight. He was her partner
, and he didn’t think she was capable of participating. He didn’t have faith in her.

Talking resumed around the table, even with Brody’s absence. Jonah had moved to the nearby computer and started clicking away, probably in an attempt to start the tracking software.

Cathy moved into the chair next to her and squeezed her hand. “Screw him.” Her voice was a whisper, but Tara knew Cathy was talking about Brody. “You can do this…and you will.”

Tara looked up at her best friend. “Gracie would do the same for me if it were my father.”

Cathy bumped Tara’s shoulder. “Just be careful. If anything happens to you, I’d hate to have to kill Ethan before I sleep with him.”

Tara grinned
. It was about time that Cathy fessed up to wanting the mysterious, sexy Ethan.

“
I’ll be careful. You know I would never stand in the way of great sex.” Tara let her gaze rove over Ethan’s six-foot-two frame, appreciating his ripped muscles and sinfully gorgeous smile for the first time. Yeah, that man was trouble with a capital T. Not only was he sexy, he was mysterious. She and her friends knew so very little about him. “My money is on multiple orgasms.”

Cathy nodded
, even though her cheeks reddened. “I plan to find out.”

Tara grinned at the news that Cathy was finally admitting her lust for another certain outsider
. Tara glanced back at the door. The need to see Brody just one more time overwhelmed her. She had to make him see that what she was about to do was the right thing. It might be the only thing, at least until they had better intel. 

Tara hitched her thumb over her shoulder. “I’ve got to go talk to him. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

After asking some of the staff, she found him just outside the catacomb doors. Brody had his arms propped up against the hood of the SUV and his head lowered.

“This is a bad idea, Tara
,” he said, lifting his head and turning around to lean against the vehicle. “You’re going in blind and without backup. There is nothing okay about this plan.”

He reached for her and pulled her clos
e, adjusting the Velcro on the bulletproof vest. “Tara…”

“You don’t think I can do this.”
She pushed against his chest and placed her hands on her hips.

He closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers.
The kiss was hard and greedy and matched both their needs. Damn, she’d needed this; she needed a reaction out of him, even if it was a sexual one. She needed him to believe in her; otherwise, she might not succeed. He slowed the kiss and pulled back, looking down at her.

“Within the past week
, you’ve been attacked at the bar, surrounded by men who wanted to rape you, left for dead in a fire that destroyed your restaurant, almost drowned, have been arrested, and been stuck onboard a plane that almost crashed. Don’t you think it’s better not to tempt fate again?” He cupped her face. “Baby, I can’t lose you.” He kissed her lips. “I just found you.”

H
ad Brody said that to her in any other circumstance, she might have believed him and melted into goo. Today wasn’t that day. She stepped out of his arms. She hated that she had to clear her throat. Why couldn’t she be fearless like Gracie or a bad-ass like Jamie? Why couldn’t she be someone he respected?

“I’m doing this with or without you
, Brody Connors. You can start acting like my partner and start trusting and believing in me, or we’re done.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “I won’t sit here and watch you get yourself killed.
It’s my job, as your partner, to watch out for you and keep you alive, not throw you into the deep end and hope that you know how to swim.”

Tara spun on her heel and pulled the door open to the hidden base. She glanced back over her shoulder before she left him standing where he was.