Chapter 32

GABRIEL

He peered over Sarah’s head at the vibrating phone on the bedside table, the damned thing lighting up the cupboard. They had made love again, slow and gentle, after their talk, and then fallen asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms. His glaring didn’t stop the thing from silently ringing, and he eventually reached over and answered it. “Von Ashner.”

“Gabe, I’m sorry. I know it's your weekend off, but we need you, man.”

Gabe closed his eyes at Sergeant Brady’s voice. “Yeah. Sure.”

“We roll out in thirty. I’ll send you the location. You can meet us there.”

“Sure thing.” Gabe hung up and put his phone back on the bedside table before pulling Sarah into his body for another five minutes, absorbing her warm scent, the silk of her skin, and the soft sound of her breathing in the quiet room. Slowly, reluctantly, he rolled out of the bed, trying not to wake Rah as he made his way to the bathroom for a quick shower.

Ten minutes later, he became aware of her watching him as he pulled the black long-sleeved uniform T-shirt over his head and tucked it into the black field pants. He sat down beside her on the bed, pulling on his boots and tying the laces before leaning over and putting his still-wet hair on her stomach.

He laughed as she yelped, but they grew quiet when she ran her fingers through his spikes. “You need to go,” she said.

He nodded. “I’m sorry. I wish I could pull you under me and keep you here until next week, but I need to go.”

She traced an eyebrow, leaned over, and kissed him softly. “Be safe.”

He grumbled as he got to his feet, the image of Rah covered in nothing but his dark gray comforter playing in his mind as he drove toward the address Brady had sent him. He grabbed his Kevlar from the storage beneath his back seat and slipped it on as he joined his team, accepting the shotgun from Finnigan.

He listened to the brief, then paid attention when Brady called his name and said, “This crew is renowned for using explosives. That’s the reason why we’re still standing here. The bomb squad is busy with a scare at the courthouse.

“Wait till I get back, and whatever you do, ~don’t~ use the radios,” he instructed while turning his radio off.

Gabe looked up at the warehouse, taking in the large, dark building, the windows blacked out, the doors seamlessly sealed with an intricate security pad. He assessed every angle from his view, and then slowly walked around the big building, stopping every few feet to look for cameras and trip wires. After circling the building, he stepped five feet closer and repeated the process another three times, each time stepping closer to the building until he was able to skim the wall closely, inspecting the doors as he went. The building was impenetrable.

Gabe went back to the rear, and looked up at what he suspected was a fire escape. It was about a third of the way up, too high for him to reach without some help, and led to a large hatch. He narrowed his eyes as he gauged the height and nodded. He made his way back to the sergeant, the man’s face pale with tension.

“There is a way I can get in, but I’m going to need a boost,” Gabe said.

Brady raised an eyebrow at Gabe and glanced around the team. He was the largest guy on it, with Finnigan a close second. He smiled.

“Not ~that~ kind of boost, Sarge. Just a hand. There’s nothing to use as a foothold along the walls.”

Sarge nodded. “Okay. But be careful.”

“Yes, sir,” Gabe responded as he patted Finnigan on his shoulder. “Come on, Finn, let’s get this place open.”

They made their way to the ledge, and Gabe shone his flashlight on every inch he could, checking for wires or devices. Satisfied that there was neither, he pulled Finnigan to where he needed him to be and explained what he wanted him to do. Gabe took a few steps away from Finn, took a deep breath, and allowed a brief thought of his last sight of Sarah in his bed, warm and well-loved. The image disappeared when he exhaled, and he thought of nothing else but getting up the wall, trying hard to ignore the unusual sense of fear. He was always careful, watchful, anticipating the unexpected, but had only been scared once before, and that had not ended very well.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he started forward in a sprint. Finnigan cupped his hands and braced himself as Gabe stepped into them, and propelled himself upward, catching hold of the edge of the metal landing. With a quick swing of his legs, he swung his foot over the edge and rolled fully onto the piece of metal. He lay still for a few seconds, catching his breath as well as listening for other sounds, ignoring Finnigan’s softly muttered, “How the fuck did he do that?”

Gabe sat up and inspected the loading door for wires and breathed out a sigh in frustration. In the corner was what looked like a pen, but Gabe knew the contraption held a highly volatile concoction of ammonia nitrate.

“Finn!” Gabe called to the deputy waiting on the ground below. “Tell Sarge the place is rigged, and he has to move the perimeter. Tell Chief Watson that his guys need to prepare for an ammonia nitrate fire.”

He waited until Finnigan was in the safety zone before checking how the vessel was linked, shaking his head when he couldn’t find a way to disarm it. He flicked his flashlight off and heard the sound of a window opening. Looking up, he saw the unmistakable muzzle of a sniper’s rifle directed at his team. Gabe unholstered his firearm and quietly cocked it when he saw more windows opening with flashes of more muzzles.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Gabe muttered as the muzzles lit up with gunfire. He rolled against the door and kept his head down as the deputies returned fire. He quickly tapped his radio on. “Do not return fire! I repeat, ~do not return fire~! This place is going to light up—”

Before he could get the warning out, Gabe felt the door disintegrate against him, and he found himself flying across empty space. He eventually landed with a loudly grunted, “Fuck!”

His ears ringing, Gabe was aware of Brady bending over him, calling his name, but he shook his head as his CO’s face blurred, and his world went black.