Speed King (Men of Action 1)

“Ace and the guys rescued three missing Marines. Got them out alive.”

Relief, gratitude, pride, love—every emotion bubbles to the surface and threatens to spill over. I’m torn over wailing or cheering. My hand goes to the wall to steady my shaking legs. “Thank God.”

“That’s what going in hot meant. Once their team had all the tactical security in place, they got to our men.”

“They’re coming home soon.”

He flinches, and my excitement fades. Then I remember he probably doesn’t know about their deal with the Marines.

“They have some kind of arrangement, and there are only a few instances that put them back in duty. If they saved those men, they accomplished their mission. They’ll be coming home.”

“Fuck.” He cups the back of his neck and studies his boots before glancing back at me. “Harley, I know nothing about their arrangement, but when we heard of it, Robbie and I agreed it was highly unusual. Then we saw their service records and know why they are there.”

“You don’t think they’re coming home soon?”

“Something else is happening. The Marines have an abundance of capable and bravura rescue teams. For some reason, they reached out to these men. My gut tells me they’re highly skilled in other areas that are needed. I hope like hell I’m wrong.”

“No, no, no…”

“They’re all okay. According to Max’s intel, they’re with others in a secure location.”

“Can you get a message to him?” I plead desperately.

“No, because that would mean someone finds out we had this conversation. Which is not happening. You already know too much.”

“Jewls knows, too.”

“Of course, she does.”

“I didn’t tell her. She overheard.”

“Right… think you two can keep this quiet?”

“We haven’t told anyone so far until a few minutes ago.”

“And you need to continue to keep the information to yourselves.”

“What about Dad and the rest of the families?”

“Right now, it needs to stay quiet. In my experience, things will shake up or shake out in a day or two. Robbie and I will keep checking, too. If anything happens that we can share, we will.”

I nod.

“Maybe my instincts are wrong and he’ll call tonight with news he’s on his way home.”

“I wish.”

“Harley, he’s alive, with his team, and currently not in danger. That’s a win.”

The resolution in his voice and the facts at hand put clarity on what’s happened. “You’re right, it’s a win.”

25

Ace

“They’re on the move.” A brusque voice comes through my earpiece. “Six in the SUV, armored and outfitted. This is it.”

“We’re rolling in two.”

“Got your six. See you on the other side, Marines.”

Talon pulls out a handheld, punches in a few codes, then presses the button that will scramble the security system of the compound in front of us.

Ford and Major move ahead through the dark, ready to go.

Days of surveillance and hundreds of aerial shots gave us the details on every inch of this place. The underground tunnel on the other side of the building leads to the private beach where the other teams will wait for us to flush any stragglers trying to get their equipment out.

Our team has one goal—find our man and his family and get them out alive. The other teams will handle their side and do a sweep to get the information.

That’s it. Then we’re headed home.

When we landed in North Carolina, it was like the last nine months were a blip. We were back in the fold without a hitch.

First up, rescue the guys captured in the initial attempt that went south. Two Marines were already dead. It was our job to get the remaining three out.

No one knows who got the kill shot. There was no hesitation, no discussion. We came in from the shadows, seeing our guys hanging from chains with multiple stab wounds and lacerations from other methods.

The sick motherfucker from the cartel was alone, taunting them about whose dick was going first. One look between us and we shot. He went down without a clue he’d been infiltrated.

Good fucking riddance, you piece of shit. Talon spit on his dead body.

Less than a day later, a Marine on vacation with his family in Costa Rica was abducted and brought here to Columbia. Not just any Marine, a high-ranking Marine with specialized communication skills.

This cartel has upped their game.

A naval ship out of San Diego with Marines on board is their target. They’re planning an attack on the ship with a man on the inside to relay communication back to them. With attention on the attack of a U.S. Naval ship, and speculation of who was responsible, the cartel could move shipments without eyes.

I’ll give it to them. The mastermind behind this operation is slick. They’ve been under the radar until two days ago. While interpreting the ship’s communication system, MARSOC picked up an anomaly inside the message.

It was the coordinates of this location. That was our sign.