Derek could still smell Maddie’s scent on his skin. He couldn’t believe how much he and Maddie seemed to be falling for each other. He needed to talk to her about where they were going. And he needed to let her know about Jacob. All that would have to wait until after the operation went down.

As Derek drove up to the hotel where Hank’s men were staying, he placed a call to his partner, who answered on the first ring. “Hey, Jonesy, I am following up on that lead I told you about. Are you still ok to cover for me at work?”

Silence filled the car and then Jonesy’s voice sounded loud and clear. “Sure thing, just give me a heads up if you need backup. I know what LT said, but still don’t like the way this is going. Someone could get hurt.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean, but I already have backup, and I know you’re standing by if needed. Thanks, I’ll let you know how everything goes down.”

“Ten-four, Derek,” Jonesy said. “Don’t have too much fun without me. I’m kinda getting used to having you around.”

Derek chuckled. “Will do.” The line disconnected, and Derek exited of his vehicle and strode toward the hotel.

He wondered about the guys Hank sent. He’d worked with other spec ops men from various branches of the service while in the Army Special Forces. He knew they would have his back. If Hank said they were good, then they were the best of the best.

Derek had barely raised his hand to knock, when he heard a dog’s whine, and then the door opened to the hotel room. Standing before him was a man with black hair and blue eyes about the same height as himself. Beside him stood a large German Shepard with alert eyes, his ears pricked forward, his stance ready, as if scanning for danger. The dog stepped back and the man ushered Derek in.

“HI, I’m Joseph, but everyone calls me Kujo. This is Six.” He gestured toward the dog.

Six walked toward the other men, as if to say follow me.

Already Derek felt at home with these men.

Kujo introduced him to the other two men. “This is Taz and Bear.

Both men had dark hair and dark eyes.

Derek introduced himself, “I’m Detective Derek Lewis. But while I was in Special Forces, they called me Eagle Eye, or Eagle for short.”

“Yeah, we heard about you,” Bear said. “Sharpshooter sniper. Hank sent a special toy for you to play with while we’re here.”

All three men chuckled.

Bear laid a long case on the bed, similar to the one that had housed the sniper rifle he’d used while serving in Special Forces. Derek opened the case and recognized the weapon as a M39 EMR. He’d used this type of weapon on all his missions and knew it’s capabilities well.

“Thanks guys, but I don’t plan on hanging back. I’m going in with you guys.”

Bear frowned. “Hank said that you would be better suited covering our backs, and at a higher vantage point, so we can go in and get the girls without worrying about who might be taking potshots at us from above or behind.”

“Hank also said you weren’t officially on the case,” Taz added. “If you hang back, you won’t be as involved and will have plausible deniability, if needed.”

Derek knew they were right, but his eyebrows pulled together as he looked at the other men. “I’m going in.”

Kujo stepped forward. “Think about it. Hank also said you had a personal stake in this. He’s concerned you won’t be able to keep a level head if you went in with us.”

They were right. Derek sighed. “Okay. I’ll be your eyes and backup.”

The men gathered around a blueprint of the warehouse where Maddie was to go that night. Taz and Kujo took the lead and identified all the entrances and which would be the best to breach. Derek identified the most strategic location for him to provide the necessary cover. He would establish position on top of another building, across from the designated warehouse.

Kujo stood over the table with Six lying on the floor by his feet. He pointed at the drawing. “Six and I should enter from this back entrance.” He moved his finger to the other side of the drawing. “Bear and Taz can come in from the side. Eagle will cover our backs and let us know if anyone new comes or goes while we’re in the building.”

“You three are going in the back and side while Maddie meets with the kidnapper?” Derek asked.

Kujo nodded. “That’s right.”

Derek pressed his lips together. “How does that keep Maddie safe?”

“You’ll have her and the adversary in your sights,” Bear said. “Meanwhile, we’ll infiltrate the interior and take care of business.”

Derek didn’t have a concern about how the plan was set up, but they had no idea what they’d find inside the building, or how Maddie’s meeting would unfold.

“It’s not much of a plan,” Bear said, “given the fact we haven’t had much time to observe the location. The main priorities are saving the sister and any other women that might be in there, as well as keeping Maddie safe.”

All three men, as well as Derek, dressed in civilian tactical gear, from the multi-pocketed pants to dark shirts and Kevlar bullet-proof vests. They packed tactical bags with a range of weapons from rifles, to pistols and throwing knives. Hank’s men appeared to know their stuff. The women they were tasked to free would be well-protected by these men. Even Six wore a tactical vest.

Derek wondered what kind of injuries these men had sustained to get them discharged from the military. No matter their deficiencies, they would still work as a team and help each other, and would be better than any civilian SWAT team in the local area. Two of the three men, and the dog, all had a slight limp when they walked, but they hid it well. The men would need to head for the warehouses to get the lay of the land, and then settle in to get ready for the meeting.

The day was getting late, and they would have to make sure Maddie knew what they were planning. She needed to know her part as well, and how to stay as safe as possible. Derek knew Maddie’s father had trained his girls. But didn’t he know how much they’d learned and how long it had been since they’d trained in hand-to-hand combat. Maddie might need to know a few moves before she met the kidnapper. He looked down at his tactical watch and noticed it was already 6pm. “I’ll call Maddie and make sure she knows what to do.”

Derek reached for his phone and noticed that he’d received a text while he was talking with Hank’s men. The men were already getting their gear together and taking their bags down to the SUV they’d rented for their mission in Colorado.

The text was from Maddie.

Derek’s stomach knotted. “Holy shit.”

Going to the warehouse early. Talk to you later.

He grabbed his sniper rifle case and hurried down to the SUV. “We have a big problem. Maddie’s already on her way to the warehouse,” Derek stated gruffly.

Kujo spun to face Derek. “What the hell?”

Derek shook his head, his pulse racing. “She was afraid the kidnapper would kill her sister if she arrived with backup.”

Bear opened the driver’s door to the SUV. “Not much we can do about that. Guys, we need to get there as fast as we can and improvise with Maddie. The plan is still good. We just need to get there. We won’t have time to scope out the area. We’ll have to hit the ground running.” With that he turned and got into the driver’s seat.

The other two men got into the back seats with Six on the floorboard.

Derek claimed shotgun and settled in the passenger seat so he could help direct them to the warehouse.

Timed seemed to crawl as they sped toward their destination. Derek’s heart lodged in his throat. Maddie was walking into a trap. If the kidnapper got to her before his team arrived, he could take her and the women and be gone. Derek and Brotherhood Protectors wouldn’t know where to begin to look.

As they approached the warehouse district lined with old brick buildings with large pained glass windows that had been blacked out by dirt and grime, the lines on Derek’s brow furrowed and he leaned forward.

Bear pulled behind a building a couple blocks from the designated meeting location and hid the SUV. The men and Six jumped out of the vehicle, grabbed their gear, and inserted their communications devices.

Bear started. “Comm check.”

One by one, they spoke into their mics until all four men could be heard over the headsets.

“Ready?” Bear said.

All four men gave a thumbs-up.

“Let’s do this.” Bear led the way.

Derek felt a chill go through his body, and the fine hairs on his arms stand at attention. He prayed they weren’t too late for Maddie.