Rogan

Kabul Province, Afghanistan

"Intel from the son checks out," I said to my team as we scrutinized the topo maps and aerial photos displayed on the tables and computers at base camp.

"What finally broke him? The water or the knives?" Blaze asked.

"Takoda."

He gave Takoda a pat. "Good girl."

"Either way, Timoron is dead, and the location he supplied is credible," I responded.

Blaze smirked and looked down. "Still wish I could've been there to see her scare the shit out of him."

"It's not a show. Now, back to the location. Jericho's in the cave. One hundred percent."

I held up the image of a tall man entering a cave in the Afghan Spin Ghar mountain range. "That's him."

"Let's go then."

Fucking Blaze, always so eager to run to his death.

"No. Review the plan again. If we blow in unprepared, we'll be wasting the six months we spent trying to find him.” The point of my pen marked the base of the cliff. "Takoda clears the base and takes point all the way up." My pen followed the twisted path to the cave at the peak housing Jericho. "We climb to three hundred meters and flank 'em here and here." I pointed to the west and east approaches to the main cave. "Me, Falcon, Diesel, and Blaze take the west entrance. Oz and Ruger guard the east side, catch any escapees. Warning shot to draw them out. I'll engage them as they exit. Falcon kicks them over the edge before they can blow themselves up. If Jericho doesn't surface, Takoda and I go in through the passage and engage him in there."

"You and Takoda alone?" Falcon asked.

"The goal is to draw Jericho out. If he doesn't show his face, Takoda and I go in. The ricochet inside the cave makes it too high risk for all of us to enter."

"You think we're pussies? We all go in," Blaze responded.

"If he blows himself up and we all go in, we all die. Takoda and I will clear the cave."

"We all go in or no one goes, Boggs. To hell with the self-sacrifice shit," Falcon said.

The loyalty of these men never ceased to amaze me. We would either succeed together in glory or die together in failure. "Alright. Takoda goes in first and immobilizes him. We traverse the crevice." The picture in my hand showed the narrow west entrance to the cave. "Based on surveillance, we'll encounter at most five combatants. My guess is no hostages in the cave, no women. If there are hostages, I'll assess it and make the call."

They all nodded.

"After we hit the target, collect proof of death, Blaze lights up the cave, we rappel down to the base where a helo picks us up." I pointed to a flat spot on the topo map. "Brings us back here." The men stood to pack. "Steady and slow. If the plan gets fucked, adjust on the fly. Got total confidence in this team. I'd lay down my life for any one of you and I know you'd do the same. We haven't lost one yet and this won't be the time that takes down Alpha Squadron. This'll be the mission that finally takes down Jericho. Let's go kick some ass."

***

As we began the climb up the mountainside, Takoda signaled with her tail she'd detected explosives and we went wide around the spot. The walls became steep, and Falcon helped me strap Takoda to my back. My gear scratched the face as we scaled the rocky cliff. We reached the cave entrance, removed our night vision, and took our positions as the first light of dawn touched the north face of the cliff.

"Firing," I said into my headset.

My warning shot into the cave pinged off the wall twice.

We waited for a reaction. After about a minute, one of Jericho's men emerged carrying a rifle. His eyes darted around, and his hand reached for a ripcord to a vest.

Fuck, I knew they'd all be wearing vests.

I shot him in the forehead. Before he fell, Falcon jumped and side-kicked him in the chest, pushing him over the edge of the cliff.

"Cover!" Falcon called.

We ducked as his vest detonated and rocked the side of the cliff.

Another militant scrambled out of the entrance to the cave. Idiot.

I planted one in his chest and Falcon kicked him over the edge. Boom! Another explosion blasted the cliff when he hit the ground.

We took cover on the perimeter again and waited for Jericho to exit.

After two minutes, Ruger called on the comms. "Two exited the cave on the east side. We got 'em."

"Were they wearing vests?" I asked.

"No. We're safe."

"Good. Watch for Jericho."

"Affirmative."

We waited five more minutes for Jericho to exit. "Come out, Mustafa!" I called in Pashto.

No response. The coward was going to make us come in after him.

I released Takoda and pointed two fingers toward the narrow entrance of the cave. "Get 'em."

She ran in without hesitation. That damn dog was so fucking brave. Growls and screams from inside let us know she had him and was engaging her killer bite.

Adrenaline made my skin itch as we turned sideways to traverse the entrance. I could not fail now. I had to get to my target. We reached the other side and the cave opened up. I saw him. Jericho. Unarmed. Screaming and struggling on the ground as a vicious Belgian Malinois mauled his arm.

"Out." She growled and thrashed on his arm. I knew how she felt, but she had to release him. "Takoda, out. Heel!"

She finally let Jericho go. He grunted and reached for his weapon that had fallen to the ground about two feet away from him.

I took aim at his head. "Firing." The guys dropped to the floor.

Jericho picked up a rifle and pointed his barrel at Takoda.

No way, motherfucker.

I engaged him in the head before he could get a shot off. The pink mist I'd yearned for painted the walls, but the goddamn live bullet exited his head and zinged around the cave. Jericho dropped and I rushed him. I inspected his nose, what was left of his forehead, and his eyes.

Yes!

"Got him! Jericho, EKIA." I called the words I'd repeated in my mind a million times in the last four years. Fucking enemy killed in action.

I carved off his left forefinger with my utility knife and slid it into a plastic bag. The proof of death I'd hungered for where it belonged—locked in the compartment of my vest.

We exited the cave and waited for Blaze to rig the cave to blow. A quick inspection of my team and everyone looked in one piece. Blood dripped from Takoda's left ear, but it was just torn skin. Falcon loaded Takoda onto my back. My hand pressed to the pocket of my vest and felt the finger. Yep, still there.

Blaze ran out of the cave. "Sixty seconds. Move out."

The rocks and debris from the explosion rained by our faces as we rappelled down the cliff. We ran to the waiting helo and lifted off.

Mission completed.

***

My victory sun finally dropped below the horizon over our base in Kabul. I pulled up the clone of Tess's phone to check for new selfies. She'd cut her hair and lightened it in the last six months. She'd gotten her teeth straightened. I kinda missed the quirky imperfection on her otherwise flawless body.

I closed my eyes and flipped through the Tessa slideshow in my head again.

The crunch of her jeweled patriotic dress as I hoisted her onto my cock on the dance floor.

Tasting her at Siege. God, her sweet taste and her little whimpers in the security room at Siege. That one stayed with me the longest.

What am I doing? I shouldn't indulge in my sparkle in the darkness. The slideshow only flared my bitter regret, and made my cock excruciatingly hard.

I took so much life today. And yet she was safe in Boston, dancing and going to school. Not being held captive by terrorists or abusive religious freaks. In some fucked up way, killing Jericho today gave her that freedom.

Maybe a combat jack would get her outta my mind. Nah. Exercising old Chester in the field wouldn't take the edge off. Only one thing could do that, and she was seven thousand miles away.

My phone alerted me to a message on her cell.

A new contact.

Who the hell was this and why was he happy to meet her?

I pulled up Brock's burner phone.

Me: Need you to check on T for me. New contact. Lance Croft919-555-1122

Three seconds later, his response.

Brock: On it

She's moving on, finding herself another man like I told her to do. This Lance Croft asshole would be tasting her, comforting her, watching her fly.

Fuck! Why did I hold back again? What was I protecting her from? Me? She can handle me. She's a warrior. Eden's spirit had let me go a long time ago. Nothing was preventing me from loving Tess except myself.

A new resolve settled in my gut.

Operation Devil's Gate—completed.

Mission Make Tess Mine—initiated.