Whisper sent a text to Ghost, telling him he was at the bank being robbed. Ghost sent back a fast reply. Fuck.

He understood that sentiment. Ghost was probably flipping on the TV, pulling up articles. The team would be alerted though there wasn’t anything they could do. They were stateside, not overseas. Overseas, Delta Force would be all over this. They’d take charge and pull off a rescue in twenty, maybe thirty minutes. With him inside, having intel he could give them, they may be able to take it faster.

Whisper glanced up and saw Lorelei frowning at him. He gave her a slight smile, hoping she could stay together. He needed her calm and efficient attitude. He figured he had Janice he could count on, Megan the teenager, and Lorelei. Everyone else was a mess.

Lorelei hadn’t said much, and he guessed the operator was trying to figure out which detective was in charge of the operation at the bank. Whisper leaned in close, his heart sped up as he thought of some asshole hurting this woman.

“If you want, I can talk to them.”

“It’s not necessary.” Her tone was stiff and brought him up short.

He stood tall and assessed her, trying to figure out if she meant anything with her words. “Okay, but I can if you need to.”

Her brows bunched, and her eyes narrowed. She looked in pain as fear flashed over her face.

“Hey, I’m going to protect you all if I can,” he said.

Her gaze held his and after a few seconds she nodded. “Okay. Okay.”

He needed to get these women out of this room. That meant they needed Lorelei to get off the phone. The cops were taking too long. They needed to move. The toddlers would get hungry and then they would make noise. He narrowed his gaze at the bank manager, Brenda. He remembered the interaction with the mother earlier when he’d entered the bank.

“Brenda, where do you store the lollipops?”

Her gaze narrowed at him like he was crazy. “Um, at the teller stations. Why?”

“Do you have any in here?” he asked.

Lorelei held up her hand and moved to a cabinet. One of the women was blocking her access but moved. Lorelei pulled out a box half-full of lollipops. He grabbed enough for the kids and handed them over to the parents.

“We need to move. They have to stay quiet. I don’t care how many you have to give them, don’t let them cry.”

The mothers nodded, and Megan took four more from the box and placed them in her pocket. “I’ve got some too, chief.”

He chuckled, thinking it funny that these people were calling him chief. He wasn’t a leader of a team, just another guy who took orders, though he did know how to run a crew if he needed to.

Lorelei was still waiting to talk to the cops. Every second they spent in this room was a second wasted. They needed to move. His phone buzzed and saw he had a text from Ghost. Do you have a plan?

Ghost was all about the plan. He’d learned that much being under the man’s excellent leadership. He sent his reply. Yes. I’m with the women. We have 1 injured. I’ve procured the key to get us into the stairwell. We’re going up. Then we’ll figure a way out.

He turned to Lorelei and gave her a crisp nod. “We need to move out. Make sure your phone is on silent. Everyone else, pull out your phone now and turned them to silent or turn them off. We can’t afford any noise. We’ll be moving slow and silent. First out is the mothers and children, Megan, you’re going with them. I’m going to carry our injured member. Brenda will lead the mothers to the stairwell.”

Lorelei hung up and checked the side of her phone. Everyone else looked at their phones and switched them to silent. There were too many people to move in total silence, but he hoped they could get to the stairwell. If they made it that far, he could get them upstairs and to safety. The kids needed to be safe. Though he didn’t have any, kids were a soft spot for him. He knew danger changed kids, made them see the world differently. They would never forget the trauma or the pain. If their mothers died in front of their eyes, it would only be worse.

Before he opened the door, he cleared his mind, and blew out a breath, trying to settle his thoughts. “Okay, Megan, you follow up behind the moms and kids. Brenda will lead you all to the door. Here’s the key, Brenda. Can you unlock the door?”

She shook her head no. “I don’t think I can. My hands are shaking too much.”

Megan stepped forward, her gaze steady, her mouth set. “I can. I won’t disappoint you.”

“Okay, Megan, here is the key. You get those kids out. Keep the key in the lock. Lorelei will grab it when we come through.”

He met Lorelei’s gaze and his protective instinct rose. How could he ask anything of her when she had to be frightened?

“I’ll grab the key.” Lorelei’s voice was steady. She was putting up a brave front, or maybe she was just brave.

“Is everyone ready?” he asked.

The women nodded. The women with children were at the front right behind Brenda. Megan was with them, her tiny shoulders steady. He’d seen it in the Army more than once. Size didn’t really determine how steady someone was. Either you were able to handle the pressure, or you weren’t.

He opened the door and the women advanced, heading away from the lobby and teller windows. The idiots still yelled, ranting at the men. He wasn’t sure how many men were dead now, but he knew at least one had gone down. Once he made sure these women were safe, he’d find a way to go back and help the men.

The last of the women filed out and he shut the door so softly it made no noise. He followed up the rear right behind Lorelei. She glanced back once, her eyes looked sad and fearful. This wasn’t a situation anyone here ever thought they would be in. He knew people in the United States thought they were protected. Sure, bank robberies happened, but they weren’t the norm. He’d dealt with situations worse than this so many times it didn’t really faze him. Had there been fewer civilians in the lobby, he probably would have taken down one of the guys and got off a few shots, killing the robbers. But these kids, these women, changed things.

He turned the corner and saw that Megan had the door open at the end of the hall. The last of the moms with toddlers went through and the other women began escaping into the stairwell. Megan stayed at the door, ushering women through. She was a strong kid, and he’d make sure she knew how special she was after they were free from this mess. She’d make a heck of a soldier.

Lorelei stepped through and Whisper heard someone behind him before he turned and saw Red standing in the hall, his eyes wide and mouth open. He pushed Lorelei through and set the injured woman down before grabbing the key and shoving the door closed.

He jumped to the side and scooped up the woman he’d been carrying then headed up the steps, praying the door held. The rattatattat of gunfire sounded and he moved even faster.

Someone was pounding on the door, demanding he open for them.

No freaking way.

The women stopped, and he glanced up, meeting Megan’s gaze. He lifted his brows and her face screwed up.

“Can’t get through on the second floor,” Megan said

“We don’t have a key,” Brenda called down.

By now the kids were starting to get restless. The lollipops would only last for so long and the man screaming below didn’t do anything to help them keep calm. He needed a good plan because it looked like they were kind of screwed. He set the woman he’d been carrying on the steps and looked them in the face, hoping to convey authority. He made an executive decision. “Keep going up.”

One woman carrying a toddler and an older child rolled her eyes. He wanted to tell her to buck up and quit being such a drama queen, but that was the Army speaking and she wasn’t enlisted.

He found another woman who looked kind of fit and pointed to her. “You, help that woman who is carrying two kids. We need to move. In about four minutes they’re going to break through that door and they won’t hesitate to kill you. They’ve already killed one of the men.”

A couple of women gasped. One woman clutched her throat and leaned against the rail. Panic raced over the women. Maybe he shouldn’t have told them a man was down, but he needed to emphasize how important it was they keep moving.

“My husband,” a short, squat woman said. She was middle age, her hair too dark not to be dyed.

Whisper held up his hands. “Do you have kids?”

“I do.” The woman looked at him funny, like the question was out of place, but her family was exactly what he needed her to think about.

“I can keep you alive if you keep moving. If you go back, you’re dead. Do you want to ensure your children have at least one parent alive?”

Her lips quivered and her face went red. “But I could—”

“There’s nothing you can do. Those men are unstable. If you want to live, climb the stairs and keep climbing until we find a door that is open, or we find a way out.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Ghost as he put his earbud in so he didn’t have to hold the phone while he carried the woman up the stairs. He picked her up again as Ghost answered.

“Yo.”

“Cap, I need real schematics for this building. We’re on the second floor going up but we’re trapped in the stairwell.”

“On it. I’ve got the team here. We’re looking at the building.”

“Thank you. That’s the best news I’ve had all day.” He met Lorelei’s gaze and noticed the tears in her eyes. He needed her to hold it together. “You okay, Lorelei?” She nodded. He adjusted the woman he was holding as he angled his hand to take hers in an awkward grasp. “We’ll get through this.”

Her brows bunched. “But those men.”

“Once I get you out of this, I’m going back for them,” Whisper said.

She shook her head. “They have guns.”

“I’ll figure it out as I go.”

“Yo, Whisper,” Ghost said in his ear. “Looks like on the fourth floor, there’s a vent that goes from the stairwell to the hall.”

“That’s great.” Maybe they could get out of this.

“Great if you were a child,” Ghost said.

He looked at Megan. It was too much to ask, but they needed everyone to help. “I’m in luck I have a few with me.”

“Good. Use them. I’ve always encouraged you all to use the tools available.”

“Let me relay the information.” He called up to the women at the front. “Stop on the fourth floor. We have a plan.”

They continued climbing the stairs and Lorelei hung back with him. “Who are you on the phone with?”

He shrugged. “A friend.”

“Aw, I’m your friend,” Ghost said.

There was no reply he could reasonably give to Ghost. He was in a stairwell with civilians who needed him to remain calm. They weren’t trained for this, and they certainly didn’t ever need to know who he was.

The women had stopped on the fourth floor but made a path for him to move ahead. They were all pale-faced with red-rimmed eyes. Whisper set the injured woman on the stairs before he turned to Megan, eyeing her and the vent cover.

“Megan, I’m going to ask you to do something. I need you to be strong.”

Her eyes grew bright. “I’ll do it. Just tell me.”

He pointed to the air vent. “That vent will drop you to the hall. Once in there, you should be able to open the door. At least that’s the plan.”

“Okay. I’m strong. I do kickboxing at the gym.”

“Good, because you’re going to need those muscles.” He shouldn’t force her into this. She was too young, but none of the other women would fit, and he certainly wouldn’t.

Ghost chuckled in his ear. “She sounds like a spitfire.”

Whisper didn’t say anything. He didn’t need Megan being self-conscious. She was a spitfire and would make an excellent soldier one day, if she went that route. “Just let me remove these screws.” He pulled his multipurpose tool set from his pocket and began working on the hex-head screws, loosening them before he let them drop into his hand. When he had all the screws removed, he pulled off the grate. He turned to Megan and lifted his brows.

“You’re up. I’ll give you a boost. Just step on my knee and then I’ll push you up by your foot. It’s going to be dirty.”

Megan shrugged. “I’m fine with a little dirt.”

Whisper helped her up and pushed her feet, watching as her torso disappeared through the hole. She paused. Banging sounded overhead. He prayed she could get the grate loose on the other side.

There was a loud bang then it clattered to the floor. She was in. He watched as her feet disappeared and then he heard an ooff on the other side of the door. Below them in the stairwell he heard a lot of noise, but the robbers hadn’t broken through the door yet. He prayed the men weren’t being killed, but all he had time for right now was these women and children. Maybe he should go back down there, but if he did and these kids ended up dead, he’d never forgive himself.

He heard the click of the handle being pressed on the other side of the door, but nothing happened. It sounded again twice more, then he heard a slap to the door.

“Megan, is it stuck?” he asked.

“I can’t get it open. There’s some huge padlock.”

“Dammit.” If he were over there, he could unlock the padlock, but there was no way for him to tell her how to do it.

“What’s wrong?” Ghost asked.

“I sent a teenager to the other side of the door and now she’s stuck.”

Ghost grunted. “Get the other women to the roof. We’ll have a bird up there waiting.”

“Dammit, she’s just a kid,” he said.

Ghost’s voice stayed even as he spoke. “Take the rest up to the roof. Then go back for her. We’ll help you.”

“Got it.” He met the condemning gaze of the women he was trying to help. They weren’t please, but neither was he. They had to keep going. He bent and picked up the injured woman. “We climb. Let’s head up.”

One red-faced woman moved to him, her finger poking him in the chest. “But you can’t—”

He held up his hand, cutting the woman off. “Megan, I’ll be back. Find an office and hide. Do not come out unless you hear my voice, you got that?”

“I hear you.” Megan sounded like she was trying to stay brave, but he knew she had to be afraid.

“I will come back and get you.” The words were said as a promise and he would get her out even if he had to break down the door, right now, he had to save these people.

He turned and found Lorelei staring at him, her brows knit tight. He didn’t have time to work out if he’d disappointed her or not. This was why he didn’t date. Understanding women was nearly impossible. Well, he didn’t talk much either, so it was hard all around. Those qualities made it difficult for women to get to know him.

“Let’s go. We have a bird, a helicopter waiting on the roof for us,” Whisper said.

“The roof?” one of the moms with toddlers asked.

“Just hold on tight to him. This is our exfiltration strategy.” They climbed the next five floors, going slower as they rose. Heck, even he’d slowed by the top floor. He could hear Ghost talking to the other guys and then the police. He hated leaving Megan behind. There was no question in his mind, he’d go back and get her.

The sound of the bird up top hit him and he smiled. These women would be safe. They were close to the exit and he no longer heard anyone down below. The door to the roof opened, giving them an escape. The women filed out, some crying out in relief, others in dismay.

The cops were consistent. Every one of those women were considered suspects until they proved otherwise. If he went up there, he’d be tagged as a suspect. No way he could get Megan back.

Before he climbed the last few steps, he set the injured woman he’d been carrying on her feet and grabbed another lady, meeting her gaze with what he hoped was a serious plea for help. “I need to go back for Megan, you help her up.”

The woman he’d asked to help was in her thirties, healthy and she could manage the task, but she shook her head.

“I can’t carry her.”

“I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to help her. Just loop your arm around her and get her up the stairs. She can walk a little.”

The woman looked like she wanted to say no, but she wrapped her arm around the injured lady and helped her.

“I’m only doing this for that poor girl you left behind,” the woman said. Her anger was obvious. They hadn’t liked him leaving Megan behind. He hadn’t wanted to leave Megan behind either, but she would be okay.

He turned away from the woman and didn’t bother answering. He raced down the stairs to the level below the roof, hurrying to head back and help Megan. He was about to tell Ghost what he was doing when he saw feet. And they weren’t men’s feet but women’s. How had he let anyone stay behind?

The lower he went, more of the woman came into view. He recognized those peach pants. Lorelei.

“What are you doing down here?” he almost shouted the question.

“I’ve been trying all the doors. This one is open.” Lorelei pushed on the door and it swung wide. He shook his head and grunted.

“You need to get up there. The cops are here to rescue you,” he said.

“I’m not leaving Megan behind. I’ll go with you.”

“But—”

She held up her hand and gave her head a shake. “No, you listen to me. I’m not abandoning her. She’s young and scared. Plus, if those guys come after you, you’ll need me to run off somewhere with Megan and get her up to the roof and to safety. And if you have to send someone through another small space, you won’t fit. You’re all broad and muscly.” Lorelei waved her hand at him and raked her gaze down his body.

Ghost chuckled. “She has a point. You are muscly.”

Whisper’s lips turned up as he shook his head, hating that Ghost sided with Lorelei.

“What?” Lorelei asked.

He met her gaze, realizing she had no clue he was chatting with Ghost still. He pointed to his earpiece and shrugged.

“Are you still on the line with whoever you’ve been talking to?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“What are the cops doing to get us out of here? When are they going to go in and get those men? I want answers.” Lorelei’s mouth pinched tight, her brows bunched.

Ghost chuckled again, probably liking that Lorelei was busting his balls. He held her gaze, trying to ignore Ghost.

“I’ll get us out of here. We’re going to look for a way down to the fourth floor. We’ll find Megan and then I’m getting the two of you up to the roof and to safety.”

Lorelei didn’t look away. He saw something change in her gaze though. She went from just looking at him, to her gaze filled with respect.

“Okay, then let’s go.”

The sound of the robbers below trying to break through the door had stopped. He knew that wasn’t good for the men in the bank. They didn’t deserve to be left behind, but he had to focus on getting out the people he could help. Frustration tugged at the back of his mind, but he would go back and save as many of the men as he could.

He and Lorelei moved quickly down the hall on the tenth floor. The offices were empty and dust moats floated in the air. Midway down the hall he saw an open office with a desk and chairs.

“Are any of these floors in use?”

Lorelei shook her head. “No. The bank is the last customer here. We’re slated to have a new building constructed at the front of the lot, then they’ll tear this place down when we move out.”

“Why? This isn’t that bad.”

“No, but they have to make room for progress, at least that’s the line.”

“So none of the offices above the bank are occupied?”

“No.”

“Elevators?”

She shrugged. “I think they shut those down for safety. It may be why the bank was robbed. The last tenant left last week.”

“I had no idea.” He’d been overseas helping keep the world safe. Things happened here, and he had no clue. It was weird trying to be a member of a community and being in the military. Sometimes he felt on the edge of it all, not belonging anywhere.

They were at the elevator and he pressed the button, but nothing happened. No motor noise, nothing.

“Other stairwell then.” He looked at the emergency exit map on the wall and found the route. The other stairwell was only a few yards away. If this one was locked, they'd be screwed, unless he could pry the door open.

Whisper glanced in an office as they walked by and found a broken chair. One of the legs sat between the seat and the door. “Hold up. I need that.”

“What?” Lorelei asked.

“Chair leg. It can be used as a weapon.” The weight of the wooden leg was good. He ran his hand over the length and gripped the smaller end in his right hand. It would make a good club. “Let’s go.”

With renewed purpose, they entered the stairwell and raced down the stairs, him moving quietly, Lorelei moving a little more loudly. Silence didn’t matter as much since they weren’t in immediate danger. They were approaching the fourth floor and his heart picked up. He needed to get Megan out of this crazy situation. Her safety was too important.

He rushed forward and pushed on the door, but nothing happened. “Dammit.”

“What’s up?” Ghost said in his ear.

“Fourth floor door on this side won’t open.”

“Let me look what I can find,” Ghost said.

Lorelei was beside him, shoving at the door. He pushed on the door too and noticed it gave a little.

“Harder, push harder,” Whisper said to her.

She moved closer to him, her hair tickling his cheek. He had to keep his focus. First save Megan, then the men.

“It’s moving,” Lorelei said.

“Hold on. Move out of the way. I’m going to see if I can lean into it a little.”

Lorelei stepped aside. Her lips were turned down in a frown, worry clouding her eyes. He wanted to take that worry away, but the best way to remove the clouds in her eyes was to get her to safety.

He leaned in, shoving the door. He heard the metal creak and squeal then it gave way. He was about to say something to Lorelei when he heard rapid gunfire. They both ducked low. No one was shooting at them, but it sounded so close. He met her gaze as they heard talking below. She lifted one finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet. She was very cute, telling him how to act in a situation like this. He almost wanted to laugh, but he didn’t.

The robbers had broken through the stairwell door on this side. They needed to get Megan to safety now, and he wanted Lorelei to be safe too. He should have forced her to head up to the roof. She shouldn’t be here with him, but if there’d been a tight space, he would have needed her help. Teams always did better than lone operators. He’d love to have someone like her as a life team member, but there was time to think of that later.

He pushed open the door, moving slow so it didn’t squeak. Lorelei slipped in then he did too just as the sound of heavy boots moving fast filled the stairwell. The door closed, but there wasn’t any way to lock it. They’d busted the lock. If the assholes tried the door, they'd be found.

“Finally!” Megan called out as she exited an office down the hall.

She was being too loud and him shouting wouldn’t get her to be quiet. He raced forward, tugging Lorelei along with him. They ducked into the office Megan had just come out of.

“Shh, they’re on the way up.” Whisper spoke so low he hoped Megan heard.

Her eyes went wide. “Oh shit.”

“Where were you hiding?” The question was again spoken low enough no one else could hear.

She mimicked his low voice. “Back here. There’s a closet.”

“Show us,” he commanded.

Megan made a beeline to the back of the room on the left side. She pushed open a door and they all three went in. He made an assessment of the closet and shook his head.

“The walls are sheetrock. Bullets will rip through this. We need something more solid. Come on.”

He led them out through the dusty office to the main room. Before he stepped into the hall, he paused and listened. Nothing, no sounds. The robbers weren’t on this floor. Maybe they’d stopped below. There was no way they knew about the helicopters lifting women to safety.

“We’re going through the door at the end of the hall where Megan climbed through the vent,” he said.

Megan shook her head. “It’s locked.”

He gave her a quick smile. “Good thing I know how to pick a lock.”

“Yo, chief, looks like the bathrooms are cinderblock walls,” Ghost said in his ear.

“Thanks.”

Lorelei lifted a brow and looked at him funny. He tapped his earpiece. With a quick glance down the hall he saw they were clear. The building was set up so at the elevators the hall jogged to the side. It wasn’t a straight shot, which was good. If the idiots came through the door they’d bashed open, they wouldn’t see them in the hall without moving past the elevators. As luck would have it, the bathrooms were closer to the door where they were headed.

They moved fast, neither Lorelei nor Megan were burdened with children or injuries. Once at the door with the padlock, he turned to Lorelei and then glanced to the bathroom doors.

“Test both of the bathroom doors. We need a place to hide.”

“Sure.” Lorelei and Megan went to the bathroom and he could hear both doors opening. They would at least have a place to hide if needed.

He pulled out his multi-use tool and began working on picking the lock. It took him five seconds before the lock popped open.

“We’re golden. Let’s go, ladies.” Whisper pushed the door open slowly, making sure they were in the clear. There was no noise in the stairwell. They were going to get out of this alive.

Lorelei and Megan followed him into the stairwell. He shut the door, praying the assholes didn’t find a way through one of the halls over to this side before he got Lorelei and Megan to safety.

“Hey, Cap, I need you to make sure the cops know we’re coming up. We don’t want any surprises.”

Ghost grunted. “Sure thing. I’m talking to their commander now. They have SWAT about to enter the building.”

Whisper wanted a piece of this. “Get me on the team.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Ghost said.

“I made a commitment to rescue those men.”

Ghost’s voice stayed calm as he replied. “They may not want you in on their party.”

He grunted, wishing he could make it happen. “I know but try, please.”

Lorelei glanced back at him as they mounted the steps to the last stretch before coming out on the roof. The door opened and a guy in full SWAT gear greeted them, his rifle at the ready.

“Hands up. Rest them on the top of your head,” the SWAT guy commanded.

Megan yelped but put her hands up. Lorelei lifted her hands too. Whisper held up his hands and placed them on his head as he exited the stairwell and moved into the sun. He was well aware of possible news crews taking photos so he ducked his head and turned to face the SWAT guy. The man glanced at the women then to him.

“Cap, am I good?” Whisper asked.

“You bet. We just got off the line and you should be good to go,” Ghost said.

“Thanks.”

The SWAT guy motioned to him. “You, sir. Come this way.”

Lorelei placed her hand on his arm before he could step away. “Thank you.”

He gave a quick nod. Thanks for saving people was sometimes hard to take. He was just doing his job. There wasn’t anything heroic about his actions.

She was still there, and she hadn’t dropped her hold on his arm. Her warmth filled him. The most natural thing to do was lean in. Without any further thought, he brushed his lips over hers. The feel of her lips shocked him, but he tried to play it cool. First kisses were torture, but with this woman it felt right.

He stood tall, ending the kiss. She placed her fingertips on her lips, her eyes wide. With a quick wink, he turned and followed the SWAT team member to a tent set up on top of the building.

“Hello, Sergeant Davidson,” a man who appeared to be in charge said. “We can’t allow you to head down with our guys, but we would like your input.”

Whisper gave the man a sharp nod. There was no use in fighting them. They wouldn’t let him go, and they held all the firepower at the moment. He pointed to the diagram of the building they had laid out on a table.

“The robbers are in this stairwell, or they were two minutes ago. They have two AR-15s, one HK237, and the guy in green has a Glock. Yellow is on something. One man wearing a t-shirt, so I’m thinking he’s a customer, is down. Of course, they are dangerous, so everything could change. They were enraged I’d helped the women escape.”

“Got it.” The SWAT guy relayed what he’d told them.

Whisper turned away from the SWAT team and pulled out his phone. “I’m going to hang up, Cap. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Sounds good,” Ghost said.

He turned back to the man directing the operation and met his gaze.

“I’m Hanson. Can you tell us anything else? Anything we can use against them. Did you catch their names?”

He shook his head. “No, they were using chess piece names. King, Bishop, Castle, and Knight. King is yellow, blue is Bishop. Red was knight, and Castle was green. By the way, here’s a key to open the stairwell door here at the bottom of the stairs.” He pointed to the schematics. “Your team might need this. Also, it seems like the management company padlocked the doors. It’s hard to go through. We wrenched open the doors on four and they were open on ten.”

“Thank you. That’s good intel. Do you think you could describe them?”

He shook his head. “They had caps on and bandanas covering their faces.”

Hanson turned back to the plans and focused on what was being said on his headset. Whisper blew out a breath. He was alone for the first time since this all went down. He’d saved Lorelei, he only wished he could have done more.

While he’d been retrieving Megan, the police had begun evacuating the women. They were being loaded into a bird and flown a couple hundred yards away to an open field next to a park. Then the helicopter swung back around and picked up the next set of women. Whisper stepped to the side of the cinderblock stack the police had set up behind. He searched for Lorelei, finding her being clipped into the harness. She was talking to the police officer helping her. Then her gaze swung his way and he could see the worry on her face. The drive to keep her safe grew as his chest expanded.

The cop patted her on her shoulder and her attention turned away from Whisper. The winch on the helicopter rolled and she lifted off the roof. Emotions washed over him. She’d been so brave. The way she’d gone back into the building and hadn’t freaked out when the bad guys had been close was amazing.

He watched until Megan was in the harness being lifted to safety. The women would be interviewed before they were allowed to leave, and the cops would try to figure out if anyone helped the robbers on the inside.

Whisper stilled. He couldn’t be interviewed by the cops, or let his name get into public record. He had to keep a low profile.

His phone was already out, calling Ghost before he made a conscious thought to call him. The line was picked up on the second ring.

“Hey, how’s it going?”

“We need to keep my name out of this.”

Ghost chuckled. “Already on it. Your name will be redacted.”

“Like always.”

“Yep. We’re just a bunch of black marker lines in official papers. Don’t worry, kid, we’ll take care of you.”

“Thank you, seriously.” He blew out a breath as the stress melted away.

“You’re welcome. Once you’re done, come to base.”

“Sure thing.” He hung up and returned to the SWAT command.

“Everything okay?” Hanson asked.

“Sure thing. Do you have a cap and something to cover my face?”

Hanson grunted and moved to a large plastic case where he pulled out a cap and black scrap of material that wrapped around and covered the lower half of his face.

“No news stations are set up high enough, and we’ve been able to keep the news out of the air with the rescue operations happening. Soon, they’ll be clamoring to get the best shot and put it on air. Vultures, all of them. They’d run into that building with us if we’d let them. They wouldn’t even consider how dangerous it was.”

Whisper snorted, thinking most news reporters would be shocked to know how his team operated. If they’d been anywhere else but here, his team would have taken these idiots out so hard and fast they would be begging for jail time.

“Where are your men now?” Whisper asked.

Hanson shook his head. “Searching. That building is freaking huge. It’s a labyrinth. We’ve tapped into the bank’s cameras and it doesn’t look like any of the men are dead. Two were shot, but they aren’t dead yet. The woman you carried up, she’s being treated. She’s already at the hospital. Her odds of making it are good.”

Whisper heard the rapid gunfire and saw the look change on Hanson’s face. The grim set of his jaw relaxing was the only sign the altercation had been favorable for the cops.

“I’d like you on a headset.” Hanson turned and handed him a radio and headset.

Whisper put it on and shoved the one for his phone into his pocket. He adjusted the volume and the earpiece so it was comfortable.

The day was warm, the sky clear, and the heat was ramping up. He stayed silent and listened to the radio. The man wearing the red bandana had been taken down. That left three of them to get rid of. He wished he were down there, but he got why they needed him to stay out of it. He didn’t know their team, and they didn’t know him.

There was no way those idiots would get out of this. They should just give up, but guys like those robbers were stupid and didn’t know what was coming for them.

It took the police another thirty minutes to clear the building. Two of the robbers, Green and Blue came out alive. After they sounded the all-clear, he and Hanson headed down to take a look. He walked the man through his movements with Megan and Lorelei.

“You’re lucky you’re still alive,” Hanson said.

“This was a cakewalk. Sure it was stressful, but the odds were better than some situations I’ve been in. Of course, I’ll deny I said that if asked. Heck, I’ll deny everything.”

Hanson chuckled. “Well, just keep that SWAT hat on and the face cover and no one will know who you are. Where did you park your truck?”

“Over at the coffee shop.”

“We’re trying to control every vehicle in the lot here, you know, checking people out. We want to make sure no one on the inside was involved with these four.”

A little worry slid through him. “You know my name will have to be washed off the official report.”

“Don’t worry. No one will know you were here. As far as anyone knows, you’re just another customer of the coffee shop caught up in the mess of evacuating people.”

“Thank you.” Ghost must have done a good job greasing the way for him. He was lucky to be in Ghost’s group, under his command.

Hanson glanced at him then continue to the lower floors. He stopped before they stepped into the main bank lobby. “I was military before I became a cop. I know there are people, men like you, who do things the rest of us would never understand. Thank you for your service. I’m sure you’ve saved people so many times it’s crazy.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I’m just a normal guy. Nothing special.”

Hanson coughed and said bullshit at the same time before opening the door to the bank. The SWAT team had been precise once they’d entered this area. Yellow was on his back, mouth open. He’d died fast and hard. Blue and Green had been tagged, but they both were alive. He and Hanson headed up the other stairwell and found Red on the sixth floor. He’d died hard too. Whisper shook his head at the waste of it all.

He finished at the bank a little after noon and one of the cops got his truck from the coffee shop parking lot and drove it to him a few blocks away and out of the view of the cameras. He stopped for a burger and ate it before he made it to the base. Once on the base, he found Ghost and the team in their usual spot.

“Whoa, you’re a hero,” Beatle said.

“What?” Whisper asked.

“Don’t worry. The people you rescued are all giving bogus descriptions of you. One lady said you were dark-skinned. Heck, you’re pale compared to me.” Beatle chuckled before he headed over to the coffee pot and poured himself a mug.

“I don’t want to be a hero.”

Ghost slapped him on the back and squeezed his shoulder. “Well, you aren’t here. You’re just another operative who saves the world time and time again.”

He chuckled a little. “That’s how I like it.”

Fletch held up his hand. “So I have to say this is the most we’ve ever heard Whisper say in one sitting.”

He rolled his eyes and moved closer to Fletch. “Shut up. I talk.”

“Sure you do,” Fletch chuckled.

“Time to get to work. Let’s go for a run,” Ghost said.

“Sounds good to me.” Whisper needed some air to clear his head. He’d kissed Lorelei. That, more than facing the bank robbers, made his heart pound and his palms sweat. Her lips had been so soft, so perfect, and he couldn’t wait to touch her again.