If Mankel really had stayed at the compound out of overstuffed confidence, a water insertion would be the easiest way for Mack’s team to gain entrance. That big-ass lake that was north of his base was big enough for them to insert a good ways out undetected.

Ethan shoved his hand into a large duffel bag held in place by a cargo net and pulled out a bunch of radios. “Got the communications system.”

“Hook us up. I’m in for a good gunfight.”

Ethan quickly filtered through each radio, turned the different dials so they’d all be set to the same frequency. “Emergency only, boys. Mankel will be scanning the radios, paranoid bastard that he is. We can use these to radio for pickup once we’re done.”

Everyone slid on their backpacks in silence. Mack focused on a silver metal screw along the floorboards to keep from looking at Marley, who was huddled next to Riser and Jared, looking for all the world like a lost little girl.

“Do I get a gun?” Her quiet question drew Mack’s attention like a shout.

“You’re staying in the air until the mission is over.”

She licked her lips, damn her, and his body reacted instantly. He tightened the backpack strap on his right shoulder too hard and winced.

“I’m trained with a weapon. I can help.”

His team turned to him.

“No.” He couldn’t do his job effectively if he was worried about her catching a stray bullet the whole time, trained or not.

Besides, he hadn’t one hundred percent ruled out her possible involvement with Mankel.

Marley slammed her mouth shut with a mutinous look and crossed her arms over her knees. Mack turned his attention back to gearing up, doing his best to focus on the mission ahead and not the woman he was desperately trying to put into his past.

“Five minutes out, boys. Who’s ready for a little swim?” Aaron said over his shoulder and then pushed the steering stick forward. The helicopter dipped and picked up speed, the nose tilting slightly down as they shot across the treetops, the struts at the bottom of the helicopter only ten feet above the tree line.

Not exactly the safest way to fly, but the lower they stayed, the less visible they were on radar.

They burst over the edge of the jungle, moving into the rapidly disappearing sunlight reflecting off the lake. The helicopter dipped again, getting up close and personal with the water.

“Go time!” Riser called out.

“You boys ready?”

Mack reached up and tapped Aaron’s shoulder.

Aaron pulled back on the stick; the helicopter slowed and hovered just above the water’s surface. Mack ripped open the door, welcoming the blast of wind off the rotor blades whirling overhead. He took a breath, crouched, and without a backward glance at Marley, launched himself from the cabin. Lukewarm water rushed over his head; he kicked his legs and broke the surface, dog paddling in the water, as the rest of his team inserted after him. Aaron gave him a salute from the window and pulled up. The last thing Mack saw before the helicopter disappeared back over the tree line was Marley’s stark face peering out at him from the cabin.

Mack clenched his jaw, forcing himself to ignore her worry. She didn’t have the right to feel that kind of emotion about him. Not anymore.

“Damn, this water is as hot as a bathtub,” Riser muttered.

His team started swimming across the lake, moving fast but pacing themselves. They’d trained for this their whole lives; it was just the warm-up before the real exercise.

“Dude, there’s a constant temperature of a thousand degrees here. Did you really expect it to be cold?” Ethan asked.

“I’m not an idiot. Of course I didn’t expect it to be cold,” Riser muttered. “I just didn’t expect we’d be taking a group bath.”

“You boys better keep it down before you attract some crocodiles.” Mack kept swimming, barely feeling the weight of the rifle slung across his back.

“Not gators. Hippos. Those are some bad mamas,” Hoyt said, as he pulled closer to the rest of the group.

That might be the first time he’d cracked a joke since, well, since his capture and torture. Maybe he was going to be all right after all.

Jared snorted, “How many hours of National Geographic TV have you been watching?”

“About as many as you’ve been watching of Grey’s Anatomy.”

The low hum of laughter was sweet music to Mack’s ears. His team worked as one, thought as one. He savored the way they pulled together as one tight-knit unit. They picked up the pace, skirting along the edge of the water to stay out of sight. After swimming for what seemed like hours, Mack caught sight of a huge, ugly, gray compound up ahead. “You see that boys?”

“Man, Reaper wasn’t kidding when he said it was a fortress.” Hunter let out a low whistle.

Mack kicked his feet, keeping his head above the water. “Doesn’t matter how it looks; there’s always a way in. Merc, you still got that scope?” Mack asked.

Merc made his way closer to Mack and handed him a long, black scope. Mack lifted it to his eye and did a quick scan of the long, low wall bordering the water. Two guards patrolled the top of it. The wall butted up straight against the beach, leaving no trees or bushes for cover in a covert approach. The parts along the sides of the fence were cleared out as well.

“Looks like we’re going in hot, boys,” Mack said.

“We’re ready, boss,” Hunter said.

Mack handed Merc the scope. Kicking his legs, he pulled his rifle over his shoulder and checked the silencer attached to the end of the weapon. “Thank goodness, Mankel sent some nice big silencers with his team to kill us.”

“Almost as good as cheating on a cheater,” Riser said, as he checked his own weapon.

“Hoyt, Jared, if we get you in close enough, how fast do you think you could scale that wall and set up an overwatch to give us some cover to breach the compound?”

“Fifteen seconds, boss,” Jared said quickly.

“All right, let’s hug the shore. We can go under just before we’re visible. Merc, you take out the guy on your left. I’ll take out the guy on my right.”

Merc nodded, “Roger.”

They made their way quietly, moving closer to the shore until their feet touched the bottom and sank in the mud. They slowly made their way to the waterline, making the smallest ripples possible. Once they got to the spot where the trees ended and the yard began, Mack held his hand up and indicated with a flat palm down for everyone to submerge.

They put their rebreather’s in their mouths and sank below the surface.

Then there was nothing but darkness and the quiet sounds water always makes when a body is completely submerged. The gun felt heavy, cold, and comfortable in his grip. Mack estimated they had about thirty yards to go and kept track of the steps. Once he reached the spot, he didn’t hesitate. He stood, water dripping from his body, took aim and then pulled the trigger. The silent bullet whizzed and thumped into the guard on the right.

Merc fired almost simultaneously and his guard fell. Mankel would know their presence soon, and their best bet was to get their asses up and over the wall lickety-split.