Just One Touch (Slow Burn #5)(99)

"Fuck that!" Dane said, fury blasting from every nuance of his body. He was trembling with anger and clenching and unclenching his fists with so much agitation that he looked precariously close to losing his shit.

Isaac was right there beside him.

"We'll get there in two hours and not a minute later," Dane vowed. "On my fucking life! Now let's get the fuck out of here. Go, go, go, god damn it!"





THIRTY-ONE

THE two black ops groups met with Dane and the DSS agents as Wade's and Gavin's men took position at the only other two entry points, while they waited for the report from Shadow's stealthy recon on where Jenna was located in the building and exactly what they were up against. Mere minutes after Shadow had disappeared, he reappeared to give the results of his surveillance.

"Jesus, this is going to be like taking candy from a baby," Zeke snorted as he listened to Shadow's unimpressive rundown of the security he'd evaluated. "The bastard's ego is a hell of a lot bigger than the size of his army or his strength. We should be in and out in twenty minutes tops."

Enraged, Isaac curled his fingers into the Kevlar vest Zeke was wearing and slammed him against a tree just behind him. "Shut the fuck up," he snarled. "When your entire world is being held by a torturing, abusive sick fuck, then let me hear you stand here and brag about taking candy from a baby. Until that day comes, shut your fucking mouth and keep it shut and follow goddamn orders. When I need or want your commentary, I'll damn well ask for it."

Not a single man called Isaac down or even attempted to get between him and Zeke. They knew Zeke was way out of line and they didn't appear to be any happier about it than Isaac was.

Zeke closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, man. That was a shitty thing for me to say. My only defense is that this has to be just any other mission for me or I lose perspective and I don't do the job I need to do because it becomes personal. My dumb-as-shit remarks were stupid and uncalled for, but it's what I'd say in any other situation where such a brainless fuck has left himself virtually undefended. Hell, he's taken out a good portion of his men just so he can force Jenna to watch them die, and from what Shadow is reporting, the rest of his oh-so-loyal followers are having some serious second thoughts, and some are even now sneaking away and abandoning ship before they become his next casualty." 

Isaac let Zeke go and blew out his breath. "I get it. I do. But I don't have any fucking perspective and as long as Jenna is in there and not here in my arms where I know she's finally fucking safe, then I'm not going to have any damn perspective."

"Wouldn't expect you to, brother," Shadow murmured, throwing a black look Zeke's way.

Dane was conferring rapidly with the two leaders of the military groups, and then he turned back to his own men. "The black ops groups are going to make their way in, clear a path as quietly and as undetected as possible. This is what they do. What they're best at. We need to stand down and let them do their job. When they give me the go signal, then everyone goes at once from all sides. Isaac, from Shadow's report, Jenna is still in the east wing with Jaysus present. Our objective is to clear any other possible obstacle or threat until we get to where he's holding her. You'll go in with Black Ops One while the second black ops group falls back to give support and to make sure no one crawls up our sixes unannounced. Shadow and I will have your six, and everyone else will fall back in a seek-and-protect role."

Isaac nodded, impatience burning a hole in his gut. At least Dane hadn't kept him out of the action altogether, especially after his eloquent speech about not having any fucking perspective. Any other time that would get his ass benched faster than he could blink, but they all likely knew the consequences if they even tried it now. Isaac would take on the enemy himself and he'd tear the motherfuckers apart with his bare hands, just as he would destroy any other obstacle between him and his reaching Jenna and getting her to safety.

"We're a go," Dane said as the first group moved out, the second falling in behind.

"Fuck, I hate waiting," Isaac growled.

"We all do," Dane said in a surly voice Isaac wasn't used to. "Chaps my ass to have had to call in every marker ever owed to me because we couldn't get the fucking job done ourselves. That shit's going to change. If we don't have the manpower to protect our own women, then something is really wrong. I don't give a flying fuck what it costs-we're expanding operations and adding to our numbers, and that means we hire more of the best and only the best. If I have to steal some of the baddest asses from the military, I'll do it, and if I have to pay for it myself then so be it. It's bullshit that our women have had to suffer because we got caught with our fucking pants down and outnumbered to boot."