Tess hadn't realized the enormity of what they were planning to do until that moment. "There's no other way to get on that tanker?" she asked. She knew the worry was evident in her voice, but she didn't care.
"It's the only way to go in undetected," Deacon told her. "We're all experienced. We've done it plenty of times. Going in a safer way would put all of us in more danger. They'll be looking for visible threats. So we have to be invisible."
"Right," she said, remembering Deacon's explanation of what exactly a HALO jump was. "So you're going to jump from a plane at thirty thousand feet, in freezing temperatures, and you're going to free-fall for two and a half minutes until you're almost at your target. Then you're going to pull the chute at the last possible second and land on the tanker. Pardon my French, but that is fucking insane."
"You know that's not actually French, oui?" Colin said.
She growled at him, and his lips quirked in a smile as he went back to his computer.
"Insane," Deacon agreed. "But necessary. And fun."
"What am I supposed to do while you're jumping out of airplanes? And please don't tell me I'm not coming with you. You'll need someone there to collect your bodies if you miss the target."
"Damn, that's harsh," Elias said. "I like her."
"You'll stay with Dante," Deacon told her. "He's manning the sub."
"Sub?" she asked. "As in submarine."
"Yeah, you'll love it. Unless you get claustrophobic. Then you might not love it so much."
"Wow." She was trying to remember what it felt like to be a plain old mortician in plain old Last Stop, Texas. That seemed like a million years ago. "So all this equipment-the plane, the pilot, the submarine-they're just going to show up when and where you need them? No questions asked?"
"That's what The Shadow is for," Elias said. "Creepy motherfuckers. We've never actually seen them. Who knows how many there are or where they come from. We can only hope they never turn against us."
"Well, that's comforting," she said sarcastically, then turned to Dante. "When do we leave?"
"We'll all fly to Alaska day after tomorrow. You and I will head out to the sub hours before they leave for the jump. The sub is fast, but not quite as fast as the plane. We want to make sure we're there in plenty of time. We'll dock the sub as close to Russian waters as we can get, and then I'll take the Zodiac for the pick-up and bring them back. The submarine has advanced technology that will keep us from being detected from radar."
"Sounds good," Tess said. "If you're a deranged adrenaline junkie looking for a death wish."
"That pretty much sums up my SEAL team," Elias said. "You're a quick study. You might survive this after all."
"Thanks," she said dryly.
DEACON WORKED TIRELESSLY, checking and double-checking plans, coordinates, and equipment. It was his job as team leader to make sure there were no mistakes. It was after midnight by the time he was satisfied, and when he looked up he noticed things had gotten quiet while he'd been preoccupied.
Elias and Dante had gone to their own homes to get a solid night's sleep before their early-morning wakeup call. He assumed Colin and Axel had done the same and adjourned upstairs. Levi sat at one of the computer screens poring over intel. He still wasn't approved for field missions, so he'd be staying behind. He was taking the night watch to handle any new intel that might come in while the rest of the team was sleeping.
And then there was Tess. Her head rested on the stack of papers she'd been painstakingly translating, and she was fast asleep. They had what they needed for the upcoming mission, but there were still missing pieces of the larger attack being planned. But for now she deserved the rest. Her hair was spread out over the table and her hands looked small and delicate.
He pushed back his chair and stretched stiff muscles that had been sitting still too long. He walked over to her and touched the tips of her hair with his fingers. Her hair glowed like fire, but was soft to the touch. He touched her back gently, expecting her to stir, but she didn't move.
Even when he picked her up in his arms, she only nuzzled into him and sighed. There were dark smudges beneath her thick lashes, and her face was pale, making the sprinkle of freckles across her nose more prominent.
He carried her upstairs and into the kitchen, and then up another set of stairs to the second floor. When he got to his door, he shifted her slightly so his thumb could be scanned to unlock the door. When he looked down, her green eyes were watchful and sleepy, focused solely on him.