Page 95 of Edge of Steele
At least Russ had provided both Finn and Ryleigh with Kevlar vests. Good, but not perfect. Give him a tactical vest with armor plates to be most effective against a wide variety of ordnances, not one of these lighter versions.
He touched his chest by his left armpit. Yeah, he knew their failure all right. Took that bullet when an insurgent was cornered and got off a lucky shot that went a few inches wide of the vest. That situation had been much like this one, except he’d been facing enemy combatants in a war zone where emotions were amped up all the time.
“By the way,” Russ said, taking a swig of the can of soda that he’d bought from a machine when they’d completed a walk-around of the building, “the Eckles claimed that Keenan never went into Carla’s bedroom. I tried to pin them down on it in several different ways, but never tripped them up. I figure they’re telling the truth.”
“Then if the seeds were from Keenan,” Ryleigh said, “he had to have gotten into the house when they were gone or sleeping in the next room.”
“Seeds could be from Carla,” Finn said, reminding them of that point.
“Yeah, could be.” Russ set his can in the holder. “Also, Grady called to say he found part of a photoelectric cell in the rubble at Tobias’s office.”
“The same type of bomb as the mill,” Ryleigh stated, sounding more like a mutter.
Finn sat up. “That’s a big discovery, right? Bomb one is detonated on Friday afternoon. Bomb two goes off Saturday afternoon. Grady said the explosion occurred near a window. I remember noticing the sun hitting the building before the bomb detonated. Friday was a sunny day and if it had been there that day, it would’ve gone off then.”
Ryleigh glanced at him. “So it would’ve had to be placed on Friday after sundown.”
“Right,” he said. “Because if someone had turned on a light or something to expose it, it would’ve taken them out, and we would’ve found their body in the wreckage.”
She nodded. “Then whoever died in the first bomb couldn’t have set the second one.”
“Great. So we’re looking for two bombers, or the guy who died isn’t our bomber.” Russ shoved a pistachio into his mouth. He’d been eating them and spitting the shells into a drink cup from a fast-food restaurant since they’d settled into the car after the tour of the motel property.
The cracking noise got on Finn’s nerves. He was about ready to grab the bag and chuck it out the window when a woman fitting Carla’s description walked across the busy road, dodging traffic and crossing the lot toward the motel.
“Could be her.” Russ pitched his pistachio bag and cup into the console to lift his binoculars. “Yeah, yeah, I think it’s her.”
Finn leaned forward and strained to get a better look, but she was too far away for a clear view. He’d never been so unprepared for an op in his life, and people got hurt when the team wasn’t prepared.
Unease swam in his gut as he leaned almost into the front seat for a better view of the woman. “She carrying?”
“Not that I can see from this angle.” Russ kept watching. “We need to be ready to act. We’ll let her get into the room, so she can’t make a break for it. Ryleigh and I’ll knock on the door and announce ourselves. Finn, you have the back in case she tries to shimmy out the bathroom window.”
Ryleigh looked over her shoulder. “I’ll text you when you can come inside.”
“I’d appreciate that.” Finn made sure to keep his frustration from his tone.
He didn’t want to be at the back and likely out of any action. He wanted to be right by Ryleigh’s side, but that hope ended when they’d scoped out the property and discovered the room had a possible secondary exit in a window. He’d agreed then that as the only non-law enforcement officer in the group, he should leave the direct approach of Carla up to the others.
Finn wanted to take back his agreement, but he was a man of his word, and he would do his job, even if it wasn’t as commander of the group. Yet another reminder of what he’d left behind.
He waited for the pain to twist his gut again, but it didn’t. He turned the bracelet on his wrist to read Avery’s name, and her little face came to mind. He would make the same decision again. Leave the SEALs. No questions asked. Maybe he really was learning to live with the pain and not let it control him.
Thank You.
Carla headed down the side of the pool toward her room and kept looking over her shoulder.
“She’s acting scared,” Ryleigh said. “Which makes sense since she’s on the run and further helps cement that it’s her.”
“It’s her all right.” Russ handed the binoculars to Ryleigh. “Take a look for yourself.”
Finn wanted to grab the binoculars but sat back as she lifted them to her eyes.
“You’re right,” she said. “No doubt it’s Carla.”
“Get ready to go,” Russ said. “We move as soon as she opens that door but not a second sooner.”
Finn put his hand on the door handle and made ready to fly. He really was too big to be sitting in the back and had to be careful not to get his feet tangled up on the exit.
