Page 82 of Avenging Angel

“Not for long,” I remind him. “Jerry will find out who he is soon enough.”

Bennett sighs. “And while we wait, a girl’s life hangs in the balance. I say we move forward with your plan now that we have a location. Once Brad is in custody, you can interrogate him to your heart’s desire.”

Sounds like a good idea to me. “Let’s gear up.”

Chapter thirty-three

Daisy

The team opts to take three vehicles and travel as far as the road will let us go because the rumble of our ATVs would be much too loud. The last thing we need is the sound of the exhausts echoing through the forest and signaling our approach. Assuming there’s nothing blocking our path, we should be able to get within three miles of the west entrance. The rest of the way will have to be on foot.

Jaxon, Faith, and Owen are in the lead SUV, while Scott, Jeremy, and Jack are in the rear of our caravan. Angel and I are in the back seat of Bennett’s Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid SUV that he rented in Colorado Springs.

Then there are Roger and Vinny, who have each taken their vehicles to positions where they can operate as mobile command centers: Roger to the north and Vinny to the south.

We all have our comm devices in, which won’t do much good once we’re in the tunnels.

“Team Three, you are coming up on your position,” Vinny says. He’s flying the drone overhead, using the heat signatures from the vehicles to note our location.

“Copy,” Scott replies. “Point Golf. Five clicks at two-two-five from Bullseye.”

Bennett mumbles, “Why can’t he just say he’s three miles southwest of the target? He’s a civilian now, for goodness’ sake.”

“Once in the ‘Chair Force,’ always in the ‘Chair Force,’” Owen jokes while subtly reminding Bennett that all comms are two-way.

I can’t help but snicker. Our team has members from three different military branches, law enforcement, and federal agencies. However, the rivalry between Owen and Scott, Army versus Air Force, has been a running joke since before I came on board. Blue, green, red, or purple, it doesn’t matter to me. Anyone who serves in the military, regardless of branch, has my utmost respect.

“Team Two, you’re closing in on Point Foxtrot in three…two…one,” Vinny relays.

Bennett hits the brakes, and the three of us exit the vehicle once we’re stopped. I open the back hatch and remove my rifle case. “Affirmative. Team Two is at Point Foxtrot, five clicks at two-seven-zero to Bullseye.”

Bennett rolls his eyes while dropping the magazine from his Beretta 92G Elite and ensuring it’s fully loaded.

“Here’s a rifle. Use this instead. It’s modified with simunition rounds that deliver a small dose of a neuromuscular blocking agent followed by a dose of a sedative. Non-lethal,” Angel says to Bennett.

“I’m not much of a gun guy, and your team has enough firepower to go to war. My handgun should be more than enough. As far as I’m concerned, it feels like overkill with the sniper rifles, tactical face paint, and Ghillie suits,” Bennett says, gesturing to the suit I’m putting on.

Angel doesn’t bother arguing with Bennett; he just continues to hand him body armor and a black shirt because Bennett stands out like a sore thumb in his white button-up. “The man we’re after is dangerous, knows how to cover his tracks, and doesn’t leave loose ends. And right now, he’s about to feel like a cornered animal, which means he’s capable of anything and twice as dangerous. I’d recommend having it and not needing it rather than needing it and not having it.”

I point to Bennett’s fancy dress shoes. “You’ll also want to cover those in dirt to take away the shine. Also, cover anything reflective so you don’t give away your position. The last thing we need is for you to be seen at a distance and ruin our surprise party.”

Jaxon interrupts our dialogue. “Team One, location Point Echo. Five clicks at three-zero-zero to Bullseye.”

“Copy, Team One. I have you in sight,” Vinny affirms.

Roger says, “One hour and seven minutes until sunrise. I want half a mile between each person, closing the gap as you near Bullseye. Slow is steady. Steady is fast. Stay light on your feet while moving with purpose.”

We all acknowledge the orders with a synchronized “Roger,” followed by a round of snickers.

“That never gets old,” Roger murmurs.

My brother comes across the line. “Team One is locked, cocked, and ready to rock.”

Angel speaks for our team. “Team Two is on the move.”

Scott finishes with, “Team Three is rolling out.”

Angel takes a minute to kiss me goodbye before he jogs half a mile up the road. I turn to Bennett. “You and I will not be entering the tunnels with the rest of the team. We’ll be the eyes outside, relaying information to Roger and Vinny while covering the entrance to the mine.”