Justice (Bad Boys of X-Ops Book 2) by Rie Warren Read Free Book Online

back.
    The woman definitely had cojones .
    I finally cleared my throat and looked away, motioning for Lawless to show us the rest. Everything was as he’d said—bathroom, gym, two bedrooms. No windows. No ins. No outs. Except for the one hidden, vacuum-sealed access point that led to the outer recesses of the residence the terrorists were systematically bombing to smithereens.
    Even though we were ensconced behind the airtight steel cage that locked us in—and them out—sounds drifted toward us from the grounds. Echoes of victory cries, yells for Ambassador Lawless’s head, rude jeers about his daughter in guttural Arabic I understood but hoped to hell Tilly didn’t.
    The five of us reconvened in the galley. We’d tuned off all lights but one in the kitchen while Walker toured the room and Bane grumbled beneath his breath, probably about the gym, the no-show armory, and the uselessness of government bureaucracies.
    I hit the sink, and blessed water—relatively clean and fresh—ran from it. Scooping it with two hands, I squandered just enough to wet my face and entire head. Wiping off with a hand towel, I still stank from the tunnel run, but at least the stench didn’t burn my nostrils anymore.
    Once Storm joined us with a succinct nod of his head to indicate the vault-like door was impenetrable, I motioned everyone to sit around the table.
    Folding my fingers together, I rubbed an old scar. “This was supposed to be a simple in and out retrieval.” Running my eyes across the table, I resisted the urge to crack every single one of my knuckles. “Not gonna happen.”

Chapter Seven
    Getting Down to Brass . . . Knuckles
     
     
     
    “WE HAVE THE GENNY, water, and enough resources for a few more days,” I said.
    “A few more days. What about after that?” Lawless stood, punching his hands onto the table.
    “Daddy.” Tilly merely rested a hand on his arm, and the gruff old buzzard found his seat again.
    “What now?” he asked more quietly.
    “Now we take full stock of provisions and arms and decide how long we wait this shitstorm out before taking drastic measures.”
    And I’ll just keep my eyes and hands and lips off Miss Matilda here.
    “Wait it out?” Ambassador Lawless squinted at me. “What do you think we’ve been doing? If it was just me . . . I wouldn’t care.”
    “Daddy. Stop. You can’t protect every single hair on my head.”
    “Well, you’re just a girl. My little girl.”
    Tilly snorted. “I’m a grown woman.”
    Damn right she is.
    “And you’re the one who took me out to the gun range and taught me how shoot a bull’s-eye.”
    I’d like to see that.
    The hardass swallowed his ire, and I stepped in to calm the powder keg situation. “We won’t let any harm come to Matilda—”
    “Tilly.” She threw a glance at me.
    “Or you, sir.”
    Firming his jaw, he nodded.
    With my eyes on his, I leaned forward. “So we need to know exactly what we’re up against out there. Who are they? What do they want? Why are they after you? Have they given any direct demands?”
    “You can be damn sure they’re not after money. They want blood. American blood. They don’t want us on their soil. It’s as simple as that. Houthi rebels, but you probably already know that.”
    “Can’t say I’m surprised.”
    The man sat across from me, stoic as hell. “No demands. So far as I can tell, they want a high-ranking official as a hostage to make an example of. Maybe force our embassy to close. They probably think the US will tuck tail and run if they kill me.”
    Tilly pulled her lips in between her teeth but gave no other reaction as her father talked so blithely about the possibility of his death.
    One strong woman.
    I eased back in my seat, angling my body toward the table. “Well, the Houthis sure have a hell of a lot of firepower and manpower to keep this whole place locked down and the military forces at bay.” I grinned slightly. “All the forces except us, of course. Now we figure