Lock and Load (SEAL EXtreme Team) (27 page)

Willy sat on a stool chewing on seaweed, his gaze following Tavon who pace like a caged bull inside the small room.

Tavon grumbled, “This is FUBAR! One hundred percent FUBAR.” He stepped over a wooden carton and Amber tried to work out what the acronym meant in her head. “SEALS did this shit? When I get my hands on those muther…”

Ty Whitehorse came and sat on the other side of Amber, interrupting Tavon’s rant. “Great intelligence work, Miss Fitz. At least now we know who the bad guys are.”

“SEALS!” Tavon roared loud enough to make Amber’s insides shake. “I’m going to tear them apart!”

“Whoa, calm down Big T.” Willy plugged one ear. “Ex-SEALs, man. They aren’t one of us, not anymore.”

“They’re going to be shark chum, once I get ahold of them.” Tavon lowered his voice but the expression on his face made Amber grip Charlie’s hand harder.

“Better. Good inside voice,” Willy said.

“Are you okay?” Amber elbowed Charlie. He was quiet. What was going on inside that beautiful head of his?

“Yeah. Just thinking.”

“About Crow’s men?”

He nodded and kissed her knuckles. She was scared for him. If Crow’s men realized who he was, they’d kill him. No questions asked. “Maybe you should sit this one out, Charlie.”

He lifted his head. “What? Why?”

“She’s right, little brother,” Willy said. “You’ve got history with these assholes that could compromise the mission.”

Charlie’s cheeks turned red. “That’s bullshit. I want to take them down. Once and for all.”

Mack strode into the room. “I’ve got our orders.”

Jenna took the last remaining chair.

“Apparently, Crow has been on the watch list for some time but he’s small potatoes, with a handful of men. Not enough funding or backing to pull something like this off. Even if he joined forces with the Triad 14K for firepower, Admiral Collins feels we are dealing with the front men. Someone is controlling Crow.”

“But I couldn’t find any data on them,” Charlie said softly.

Willy cocked his head. “You looked them up?”

“I ran face recognition software, employment records, prison records, FBI fingerprint files, death certificates, airport surveillance, trains, ships and everything I could think of. It was as if Crow had fallen off the face of the earth.”

“Hell, I usually just use Google or Facebook. But then again, I’m no computer dork,” Willy said. He gave Ty’s shoulder a shove. “Hey man, pull me off another strip of seaweed. This stuff grows on you.”

“Why? What were you looking for, Charlie?” Mack asked.

Charlie rubbed his hand over his hair. “I’m not sure. I had a bad gut feel. After Crow and his men were dishonorably discharged, I heard rumors that they’d been picked up by a private organization. I couldn’t believe anyone would hire those assholes. I tried to figure out who they worked for and came up empty-handed. I finally gave up and tried to forget about them.”

Tried.
The word wasn’t lost on Amber. He couldn’t forget them, not with his horrible memories and the crow tattoo on his arm.

“I couldn’t track them because—“

“Someone blocked you,” Amber finished. “I assume your clearance is—

“Top level,” he finished for her.

Her eyes widened. “That means—“

“Yeah. Bad shit,” Charlie snarled.

“Full sentences for those of us who aren’t geniuses, please.” Willy’s mouth was full.

“I think I understand. Admiral Collins said Crow and his men must have inside help. He believes there is a mole, or a whole colony of them.” Mack’s steely gaze touched each of them. “Either in the CIA, or the White House.”

“I say both the CIA and the White House,” Amber said softly.

“Me too,” Charlie agreed. “They were using the Chinese company and the triad to throw us off their scent. If the SBs get their hands on top secret US weaponry to use against the United States, we’ll all be at their mercy.”

“FUBAR.” Amber now knew what it meant.

“How do we stop them?” Ty asked.

“What did my dad say? Is he sending a naval carrier?” Jenna wondered. “The whole fleet?”

“Nope.” Mack grimaced. “We’re on our own here. The Admiral wants us to continue with the mission and ferret out the leaders—the SBs for lack of a better name. If the admiral acts, they’ll know we’re onto them and go dark. This might be our only chance to draw them out.”

“How the hell are we supposed to do that?” Tavon growled.

“With bait.” Mack held up the memory card.

Ty shook his head. “They won’t believe we suddenly changed sides. We can’t just walk in there and negotiate with them.”

“No. But I can.” Amber took a big breath. “I can convince them I did this for the money. They’ll believe it. Send me in, Mack.”

“No!” Charlie scooted his chair back so loudly that Amber let out a little squeal. “Hell, no! No friggin’ way! No, Mack. That’s just…no. Absolutely not. Million times, no.”

“Tell us what you really think, Charles.” Willy laughed. “I agree with him, though. We don’t have the man-power to protect her. It would be a suicide mission with no guarantee of a successful outcome.” He put his hand on Amber’s shoulder, which caused Charlie to sit back down beside her again. “Why don’t you two mega-brains go somewhere cozy, like, um, an old ruined house and come up with a plan?”

Amber’s cheeks went hot. Did everyone know what she and Charlie had done in Old Mo’s house? Crap! Had Willy watched? Listened?

“I’ve already got one,” Jenna said. “A good plan this time. I swear. It’ll work.”

All heads in the room swung toward hers.

“I don’t know, babe. You’d better steer clear of this one,” Mack said what Amber suspected everyone was thinking. Jenna had issues to deal with and couldn’t go with the team. Amber could.

“You’ve got to send me to make the trade. It’s the only way,” Amber said. “If we wait too long we’ll lose them. They’ll find some other way to hack into the D.O.D and we’d be right back where we started.”

Jenna nodded. “She’s right. I know where we can set up the meet and get the man-power to protect her. Macao. It’s like Las Vegas or Monte Carlo in Asia.”

“Who do you know in Macao?” Mack asked.

“Johnny Wane.” She smiled brightly. “Not the western actor, the Arabian sheik who owns one of the largest casinos in Macao called the Wild West. He loves all things American. He has a huge Arabian security force and is armed to the max with the latest and greatest technology. He’s been battling against organized crime for years. He’ll probably jump at the chance to stop a triad. He’ll back us up if we need it, I know he will.”

Mack crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. “All you have to do is ask?”

She shrugged. “He did say ‘anything I ever wanted.’ I’ll give him a call.”

Mack didn’t look too happy about that. “You don’t have your cell phone anymore.”

“Whose fault is that? You were the one who threw it in the ocean.” She gave him the evil eye.

Amber frowned. Mack told the Admiral the cell phone had been drowned in the tub. Someone wasn’t telling the truth.

“But I remember Johnny Wane’s number. No worries. I’ll use your phone.” Jenna opened her palm and he placed his cell in her hand.

Willy leaned forward and whispered into Charlie’s ear so loudly that Amber heard him. Maybe everyone did. “Dude, a sheik named Johnny Wane is providing back-up at some Asian Wild West. What could possible go wrong?”

Amber swallowed loudly. Her thoughts exactly.

“Mack? Can I speak to you?” Charlie rose. “Alone.” Anger thrummed through his voice.

On his way out, he socked Willy in the shoulder. The thud reverberated through the small room.

Willy rubbed his shoulder. “Ouch. Dammit! What’d I do? I was on his side, but it’ll be the last time if he keeps punching me like that.” He smiled brightly. “Hey, what do you know? My brother no longer hits like a girl!”

Johnny Wane, the sheik, sent a private helo to lift the team off
Po Toi Island
. Before they left, Mack gave the
junk
, skiff and
sampan
to the couple who owned the seaweed store. Their tearful gratitude seemed to embarrass Mack. He said he owed them at least that much after Willy had chowed through most of their day’s supply of seaweed.

Johnny Wane promised to send a Humvee limo to pick them up at his private airport. For reasons that would become obvious, he said, there was no helo pad on the top of the casino.  The helo and the limo were bullet proof and full armed.

Amber had been to Las Vegas many times. She was surprised to see that Macau out-sparkled, out-blinged, and basically out-Vegased Vegas. The limo drove them down the busy
Cotai Strip
, which was billed as “The Las Vegas Strip of the East.” It sported the biggest casino in the world, the Venetian Macao. The team got out of the limo at the front entrance of a giant building shaped like a pyramid. Or maybe, with the two cigar Indian statues flanking the glass doors, it was an enormous teepee. The structure looked like it was made entirely of glass and lit by alternating blue and red flashing lights.

The Wild West Casino.

Mack went first, Ty right behind him.

Willy was third, but kept close to Amber, turning to whisper off-handed comments. “What does this building make you think of? He’s compensating for something, right?”

She didn’t answer. She was too scared to talk. Charlie was on her right side, closest to the crowds, gently guiding her with his hand on her back. His eyes scanned the lobby, hyper alert, vigilant. It was nice to have a bodyguard. Still, she wished he’d stayed back at Old Mo’s house, or better yet, his own. She didn’t want him here. A really bad feeling burrowed deep inside her. Crow’s men might kill the man she loved.

“Just go straight to the private elevator, Mack,” Jenna said from behind. “Mr. Wane is expecting us.”

“That can’t be his real name,” Willy said. “Whoa, is that a stage-coach? With cowgirls?”

Sure enough, a golden life-sized coach stood in the middle of the floor. Young women in cut-off shorts, cowboy boots and hats, sat in the driver’s seats calling out, “Come ride our bull.”

Willy looked up at one of the cowgirls. “Are we talking mechanical, or the real deal?”

“Do not fraternize,” Tavon said.

Willy lifted his hands in surrender and kept walking.

Tavon brought up the rear. Protecting the team’s six and keeping Willy out of trouble.

They passed through the smoke-filled casino. The flashing lights, slot machines, music, and people yelling and cursing all at once set Amber’s nerves on end.

Charlie seemed to notice her anxiety and pulled her closer. His eyes were full of concern, his jaw muscles twitching. “You don’t have to do this. We can call the mission right now and get you out of here.”

Part of her wanted to do just that. But if she didn’t do it… “American lives are at stake, Charlie. We have to do this.”

He spun her to face him. “Let me do it. I’ll make the trade.”

The big, strong, capable, sexy SEAL was scared. For her. Seeing him worry proved all over again that she could trust him. She didn’t know how it had happened, but Charlie Handly was hers. God, she loved him. She dug deep and found the strength she needed.

“It has to be me. I sent the message to Director Lau.”

His hands gripped her arms. “Stop being so stubborn. I want you to get out of here, right now. I’ll tell them I pretended to be you and sent the message myself. You escaped. In truth, the sheik will take you and Jenna to his place.”

She had to convince him she could do this. That she wasn’t as terrified as she felt. Forcing her lips to turn up, she said, “Really? I’ve always wanted to be part of a harem.”

His jaw dropped.

She winked. “No way. I’m a one woman, one Black Pirate sort of girl. I’m doing this, Charlie. You can’t talk me out of it.”

“Move a little faster people,” Tavon ordered. “Mack’s getting too far ahead.”

Charlie exhaled loudly and let her go. “You are worried about me. What Crow and his men will do when they see me.”

She couldn’t keep the whimper inside. “Yes.”

“Don’t be.”

“They hate you. They won’t trade with you. Why would they? It will be nothing for them to kill you on the spot out of spite and take the memory card.”

“The team will be there to stop them,” he said firmly.

But if they couldn’t? Before she could stop the image, she saw it all in her mind’s eye.
Charlie sitting at the High-Stakes Blackjack table holding the memory card in one hand, his gun under the table. Bullets ringing out, Charlie’s green eyes staring straight ahead, the life winking out of them, as his beautiful body slumps forward onto the table, blood pooling across the table, dripping onto the floor
…

Amber froze, unable to take another step. Her lungs were rising and falling fast and hard and yet she couldn’t catch her breath.

“Amber?” Charlie shook her. “Stop. Amber! Look at me.”

“What in the hell?” Tavon rumbled.

“What’s wrong with her?” Willy asked.

She was hyperventilating.

“Do something, Charlie,” Jenna said.