The Law of Motion (Law Series) (41 page)

"Jeff, Victor, Phil and Spike will start at the buildings on the west end of the property," my dad said, pointing to the aerial shot on the wall. "Danny, Hunter, and Doc will handle the guard shack and the gate; Ned, Harry, and myself will take the main house."

"We'll be coming in from all sides," Hunter explained. "You girls need to know this, so you understand what you're watching on these night vision cameras you've rigged on a member of each team."

Kristen and Tink both came into the main area to listen to him.

"We'll be coming in from all sides of the property," he said again. "Tink, you'll cut the power and communication on our signal. Cameron, you'll be monitoring our communication,  making sure we don't stumble over each other." Once they both nodded, he went on. "We're going in as quietly as we can. As soon as the power goes, they may react."

By now, the whole office was filled with men dressed in long sleeve black tees, black cargo pants, and black military grade boots. Some had already donned their vests, some were strapping on knives or grenades, and others were just listening.

"This is my mission, so I'll warn them, tell them to drop their weapons, but if they don't, then you have my permission to defend yourself. Spike," he called, and a rather large, rugged man with a bald head about Vic's age stepped forward. "Careful with those out buildings, because there may be more inside. Victor, that guard shack may be where the alarm is activated, so if you
...take out the guards
, then so be it." He turned to my dad. "That goes the same for you, Liam. The house may have a trigger, as well, so do what you have to." He sighed, glancing around the room. "If for some reason, an alarm is triggered, we will be at war."

We all nodded, because we all knew from experience that shit could go all sorts of fucking wrong on missions such as this one.

"The primary goal here is to get Alyssa out of there," Hunter continued, gesturing to me and Macon. "The secondary goal is the capture and arrest of Zoe Nowak, Terry Windsor, Myles Thompson, and Kris Powell," he stated, pointing to the pictures along the wall. "Though, I won't shed a tear if one of them happens to become a casualty." Once more, he glanced up at the group of us. "Those of you that aren't under my legitimate command, this never happened. Those of you that are," he said, looking at Spike and Phil, "Well...you know how this shit works. Do your job and keep your mouth shut about everything else." He clapped his hands once. "We need to go..."

The office door slammed open, and Juan dodged black clad legs left and right in order to get to me. "Unca Adrian," he huffed, “You can't leave yet," he panted, and I guessed he'd run all the way from the car.

"We have to go, little guy," I told him with a sigh looking to Ross.

"You forgot your hat," he said, holding it up with her other hand.

I grinned, ignoring the chuckles from around the room. I grabbed it from him, putting it on backwards like I did before every mission, "Thank you," I whispered, giving him a wink. "
Now
can I go?"

“Not wif out mommy,” He protested just as Doc walked in.  She was wearing full gear, and to my surprise without a bit of trouble.

Phil and Spike both looked back at Hunter with a surprised look, and he just smirked at her. “Phil and Spike, this is Doc.”

“And she…” Phil waited, and I could tell it just dawned on him that Doc was a woman.

Doc ignored him, lacing her boots and checking her ammunition. She was wearing exactly what we were, apart from a pack on her side. I was sure it held her tools and the most important medical supplies.

When no one answered him she looked up. “Oh, sorry I’m medical.” She apologized after checking all of her equipment. Her hair which was normally in long waves down her back, was now all away from her face in a single braid and tucked underneath a solid black cap, the bill pointing to the right.

“You ready?” Hunter asked knowing that if anything happened to her, it was on his head.

"Yes," she grunted, nodding her head once before walking with us to out to the old military truck Ned and Harry showed up in.

Macon whispered behind me as he watched her. “What do you think about Doc going?”

“She certainly looks like she’s ready to handle it.” Jackson noted in a whisper.

              I sighed, “In regular conditions it was already dicey, but this storm and shit man, I don’t know.”

             
Macon nodded. “Her mind’s set. How do you feel Ross?”

             
Ross was watching Hunter talk her through the automatic rifle, something she’d only been shooting the past
two days
. But she nodded intently, putting it over her shoulder and swinging it to her back like we all did. I had to elbow Ross to get a response. “Is anyone else turned on?” She questioned snapping out of her daze.

             
Macon chuckled and Jackson shook his head. “Ross.” He chided climbing into the back of the truck.

             
“I’m just saying.” She argued pulling in behind him after hugging Juan goodbye like the rest of us.

              Juan seemed to have a harder time saying goodbye to Doc than the rest of us. But after a few words longer, a few extra kisses, he went to Joanne willingly. She swiped her eyes getting into the back of the truck with us. “You ok?” I checked.

"We gotta go, or he's gonna lose it," she muttered to my dad, who nodded and banged on the back of the cab.

"Ned, get moving," he ordered, and the truck rumbled into life as I sat down beside Jackson.

I gave Juan one more wave, before tugging on my vest and watching Joanne soothe him. I heard one more cry of "Mommy!" before we pulled out.

"Fuck," Doc hissed, rubbing her face feeling the guilty of leaving him without either parent.

"He'll be fine," Ross said kissing her face and rubbing her hands... "He'll be baking cookies before the night is over."

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I hope so” she sighed, leaning back.

———————

I ran a hand through my hair as we approached our destination. We'd had to pull over when Terry called for the second time and Tink patched it through, shutting down all noise from the engine of the truck. My name had never sounded so sweet, yet so scary, coming from Alyssa. Ever.

She sounded exhausted and scared. She sounded pissed off and just fucking over it. Most of all, she sounded like she needed me.
             

A hand landed on my shoulder, and I looked up to see my dad handing over the face paint. We were going in as quietly as possible, traveling through a fair amount of forest, so I had no alternative but to slap black, green, and brown on my face. It was thick and greasy feeling, adding to the sweat that was already beading on my forehead and upper lip, but I smeared it on anyway.
             

"Do you remember stealing mine when you were little?" Dad asked, chuckling a little. "You were about Juan’s age."

I grinned, nodded, and looked over at him. "Yeah, I do. Mom said it took an entire tub of her face cream to get the shit off."             

He laughed, as did Jackson and Macon, who were sitting closest to us.

"You used all of it, that's why!" my dad snickered, still shaking his head at the memory. "She sent me a picture."

I nodded and looked in the mirror Macon was holding up. I made sure that my neck, around my eyes, and my ears were covered. "She couldn't even punish me, because she was laughing too hard." I looked up at Jackson and Mack and said, "He had this whole stash of the coolest shit in the back of their closet. I was looking for my birthday present, but found his gear, instead. I came out of her room wearing Dad's boots, jacket, and an entire tube of face paint. I had that shit everywhere...including the walls of the closet and her clothes."
             

They cracked the fuck up. "Oh, please tell me you still have a picture of that," Jackson begged.

My dad chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I just found it again the other day. I've been meaning to show it to Alyssa. I think she'd like it."

I groaned, shaking my head. "Oh, I'm sure she would. Where was it?"

"In a box at the old house," he chuckled. "I hung that picture in every locker I've ever had. It traveled more than any other picture your mother ever sent me. It saw several tours and more countries than I could count."

I smiled over at him, thinking Joanne, had softened the old man, because a few years ago, he'd never have told me that shit. I knew he loved me, that he was proud of me, but it wasn't something he showed when I was younger. After my mother left, he had to retire from the Army to be with me, and we became close in our feelings of loss. He'd taught me guns, and I'd taught myself how to cook, in order to avoid fast food and pizza everyday. He taught me a love for cars, helicopters, and he fed my passion for building things, telling me that every man needed a hobby to get away from shit. He would say, "I'm proud of you, son," quicker than he'd say, "I love you," but I knew they meant the same, he would squeeze my shoulder instead of giving me a hug.

We had a good relationship, and I knew him well enough to see what he was doing. He was trying to take my mind off of Alyssa, focus it on something else. But one look at his face, and I could tell he was doing this just as much for himself as he was for me.             

"Yeah...bring that shit over," I told him. "She'll love that."

Dad grinned, but it fell quickly when the truck came to a bumpy stop. Dario lifted the back tarp of the truck, and we were fuck deep in the woods, but fairly far up on the mountain. We all piled out as the second truck pulled up behind us, the rain flickering off of their head lights.

Ned slammed the driver's side door, gesturing around him. "This looked like the best spot," he said, his Southern accent thicker than Jackson's ever thought about being. "We're off the main road, so even if someone comes looking, they won't see."
             

Everyone took a deep, collective breath and let it out as Tink stood in front of us. "I want constant communication," he stated, letting his eyes travel over us as we all put our earpieces in. "Those of you that Tink rigged with a camera, turn it on and make sure she can see you before heading out."

One member of each small team had been designated to wear a camera. Macon turned his on as Spike, Victor, and my father followed suit.             

The radio beeped in our ears. "Hello, boys," Tink sang, and we couldn't help but say it back to her. "I need you to adjust yours, please, Poppy," she told him, and he hitched it up higher, smiling like a loon at the nickname that Juan had given him the moment that he met my Dad. "Perfect. Macon, yours is foggy. Spike, yours is perfect. Victor, I need you to lower yours." Once everyone had obeyed her without question, she thanked us.

Harry opened the tool box on the back of the truck, saying, "We're going to need these." He passed out wire cutters a member of each team. "Who's the demolitions expert?"

"Macon is," Ross piped up, the smallest amongst us, but she, like Alyssa, used that to her advantage. To those two, smaller meant mightier.
             

Harry handed Macon four sticks of TNT, saying, "Just in case."

He stowed it in his backpack without even batting an eye. "Are we planning on blowing this joint?" he asked, looking up to my dad for the answer.

"We're not sure," he answered. "Tink has looked at this place up one side and down the other and says that there's no other way off the mountain other than that road, but we're not taking any chances."

"Got it," Macon said, nodding once.

Hunter checked his watch. "The witching hour is almost here, boys," he stated, meaning it was almost three o'clock in the morning, a time that was perfect to attack, because no one expected it. He unrolled the map of the place that each of us was carrying and gathered us around him. "You know where you're headed. The four sides of this place. Macon and Adrian...the very second you catch sight of Alyssa, I want to know about it. That goes the same for Nowak, Thompson, Powell and Windsor. Okay?"
             

"Sir," we all grunted, picking up weapons, strapping on knives, gun holsters, and tightening vests.

I slid my knife into the top of my boot, stood up straight, and came face to face with Doc.

"If you need me, let me know. If she's somewhere you need broken into, just yell, Adrian. I'm not kidding," she stated, her eyes flickering to my dad and Hunter

"Don't fucking blow it up!" Ross snapped, pointing a finger to Macon, knowing his love for demolition. "You could hurt her."

He grinned, holding his hands up in surrender, but he would never put any of us, especially Alyssa, in danger.

"What do they do?" Spike asked in a whisper as he watched the only girls check their  gear.

"Medical. Not to mention that girl can break into
 
any-fucking-thing
, " I chuckled. "There's not a lock or safe she can't crack."

"No shit?" he snickered looking to Ross next. "And the other one, can she fight? I mean, she's so...small."

"And can take down men bigger than Victor and Macon," I added. "Don't let her fool you. Meaner than sin, aren't you, Wild Child?" I asked, shooting her a wink.