“So how do we get in?” I asked, ready to explode in exasperation.
“It appears there’s only cameras at the gate. Quite a way down the fence line is a spot that is eroded. I think we might be able to shimmy under it. Might be a tight fit for your big ass. How good are you at limbo?” he asked with a smirk.
“Can we dig it out more?” Phoenix asked the question I had.
“One of you carrying a shovel up your ass I don’t know about?” Ghost asked with a cocked brow. I flipped him off.
“Let’s go,” Angel said. As the club’s enforcer, he was the highest-ranking member there. We deferred to his judgement and followed him.
When we saw the washout Ghost had referred to, we shot him a look of astonishment.
“You think we’re gonna fit through that?” Phoenix quietly asked in disbelief. His eyes looked like they were gonna pop out of his head. “How the fuck did you get in?”
“I didn’t, dumbass. I looked for a way in, and I found it,” Ghost said as he fluttered his lashes.
“You said the fence is hot and there’s a fucking barbed-wire strand running under that below the dirt’s surface!” Phoenix said as he propped his fists on his hips.
“Jesus. Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch,” grumbled Ghost as he rummaged around in the trees. He came back with an E-Tool like I’d used in the army.
“What the fuck? Where the hell did that come from?” I asked in amazement.
“Well, I didn’t have it up my ass, but I did have it in my saddlebag.” The smartass had the nerve to snicker. He tossed it to Phoenix, who instinctively caught it.
“Why the hell are you giving it to me?” he asked.
“Because you were the one of little faith,” Ghost said with a shrug.
That time Phoenix flipped him off, but he crouched down and started digging, careful not to touch the metal shovel to the fence. Sweat trickled down his brow, and he paused to wipe it off with the back of his hand. “You’d think it wouldn’t be this fucking hot. We’re damn near in Canada,” he muttered.
“Thank fuck,” replied Ghost. “I hate the cold.”
“Yet you live in motherfuckin’ Iowa,” said Phoenix as he continued to dig. Then he handed it off to me. “Your turn.”
I dug with a passion I never had in the military. When I was satisfied that I thought I could fit, I tossed it to the side. It would’ve been easier if I could grab the fence to push and pull myself through. Instead, I had to lie on my back and shimmy under. The barbed wire caught on my shirt, and I froze. Ghost carefully picked the fabric from the barb, and I continued through.
Once I was on the other side, I listened to make sure no one was coming. When I was sure it was clear, I motioned for my brothers to go under. They repeated my motions, but once they got to a certain point, I was able to grab their arms and slowly drag them the rest of the way.
We were all through and brushed off the loose dirt. Checking my weapons, I ensured they were all loaded and chambered, then replaced them in the holster at the back of my pants, then the ones at each ankle. Angel, Ghost, and Phoenix did the same.
“Let’s go,” Angel said.
I gripped his arm. “Hey, I think when we get to wherever they’re holding Jasmine and Ehria, you should hang back. If you’re hurt, you can’t help if….” My words died off—I was unable to finish my sentence.
“I understand. We’re going to get them back.” His intense gaze held mine as I swallowed with difficulty before I inhaled deeply.
“Lead the way.”
We silently made our way through the trees, parallel to the dirt drive. When it seemed like we’d walked miles, the trees thinned, and a large clearing was revealed. There were several large buildings and about twenty-five smaller ones. All were metal buildings, completely nondescript other than some flower beds in front of the smaller ones. There wasn’t a vehicle in sight, but one of the long buildings had a bunch of closed bay doors, and I assumed that must be where they were stored.
“I’m going in to see where everyone is,” Ghost said barely above a whisper before he vanished. Clenching and unclenching my hands, I twitched and fidgeted. By looking at me, no one would guess I’d been a decorated operative. Then again, I’d never once been on a mission where the subject was personal.
“How do you think he makes his clothes disappear? You think he has special fabric?” Phoenix quietly asked as he scanned the area. My expression of disbelief was lost on him, because he didn’t glance my way once. He scratched the back of his neck with an inked hand.
Absently, I thought about how most of his work was mine. “How are you even thinking this shit at a time like this?” I whispered.
“Need to keep you from losing your shit,” he said as he glanced my way and cocked a brow.
“Can you two be quiet?” Angel asked in exasperation.