Extraction Point (Ricochet #3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

She left her own private hell and survived. Annie Hardy died that night, and Quinn Wallace was reborn.
     
     

Chapter 4
     
     
    Rick spent the hour drive north running through the details of the operation with his teammates over and over again. Mack and Tucker stayed behind to run things from Mission Control. That left Rick in the Suburban with Clint Paxton, Dane Nolan, Xander Vega, and Ben Price. Price and Paxton came up with the perfect plan, and Rick wanted to make sure everyone knew what to do when, down to the exact second.
    By the fifth run through, Dane had finally had enough. “Ricochet, we’re all professionals. We won’t screw this up.”
    Rick eyed Dane, shooting him a doubtful scowl. “You can’t make any guarantees, killer.”
    Dane’s pained expression let Rick know that he was right, Dane couldn’t promise anything. “I understand, Rick. Just—we’re good at this. We have a plan, the husband doesn’t know we exist—we have the upper hand here. More so than our usual missions, and we have a success rate of nearly one hundred percent against armed combatants. This guy? He’s not even military. We got this.”
    Rick blinked, his mouth pressed into a tight line. He nodded, but said nothing. What could he say? That Quinn could die today? That she could very well already be dead? He couldn’t let his mind go there. Not if he wanted to be of any use to the team, besides, they weren’t stupid. They probably had the same thoughts themselves.
    “Five minutes out.”
    Ben’s gruff bark from the front seat broke the tension in the car. He was always the most clinical of the mercenaries. Precise, detached, and able to get the job done like a skilled surgeon. On Ben’s five minute warning, the men began to check over their equipment, making sure their weapons and other gear were ready for whatever they might face.
    Rick ran his hands over his tac vest, feeling for his Glock under his left arm and a few flash bangs in his left chest pocket. He moved to the right, finding zip ties and smoke bombs in place. Rick moved his hands down to his pants. On his belt holster, he had his other Glock locked and loaded plus tear gas canisters. Each thigh pocket held a collection of extra clips of ammo for each of his 9mm pistols. Across his back, Rick had his M14 tactical rifle plus extra ammo on his belt. Finally, he switched his earpiece on. Satisfied, Rick anxiously waited to arrive at the location.
    Xavier tapped his Bluetooth, “Roger, Mission Control. Time to extraction point, two minutes.” He tapped it again, disconnecting the call. “When I pull over at the designated spot, Brennan and Nolan, you’ll head to your positions. Then I’ll drop off Price and Paxton at the second location and let you know when they’re in place. Copy?”
    The three men replied in sync, “Copy.”
    Xavier slowed the Suburban to a stop on the side of a tree-lined street, on a stretch without a single house in sight. He twisted to face Rick and Dane in the back seat, “Get into position. Everyone check in when you’re ready. I’ll be with the Suburban at the rendezvous.” Xav grinned, his dark eyes glinting with excitement. “We’re going to nail this bastard, Rick. And it’s going to be very, very satisfying.”
    Dane quietly opened the back door and the two men disappeared into the thick woods under the cover of night.
    Focus on the mission. One foot in front of the other.
    Rick made the short hike to their position, Dane close behind. They reached a shadowy clearing surrounded by overgrown bushes and began to set up. Its location, on the edge of the backyard of a very regular-looking house, made it the ideal spot for recon and attack.
    Dane pressed his Bluetooth. “Alpha, in position.”
    “Copy.” Ben’s deep baritone came over the earpiece. “Beta will be in position in three minutes, making it… zero three sixteen.”
    “Copy.” Dane answered quietly.
    Neither man said a word, both perfectly still as they