Chapter Seventy-One

Everyone was in their zone during breakfast the next morning. Most of the team had a routine they followed when mentally preparing for a mission. Some paced, some meditated. Justin cracked jokes, while Angel went on the internet and looked up photos of cake disasters. Garrett checked and rechecked his weapons and ammo.

Dane tended to pace and think. But of all of them, his routine was the one that seemed to drive the rest of the team batty.

As soon as he’d made his first lap, Angel groaned and got to her feet. “I can’t watch this. It makes my blood pressure go up.”

Fortunately, they weren’t made to wait long. Thorne came in and told them everything was a go, and they immediately grabbed their gear and went out to the vehicles.

Lena had gone off alone to make her call to Viktor, who still thought they were in San Antonio having difficulty with Masters. She’d told him one of Masters’ co-workers had tipped him off, but they’d pressured the co-worker into calling him and telling him the coast was clear.

When the last of the stuff was in the Jeep, Justin pulled Dane aside. “You okay?”

Dane took a calming breath. “Yeah. How about you?”

Justin would be working with Garrett to get Tobey and the other boys out of the bunkhouse in Vancouver.

Justin nodded. “I’m ready. I just want you to know that Tobey is in good hands.”

“I know. I wouldn’t be heading to Savannah right now if I didn’t trust you to get my son to safety.” He hadn’t even questioned it.

It had never been a matter of doubting his team. It was more that he felt he needed to be there. But that wasn’t the plan, and he was determined to do whatever he could to help not only Tobey, but Makenzie Scott, as well.

His friend squeezed his shoulder. “You’re holding it together really well. If someone had taken my daughter, I would have lost my shit,” Justin confessed.

Dane gave a humorless laugh. “I did lose it. You missed me puking by the side of the road,” Dane admitted while rolling his eyes at his weakness.

Justin thumped Dane’s shoulder gently with his fist. “I’m just saying I understand how much your son means to you, and because of that, how much he means to me. I’ll do everything you would do if you’d been allowed to come on this mission.”

“I appreciate that.” Dane gave him a fist bump. “Thank you. I know you’ll take care of him. Be safe.”

“You, too. I’ll see you in a few days.”

“See you then.” They gave each other a manly slap on the back and headed in opposite directions.

Dane hopped up in the passenger side of the Jeep as Lena was buckling in the driver’s side.

“We’re ready?” she asked nervously.

“Yep. Let’s go save Kenzie.”