Clay (Lighthouse Security Investigations #7) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,1

the careful planning while knowing it would assist in keeping his squad safe. As CIA Special Ops, those skills had served him well. And now, he was in no rush to allow his prey to discover his presence.

“I’ve got a visual,” he said, the Hummer rumbling toward him, now completely in his sights. The vehicle was equipped with upgrades, but he was surprised they had not opted for a full military Humvee bought on the black market. His prey must have been overly sure of their success. From the sound of the tires on the gravel, he knew they weren’t reinforced. A slow grin spread over his face. This’ll be fuckin’ easy.

The Hummer continued forward, moving steadily. But, just as he anticipated, it slowed at the curve. Taking aim with his long-range sniper rifle, Clay shot into both back tires, knowing that Tate would be taking out the front tires at the same time. The sound ricocheted throughout the night, music to his ears, knowing the hit was successful.

Again showing that the smugglers had no military training, the passenger threw open his door to see what had happened. Walker fired tear gas inside, and the two men stumbled out, making more noise than Clay could have imagined. Walker approached with his gun raised, and Clay dropped to the ground from his tree perch. Approaching from the back, he held his weapon on one while Tate and Walker secured the other.

The men were huge, and the tats on their knuckles and neck indicated their gang affiliation. Minotaurs… fuckin’ drug smugglers. The Minotaurs MC gang was affiliated with Hell’s Angels and plied the drug trade in Montréal.

As Tate and Walker had secured the second man, Clay opened the back door and peered inside. Camping equipment, tool chests, dirty boots, and extra clothing filled the space. “Looks like we’ve got a couple of campers,” he said, catching Walker’s grin.

The toolboxes were locked but he gained access with ease. Flipping open the lids, he spied plastic-wrapped bricks. Pulling out his knife, he slit the top of one, exposing compressed powder inside. Using the color strips for a quick initial test, he radioed, “Suspects secured. Got the package. Heroin.”

Tate called out, “FBI and International Drug Task Force are on their way. Their contacts were apprehended on the Canadian side.”

During the two-hour wait for the members of the task force to arrive, Clay, Tate, and Walker secured the vehicle and the heroin along with the prisoners. Finally, once law enforcement made their way to the obscure location, the government agents took over. Clay, Tate, and Walker finally walked away from the scene to their vehicle parked a mile away. By now, daylight streaked the dark sky with pale blue.

“Once again, we do the nasty and they take the glory.”

Clay looked over at Walker and shook his head. “That’s what we’re hired for.” His grin widened, and he added, “And what we get paid very well to do.”

Tate and Walker laughed as the three pulled off their equipment and stowed it in the back of their vehicle. With Tate behind the wheel, they made their way out of the thick Maine forests, glad when they finally felt their tires land on paved roads.

“It took the shipment so long to get there, I thought we were going to spend all night up in the trees,” Tate said. “At least Nora isn’t on duty today, so she’ll still be home when I get there.”

“Nothing better than coming home from a mission to a beautiful smile and a warm body,” Walker added before sighing heavily. “Of course, Julie will already be at work by the time I get home. She’ll be itching to find out how everything went. I’ll probably have ten texts by the time I get back.”

“You can’t talk to your wife about a mission,” Clay said, twisting around in his seat to glare at Walker.

“Seriously, man? You gotta give them something. I don’t care how adept they are at being in a relationship with a Keeper.”

Glancing toward Tate, he asked, “What about Nora?”

“Hell, these women know what it’s like. I may have known Nora for a long time, but it wasn’t until I was involved in a rescue mission with her that she really understood what I do.”

Walker barked out a laugh. “Considering I met Julie on a mission, she gets it, also. She knows I don’t go into details about missions, but she just wants to know that I’m safe… and that I caught the bad