At their nods, he motioned to the pilot they were ready and he revved up the engines in preparation for takeoff. The plane set off over the water, gathering speed as they left a foamy trail in the emerald-green sea.
“Alaska,” Cole grumbled. “It’s fucking cold here even in summer, and it stays light too goddamn long. How are we supposed to sleep?”
P.J. chuckled. “I think the point is that we’re not supposed to sleep.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re a damn robot. You’re not human. No one can go as long as you without sleep.”
She shrugged. “If I fall asleep, someone could die.”
Cole shook his head. P.J.... P.J. was something of an enigma. She’d been part of his team for a few years now, and he’d yet to figure her out. He knew next to nothing about her past, only that she’d come from S.W.A.T. and that she was a damn good shot. Better than him—not that he ever admitted that in front of her.
They were competitive, and he liked to give her shit. He didn’t always understand her, but then it had been his experience that all women were creatures from an alternate universe anyway. But she was steady. He could always count on her. The entire team could.
The plane sailed over the water and in the distance, the island was visible.
“What are we looking at here, Steele?” Cole asked. They hadn’t had time for a full briefing. Steele had taken the call from Donovan and pulled him and P.J. They’d left on a minute’s notice, not that it was anything new.
“Garrett is bringing Sarah Daniels here. Our job is to be invisible and make damn sure no one gets on this island,” Steele replied.
“Well, that’s nice, but who is Sarah Daniels?” P.J. piped in.
Steele’s expression didn’t change. “Does it matter? Our job is to keep her safe. Watch Garrett’s back. Do the assignment, just as we do all the others.”
“Don’t you ever get curious?” P.J. grumbled.
Steele raised an eyebrow and turned back around in his seat. Cole shot her an amused look and she scowled and flipped him off.
“Steele, curious?” he mouthed.
P.J. rolled her eyes and said in a low enough voice that Steele wouldn’t hear, “And you said I wasn’t human. He’s a machine.”
The plane dipped and P.J. turned to look out the window as they nosed down toward the water.
“There’s a bald eagle,” she said in an excited voice as she pointed.
Cole ducked his head and leaned forward to look. “I had no idea you were such a wildlife buff.”
“You’re unpatriotic if you don’t get a thrill at seeing a bald eagle,” she said, shoving at his arm. “Aren’t you army guys supposed to be more gung-ho about national symbols?”
He winced and then growled through his teeth, “I was not in the goddamn army and you damn well know it. Navy, P.J. I was a SEAL, for God’s sake. Have some respect.”
“I get you all confused,” she said defensively. “Who the hell can keep up with all the branches of the military you people wimped out of.”
Cole gave her a look of disgust. She was so full of shit. She had a memory like a steel trap. She didn’t forget anything. She could probably name branch, serial number and rank for every single one of the KGI members.
“Yeah, well, what’s your story, Rutherford? You talk shit about us, but all that I know is that you wimped out of S.W.A.T. after being the first female in your unit. Couldn’t take the heat, or what?”
Though he was teasing, pain swamped her brown eyes followed quickly by ice so prevalent it shriveled his nipples. Her lips tightened into a line but he saw the betraying tremble. It was the first time he’d ever seen true emotion from her. She could joke and give hell with the best of the guys, but for the most part, she kept to herself, and when she wasn’t teasing, she kept her mouth shut and followed orders.
He would apologize, but that would only piss her off, so he pretended he hadn’t seen her reaction and dropped the subject. But it intrigued him. The first crack in her give-a-shit attitude. Somehow it made her more human. And it made him want to know more about the mystery that was P.J. Rutherford.
The plane skimmed the surface of the water before slowing and turning into a cove. They coasted to a stop alongside an aged, wooden dock and the pilot hopped out to secure the plane. Cole stepped out and reached back for his bag. He didn’t offer to help P.J. He’d made that mistake before. She carried her own weight and never asked for help. It made her a damn good team member, but it bugged the shit out of Cole. He couldn’t even put his finger on why.
After their bags were on the dock, the pilot gave them a wave and climbed back in. A few minutes later, he took off toward Kodiak Island. Cole stood with Steele and P.J. as they surveyed the immediate area.
“We’ve got a lot of ground to cover,” Steele said grimly. “I expect Garrett in two days, maybe sooner. We need to be ready. We’ll start with the lodge they’ll be staying in and then we’ll expand our perimeter to encompass as much of the island as we can cover in two days’ time. We’ll set up in a triangle around the lodge. Stay low and out of sight and keep your guard up at all times.”
“Who, exactly, are we expecting to show up?” P.J. asked.
“Don’t know,” Steele said shortly.
Cole frowned. “Do we know anything?”
“Van has a bad feeling. His instincts are usually damn good and I trust them. Garrett took a job to find and protect a woman who witnessed a murder in Boston. A murder committed by Marcus Lattimer.”
“Oh fuck,” Cole muttered. “What the hell was Sam thinking letting G take that gig? One of us would have done it.”
P.J.’s brows drew together in confusion. “What am I missing here?”
“Nothing important,” Steele said. “What is important is that Garrett feels that there’s a wild card and that someone other than Lattimer is after Sarah Daniels. The problem is they don’t know who. Yet. Garrett is stashing her here until they know what they’re dealing with. It’s our job to make sure she stays safe.”
Cole nodded. “Ain’t no thang. Another day at the office.”
P.J. pulled her pack over her shoulders as Cole did the same. As they turned to head up the incline toward the lodge, Steele called out, “One more thing.”
Both Cole and P.J. turned and Cole was surprised by the amused glint in Steele’s usually stoic expression.
“Watch out for the bears.”
P.J.’s eyes widened. “Bears?”
Steele struggled to maintain a straight face. “Yeah, they have Kodiaks here. Big-ass fucking bears. Make grizzlies look kind of friendly.”
“Well, shit,” P.J. swore. “Nothing like being trapped on an island with BAFBs.”
Cole shot her an inquisitive look.
“Big-Ass Fucking Bears,” she said patiently, echoing Steele’s description. She cast him a sideways look and mischief danced in her eyes. “We can always use Cole for bear bait.”
“You’re all heart, Rutherford. All heart,” Cole said.
“VAN, when was the last time you heard from Garrett?” Sam asked as he strode into the war room.
Donovan rotated in his chair and stared back at his brother. “He checked in a few hours ago. Said Sarah was sleeping and as soon as she woke up, he was getting them the hell out of there.”
“Bring me up to speed. I hate feeling left in the dark.”
Donovan grinned. “A new baby will do that to you.”
Sam rubbed a hand over his unshaven jaw and barely managed to stifle a yawn. He was deeply and madly in love with his new daughter, but she was a whole new experience. Sophie was tired and trying to do it all in her quest not to interfere with the goings-on at KGI since Garrett was off on a mission, but Sam had nipped that in the bud quick.
She had exhausted herself by trying to do too much too soon and he’d put her to bed and taken over baby duty. Only Charlotte hadn’t expressed a whole lot of interest in sleeping. She’d alternated fussing with wide-eyed staring at her father. She seemed perfectly content to be held. As soon as Sam tried to put her down, she put up a fuss that had him scrambling to soothe her before she woke Sophie up.