Free Secret Maneuvers by Jessie Lane Page A

piss on an electric fence that nearly zaps your dick off? But wait, that’s not the best part. No, that would be where you passed out underneath a trailer in nothing except your boxers and you cuddled up with a beach ball while your ridiculously hot and totally willing girlfriend was waiting for you inside the trailer! We’ve been promised photographic evidence as proof to this incredible account of your male, teenage idiocy. I think we should submit the pictures to National Geographic’s ongoing study about the effects of alcohol on impressionable young males with low IQs.”
    The line choked up with several amused men’s laughter.
    “SON OF A BITCH! Where’s the loyalty? You tell Belle to stop recapping our ridiculous adolescent adventures before I break out a few about her that I’m sure she’ll wish never saw the light of day again.”
    Declan relayed the message to Belle and then her soft southern drawl came over the line. “Bobby, you telling stories about me would be about as useful as a trap door on a canoe since I don’t have to work with these guys every day and you do.”
    Jaxon cleared his throat to hide his amusement. “Playtime is over, kids. Let’s get back to work. Sullivan team, we’re in place. Mingle with the natives until it’s almost closing time. Then head to our truck to pick up your change of clothes and weapons. Once you’re done, meet up with us behind the bar in the woods.”
    Declan’s, “Roger that,” was immediate. Now it was time to hurry up and wait.
     
    ***
    Three o’clock in the morning finally rolled around before the target left with Henderson. The bar’s patrons had all been rounded up and kicked out an hour earlier. Thirty minutes after the departure of the two men, Chase went in with Riley covering his back to disarm the security system and let us in without tripping any alarms. Now I stood in the same large storage room Belle had described to us hours earlier. With me were Jaxon, Declan, Riley, Agent Boyd and Belle.
    One wall was lined with metal shelving units filled with large bottles of various liquors. Across the room, three crates sat on the floor covered up with blue, all-weather tarps. The concrete floors were exposed under our feet and the three walls left bare were painted a stark white. The sparseness of the room should have comforted me. There was nothing blocking my view of the area. No cluttered corners that could contain surprises. However, my instincts were screaming at me and I couldn’t help the instinctive reaction of my finger tightening closer to my riffle’s trigger.
    Alert and wary, I continued to scan my surroundings looking for all of the things common sense told me should be there. Like security cameras. Where were the small red lights indicating the room was being monitored? It wasn’t possible that criminals involved with smuggling guns were actually dumb enough to leave their storage area utterly defenseless. Was it? Although, the lack of small glowing lights mocked me until I had a horrible sense of unease in my gut. Getting in and out of this place as fast as possible was starting to sound like a really damn good idea.
    The sound of Riley gently using a crowbar to pry the lid off one of the crates, quickly brought my attention back around. A few seconds later, Jaxon shined a light through the gap of the crate’s lid and its body before letting out a low whistle.
    Jaxon passed the small, high-powered flashlight to Belle while motioning his head for her to take a look inside. When she shined the light through the good size gap Riley had made, I watched in interest as she pursed her lips and looked at the contents. After a few seconds of perusal, she handed the flashlight back to Jaxon, who then gave the signal to seal the crate back up.
    Riley closed the crate quickly as the remaining members of the room gave one last look around. My feet were itching to haul ass out of there. If only I could locate the source of whatever was putting