Free Summer's Night by Cheyenne Meadows Page A

endangering her life. He could only hope that was where the line remained. If this man tipped into murder, his body would never be found. His father would be dealt with later, after they returned Summer to her home.
    Summer. The fact she'd traded her life for his mother's humbled him as nothing else had, even as it sent cold fingers lancing through his gut. He dared not think about the possibilities and what she suffered even as they planned. No. He shoved all emotional distractions to the back burner narrowing his focus on the task at hand, just like he'd learned in the military. You can't go into battle hyped up on panic and fear. Cool heads won the day. Rescue Summer. She was all that mattered.
    When did she become so important to him? Somehow in the few days since she'd entered his life, she'd snuck into a corner of his heart, made herself at home, as if planning on living there for a lifetime. Why was it only now, when some bastard stole her away, that he realized her meaning to him?
    "I want her back now. No way is that son of a bitch getting twenty-four hours with her," he growled the words out between clenched teeth.
    The other men exchanged a look.
    "No worries. I've got a strong beacon on her GPS. If we push the speed, we'll be right on their tails soon," Spoon said, his fingers flying over a laptop keyboard.
    "What's the plan? Wait for him to go to ground? Try to take him while on the road?" Cale asked, his blue eyes meeting Night's.
    Scenarios raced through Night's head. He automatically sorted them, discarding the worst, logging the most likely to have a positive outcome in a priority position. "We need to have plans in place for both options."
    "Do you think he'll be suicidal if cornered, especially in a car?"
    He replayed his mother's words, not finding any indication either way. "I don't know. He's desperate for money, I know that. Anyone who would listen to a drunk man in a bar, then go on a wild goose chase in the hopes of stealing jewelry, is damn desperate. Who knows what he might do when cornered. Let's hope we don't find out."
    "We have authorization on this?" Dillon asked, shifting his wide shoulders uncomfortably in the limited space afforded him between two other equally large men.
    Night's jaw ticked. "I called. My contact isn't happy that we didn't call in the local authorities and the feds, but he won't stand in the way."
    "He knows better, huh?" Loco grinned at him.
    "We're the best chance she has." His soft tone dared anyone to disagree with the absolute surety in his words. He understood the fact to be true, just as the other men would. Too many times federal government officials and local police sat on a kidnapping case, hoping to talk the criminal out, exchanging promises for the release of victims, only for one or more of the innocents to end up injured or dead.
    His team, the Wind Warriors, specialized in many areas from their years of high-level military careers. He personally went through several months of intense training in not only reconnaissance, but also the tactics of rescue. The others all had similar instruction and real life exercises, making them well versed in not only what they were truly dealing with, but more than capable of stealthily moving in, separating the victim from the target, and ending the standoff quickly and successfully. If only other groups could plow through proper protocol and justice concerns like they did. A luxury, one that benefited them greatly in this situation.
    "How is your mother taking it?" Spoon asked before directing Loco to take the next turn.
    Night shrugged. "As well as she can, I think. She called a friend to come sit with her so she wouldn't be alone. I jacked up security, just in case. Not even a mouse should be able to get into that house without everyone, including the Marines, getting a red alarm."
    "Your mother scares me." Cale commented, his gaze constantly watching the road and other cars around them.
    Dillon, his brother, cocked an