The Daughter Extraction

First stop: Ensenada

•ALEC•

After a quick background check and a few adjustments to our plans, we got the heads-up that the jets were good to go.

The whole team filed out of HQ one by one, lugging their backpacks, gear kits, and duffel bags for the journey.

We had two N313P aircraft for the job, and since our SOG team was on the larger side, we split into two groups whenever we hit the field—Group A and Group B.

I'm leading the latter, and Agent Chin is in charge of the other one. So, Agent Chin and his crew hop on one plane, and the rest of us take the other.

As everyone settles in and the plane cruises smoothly, Martin suddenly turns to me and hands over a tablet.

I take it and raise an eyebrow at the picture of a guy on the screen, complete with his personal info and rap sheet on the side.

"Who's this?" I ask Martin.

"Juan Santos. Ex-military police with a rap sheet that includes a couple of homicides and some illegal selling of top-secret info swiped from military databases."

Martin pauses, leaning forward to swipe the screen. A new picture of Juan and Emiliano pops up.

"He's Emiliano's top lieutenant," Martin explains.

I zoom in on their faces, my eyes narrowing at Emiliano. Just the smug look on his face is enough to get under my skin.

He's good-looking enough to fly under the radar while he kidnaps a young girl and uses her as leverage.

"Juan is our first target," Blair chimes in from her seat.

Both Martin and I turn to her simultaneously. She's sitting in front of us, legs crossed and eyes closed.

"Juan runs a drug business in Ensenada. That's our first stop. Once we get him and drill the info out of him, we'll keep going until we find Emiliano and figure out where he's hiding the little girl."

I chuckle and pass the tablet back to Martin, not taking my eyes off her.

"She's not really a little girl anymore. She's eighteen."

Blair slowly opens her eyes, locking onto me.

"Eighteen and below are still kids to me. If she's so grown-up, she should've listened to her old man and stayed home. Sneaking out to party and ending up kidnapped is what kids do—coz they're still young and stupid."

Geez, what's with the tight assessment?

"You haven't even met her, Blair," I reason.

She raises a perfectly plucked eyebrow before leaning back in her seat.

"And you have?"

"No, but I'd rather keep my judgment to myself."

"You think I'm being judgmental?"

Before I can reply, the plane hits turbulence, nearly launching us out of our seats.

My attention snapped back to Blair in an instant. I knew turbulences freaked her out; it triggered panic attacks because she was terrified of flying.

I unfastened my seatbelt and got up, crouching in front of her, and placing my hands on her shoulders.

Her knees were shaking, eyes tightly shut. I could tell she was on the verge of losing control before the panic attack set in.

"Breathe, Kennedy. Take it slow," I reassured her with a calm voice.

She finally released a deep breath, and I placed my hand on her knee to help it stop shaking.

"Slowly... yeah, that's it. Slow and deep breaths."

Once she calmed down, her eyes met mine, and I sensed her regaining composure. I cupped the side of her face and smiled at her.

"You're safe; it's just rough turbulence, okay?"

She nodded slowly, and shifted back to her seat to try and relax. I stood up and went back to mine, after putting my seatbelt back on. I caught Martin giving me a smirk with his eyebrow raised.

"Don't start with that shit again, or I'll personally make sure to throw you out of this plane before we land."

He grinned, holding up both hands in surrender.

"I didn't say anything, boss."

He didn't, but I knew he was thinking it, always trying to get me to consider the idea for years now.

Blair and I have been best friends since our teenage years, training together before officially becoming agents.

Sure, there have been moments with a bit of constant flirting and teasing, but I've never developed any romantic feelings for her.

She's like a sister to me, to be honest.

Two main reasons I never considered dating, on and off the job, are because either they're like family, and I don't want to ruin that bond, or being in a relationship interferes with my job. My career is my top priority.

It's what I've been taught by my parents, both CIA agents. The job always comes first, no matter what.

Getting into a relationship will only complicate things, and I don't want to deal with the risks. My line of work is already challenging enough.

That's why I made a promise to myself before accepting this job: to be in charge of everything in my life and never be romantically involved with clients or co-workers.

OoO

We touched down at the US-Mexico border, and after three hours of paperwork and dealing with the Mexican military police, we finally got the green light from HQ.

Five jeeps were handed over to us for the ride to our hideout base. We cruised for a solid 70 miles until we hit Ensenada.

Now, we're all undercover, blending in with the people. HQ sorted our stay at a safe house in the city, run by a local couple who are top-tier assets of the US government.

They're playing host, and we're playing house. It's a pretend family setup, just a pit stop until we find Juan Santos and proceed to our next stop to track down Luna.

The safe house is roomy enough for the whole crew, and each of us scored our own rooms. Once I hit my room, I tossed my stuff on the floor and plopped down on the bed.

I cracked open the case file on Emiliano and Luna, giving it another once-over before our mission kicks off tomorrow. Gotta ensure every detail is squared away for a successful op. I'm going all in this time because the last mission taught me a tough lesson.

I might've messed up the last mission to bring back a client's family together, but I won't let it happen again. Luna is coming back to her dad, safe and sound, no matter what obstacles come my way.