Hot Shot (A Hostile Operations Team Novel)(#5) by Lynn Raye Harris Page A

Matt?” Jack asked.
    A tall man with dark hair and piercing gray eyes came over and took her hand. “Hey there, chère . Been a long time. I’m sorry we have to meet again in these circumstances, but we’re gonna do everything we can to take care of your boy, yeah?”
    She sniffed and nodded, afraid to speak for fear the waterworks would start again. A black-haired woman separated herself from the others and came forward when Matt shot her a look.
    “Hi, sweetie,” she said softly, taking Gina’s hand. “I’m Evie Baker and I’m going to be with you for the rest of the evening, okay? Anything you need, you just ask.”
    “I need my baby,” she said, her throat tight.
    And then she felt like a bitch. She shouldn’t have said that when the other woman was just being nice. She started to apologize, but Evie hugged her.  
    Ordinarily, Gina would shrink from the contact. But damn if it didn’t feel nice to have someone wrap her up in a sisterly hug. And then Evie gave her a soft smile.
    “My little sister was kidnapped last summer. These guys found her and busted up an organized crime ring while they were at it. So don’t you worry, okay? It’s just gonna take a little time, but they’re on it.”
    Gina’s cheeks felt hot with embarrassment— and gratitude. “Thanks.”
    “That’s right,” the tough blonde with the scars said. “These guys can do anything.”
    “And gals.” It was the tall man standing next to her who’d spoken. He wrapped an arm around her and tugged her in close as she smiled up at him. Gina’s heart twisted at the look they shared. Definitely in love. Definitely happy together.
    Jack had been standing off to the side, looking anywhere but at her. But he glanced over at that precise moment and their gazes locked. Her pulse thumped even as his eyes hardened.
    “So what’s the plan?” she asked, forcing the pain from that look down deep. What right did she have to expect tenderness from him? She’d known for a year that Eli was his and she’d done nothing about it. It had seemed like the right thing at the time, but it was hard to hold on to that logic when he was standing here in front of her, wounded and angry.
    As if sensing the undercurrents, Matt glanced at Jack. “You have a concert to give. The ladies are going with you and they’ll run interference when necessary. Then you’ll come straight back here when it’s over. We’ll set up a command post and wait for instructions from the kidnappers.”
    “What if they call my cell phone?”
    One of the guys grinned as he held up a case that looked like it contained electronic equipment. “Not a problem,” he said. “We’ll catch everything.”
    Gina pulled in a breath and tried to keep calm. “What if they find out you’re here? They’ll think I called the police.”
    “They aren’t going to find out,” Jack said. “The team swept the area before they arrived. If anyone was watching, we’d know.”
    Matt nodded. “Yep, that’s right. Whoever took your baby, they aren’t watching you now. If they were, they’d call and tell you to get rid of us.”
    “They said they’d kill Eli—”
    “They won’t,” Jack said. “They want something. They’ll try to get it first. Killing him means they lose their bargaining power.”
    She nodded. It made sense, but it was hard to be logical when someone took your baby. All she wanted was Eli back. And she’d give the kidnappers anything they wanted to achieve that goal.
    “We need to stay with you until you hear from them. We’ll take the room next door,” Matt said. He raised a hand, as if anticipating her question. “They aren’t in New York anymore.”
    Her stomach dropped. “How do you know that?”
    “Because we’ve been doing this kind of thing a long time,” Jack replied. “It’s not just a random grab, and you aren’t an ordinary target.”
    Gina licked suddenly dry lips. “All right. But how can you get a room here? The hotel is fully booked, and