The Omega Team: Hot Target (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Jordan Dane Page A

she had the right and glared at the men who circled their car. She couldn’t see their faces. Headlights blinded her until she had to block the light with her hand. Rafe didn’t bother shielding his eyes. He held his head high, defiant. Madero blood would not allow anything less.
    Six trucks and SUVs carried armed men. They had them surrounded. A door creaked open and boots hit the ground, crunching in the dirt. Athena strained to see who it was through her splayed fingers.
    “What are you doing on Borrego land?”
    The voice shocked her. It was the voice of a woman.
    “We’ve been hired to find out who killed Hector Borrego,” Athena said.
    “Hired? Who would pay to know such a thing? The police were content to let the investigation grow cold.”
    “Vice President Esteban Ruiz hired my private security agency. I’m Athena Madero with the Omega Team, out of Tampa, Florida in the United States.” She dared to take a step closer to the woman. “And you are?”
    “Outraged. Ruiz doesn’t care about Hector Borrego.” The woman raised her voice and crossed her arms. “He’s up to something and you are part of his plan. Why should I not kill you now?”
    “Please…my sister is only trying to do the right thing,” Rafe said. “Let her go and you can do what you want with me. I’ll be your message to Ruiz.”
    “No, Rafael. Don’t !” Athena shoved her hand to his chest to stop him.
    “And who are you?” the woman asked.
    “Rafael Madero. Athena is my sister. She deserves to live. If you want justice for Hector, she is the one you can trust to get it.”
    “This is very brave of you, Rafael. Foolish, but brave.” The woman waved a hand and three men raced toward Rafe with guns drawn.
    Athena stepped in front of her brother and held up both her hands to stop the men who would take him down. Others in the shadows raised their weapons and aimed at them. She prayed no one would shoot.
    “Don’t, Athena. Let me do this,” Rafe said and shoved her aside.
    Her brother didn’t understand. She would fiercely defend him no matter what it cost her. She wouldn’t stand by while a drug cartel butchered him. She would’ve done the same for any member of her team who tried to sacrifice their life for hers. She had taken the role of leader for a reason. She would do anything to make sure her team returned home alive.
    The men had Rafe on his knees in the dirt and they held his arms. One man yanked his hair and thrust a machete to his throat. The men looked to their leader and waited for her to give the order.
    “No! Don’t touch him.” Athena dug deep for anything that would stop this ruthless woman from killing Rafael. “I found new evidence today. I don’t trust Ruiz to process it. That’s why we’re here without him or his men to protect us. Do you believe me?”
    “What evidence?”
    The woman came into the light. Strands of her long dark hair wafted in the breeze. She wore tight jeans and a red jacket, surprising Athena with her sense of style. Her stunning beauty was totally unexpected.
    Athena dug into her pocket and retrieved the shell casing, still wrapped in a latex glove.
    “The police at the original crime scene got it wrong. They reported Hector Borrego had been shot point blank. That wasn’t true. The driver side window shows a fracture pattern that is from a bullet at a higher velocity. It had to be a sniper.”
    She held out the casing—keeping it protected in the glove—and dared to hand the cartridge shell to the woman. If Athena wanted to be trusted, she had to trust in return.
    “I figured the shooter took a position along that ridge behind you. When I went up there with Rafael, we found it wedged into a boulder. Whoever shot Borrego signed his work and left his brass behind. Pretty ballsy.”
    The woman narrowed her eyes at the casing before she shifted her gaze to Athena. She didn’t say a word as she pondered what Athena had shared with her. Eventually the woman stepped toward