Strategic Vulnerability Read online

  Excerpt from Tactical Magik (Immortal Ops Book Five)

  Chapter One

  Present Day. Location: Classified.

  “I said I was sorry,” Geoffroi “Roi” Majors stated as he glanced back at Eadan from the front passenger seat of the Hum-V. The vehicle that currently held five not-so-small guys was hardly inconspicuous. It was also less than comfortable. They stuck out like sore thumbs, and Eadan Daly had to question the wisdom of this being their getaway vehicle. This one wasn’t reinforced to help stop bullets. It seemed a lot like tissue paper at the moment. Pretty much all it had going for it was cool factor. One that screamed government or paramilitary group. A blinking sign on the top would only make it worse.

  Shoot here. There is a better-than-average chance you’ll hit your target.

  With the entrance Lukian had been forced to make to get to them, they might as well have sent out engraved invitations to the enemy to come shoot at them there. Would have proven as effective.

  “This thing go any faster?” Wilson asked, fidgeting in his seat.

  Lukian didn’t comment. He merely glanced at the rearview mirror. His glare was enough of a response.

  Eadan’s ears were still ringing from the hail of gunfire around them. Had he not assisted with his magik, they’d be picking lead out of his ass.

  Out of all their asses.

  He’d expended more power than he should have, but it was required. Unfortunately, he’d be feeling the ill effects of that much usage for probably a week or more. Unless he met up with a hottie at a bar and spent the night rockin’ her world. Sexual energy would speed his ability to rebuild his natural-born power base.

  He looked to his left at his fellow Immortal Ops (I-Ops) teammates, Jon and Wilson. Jon shook his head, indicating they should not accept this apology from Roi either. They’d been steadily rejecting Roi’s attempts to make amends for the past twenty minutes.

  Wilson tapped his fingers on the doorframe, an annoyed breath easing from his lips. “You left without us. In a hostile zone, mind you. Might as well have painted a damn target on us yourself.”

  “No,” Roi protested, twisting in the seat. His dark hair fell partially onto his face. “I told you already I thought Lukian was getting you. And, see, he got you.”

  Lukian, the team captain, snorted as he drove. He tended to be on the quiet side yet always managed to get his point across. Eadan had been unsure how to read him at first but was learning more and more each day.

  “What?” Roi grunted and tossed his hands in the air. “Fine. I wasn’t listening during the briefing because I was exhausted.”

  Green’s voice came over their comms unit earpieces. “Stop worrying. Your wife and your girls will be fine.”

  Roi shifted around in his seat as he tapped his wrist and spoke into his comms piece. “You’re the one who told me it’s uncommon for a woman pregnant with twins to go to term. That means I could become a father any day now. I’m not ready yet. I only just got the nursery finished. I haven’t set up college funds for them yet. I didn’t…”

  Roi was going to spiral out of control again. He’d been doing that more and more of late. Seemed as if the prospect of fatherhood was going to do what the enemy couldn’t—kill him.

  Lukian reached over as he continued to drive and touched Roi’s arm. “Relax, brother. There is plenty of time for all that.”

  “Why am I the only one freaking out? Your wife is due soon too,” Roi said, sounding frantic.

  Eadan held back a groan. All this talk of pregnancies was getting on his last damn nerve.

  Green’s chuckle echoed through their earpieces. He was currently tucked away in a tiny location the team had preselected as base during their current mission. Green was their eyes and ears on everything else going on, a technical guru who also happened to be the best at patching them up when need be.

  “Peren has another two months. Missy, with the twins, probably won’t go that long. Melanie has two and half months left and Kim has—”

  Wilson leaned forward. “Just under five months left.”

  Eadan nudged Jon. “Is it just me or have our missions deteriorated into recipe swaps and what-to-expect-when-your-mate-is-expecting moments?”

  “No,” Jon said, his eyes widening. He looked almost scared, as if he too might catch the bug to discuss upcoming babies. “It’s not just you.”

  “I’m fairly sure we were once feared,” Eadan added with a laugh. “Now we’re the labor patrol. We make the enemy shake in their boots—well, right after we’re done talking about the first signs of contractions.”

  Wilson shook his head. “No. Not feared. Misunderstood. We were totally misunderstood. And just wait, you two will see what this is like when you meet your mates. Then we’ll all laugh at you.”

  “No,” Eadan said. “You’ll give us burping tricks to help the kid with gas.”

  Visit www.MandyRoth.com for more information. Also, be sure to check out the spin-off series in the Immortal Ops World, PSI-Ops, Shadow Agents, Immortal Outcasts and Crimson Ops.

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