Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
“Charlie, Delta—forward,” I ordered quietly, adjusting my headset. Much more comfortable than the earpieces that didn’t cancel any outside noise whatsoever. My eardrums might survive the night.
The rest of us waited in the cover of the trees, right by the dirt road.
Leighton gave me a quick glance, an even quicker smile, and he was off.
You got this, pup.
They crouched low and ran across the wide lawn toward the vent on the other short-end of the bunker. Nothing whatsoever was visible to the eye. Just moonlit grass. And the driveway.
Our approach would look a little different from previously planned, and I was happier with these changes. Charlie and Delta would drop the stun grenades and riot control agents, and then they’d meet up with the rest of us, with Charlie returning first.
We had to be ready for anything. Even if the combo of ear-deafening explosions, thick smoke, and tear gas caused mayhem down there, they could recover quickly and retaliate.
Slater signaled with his flashlight that they were in position, so I gestured for my guys to follow me.
I stayed low too, and we sprinted toward the driveway.
It was vital that we could take down the two cameras near the entrance right as the stun grenades were dropped. We needed those extra few seconds.
My mind sank into that familiar place, where I was as sharp as I was calm. Sometimes, when life had gotten too rough or…I simply didn’t wanna deal with shit, I’d taken on extra assignments just to feel that peace again.
It also helped knowing there were no mines.
Coach and I snuck as close as we could, keeping Crew behind us. The driveway had a curve to it, so we could move farther down than Quinn and Hudson on the other side of the road.
Quinn signaled to me that he couldn’t move farther without risking detection by their surveillance—
“Delta here. Stun grenades ready to drop. Over,” Slater reported.
A razor-sharp bolt of adrenaline shot through me, and I took a steadying breath. “Copy that, Delta. Bravo and Charlie, get ready. Delta, you’re a go for the drop. Over.”
Quinn lifted his carbine, and then the whole area shook with a muted, thundering explosion from below. Quinn didn’t waste a second. He took a couple steps down the hill and immediately shot down the first camera.
“Charlie, get back here,” I commanded, moving forward too. “Delta, drop the agents, then get here.”
“Copy, dropping agents,” Slater replied. “We’re on our way.”
Quinn took care of the last camera, and then Coach, Crew, and I rushed forward and ran between two of the cars to reach the doors. Crew and I aimed at the hinges and fired several quick rounds, after which Coach snuck forward to open one of the doors. We stayed back just a bit, in case they had something ready to go off.
The first thing we heard was screaming and yelling, several men’s voices.
Quinn and I carefully peered inside, and then we bolted into action. There were two fucking RPGs just inside their entry area, and we shot the men scrambling to use them.
“Go, go, go, go!” I took the lead, registering concrete all over the fucking place. Floors, walls, ceiling, no furniture whatsoever yet, dim lighting, funky smell. Chemicals too. Boxes upon boxes lined the wall. Four men hurtled out from the next room, and Crew and I shot them in the forehead. “Delta, stay near the entrance. Bravo and Charlie, follow us.”
A choir of “Wilco” and “Copy” rang out.
“Smoke limited to the far back for now,” Coach reported. “Don’t go near it.”
The second room was empty, aside from more boxes, so we hurried through it. We could hear more screaming from the back.
I sucked in a breath and flew up against the nearest wall as several shots exploded through the air, and I could feel some of them hitting the other side of the wall.
“Enemy’s regrouped in the next room,” I said.
How long could they last there? The thick smoke was billowing forward right now.
I ducked down and peered out fast, and I fired three shots at a guy in the next doorway. He went down with a choked cry, causing a few others to yell out in German. I’d heard Arabic and American English too.
“Perimeter watch, Wilson here—we’ve got three vehicles comin’ in quick.”
“Motherfucker,” I cursed. So this was the plan all along? They had backup waiting outside the forest, and now they wanted us surrounded?
“Hold for orders,” I growled. With that, I pulled out a grenade, yanked the pin, and threw it into the next room. “Grenade!” I turned away from the doorway and listened to the screams right before the explosion thundered through. “New orders! Delta and Hudson from Bravo, stay behind and shoot anythin’ that moves! You can communicate on line two. Touch base every sixty seconds. Charlie and Quinn from Bravo, you’re with Alpha. Move out, move out!” I made sure to run last, pushing Crew ahead of me, and Hudson snuck by with Slater and Green. “Perimeter watch, keep a head count—we’re not letting them get away!”