Chapter 2 #2
I dropped into a crouch instantly, pulling Jolly with me into the shadow of a woodpile.
My heart hammered against my ribs. Twenty feet away, an old woman stepped onto her porch, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders.
She stood there for a long moment, staring up at the sky like she was looking for something.
Jolly was absolutely still beside me, his breath slow and controlled. He understood this game. Be invisible. Be patient. Wait.
The woman sighed, crossed herself, and went back inside. The door clicked shut.
I let out a slow breath. “Good boy,” I whispered.
We waited another thirty seconds, then continued.
Elena’s house was the last stop in my sector.
I recognized it from the photos Lauren had shown me—a small home with blue-painted shutters, a garden out front that had seen better days.
This was where a nine-year-old girl had made a choice that most adults wouldn’t have the courage to make.
She’d helped strangers when helping strangers could have gotten her killed.
I checked the intel sheet one last time. Household: 1 adult (grandmother), 1 child. Needs: food, medicine (arthritis), school supplies.
The canvas bag was heavier than some of the others—packed with everything Lauren knew they needed. I placed it on the porch, tucked against the wall where it would be protected.
Then the last item. A package larger than the others, wrapped in paper with snowflakes on it—clearly Lauren’s work. No tag. Just Elena written directly on the paper in silver ink.
Prioritize that coordinate. Get it right.
The porch was the obvious spot, but obvious wasn’t good enough. Not for this one.
There—a window on the side of the house, lower than the others. A child’s room. I crept around the side of the building, moving through the garden on silent feet, and found a small ledge beneath the window. Just wide enough.
When Elena woke up tomorrow morning and opened her shutters, this would be the first thing she saw.
I placed it carefully, adjusting the angle so the snowflake paper caught what little moonlight filtered through the trees.
Keep practicing your English. Read everything you can find. You’re brilliant.
This was Lauren saying I remember you. I haven’t forgotten. You matter.
Jolly pressed his nose against my hand. Time to go.
“Yeah,” I said softly. “I know.”
We made it back to the rally point with time to spare. The helicopter appeared over the tree line right on schedule, and we loaded up fast—Jolly hopping in beside me and immediately curling up on the deck like the mission was over and it was nap time.
As we lifted off, I looked down at the village one last time. Still dark. Still quiet. No one knew we’d been there.
Once we hit cruising altitude, Ty pulled off his headset and grinned. “Okay, I need to address something. Who assigned the call signs?”
Jace raised his hand, utterly unrepentant.
“Cupid.” Ty shook his head. “You made me Cupid.”
“It fits. You’re the one who’s all heart-eyes over Charlotte now.”
“I could’ve been Blitzen. Blitzen sounds cool. Blitzen sounds like someone who blitzes things.”
“Blitzen was already taken.” I scratched Jolly’s ears. “And Rudolph’s the one with the nose that saves the day, so that worked out.”
Jolly’s tail thumped against the deck.
“Besides,” Jace added, “Prancer was the other option.”
Ty pointed at him. “I will end you.”
“Cupid’s the one with the weapon, technically,” Andrew called back from the pilot’s seat. “Bow and arrow. Very tactical.”
“I hate all of you.”
“No, you don’t.” Logan’s voice was dry, but there was warmth underneath. “You love us. That’s why you’re here.”
Ty’s grin softened. “Yeah, well. Don’t let it go to your heads.”
Ethan leaned back against the cabin wall. “Clean op. Everyone performed.”
“That’s what matters,” Ty said, “but can we also acknowledge that we just ran the most hardcore humanitarian mission in history? Neutralized hostiles, delivered supplies to families in need, in a cartel-controlled jungle, on Christmas Eve. That’s legendary.”
“Pretty sure they’d have to change some details for the movie,” I said.
“Fine. A documentary. I’ll narrate.”
“God help us all,” Logan muttered.
Jolly lifted his head, looked around at everyone, then dropped it back onto my boot with a contented sigh.
“Seriously though,” Ty looked at Logan. “Lauren’s going to lose it when you tell her about Elena’s placement.”
Something shifted in Logan’s expression—softer than I’d ever seen him. “Yeah. She will.”
“Ben gets credit for that one,” Ethan said. “Good work.”
“Jolly did the hard part,” I said. “I just carried the packages.”
“Rudolph,” Ty corrected. “Give the dog his proper call sign.”
Jolly’s tail wagged once.
The sun was starting to peek over the horizon, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. Below us, somewhere in that jungle, a village was waking up to Christmas morning. Families were going to find supplies on their doorsteps—food, medicine, clothing. Things they needed.
And the kids were going to find presents wrapped in bright paper.
None of them would ever know who left them there.
“Hey, Cupid,” Jace said. “What did you end up getting Charlotte for Christmas?”
Ty’s grin turned wicked. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“I really wouldn’t,” Logan said.
“It’s tasteful. Mostly.”
“I’m putting my headset back on,” Ethan announced.
“It’s romantic—”
“Headset. On.”
Jolly sighed, closing his eyes.
Some ops you take because it’s the job. Some you take because it matters. And some—the rare ones—you take because they remind you why you do this in the first place.
This one was all three.
Merry Christmas, Corazón.
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Thank you for reading OPERATION DARK TIDINGS.