Breached （Book 3）
PAUL
I was in a battle zone. In the split second of the blast, I’d thrown my body over Olivia’s. The explosion hit us like a wall of fire. It was blistering and deafening all at once. The heat had been instant, unforgiving, and merciless. It crawled over us like a living thing.
I tried to keep my weight off Liv as I rolled us onto our sides.
We both gasped for air that wasn’t there.
The oxygen had been sucked away, along with any sound.
The ringing in my ears was intense, and I fought to block it out.
It wasn’t the first time I’d been through a blast like that, and I knew my ears would bother me for a while.
My vision was spotty, but I blinked to see Olivia and quickly patted her down to make sure she was okay.
My eyes kept going to the vehicles, but I had to check her out first.
She was like a zombie, and I knew she was in shock.
I pressed a hand to her shoulder and made the motion to stay down.
I had to assess the situation. I spotted the tracker Liv had handed me where it lay on the ground.
I rammed my fist into the face of the lion then stood and used my heel to crush it.
Staying low, I moved quickly in the direction of the SUVs.
Holy shit. It might be a war zone, but this one included everyone I loved.
Chase! Nicole! Their faces pushed through my mind as I began to run.
I looked for the guys and saw, like me, they’d transformed from husbands and fathers to combat soldiers.
They moved swiftly about in the chaos. As I got close, I saw their faces were white with pain and shock as they tried to get everyone away from the still-burning vehicle. We all knew more could be coming.
What the hell had happened? How could this happen here?
Cries and shouts from our loved ones intermingled with the sounds of people as they arrived on the scene to help.
There was so much distraction, I couldn’t even fathom that Nicole and Chase’s SUV was the one that had been blown up.
John and Travis were quickly herding the wives and children to Zack’s entrance. Sloane raced past me, headed for Olivia. “I’ve got her.” Her voice sounded strangled and her face was pale.
Then I saw Savannah. Cat was at her side pulling her arm desperately to try to get her to move with the others toward the safety of Zack’s restaurant.
“Savi!” Zack appeared out of nowhere and sounded a mile away. He shook her shoulders, and she blinked out of the trace she was in. “Olivia!” she screamed.
“She’s over there. She’s okay.” He pointed to the stairs where Sloane half-carried Olivia up the restaurant steps. Savannah sobbed and ran for her daughter.
I quickly veered around to head toward the inferno. I needed to see. I had to know. My son.
“No!” Mike’s voice boomed, and I whirled to see him intercept Cole as he hurled himself at the burning vehicle. “You don’t want to see that! Cole, stop!”
I raced around them. I felt weightless and heavy all at the same time.
Tears formed but didn’t fall as I stared at Sue’s and Abby’s black and burning bodies.
I couldn’t see Nicole or Chase. But they’d been in there.
Hadn’t they? I reached desperately for the lava-hot back door handle when someone slammed my hand away.
“No, Paul!” Keith grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. I saw Cole’s expression as he stood with Mark and Mike on either side. They held him tightly. Nothing could be done.
“Easton!” The break in his voice was enough to tear my heart in two as he tried to fling himself at the door.
“No! Cole!” Mark yelled, and he and Mike yanked him backward. “Dad,” he yelled again, and I pulled myself away from Keith, dropped to my knees and ripped off my jacket to protect my hands. I had to see inside. I yanked the door open.
My eyes went everywhere, but there was no sign of them. There was only an empty seat next to poor Abby. I sobbed. Oh, my God, where are they? We were trained in such situations, but it all went out of my head. I wanted nothing in that moment but to see my son and her.
“Everyone inside!” Travis yelled. His team ran toward us. They were still trying to clear the area, and as the emergency vehicles began to arrive, they set up a line of protection around us.
“Paul.” Keith’s voice made me look up, and he pointed to something.
Cole also looked. “Oh, my God, Dad!” Cole cried.
We all ran together to where Daniel lay face down on the ground.
I pushed through and used my jacket, and with the utmost respect, Keith and I lifted Daniel’s charred, lifeless body off Easton.
My stomach violently rolled as Daniel’s eyes stared up at me.
Mike handed us his own jacket to put over him and gave me a nod to keep going.
I glanced up at Cole, who now stood in frozen silence.
“Medic!” Mark yelled.
Easton was covered head to toe in blood. He had some burns, and a huge piece of metal was wedged right below his knee. “Oh, my God, my boy!” I heard Cole’s cries, and it broke me. “Is he—” He went down on one knee next to us and reached out his hand.
“Cole,” I stopped him, “let me do it.” His eyes were so frightened and in so much pain. He gave me a small nod, and I leaned forward. With a shaky hand, I gently pressed two fingers to the little guy’s neck and waited.
We were taught to believe in a higher power.
Whether that was God, something else, or someone else entirely, we had to believe, and it was that belief that carried us.
It existed for moments exactly like this.
There had to be a line between good and evil, and we needed that higher power to stand with us.
Then I felt it, like Easton himself had tapped me to say I’m still here. A tiny pulse. I looked over at Cole and gave him a weak smile and saw the relief wash over him.
“Barely, but there.” I smiled up at the guys. Then, before we could think, we were shoved aside by paramedics. They went to work and got Easton on a gurney and ran with him. Another stretcher arrived for Daniel.
“Paul!”
“Nicole?” I jumped up and looked around.
“Paul!” I heard it again. Keith pointed. Nicole was running straight toward me with Chase in her arms. My heart pounded with pure joy as I went toward her.
Zip! Zip! Zip! Zip!
Bullets rained down as screams erupted around us. I grabbed her and pulled her to the ground with me. I took Chase from her and tucked him under us as I desperately looked around for the source.
“Get ’em inside!” Keith yelled over the roar of confusion.
I pulled Nicole to her feet, and we started to run as pieces of pavement sprayed up in front of us. I pulled her behind a car.
“Two o’clock!” Mike huffed as he joined us. He slid me a weapon, and I grabbed it, pressed my back to the tire, and prepared to kill the fuckers who had taken out three of our own and left a little boy clinging to life.
They wanted a war, they’d get one.