Chapter Thirty One #2
“Good thinking, Hummingbird,” Matthew said, pulling out the latest blueprints of the home.
Julio went over the details. “The law enforcement officials will barricade the roads to prevent anyone from leaving. We’ll breach here and here,” he said before glancing at Rebecca. “I’ll need you here,” he pointed to the latest satellite image of the property.”
“I’m babysitting the front door?” she said, angrily.
“No. I need you to watch it and cover us as we move out,” he explained.
Rebecca agreed, still peeved at the lesser job than the men. Maybe she needed to prove herself to Julio before he trusted her.
Two hours later, the SWAT team surrounded the luxury estate and waited for their leader’s cue before breaching. Julio and Jameson planned to sneak inside before the surprise ambush, warning them of how many people attended the gathering.
“Phoenix has entered,” Matthew said through the coms. “There’s a door on your right, leading downstairs. Two suspects coming from the rear,” he said calmly.
“Copy,” Julio whispered. “I have eleven males and two females in the formal dining room.”
“We have three more in bedroom one upstairs,” Jameson reported.
“I’m heading to the basement,” Julio informed them as they heard a door creak open. “They have an electronic lock on the handle. Ready to breach.”
Gunfire erupted, making Rebecca jump.
“I’m made,” Jameson yelled into the coms.
Rebecca rushed to where Jameson entered the house and climbed the stairs.
She aimed her gun, preparing to shoot, as she hugged the wall.
A guard came out from nowhere, attempting to knock the weapon from her hand.
Her fist flew into his face and her knee went up, hitting the man in the balls.
He tumbled down the stairs as she ran toward the gunshots.
“Hummingbird, you have two men on your left,” Matthew said. “I’m coming in behind you.”
“Jameson, do you copy?” Julio asked as he used the electronic scanner to unlock the door.
“I’m cornered in the south bedroom. We have two perps and three guards. We have multiple survivors on the floor. Call for an ambulance,” he requested.
Tat, Tat, Tat, Rebecca heard the familiar sounds of the rifles as all hell broke loose.
“SWAT has breached,” Matthew called. “They’ve split. We’ll have visitors. Hummingbird, any eyes on Jameson?”
Rebecca aimed her gun and fired, taking out two while Jameson wrestled the third. A woman crouched beside the bed, covering her head.
“Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you out of here,” she said as Jameson zip-tied his attacker and kicked away the weapon.
“Julio, do you copy?” Matthew said, covering Rebecca’s six while she guided the woman out of the house and to safety.
“Julio,” Matthew said again when he didn’t respond. Rebecca turned toward the home, now filled with smoke from the smoke bombs used by the SWAT team.
“I’m going in,” she said when Matthew grabbed her around the waist.
“Give him a minute. He’s in the deep part of the basement and may not hear us,” Matthew explained as Jameson emerged with another woman and a frail man.
Rebecca pulled them to the safety area and passed them a blanket as she anxiously waited to hear Julio’s voice.
SWAT called the all clear and she moved closer to the house when she saw a large figure appearing from the smoke, resembling Julio.
A woman walked beside him as he carried something she couldn’t make out as he made his way outside.
A guard shot forward, aimed his weapon, and fired at the trio.
Rebecca watched as Julio fell to the ground in slow motion, with his bundle and the woman beside him.
Pandemonium erupted, blocking her view of him as law enforcement scrambled to find the rogue guards. Her heart raced as she ran toward the last place she saw him, as Matthew yelled into his coms, getting no response. Jameson followed behind her, his weapon drawn.
“Please, please, please,” Rebecca begged as she drew closer. Her mouth dropped as she recognized Dr. Reese lying over the tiny bundle and the man she loved. She rushed to Julio’s side, seeing his forehead bleeding and a lump forming.
“Rebecca,” someone called her name, but she focused on turning Julio over as Jameson checked for injuries.
“Julio, answer me,” she pleaded, gently wiping the blood dripping from his forehead away from his eye. “Please don’t leave me.”
Julio blinked and winced as he attempted to rise. “I’ll walk through hell to stay with you,” he murmured.
“Stay down,” she insisted as he continued to struggle. Seeing it futile, she helped him to sit with Jameson’s help.
“Rebecca,” the feminine voice called, almost pleading.
Turning, she saw Dr. Reese roll from the bundle beneath her. Blood seeped from her chest as she clung to the quilt. Rebecca shot forward, pressing on the woman’s chest.
Dr. Reese grabbed her hand. “They kidnapped my daughter and me because they needed a doctor,” she said, struggling to breathe.
“My husband found us and they shot him. She has no one else. Please take care of her for me. Thank you for protecting her when I couldn’t.
Please forgive me.” Her eyes went to the blanket.
Rebecca peeled the blanket back to see a mass of blonde curls.
Her heart lurched, and a sob escaped her throat as a pair of big blue eyes stared back at her.
“Becca,” Megan cried as she reached for her.
Rebecca sobbed as she picked up the fragile child, tugging the quilt from her tiny frame. Turning her away from the sight of the bleeding doctor, Rebecca glanced back at the woman she considered sick. It appeared she was a survivor, too. Dr. Reese smiled gratefully at her and slipped away.
Julio rose unsteadily with Jameson’s help and surrounded them. Rebecca met his gaze with tears in her eyes. She turned back to Dr. Reese, not sure whether the woman would ever know, but she said the words, releasing the physician of any guilt. “I forgive you, and I’ll keep her safe.”
Julio plucked Megan from her arms, and they walked away from the scene. Megan clung to his neck, repeating, “Becca, Julio came for me.”
She soothed her as Julio placed them in their vehicle. Jameson drove them to the airport and planned to return for Matthew and Julio as they made provisions for the survivors and gathered more evidence.
Rebecca entered the plane and found a washcloth to clean Megan’s tear-streaked face. “Don’t leave me,” the little girl pleaded.
“Never,” she promised.
“I love you, Becca,” Megan sniffed as she crawled onto Rebecca’s lap and placed her head on her shoulder.
“Love you, more,” she whispered, meaning it with all her heart.
Two hours later, the men boarded the plane and smiled as they found a sleeping Rebecca holding Megan. Their heads touched as a blanket covered them.
“It appears you have a new friend,” Matthew whispered, not wanting to wake the pair.
“No,” Julio said as he glanced lovingly at the two females.
“You’re looking at my new family. We’ll go over the particulars later, but Dr. Reese gave me a drive with all her patient files and their last known locations.
It appears we have more work to do. Jameson, I believe you’ll find Caroline’s information on there. ”
Jameson grabbed the drive and sat at the table, eagerly scouring the records.
Rebecca opened her eyes and smiled as Julio’s met hers.
“Dr. Reese protected her daughter,” Rebecca informed him. “She asked me to watch over her.”
“Yes. She knew me on sight. Apparently, you never stopped believing I’d come for you. She hoped you might feel the same way about Megan,” Julio said with pride.
“How do you feel about expanding our family when you haven’t made love to your future wife yet?” she asked doubtfully as she bit her bottom lip.
He tilted her chin upward and whispered, “Some things are worth waiting for. We’ll take as long as you need.”
Rebecca smiled, and her eyes appeared watery as she drifted back to sleep, holding Megan close.
Too realistic to think no one would hurt either of them again, Rebecca would teach her that they were survivors and, most importantly, fighters.
Julio claimed he’d burn the world down to get to Rebecca, and now Megan would grow up knowing Julio and she would do the same for her.