Chapter Thirty
“O hh shit,” T alerco said through the comm. “Heads up, heads up.”
I shoved Brooke down and dropped to a knee.
“ATF in T minus—” Talon cut off midsentence as a dozen ATF agents swarmed the property. “Make that right now,” he added.
“Eight guards unloading the boat at the dock,” Neil clipped. “Three on patrol on the dock. Three in the house, three on the property I cannot see.”
“Two in my sights,” Marek interjected.
“One in mine,” Talon added.
Neil issued orders. “Marek, guard. Collins, retreat. Talerco, cover. Sawyer, cover.”
Christensen barely got the last word out and gunfire broke out around us, pinging off the motherfucking tree.
“Sawyer,” I yelled. “ Cover .”
Sawyer laid down return fire, and I half shoved, half dragged Brooke and Mav around the tree. Adrenaline pumping, my heart pounding, I barked into my comm. “Coming at you, Talerco.”
Bullets whizzed past us and plinked against the ten-foot-high concrete wall on the south side of the estate, but we weren’t in the direct path of fire anymore.
“Copy that,” Talerco answered. “Ready and waitin’.”
I spared Brooke a quick glance. I didn’t have time to take in her brave face, or my kid not making a peep. I only had one mission, and that was to get them the fuck out of here.
I nodded at the wall five yards ahead of us with no fucking cover between us and it. “We’re going for the wall, and I’m gonna climb us up, but you need to hold Mav between us as you hold on to me. Can you do that?”
She nodded immediately as another round of gunfire erupted around us.
“Don’t got all day, Ivy,” Talerco said through the comm. “Those guards are pouring out of the place like it’s on fire, and I’m target practice up here. Save the pillow talk for later and hurry the fuck up.”
I ignored Talerco and spoke to Brooke. “When we get to the top, I got a man waiting, and he’ll take Maverick down the other side. You follow and I’ll be right behind you. Understand?”
“Yes.” She flinched as another bullet flew past.
“Sawyer,” I barked into the comm. “We’re heading for the wall. Cover.”
“Copy,” Sawyer answered, firing off a few rounds.
I put Brooke in front of me and gave her a slight shove. “Move, move, move.”
She ran for the wall with me right on her six. Like a fucking pro, she saw the rope, adjusted a yard to get to it then spun and wrapped her arms around my neck and lifted her legs around my waist.
I didn’t fucking hesitate.
Swinging my rifle to my back, I grabbed the rope. Hand over hand, my feet on the wall, I crawled us up.
Talerco popped up as my hand hit the top.
“Fancy meetin’ you here.” He grinned.
“Take Mav,” I barked, but Talerco was already reaching for him.
Brave, trusting, her legs locked around my waist, Brooke handed Mav to Talerco.
Talerco wrapped Mav in one arm. “Hey, little man, you like rock climbin’?”
I didn’t see if Mav responded. Talerco was already rappelling down the other side, and I was lifting Brooke to the top, trying to keep my body in front of hers. “Get over, get over,” I clipped. “Grab the rope. Follow Talon.”
She got one leg over the top as her hands gripped the rope.
I shoved her other leg over, and the spray of automatic fire hit my ears a split second before the bullets ripped into my flesh.
Brooke screamed.
Enraged, I reached for my rifle to return fire, but the hand still holding the rope started to slip as pain shot through my body.
Motherfucker . “Talerco,” I yelled. “Get her off the wall! Get her off the wall! ”
The upper part of her body still lying over the top of the wall, her arm reached over to grab me.
“No,” I bit out at her as the muscles in my hand and arm gave out and the rope slipped from my grasp. “ Go! ” She was a sitting target. Goddamn it , she was a target. “Talerco! Talerco! ”
I didn’t hear Talerco’s response.
I didn’t hear shit.
My back hit the ground. Her mouth opened, and her face twisted.
It was the last thing I saw.