Chapter 14 Ethan
Ethan
Gunfire slams into us.
Loud.
Relentless.
Close.
We drop at the same time.
Ava hits the ground to my right.
I roll left, already firing.
No hesitation.
No thinking.
Just instinct.
Two go down fast.
Clean shots.
But more step in.
Always more.
“They’ve got us pinned!” Ava calls.
“I see it!”
I shift, fire again—forcing them back just enough to breathe—
—but not enough to move.
We’re locked in.
Exactly where they wanted us.
Kill zone.
Perfect.
“They’re closing!” she says.
I see them moving.
Flanking.
Disciplined.
Tight.
Not random.
Not sloppy.
These are trained.
That makes this worse.
Way worse.
“We break left,” I say.
“Too exposed!”
“Everything’s exposed!”
A beat—
then—
“Yeah,” she mutters.
A round slams into the dirt inches from her.
Too close.
I shift instantly—
covering her—
dropping the shooter before he gets another shot off.
“Stay low!”
“I am low!”
Still not enough.
Then—
something shifts.
The rhythm changes.
Different timing.
Different precision.
Ava hears it too.
Her head tilts slightly.
“That’s not them.”
No.
It’s not.
A sharp crack cuts through the noise—
One hostile drops.
Clean.
Distance shot.
Another.
Then another.
Fast.
Controlled.
The pressure lifts—just slightly.
Ava glances at me.
“You expecting friends?”
“No.”
But I know that shooting.
I know that control.
Then—
a voice cuts through the chaos.
“Cross! Move your six!”
Ronan.
Ava’s eyes widen just a fraction.
“Please tell me that’s—”
“Yeah.”
Relief hits—
hard—
but I don’t let it slow me down.
Figures move through the trees.
Fast.
Silent between shots.
Ronan Pierce leads.
Cold.
Precise.
Every shot lands.
To his left—Cal drops two targets in quick succession.
No wasted motion.
To the right—Jonah locks down the flank.
Nothing getting through.
Behind them—Aaron drives forward, aggressive and controlled.
Controlled chaos.
Exactly what we needed.
“About time,” I mutter.
Ava exhales—almost a laugh.
The enemy falters.
Formation breaks.
And that’s it.
That’s all Delta Five needs.
Ronan signals—
sharp—
Execute.
They move as one.
Surgical.
Brutal.
Efficient.
Seconds later—
silence crashes down.
I rise slowly, scanning.
Clear.
For now.
Ava exhales beside me.
“Well,” she says, breath still uneven, “that was dramatic.”
I glance at her.
“You’re welcome.”
She smirks.
Ronan steps forward.
Eyes on me.
Then Ava.
Then back again.
Reading everything.
“You look like hell,” he says.
“Missed you too.”
His gaze sharpens.
“You brought heat.”
“No,” I say. “We walked into it.”
That gets his attention.
Good.
Aaron steps in next, glancing between us.
Then smirks.
“Well… that explains the signal spike.”
Ava folds her arms slightly.
“Signal spike?”
Jonah steps forward, holding up a scanner.
“Your friend,” he says. “He’s broadcasting.”
Ava and I exchange a look.
Yeah.
We know.
“Implant,” I say.
Cal nods once.
“Figured.”
Ronan’s expression darkens.
“They baited you.”
“Yeah.”
Silence settles.
Then Ava steps forward.
“We need to go back.”
Every head turns.
Ronan’s brow lowers.
“Why?”
“Because we left him.”
A beat.
Aaron exhales.
“You’re telling me the asset is still in that structure?”
“Yes.”
“And it’s compromised.”
“Yes.”
“And they know exactly where it is.”
“Yes.”
He pauses.
“Great plan.”
Ava doesn’t flinch.
“He dies if we don’t.”
Ronan studies her.
Then me.
“You trust her?”
No hesitation.
“Yes.”
Ava’s eyes flick to mine—
just for a second.
Then back to Ronan.
Decision made.
Ronan nods once.
“Then we move.”
No debate.
No delay.
Delta Five shifts instantly.
Reloading.
Repositioning.
Ready.
Aaron grins slightly.
“Round two.”
Jonah scans the tree line.
“All quiet.”
“Won’t last,” Cal mutters.
He’s right.
It never does.
I look at Ava.
She’s already moving.
Back toward the danger.
Of course she is.
I fall in beside her.
“Stay close.”
She glances at me.
“You planning on letting me out of your sight?”
“No.”
Her lips curve.
“Good.”
And just like that—
we move.
Back into the fight.
Back into the trap.
Because we don’t leave people behind.
Not ever.
And this time—
we’re not alone.
Which means—
whoever’s waiting in that house?
They have no idea what’s coming.