Chapter 30 Ethan
Ethan
Gunfire cracks through the air.
Sharp.
Close.
Too close.
My head snaps up before the echo fades.
“That’s inside,” Aaron says.
No kidding.
Another burst—rapid, controlled.
Familiar.
“She’s fighting,” Jonah adds.
My chest tightens—
then steadies.
Of course she is.
Ronan glances at me.
“You ready?”
I’m already moving.
We hit the perimeter at a full run.
Boots pounding dirt.
Weapons up.
Explosives slam into the outer wall—
A split second—
Then—
Boom.
The blast rips through concrete and steel, sending dust and debris into the air.
We breach through the smoke.
Chaos greets us.
Guards scrambling—
Shouting—
Gunfire erupting in every direction—
I don’t slow.
Don’t think.
Target.
Fire.
Drop.
Move.
Another—
Down.
Clear the corner—
Push forward—
Everything narrows to instinct.
To movement.
To one thing—
Find her.
I drive deeper into the compound, senses lit, tracking every sound—
Then I hear it.
A single shot.
Closer.
Different.
Precise.
My head turns—
I round the corner—
—and stop.
She’s there.
Standing in the middle of it.
Bodies down around her.
Gun still in her hand.
Blood streaked across her skin.
Alive.
Her eyes lift—
lock onto mine—
And for a second—
everything else disappears.