Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
BOONE
The plan is solid. I've checked it seventeen times.
Sully traced the communications to a rental property twelve miles outside Whisper Vale.
Satellite imagery shows three vehicles, at least six hostiles, and what looks like a mobile command center.
The FBI is positioned two miles out, waiting for our signal.
Wolfe has eyes on the property from a ridge half a mile away.
Everything is in place. Every variable accounted for. Every contingency mapped.
So why does my gut keep screaming that something is wrong?
"Boone." Deck's voice pulls me from the tactical display. "You've been staring at that screen for an hour. The plan is good."
"The plan is adequate." I drag a hand over my face. "There are still too many unknowns. We don't know their full numbers. We don't know their weapons capability. We don't know if David Chen gave them information about Guardian Peak's security protocols."
"We know enough to act."
"Acting without complete information is how people die."
Deck is quiet for a moment. Then he moves to stand beside me, his voice low enough that only I can hear.
"This isn't just about tactical uncertainty, is it?"
I don't answer.
"Boone. Talk to me."
"I can't lose her." The words come out rough, scraped from somewhere deep. "I know that's not tactical. I know it compromises the mission. But I look at this plan, and all I can see are the ways it could go wrong. The ways she could get hurt."
"She's not going anywhere near that property."
"She doesn't have to be near it for them to hurt her." I turn to face him. "Her company. Her life's work. They're holding it hostage, and if we don't handle this perfectly, they'll destroy everything she's built."
"Since when do you care about corporate assets?"
"I don't." I meet his eyes. "I care about her. And watching her lose everything would break her. I won't let that happen."
Deck studies me for a long moment. "You love her."
It's not a question.
"I've known her for five days."
"Didn't stop me with Vivian."
He's right. I was there when Deck fell for his federal witness. Watched him fight it, deny it, and ultimately surrender to it. At the time, I thought he was being reckless. Letting emotion compromise his judgment.
Now I understand.
"Richard is going to kill me."
"Richard is going to be thrilled." Deck claps me on the shoulder. "He's been trying to get you to settle down for years. Said you needed someone who could match your intensity."
"Mara doesn't match my intensity. She exceeds it."
"Even better." Deck moves back to the tactical table. "Now focus. We execute at 0200. Four hours to review every detail and make sure nothing goes wrong."
I nod, turning back to the display. But my mind keeps drifting to Mara, safe in her cabin with Cade standing guard. She'd wanted to be part of the briefing. I'd insisted she rest.
Our first real argument.
She'd called me overprotective. I'd called her reckless. She'd pointed out that her company was on the line. I'd pointed out that her life was on the line. She'd told me I couldn't control everything. I'd told her I could damn well try.
She'd stormed off to her cabin. I'd let her go.
Now I'm standing here, four hours from the most important operation of my life, wondering if I should go to her. Apologize. Explain.
Tell her what I'm only just admitting to myself.
"Incoming call." Sully's voice cuts through my thoughts. "Blocked number. They're routing through multiple proxies, but the signature matches our targets."
The room goes tense. Deck nods at Sully, who patches the call through to speaker.
"Guardian Peak Security." Deck's voice is calm. Professional. "Who am I speaking with?"
"You know who this is." The voice is male, slightly accented. Eastern European, maybe. "More importantly, you know what we want."
"Enlighten me."
"Mara Plummer. Delivered to us by midnight. In exchange, we don't destroy her company and disappear into the night."
"That's not going to happen."
"Then I hope she's prepared to watch everything she's built burn." A pause. "We know she's there, Commander Cross. We know your security protocols. We know the weaknesses in your perimeter. Did you think David Chen only had access to her systems?"
My blood runs cold.
Deck's expression doesn't change, but I see his hand tighten on the table edge. "You're bluffing."
"Am I?" The voice sounds amused. "Check your eastern ridge camera. The one you installed two days ago to cover the blind spot. The one Boone Garrett identified."
Sully's fingers fly across his keyboard. The tactical display shifts to show the camera feed from the eastern ridge.
It's black. Dead.
"That camera was hardwired," Sully says, his voice tight. "Someone had to physically cut the line."
"Someone did." The voice on the phone is smug. "About three minutes ago. Your perimeter isn't as secure as you think, gentlemen. And your window is closing."
The line goes dead.
For a moment, no one moves.
Then Deck is issuing orders, rapid fire. "Wolfe, report. What do you see from your position?"
The radio crackles. "Movement in the tree line. Eastern approach. At least four, maybe more. They're using the terrain for cover."
"They're coming here." I'm already moving toward the door. "They're not waiting for us to bring her to them. They're coming to take her."
"Boone, wait—"
I don't wait.
I'm out the door and running, my boots pounding against the frozen ground. Mara's cabin is two hundred meters away. I can see it through the trees, warm light spilling from the windows.
Cade is on the porch, weapon drawn, scanning the tree line.
"Report," I bark as I reach him.
"Quiet so far. But I heard the call. They're really coming?"
"Eastern approach. We need to move her now."
I push past him into the cabin. Mara is on the couch, laptop open, probably trying to work despite everything. She looks up when I enter, and her expression shifts from surprise to concern.
"Boone? What's wrong?"
"We need to go." I grab her arm, pulling her to her feet. "Now."
"Go where? What's happening?"
"They're here. Coming through the eastern ridge." I'm already steering her toward the door. "The plan's changed. We're extracting you to the backup location."
"The backup location?" She plants her feet, resisting my pull. "Boone, stop. Talk to me."
"There's no time—"
"Make time." Her voice is sharp. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."
I force myself to stop. Breathe. Look at her.
"They knew about our security. About the camera installation. About you being here. They've been planning this for longer than we realized, and now they're coming through the perimeter."
Her face pales. "How is that possible?"
"I don't know yet. But right now, the only thing that matters is getting you somewhere safe."
"And you? What happens to you?"
"I stay. Fight. End this."
"No." Her grip on my arm tightens. "No, Boone. You're not staying here without me."
"Mara—"
"I said no." Her eyes are fierce, her jaw set in that stubborn line I've come to know so well. "You want me to trust you? Then trust me back. We do this together or not at all."
There's no time to argue. Through the window, I can see movement in the trees. Shadows that shouldn't be there.
"Fine." I grab a tactical vest from the hook by the door, strapping it around her torso. "But you stay behind me, you follow my orders, and if I tell you to run, you run. Understood?"
"Understood."
I press my radio. "Deck, I've got Mara. Hostiles approaching her cabin from the northeast. We're moving to secondary extraction point."
"Copy. Wolfe is moving to intercept. Ryder and Hayes are en route to your position."
"Negative. Have them hold at the extraction point. I'll bring her to them."
"Boone—"
"This is my detail, Deck. My responsibility. Let me do my job."
Silence. Then: "Copy. Good luck."
I take Mara's hand. "Stay close. Move fast. Don't stop for anything."
We slip out the back of the cabin, into the darkness between the buildings. The compound is designed for defense, with multiple routes between structures and natural cover points. I know every inch of this terrain. Trained on it for three years.
But so, apparently, do they.
The first shot comes from the left, splintering the wood of a storage shed as we pass. I shove Mara down, covering her body with mine, and return fire at the muzzle flash.
"Move!" I haul her up, and we're running again.
More shots. More muzzle flashes. I count at least three shooters, spread across our escape route. They're herding us, I realize. Pushing us toward the tree line where they have the advantage.
"This way." I pull Mara toward the training grounds instead. Open terrain, but better sightlines. "Head for the obstacle course."
We sprint across the open ground. My lungs burn, my legs pump, and all I can think about is the woman whose hand is locked in mine.
Keep her alive. Whatever it takes. Keep her alive.
We reach the obstacle course, ducking behind a concrete barrier. Mara is breathing hard, but her eyes are clear. Focused.
"How many?" she asks.
"At least three. Maybe more."
"The FBI?"
"Twenty minutes out, minimum." I check my weapon, counting rounds. "We need to hold until backup arrives."
"Then we hold." She meets my eyes. "I'm not helpless, Boone. You trained me."
"Two hours of self defense doesn't make you combat ready."
"No. But it makes me not useless." She squares her shoulders. "Tell me what to do."
I want to argue. Want to insist she stay hidden while I handle the threat. But there's no time, and she's right. She's not helpless. She's smart, capable, and determined.
She's Mara.
"Stay behind this barrier. If anyone approaches who isn't one of ours, you run toward the lodge. Don't look back, don't stop, don't hesitate."
"And if you get hurt?"
"Then you run faster."
"Boone—"
"Promise me, Mara." I grip her face in my hands. "Promise me you'll run."
Her eyes are bright with tears she won't let fall. "I promise."
I kiss her. Hard and fast and desperate. Then I move to the edge of the barrier, weapon raised, scanning for targets.
The first hostile appears from behind the rappelling tower. I drop him with two shots to the chest.
The second comes from the right, trying to flank our position. Wolfe's rifle cracks from somewhere on the ridge, and the man goes down.
The third is smarter. Uses cover, moves unpredictably. I track his movement, waiting for the shot.
He ducks behind a training dummy. I adjust my aim.
He pops out, weapon raised.
I fire.
He fires.
We both hit our marks.
The hostile crumples. And I feel the burn in my side, the wet heat of blood spreading beneath my tactical vest.
"Boone!" Mara's scream cuts through the ringing in my ears. "Boone, you're hit!"
"I'm fine." I press my hand to my side, feeling the damage. Through and through, lower right quadrant. Painful, but not fatal. "Stay down."
"You're bleeding!"
"I said stay down."
More shots from somewhere to our left. Ryder's voice on the radio, reporting hostiles neutralized near the lodge. Hayes confirming the extraction point is secure.
It's almost over. We've almost made it.
Then I see the fourth man.
He's behind Mara. Coming from a direction I didn't anticipate, through a gap in my coverage that shouldn't exist.
He's got his weapon aimed at her back.
I don't think. I move.
I throw myself in front of her, twisting to face the threat, bringing my weapon up.
Two shots. His and mine.
His takes me in the shoulder, spinning me around.
Mine takes him between the eyes.
He drops. I drop.
"Boone!" Mara's hands are on my face, my chest, my shoulder. "Oh God, Boone, stay with me."
"I'm okay." But my voice sounds far away. The edges of my vision are going gray. "Did I get him?"
"You got him." She's crying now, tears streaming down her face. "You got him, you idiot. Now stay awake."
"Mara..." I reach for her face, but my hand doesn't quite make it. "I need to tell you..."
"Tell me later." She's pressing something against my shoulder. Her sweater, I think. Trying to stop the bleeding. "Tell me when you're not dying on me."
"I'm not dying." But I'm not sure that's true. "Mara, I love you."
Her hands still. Her breath catches.
"I know it's only been five days. I know it doesn't make sense. But I've planned for every contingency in my life, and I never planned for you." I force my eyes to focus on her face. "You're my chaos. My beautiful, brilliant chaos. And I love you."
"Boone Garrett." Her voice is fierce, even through the tears. "You don't get to tell me you love me while you're bleeding out. That's not fair."
"Life isn't fair."
"Then you better survive this so I can tell you I love you too." She presses harder on my wound. "Because I do, you stubborn, controlling, impossible man. I love you."
Footsteps. Voices. Cade dropping to his knees beside me, medical bag in hand. Deck shouting orders. The distant sound of helicopters.
But all I can focus on is Mara's face above me, her tears falling on my cheek, her voice telling me to stay awake, stay with her, don't leave.
"Not going anywhere," I manage. "I promised."
Then the gray closes in, and I let it take me.