8. Lucas
LUCAS
Bullets cracked over our heads.
The canyon erupted into chaos.
“Move!” Adam ordered.
Boone and Russ immediately began moving the civilians toward the base of the rocky ridgeline while Hawk laid down controlled suppressing fire.
“They’re trying to pin us!” Hawk shouted.
“I know.”
I dropped beside Adam behind the engine block of the lead SUV.
Rounds slammed into the armored doors.
Someone over there knew exactly what they were doing.
“They’re not wasting ammunition,” I said.
Adam nodded.
“They’re waiting.”
“For what?”
Another explosion answered the question.
The blast echoed through the canyon, showering us with dirt and shattered rock.
“They’ve sealed the eastern trail,” Russ reported over the radio. “They want us boxed in.”
I looked through my scope.
The enemy wasn’t charging.
They were patient.
Disciplined.
Professionals.
“Two machine guns,” I said. “One on the north ridge. The second covering the eastern trail.”
Adam studied the terrain.
“You think they’re expecting reinforcements?”
I shook my head.
“No. They’re expecting us to panic.”
A bullet ricocheted off the boulder inches above my head.
“They’re going to be disappointed.”
Adam smiled.
“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”
Behind us, Boone helped the elderly priest climb over the rocks while Janice checked the wounded.
The frightened little girl Wynn had rescued refused to release her hand.
I glanced back.
Wynn knelt beside another injured civilian, tearing a strip from her sleeve to bandage a man’s bleeding arm.
Even with bullets flying, she was taking care of people.
Some things never changed.
She looked up.
Her emerald-green eyes locked on mine.
She gave me the smallest nod.
Not fear.
Trust.
The kind she’d always placed in me.
The kind I wasn’t sure I deserved anymore.
“Lucas.”
Adam’s voice pulled me back.
“I need options.”
I forced myself to focus.
“The north ridge. Hawk and I can take it.”
“Too exposed,” Hawk answered. “But I’ve got a better idea.”
Every head turned toward him.
He pointed farther west.
“Old goat trail.”
I followed his finger.
The trail was hidden between the rocks.
Narrow.
Steep.
Almost impossible to climb.
Almost.
“They won’t expect anyone to use it,” I said.
Hawk grinned.
“Exactly.”
Adam looked at the team.
“Hawk. Lucas. You’re with me.”
Boone looked over.
“What about the civilians?”
“Russ stays with them.”
“I’ve got them,” Russ answered without hesitation.
Adam turned toward Boone.
“You and Janice keep everyone moving toward the rock shelf.”
Then he looked at Wynn.
“Stay behind cover.”
Before she could answer, I beat her to it.
“That’s an order.”
She folded her arms.
“I’ve never been very good at following your orders.”
“No. You haven’t.”
Despite everything, I almost smiled.
Adam looked between us.
“I swear, you two can argue after we survive.”
Boone chuckled.
“I’d pay money to watch that.”
“You’ll need more than money,” Hawk muttered.
Russ chuckled over the radio.
The moment lasted less than a second.
Another burst of machine-gun fire shattered the rocks around us.
The laughter vanished.
Adam rose into a crouch.
“It’s time.”
I checked my gear one last time.
Fresh magazine.
Suppressor secure.
Night-vision goggles in place.
I looked back at Wynn.
She was still watching me.
Those emerald-green eyes held mine.
No words.
They weren’t needed.
I gave her the slightest nod.
She returned it.
Then I turned away.
Because if I looked at her one second longer, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to leave.
“Move.”
Three operators disappeared into the rocks.
Above us, the enemy waited.
They thought they owned the high ground.
They had no idea three men from the Brave were already climbing toward them.
And in a few minutes, the hunters were about to become the hunted.