Chapter 25
Russ
We move under cover of darkness.
No lights.
No wasted sound.
Just shadows slipping through rock and dirt while the desert wind carries cold across the ridge.
Lucas raises two fingers.
Everybody drops low instantly.
I slide forward beside him and look down into the valley below.
There it is.
Concrete compound built against the canyon wall.
Minimal lighting.
Guard rotation every thirty seconds.
Vehicles lined along the east side.
Not military.
Not amateur either.
Enough men to make this ugly.
Good.
Ugly I can handle.
“Thoughts?” Lucas whispers.
I study the movement patterns below without answering immediately.
Two guards near the front entrance.
One pacing the roofline.
Blind spots along the northern wall.
And there—
Partial roof collapse on the western side.
Exposed beams.
Broken structure.
Possible entry point.
“They’re waiting for us,” I say quietly.
Miles shifts beside Clay. “Feels a little obvious.”
“Because it is.”
Nobody argues.
Clay points toward the main courtyard. “Front entrance is layered.”
“Exactly why we don’t use it.”
Lucas follows my line of sight upward toward the damaged roof.
“High entry?”
“Or we walk straight into their kill zone.”
Clay grins faintly beside me. “I vote roof.”
“Of course you do,” Miles mutters.
I ignore both of them.
My attention stays locked on the compound.
Somewhere inside those walls—
Olivia.
Injured.
Alone.
Probably bleeding through that bandage again while pretending she isn’t scared.
The thought hits hard enough my jaw locks automatically.
“She’ll be inside the center structure,” Lucas says quietly.
“Yeah.”
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Because if I were running this operation, that’s exactly where I’d keep her too.
Most secure room.
Limited exits.
Easy leverage.
I already know the game they’re trying to play.
Too bad for them.
I don’t negotiate well.
“We move fast,” I say. “No prolonged engagement. In and out.”
“What about the rest of the compound?” Miles asks.
“They’re not the objective.”
The words come out colder than intended.
Nobody comments on it.
Probably because they understand.
Probably because they’d feel the same way if it were one of theirs inside that building.
Lucas crouches lower beside me and unfolds a rough terrain sketch in the dirt.
“Clay and Russ take roof entry,” he says quietly. “Miles and I hold perimeter and create distraction if needed.”
“Five-minute window,” Clay adds.
“Less.”
I check my weapon automatically while speaking.
Magazine locked.
Safety off.
Ready.
“Once they realize she’s gone, this place lights up.”
Lucas studies me briefly in the dark.
“If this goes sideways—”
“It won’t.”
The answer comes too fast.
Too certain.
Because there is no version of tonight where I walk away without her.
Lucas sees it immediately.
The obsession.
The certainty.
Maybe even the desperation.
But all he does is nod once.
“Alright.”
I rise slowly from the ridge and take one last look at the compound below.
Every light.
Every guard.
Every possible exit.
Then I picture Olivia somewhere inside waiting for us.
Waiting for me.
Something cold settles into place inside my chest.
Not fear.
Not rage.
Focus.
Pure and sharp enough to cut.
“Move,” I say quietly.
And just like that—
We disappear into the dark.