“You better be.”
I force myself to leave. Every step away from the cabin feels wrong, but the commune’s safety depends on all of us staying vigilant.
The moodin the security office kills my good spirits within seconds.
Kelt stands at the head of the table, his expression grim. Whelan, Urdan, and three other orcs from patrol rotations are already seated. Their faces tell me everything I need to know before anyone speaks.
“How close?” I ask, taking my seat.
“Five miles from the perimeter,” Kelt answers. “Scout spotted them early this morning. Four human men with military-grade equipment, moving in tactical formation.”
My body grows tense. “They’re not even trying to hide anymore.”
“They’re out of time and they know it.” Kelt pulls up a map on the screen behind him. “The evidence goes public in two days, but without Anna’s testimony to authenticate it, their lawyers will eventually tear it apart. She’s the linchpin. They need her dead before she can ever take the stand.”
“Desperate enemies are the most dangerous,” Whelan mutters.
Kelt nods. “They’ll strike within twenty-four hours. Maybe less.”
The warriors around the table shift, hands moving to weapons out of instinct. These are good males, trained and ready. But I can barely hear the tactical discussion that follows. All I can think about is Anna alone in the cabin, the Glock under the bed, the panic button she’s memorized and the kitten in the carrier in the closet.
It’s not enough. Nothing is enough.
“—defensive positions along the eastern ridge,” Kelt is saying when I tune back in. “Urdan, take your team to sector seven. Whelan, you’re on the north approach.”
“And Keric?” Urdan asks.
Kelt meets my eyes. “Stay with your female. She’s the primary target. If they breach the perimeter, they’ll be coming for her.”
I’m already standing. “I need to get back.”
Kelt nods. “We all need to be with our families today. Stay alert. This ends one way or another before the sun rises tomorrow.”
I’m out the door before he finishes speaking.
I’m halfway backto the cabin when the alarms start.
The sound rips through the quiet morning, a wailing siren that echoes off the mountains. Every orc on the commune knows that sound. Perimeter breach.
I floor the accelerator, gravel spraying behind me as the vehicle tears down the road.
My radio crackles to life. “Breach at sector seven.” Urdan’s voice is strained. “Two hostiles down but there’s more. They split up.”
“Breach at north approach,” someone else reports. “Three hostiles. Engaging now.”
“Where’s the primary target?” Kelt demands.
Oh hell. They’re heading for my cabin. For Anna.
I abandon the vehicle at the edge of the tree line and run. My legs eat up the distance, faster than any human could move, but it’s not fast enough. Nothing is fast enough.
Through the trees I see my cabin. See two figures in tactical gear approach the front door, weapons raised.
No.
I throw back my head and let out a thunderous roar. I hit the first mercenary from behind before he even knows I’m there. My hand closes around his throat and I squeeze. Bones crunch under my fingers. He drops to the ground.
The second one spins, rifle coming up, but I’m already on him. I grab the barrel and wrench it aside, then drive my fist into his face. He goes down hard and doesn’t get back up.
