Where is she?
While I pause, ten of Ledbetter’s half-dressed militia flee from the front of the building. One sees me and raises his automatic rifle. Jumping, I narrowly miss the spray of bullets.
So much for the element of surprise.
Back inside the building, I follow my team through the bottom floor of the museum-like structure. We race under a keystone arch and past an oak table that could easily seat forty. Dozens of portraits and painted cupids stare at us as we muddy the owner’s pristine white marble floors.
Now, on the castle’s gate-facing side, Suds kneels, breaks a window, aims high, and shoots. After the tower’s occupant screams and falls into the barbed wire, I climb over the broken glass to the well-manicured lawn.
Based on our infrared intel, the scientists mostly stay in the bunker. I need to get inside before my wife ends up as a hostage.
Ledbetter’s ill-trained cockroaches leave the cement building unprotected. Before they return, I grab a pack of C4, tape it to the door, and race to the others huddled around the corner.
“Fire in the hole!” Covering my ears, I press the detonator.
The blast signals the other half of our team, who had been waiting in the forest. While they engage the remaining guards, I sprint into the building.
“Gwen, where the fuck are you?” Unarmed civilians raise their hands overhead as I work my way down the bleak hallway.
“Axel. I’m locked in here.” Her voice, which I feared I would never hear again, opens my emotional floodgates.
Throat tight, blinking hard, I rub my eyes. “Stand clear of the door, babe.”
After she gives me the a-okay, I speak into my mic. “I found the queen.”
Taking aim, I shoot out the lock. When she bursts into my arms, I am so damn thankful, I can’t speak. However, our problems are not over, not by a longshot. A quick hug later, I check her for injuries. Seeing none, tears drip down my cheeks.
“Jesus, Gwen.” It’s both a prayer and a promise. Never again.
Automatic gunfire brings me back to the present, and I push her behind me. “Hold onto my belt. Do not let go. You hear me?”
“Yes sir.” As I laugh at her snide remark, Ink falls in behind us.
I figure the worst is over until Trever’s voice sounds in my ear. “Belarusian authorities on the way. We need to vacate. Now.”
Closer than the front exit, the empty box truck seems our fastest option. As sirens sound in the distance, I swivel.
Without warning, the fucking vehicle bursts into pieces. The concussion drops me on my ass while flames shoot into the sky. No time for thought, I throw my spouse over my shoulder and bolt for the gate.
A tap on my arm tells me Ink has my six. Once the rest arrive at the designated rendezvous, I set my wife on her bare feet and run my hands over her body.
Face sooty black, Gwen cups my cheeks and mouths, “I’m fine.”
Ahh babe. Wishing I could tell her how much I love her, I pull her to my chest and openly weep. I don’t give a damn who sees.
When we break apart, Slate speaks, but I still can’t hear a thing.
Nodding, he indicates we should join the line forming on the path. Surrounded by the team, I will never be able to repay, we grab our belongings and hike back the way we came.
Some of my hearing returns about ten miles in, and by the time we stop for water, I can carry on a conversation.
After answering my questions regarding the rescue, my spouse scrunches up her face. “What about Ledbetter?”
“He was in the bakery truck. Did he hurt you, babe?” I almost wish he was still alive so I could kill him.
Her frown turns into a goofy grin. “It was close, but I corkscrewed him in the neck.”
“That’s the woman I married.” Picturing the bloodied asshole, I pull my wife into a fierce hug, kiss the top of her head, and thank the Lord she had the wherewithal to use her self-defense lessons.
