“No.” He met her eyes. “We stay together.”
She didn’t flinch. “We get her out. That’s the mission. This is the only way.”
He hated it. Every part of him rejected the idea of letting her run into the open, drawing fire away from him. But they were out of time, and she was right. This was their only shot.
He watched her snap the rubber band on her wrist. He’d seen her do it before, watched it help her shove down the memories that threatened to paralyze her. She was grounding herself. Reaching for focus.
“On your mark,” she said, already crouching.
Eli nodded. “Three.”
“Two.”
“One.”
They moved.
Gunfire shattered the quiet. Dirt kicked up near Delaney’s boots as she sprinted across the open space. Eli’s breath caught as she drew the shooters’ aim, her body a blur against the dust and sunlight.
He broke for the barn, sticking close to the wall and circling toward the side entrance. Rifle up. Sights locked. Every step counted.
And just as he reached the doorway, he heard it.
Another scream.
Ava.
Hell, she sounded terrified. Maybe hurt. Eli had to wonder if she’d been hit by a stray shot or if one of these assholes had her.
Eli pulled the smoke bomb from his cargo pocket and yanked the pin. He tossed it high and hard toward the edge of the ridge, letting it hiss and bloom into a thick, rolling cloud. It wouldn’t hold long, but it didn’t need to. Just long enough to cover Delaney and give him a shot at the barn.
He sprinted low and fast through the smoke, lungs burning. When he reached the side door, he flattened against the wall and shoved it open.
Inside, it was dark and thick with the scent of old hay, rust, and oil. Shafts of light cut through the slats in the wood walls, striping the air in pale gold.
His eyes were still adjusting when he heard Ava’s voice. “Watch out!”
Movement flared in his peripheral. One of the guards had her by the arm, dragging her from the loft’s ladder. The man turned, lifting his weapon toward Eli.
Eli fired first.
The round struck center mass, knocking the man back. He dropped, groaning but still breathing.
Eli rushed forward and grabbed Ava’s arm. “You okay?”
“I think so,” she panted.
“Good. Stay behind me.”
Gunfire cracked outside. Short bursts. Controlled. That was Delaney. Holding position. Drawing fire.
Eli’s heart hammered, not from the adrenaline but from knowing she was out there alone, buying him time.
“We’re getting out of here,” he told Ava, scanning for threats. “Stick close.”
Eli pushed Ava ahead of him, guiding her toward the thinning smoke. The haze still curled through the trees, but the cover was breaking fast.
“Stay low,” he said. “Move.”
