I knew that standing around was going to be the worst, and with the threat of reinforcements from the Hearts arriving at any moment, the sooner this is over, the better.
“More cars.North side.”A different lookout comes in over the earpiece.
“Fuck.”Derrick stares at me for a couple of moments, as he’s clearly trying to decide what to do.“Snipers are free to take out whoever they can.See if you can stop any of the vans before they get here.”
Caleb and Mathew show up behind him, looking ragged.
“Any team in hiding in their direction?”Caleb speaks through the earpiece, but looks at Derrick for confirmation.
“Team E.Warehouse next door.They’re well-equipped.”Timothy and Derrick answer him at the same time.
Caleb blinks for a moment, then nods and is out the door, joining team E.
Before Mathew can follow Caleb, Derrick stops him.“You’re not going anywhere.I need you here.You take my place.I’m joining team D on the other side.”
“Why am I staying here?You know that I’m just as good as you out there.”Mathew glares at him.
“Because this is your raid.Three of your pack members are still inside, and you know the layout of this place better than anyone.You’re of more use here right now.”And, with that, Derrick is off.
One of the backup teams barges through the back door, looking for Derrick, but finding Mathew instead.
“Front rooms.Upstairs, downstairs.Same orders as everyone else.Take them out, don’t let them come closer.When the last kids are safe, we all pull out.”Mathew straightens his back, in command, his whole body language changing.He looks scary right now.
This is Mathew ‘The Cleaner’ Page, a man feared for his ruthlessness.
And I totally understand why.
The door creaks one last time before it breaks the hinges off the frame.They used a reinforced door but didn’t use special hinges or frame, so that’s where the weakest spots were.
The guys in front of the door pull it out of the way.
The terrified pheromones from the basement flood out, making me sick to my stomach.
But I push through.I’m here to help them.I’m here because they know me, they know I’m safe.
I step into the basement, my heart hurting at what I find.Crying kids.Kids huddled in corners, trying to get away from everyone.And a couple of adults in states not much better.
As I turn to look around, Mathew steps in front of me and two shots ring through the basement, almost at the same time.The sounds keep bouncing off the walls, making it seem even louder.
Mathew’s hand lands heavily on my shoulder, he’s keeping himself up but he’s shaking.
People flood into the room, creating a living wall around us, and I try to find out what happened to Mathew.
I turn to him, looking him up and down, and even though his face is distorted in pain, I can’t seem to find where he’s hurt.
First, I touch his chest.He’s not shot there and the bullet-proof vest is still fine.
Then I touch lower, his belly, fear rushing through me.What if he got shot in his belly?
But that also doesn’t seem to be the case.Relief floods me.
Then I notice that one of his legs is getting darker and darker and I put my hand on his hip.My hand comes away covered in blood and Mathew hisses.
“We need to get you out of here.Right now.”I start pushing at him, but he won’t move.
“It’s a flesh wound.You get the kids out first.I’ll be fine.”He leans on my shoulder.
“We’re getting everyone out.We’re not leaving anyone behind.You need medical care, you leave first.”I motion to some people from our ‘wall’ and they help Mathew out.The others surround them until they reach the door and stand guard there, keeping an eye on everything but clearly not letting anyone through.
