When we locate the source, a local informant we’ve been trying to extract for weeks, I breathe a little easier. She’s alive. Unharmed.
“Alex, escort her to the vehicle. You’ve got a point,” I order, eyes sweeping the area for movement. “Everyone else, cover and fall back. Tight perimeter.”
“Copy that.”
We form a moving shield around her, CJ and I watching the rear. My hand tightens on my weapon as my instincts hum with tension.
Then CJ halts mid-step. His face is pale, a sheen of sweat coating his forehead, but he's trying to crack a grin like it’s just another Tuesday.
I look down and my stomach drops. Right at his feet: a pressure-activated mine.
“CJ, talk to me.”
His voice is tight. “I stepped off the path. Didn't realize.”
“Everyone move ahead. Now. Keep the source safe,” I shout. “Do not look back.”
“Weister—”
“That’s a fucking order.”
The rest of the team hesitates for a heartbeat before obeying, then it’s just me and CJ, standing alone in the silence, dust floating in the air like suspended danger.
“Okay, CJ, don’t panic. Don’t move,” I say, kneeling down carefully and crawling closer. My hand moves to my knife, prying the soil around the mine.
Please be old. Please be broken. Or just poorly made. Please.
I’ve seen these before. In training, there was a trick—they taught us how to delay detonation for just a few seconds. You needed something heavy, with a flat base, and a metal plate if you could find one. None of which I’ve got.
Unless...
My hand moves to my chest. The hair tie. Hers. My lucky charm.
“CJ,” I whisper, “do you trust me?”
“Always, brother.”
“I’ll be right back.” I start scanning the perimeter. “Wait for me here.”
“Seriously? Where the fuck do you think I’m going?”
“Right. Bad joke.” I smirk even as my heart races.
I sprint to a nearby blown-out shack, scanning the wreckage until I find a busted metal tray and some scattered screws. Not perfect, but it'll have to do. I race back, pulse pounding.
“You know... Isabel might need Cindy as a legal partner,” I say casually, setting everything down.
CJ frowns. “Are you really doing small talk now?”
“Humor me. It calms the nerves.”
“Fine. Cindy misses work, anyway.” He chuckles tightly.
“Perfect. They’d be badass together. You thinking of more kids?”
“If I make it out of here? Hell yeah.”
“You will.” I blow the dust off the mine’s housing. “We both will.”
