Bran just shrugged. “So sue me. Let’s go.”
Chase’s lips curved. He wasn’t really surprised. Family meant everything to the Garrett brothers. Any one of them would trade his life to protect the other. Bran needed to be sure Chase was safe. Which also went for Harper, since she was under Chase’s protection.
They didn’t encounter any more trouble the rest of the way to the LZ, a spot in a clearing wide enough for the chopper to land. Once they got there, all they had to do was stay alive till the helicopter showed up at dawn, half an hour away.
Which, with an army of rebel soldiers searching the woods to find them, might not be that easy.
Chapter Twenty-One
Standing out of sight at the edge of the clearing, Harper hugged her brother hard. “I’ve been so worried. I was afraid we’d be too late.”
Michael hugged her back. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”
“Someone had to find you, so Chase and I came.”
Michael reached over and gripped Chase’s shoulder. “I could always count on you. I can see that hasn’t changed. No matter what happened, you were always my best friend.”
“It’s good to see you,” Chase said, drawing him in and clamping him on the shoulder. “I’m glad you’re both safe.”
Michael introduced Chase and Harper to Pia, who hugged them both and wiped away tears. “Thank you for coming to find us.”
Harper smiled. “It was a group effort.” She introduced Killian and Bran, not pointing out that they weren’t out of danger yet.
They spent the remaining time out of sight in the forest. As dawn approached, they grouped together, Harper crouched next to Chase, waiting out the final minutes, straining to hear the sound of the chopper on its way to pick them up.
Unfortunately, as gray light began to slide through the trees, the sound that reached them was an army of men moving through the woods, getting closer and closer, the soldiers relentlessly making their way up the side of the hill.
Harper searched the sky. “Where is it?” she whispered.
“Should be here any minute,” Chase said. But the minutes ticked past and the soldiers kept coming.
Then, just as thewhop whop whopof a chopper cut through the crisp mountain air, a barrage of gunfire erupted as the soldiers spotted the helo and realized their quarry was about to escape.
“Get down!” Chase shouted, pushing Harper to the ground while he ducked down beside her, aimed his pistol and began to fire. The first two soldiers cresting the rise went down.
“Give me a pistol!” Michael demanded, and Killian pressed a gun into her brother’s hand. Michael fired, wounding one of the rebels. Kil laid down a stream of bullets from his automatic weapon, taking out the entire front line of the rebel force.
Blazing away with his carbine, Brandon took out three soldiers running toward them, scattering the rest of the men, who began to retreat back down the hill. Behind them the helicopter was dropping into position, blades spinning, ready to pick them up.
“Go!” Chase commanded. “Get your brother and Pia aboard the chopper!”
Staying low, Harper urged them into the clearing, and the three of them raced for the helicopter. Michael loaded Pia aboard and turned to help Harper, but she noticed a soldier in a dark green uniform rushing toward them, firing in their direction.
Ignoring a rush of fear, Harper jerked her Ruger, braced, gripped the gun in both hands and began pulling the trigger. Her eyes widened when blood erupted on the soldier’s chest and he went down. Dear God, she had actually hit him!
“That was Velasquez!” Michael shouted. “That bastard deserves to be dead! I owe you, sis!”
There wasn’t time to think about the man she had killed. She took a deep breath, aimed her pistol at the line of advancing soldiers, steadied her shaking hands, and she and Michael began firing together, providing cover for Killian, Chase and Brandon, who backed their way across the clearing.
Sporadic rifle fire pinged around the fuselage as Chase helped Harper aboard. She heard a shot and saw Michael go down, and fear tore through her. Then Chase was shoving him into the helo and following him inside, Kil and Bran leaping in behind him as the chopper lifted away.
Bullets pinged off the metal wheel struts, but the helicopter rapidly gained ground. It swept down into a ravine out of sight, then rose again over the mountains, gaining altitude and distance, soon flying too far away for rebel bullets to reach.
Harper grabbed Chase’s shoulder. “Michael’s hit!” she yelled above the roar of the engine. But Kil was already working over him.
“Flesh wound,” Kil said nonchalantly, cutting away the leg of Michael’s dirty twill pants.Flesh wound?Seriously?He actually said that?
“Took one in the thigh,” Kil continued. “Doesn’t look too bad. Don’t think it hit anything vital.” Meaning not the deadly femoral artery, thank God.
