Shane listened to the helicopter lift higher, hovering out of range of return fire. Smart pilot.
K-Team advanced into the barn.
Ben appeared at a side door, weapon up, laying down covering fire. Bear and Elias flanked the main entrance. One of Konstantin's men went down hard.
The storm had eased—rain still falling but the worst of it passed. Lightning flickered in the distance.
Shane heard tires on gravel at the same time his teammates still outside confirmed it over the comm.
K-Team reinforcements coming in.
Echo Ridge became a war zone.
Shane braced against the workbench, weapon up, keeping April pressed behind him. A Konstantin operative moved into his line of sight. Shane put two rounds center mass. The man's vest caught it, but the impact made him stumble.
Ben finished him with a headshot from the side door.
Dimitri and Gina moved like professionals—covering each other, coordinating fire. For a moment, they weren't enemies. They were soldiers in the same fight.
Then Shane saw Vince crawling across the floor toward the purse, low to the ground, thinking no one would notice in the chaos.
Dimitri saw him, too.
Raised his weapon.
"Vince, no!" April's voice, shocked.
Dimitri fired.
The shot took Vince in the head. He dropped, hand outstretched toward the purse, reaching for his jackpot even in death.
April made a sound—not quite a scream, more like all the air leaving her lungs at once.
"Don't look. Stay down."
The firefight intensified as new men who'd made it past the teams outside stormed the barn. The barn filled with smoke. Thunder rolled overhead, punctuating every exchange of gunfire like the sky itself was passing judgment.
Charlie appeared near their position, weapon up, controlled bursts toward the door. "Two down. Three new tangoes still engaging."
One of Konstantin's men tried to flank through the side entrance. Bear met him with a brutal takedown—hand-to-hand, fast and vicious. The Russian went down and didn't get up.
That left two standing.
They were retreating now, firing blind to cover their escape.
The helicopter descended, coming down fast to extract them.
Lion's voice over the comm. "I've got a clear shot on the pilot?—"
"Stand down!" Gina's voice. "Let them go. They're done."
The two surviving Konstantin operatives reached the helicopter, hauled themselves inside. The bird lifted, rotors screaming, fighting the wind.
For a moment it looked like they'd make it.
Then the sky split open.
Lightning—not a fork but a column of white fire—slammed into the ridge. The bolt arced and caught the helicopter's tail rotor. Metal sheared. Sparks cascaded like a waterfall.
