“Got him,”Luka said.“Roof of the east end of the garage and command center.Sending coordinates to Mano.”
Mano’s growl was short and mean.“Say goodnight.”A split-second later, a precise double shot silenced the sniper.
Kael exhaled, then called through the comm, voice sharp and cutting.“Everyone check in.Reef’s hit—we need status updates from everyone.Now.”
One by one, the replies came.
“Breaker, good.”
“Torch, still pretty, and I have Reef who is a real potty mouth when he’s hurt.”
“Mano, fully operational.”
Kael’s jaw flexed.“Hold positions.We regroup in two.”
Drew’s chest was heaving, the adrenaline sharp enough to taste.He glanced at Kael—blood on his shoulder, hair plastered to his forehead, eyes hard but steady.
The night around them was chaos—firelight flickering off the sea mist, the compound echoing with gunfire and shouts.But under it all, Drew felt the same certainty he always did when Kael led the charge.
Whatever came next—they’d face it together.
Kael raised his comm, his voice steady despite the roar of battle.“Black Tide—tighten formation.None of these fuckers are getting out of here alive.Torch, south side”
The order snapped through the air like lightning, and the war for their home began.
****
Another one of Torch’sexplosions hit like a hammer blow, the shockwave rolling through the compound.Fire streaked skyward, painting the palm fronds in brief orange flares, before the flames died away quickly.Kael ducked instinctively, the blast wind stinging his eyes.He felt the thud of debris hitting metal, smelled the acrid tang of gunpowder.His ears rang, but his focus sharpened.
“Good hit,” he growled into the comm.“Breaker, confirm casualties.”
“Multiple,”Breaker replied, his voice clipped and efficient.“The rest of them are disoriented.You’re clear to move.”
Kael rose from cover, shoulder throbbing, eyes locking on a shadow that moved against the flame-lit haze.He lifted his rifle and fired twice.The shape jerked and fell, the echo of the shots swallowed by the crackle of fire.For a moment, the world narrowed to sound and smoke.
Kael’s gut tightened.“Fucking Directorate think they can fuck with my family?Let’s leave them with a message of what happens when assholes try to do that.Drew, with me.We take the main gate, and get Aunty.The rest of you, tighten the perimeter, circle in around us once you’ve cleared the way.”
Drew nodded once, face set.“Aunty first.”
“Always.”
They moved in perfect sync, sprinting across the gravel.Gunfire barked ahead, the rhythm of it deliberate, professional.Each muzzle flash cut through the smoke like lightning.Kael and Drew slipped between cover points, one moving as the other fired, a deadly dance that almost looked like they had been doing it for years.Sweat mixed with soot, and every breath burned.
Torch’s voice came through the comm again.“I’m lighting the north side of the gate.Hold your ears.”
The ensuing explosion turned night into chaos.A wave of heat rolled over them, accompanied by the whine of metal shearing.Kael’s eyes watered from the sting of gunpowder and salt, the humid air thick with smoke.He caught Drew’s glance through the haze—wordless understanding, shared fury.
They pressed on.Through the burning glare, Kael spotted floodlights snap to life around them blinding him momentarily.When his vision cleared, the sight froze him to the spot.
Six men stood in formation, rifles trained outward.In their center, Aunty Leilani knelt, wrists bound, her chin raised in defiance despite the bruise darkening her temple.Kael’s heartbeat slowed to a single, cold pulse.
He stepped into the open.“Aunty,” he called softly, switching to Hawaiian.“E noho malie.I ku i lalo.”(Stay calm.Get down.)
Her eyes met his—steady, proud.She gave the smallest nod.
Then, the man nearest him spoke—in perfect Hawaiian.“Don’t.Say.Another.Word.”
Kael stiffened.The accent was clean.Not exactly native, but close.How in the hell—
