Bravo’s bomb handoff completed.
Martin’s voice cut sharply across the room. “Nuke handoff confirmed. Bravo, you have a greenlight the second Crescent One lead confirms readiness.”
Mike didn’t move his eyes from the villa. “Bring Dante home,” he said, voice like steel. “Alive.”
IN FLIGHT
The convoy slowed near an abandoned track point, engines downshifting.
Shannon’s radiation meter screamed. “Eagle Actual, convoy halting. Coordinates marked.”
“Copy. Falcon, you’ve done your part. RTB.”
Shannon circled once more, locking the mark then finally banked away as fuel dipped below safe return.
THE VILLA
The north gate exploded inward. Dust surged as Bravo stormed in behind the shockwave.
“Left clear!” Sunny Callow barked.
Razor swept the hallway.
Sean charged the stairs with Ford, Rocket and Friend, gunfire exploding around them.
Red’s voice reported the drone feed into their ears, “Second floor. Northeast room. Heat signatures. Four bodies. One slumped on the north wall.”
Hammer kicked the door. Gunfire erupted inside. Friend dragged him back.
Sean stepped through the gap, firing two clean shots. “Move! Move! Northeast corner room!”
Gunfire rattled down the corridor as Bravo moved in formation. Ford low, Hammer high, Razor, Sunny and Friend sweeping behind them. Dust choked the air, and plaster drifted from the ceiling like ash.
“Door on the left!” Red called through comms. “Heat signature positive. I believe our target is inside. Repeat. One slumped, three standing.”
Sean didn’t wait. He slammed the heel of his boot against the reinforced door. It cracked.
Ford rammed it again. On the third hit from the two men together, the steel lock broke free from its mount with a screech. The door exploded inward.
Inside, Ford spotted Dante hanging from chains on the wall, chest sluggishly rising, blood streaking down his ribs. Wires clung to his skin, his hair matted with sweat.
Krueger’s guards spun toward the breachers. Sunny fired first. Two dropped instantly.
Hammer put a round clean through the third.
“DANTE!” Ford vaulted forward.
Dante’s head jerked, trying to lift. His voice was barely a rasp. “F…Ford…”
Coach began work on the chains as Ford lifted his head. “Easy, brother. We’ve got you.” Dante didn’t respond. “Coach, hurry.”
Friend unclipped the wires from Dante’s nipples. “Fuck me, what did they do to him?” He performed a swift assessment. “His ribs are fractured. Don’t put him over a shoulder.”
Scanning the room, Sean barked, “We move as soon as he’s free. Where’s Krueger?”
In the chaos,none of them noticed the false wall panel sliding closed at the far corner of the room. Behind it, Krueger wiped blood from his split lip. He heard Bravo’s shouts. Dante’s gasped pain. The echo of a last shot. And he smiled.
“They’ll watch their friend die. One down,” he murmured. “One to go.” He slipped into the service tunnel, footsteps disappearing. Shannon would be next.
