Several armed men, then. More than the Portland team had been.
I text back:
Hold position. Let them commit.
SUV circles the parking lot once. I watch through the camera as it stops, occupants clearly visible assessing the building. Timed lights continue their pattern on the second floor. Office light goes dark, storage area light comes on. Shadows shift across the upstairs windows.
Then two more vehicles appear on my screen. Another SUV approaches from the south. A sedan from the east.
I text Danny and Mike simultaneously:
Multiple vehicles. Count hostiles.
Danny's response comes through:
Too many. Way more than expected.
We’re outgunned. Handful of Brothers I've got positioned against whatever force Kline just deployed.
I call Shelby. She answers immediately. "Talk to me."
"Multiple hostiles converging on the Forge. You need to move your people in now. We're outgunned."
"Copy. ATF moving to support positions." I hear her coordinating on another line. "Cole, if they breach with that many?—"
"I know." I watch the vehicles take positions surrounding the building. Armed men exit with precision, forming assault positions around the Forge's perimeter.
Kline sent an army, not a grab team, and we walked right into his trap.
13
SHELBY
"Copy. ATF moving to support positions." I'm coordinating on another line as Cole's warning comes through. Multiple hostiles, more than we planned for, converging on the Forge.
Martinez and Nielson flank me as we move from our surveillance location a few blocks north. Other ATF teams converge, weapons drawn, federal badges visible. Through my earpiece, Martinez confirms all units are in position.
A sharp crack splits the night—a breaching charge detonating at the east entrance. Metal shrieks, the door frame blows inward. Kline's team pours inside before the smoke clears.
Everything goes to hell.
Gunfire erupts from inside the Forge. Return fire echoes through the building. Armed men pour back out the entrance, some taking cover behind vehicles, others moving to flank the perimeter.
"All units, move in!" I'm running toward the Forge, Martinez and Nielson flanking me and the rest of the teams spreading out to cover the area.
The gunfire continues. Sustained bursts come from inside, controlled fire discipline maintaining the rhythm. TheBrotherhood's holding the interior, but Kline's team has breached.
"Federal agents! Drop your weapons!" Martinez's voice cuts through the chaos.
Some of Kline's shooters outside turn toward us, weapons swinging in our direction. I dive behind a parked car as bullets punch through metal and shatter safety glass. Nielson returns fire, controlled three-round bursts that force them into cover.
I look over the car's hood. Cole's truck is empty now, driver's door hanging open. He's already inside, moving through the firefight with Delta Force precision.
More gunfire from inside the Forge. I'm up and running, Martinez covering my advance toward the building. We reach the east entrance, door frame blackened and twisted from the breaching charge. Inside, the ground floor is chaos—overturned furniture, bullet holes in walls, spent casings scattered across concrete.
A body lies near the stairs. One of Kline's men, down and not moving.
Gunfire erupts from the second floor. I take the stairs fast, my weapon up, following the sound of combat.
