A sound, faint but wrong. Not inside the clubhouse. Outside. Too close to the perimeter fence.
I went still.
A second later, Ranger’s voice came through the radio clipped at my shoulder. “Wreck.”
I pressed the button. “Yeah.”
“Hold position.”
That was all he said.
I met Amanda’s eyes. She’d gone alert too. Not panicked. Aware.
“Stay here,” I told her. “Doc’s right down the hall.”
Her fingers curled again. “What’s happening?”
“Probably nothing,” I said, already reaching for my weapon. “But I’m not assuming that tonight.”
Another voice cut in—Ghost this time. Calm. Focused.
“One set of footsteps. South side. Moving fast.”
Brutus’s voice followed, low and eager. “Runner.”
I shifted closer to Amanda, resting my hands on her knees for just a second. Grounding. Solid.
“I’ll be right back,” I said. “You hear me?”
She nodded, eyes locked on mine. “Be careful.”
I leaned in and pressed my forehead to hers. Brief. Steady.
“Always,” I said.
Then I stood and stepped back into the hallway, closing the door behind me as the clubhouse surged into motion.
This night wasn’t finished with us yet.
And neither was I.
I moved fast, boots silent on concrete, head already calculating distances between doorways, cover, and exits. Ghost’s voice stayed steady in my ear, calling positions and movement like we were back overseas.
“Still one. Quarter speed. Either limping or careful.”
I rounded the corner to the side door, where Cap was waiting with Brutus. The shotgun in Brutus’s hands was already loaded—no hesitation. Cap looked me over once, then jerked his chin toward the back lot.
“They tripped nothing,” he muttered. “No motion sensors. No breach alerts. Ghost says they came close enough to see.”
“They wanted us to know they were watching,” I said flatly.
Ranger came up behind us, gun drawn. “They’re testing our response time.”
“Let’s give them a result they won’t forget,” Brutus growled.
Cap held up a hand. “Not yet. Eyes only unless they cross the line.”
I stepped out first, gun low but ready, and started sweeping the perimeter with my gaze. Cold air hit my face, sharp and biting, but it wasn’t enough to clear the fury building in my gut.
