Chapter 7
The explosion tookGarnet by surprise. She turned, seeing Short’s mask of friendliness fall away, replaced by twisted anger.
He spewed words she couldn’t understand as he stood, shoving the stool away so it crashed into the wall. The door flew open, and Jamal stepped in, grabbing Short by the shoulders.
“It’s time to fight. Leave her. Let’s go.”
Both of them raced from the room, shutting the door behind them. She heard shouts and then gunfire.
Her knees shook as she stood, trying to find a place to hide. There wasn’t much, but standing would paint a bigger target on her back.
She moved to the corner away from the hall, lay down on the floor, and pulled her knees to her chest. Maybe being low would help her escape being hit by gunfire.
More yelling ensued before another round of shots filled the area. Something flew through the wall across from her, and she let loose a scream. She covered her ears with her hands, fear making it hard to breathe.
Garnet hugged her knees close, praying she didn’t get shot. She wasn’t ready to die.
Bean took the shot,dropping the guy before he had a chance to fire. The building was a maze of halls and rooms. They’d taken down one guy, and that left three more people to take out. The commotion may have drawn more people to the building, but neither Stanley nor Link had reported any activity outside.
The hallway he was in dumped into a room that led to another hallway. He was fairly certain Garnet was being held far away from where they’d entered the building. He hoped she was still safe when they found her.
Bean heard yelling before a guy stepped out from another room. Chase took the shot. Another round of bullets flew from the left. Chase ducked low, moving to a safe spot. Bean followed and ducked behind a wall.
This wasn’t the worst situation they’d found themselves in, but it felt much more intense to Bean. He wanted Garnet to be safe, and safety was hard to find in a firefight like this. She could easily be hit by a stray bullet.
The shooter revealed his position. Bean had a perfect shot, so he took it. The guy’s gun clattered to the floor. They had one more person to take out, and then he hoped they found Garnet.
Whoever was locked up in that room was a prisoner, and if it wasn’t Garnet, maybe they knew where she was. That’s all he wanted. He just needed to know where Garnet was and that she was safe.
He pushed thoughts of Garnet away and focused on the task of clearing the building. There was still one jerk somewhere in the building. They just had to find him.
Bean moved deeper into the facility, locating a locked door. This had to be the room with the prisoner. Would he find Garnet or someone else behind this door?
Garnet shook with fear.She held on to her legs, praying that whoever came through that door was someone friendly. It could be anyone. A rival group could have attacked, and then it would all be over for her.
How had she ended up in such a shitty situation? She’d come here to fix a problem at the Embassy. They had a tech person, but she’d been called in because the problem was too big for them to fix. Could their tech person have turned on the USA? Had this whole thing been a setup just to get her over here?
She hated thinking that someone who worked at the embassy could turn against the country. The government wasn’t perfect, but it was better than other countries, and there were other ways to change policies. Turning against the US and committing treason was a huge leap to take. She couldn’t imagine turning against her country.
The commotion outside died down, and she wondered if her captors had been killed. Then there was a sound outside the door where she was being held.
Fear ramped up, and tears filled her eyes. The door flew in and bounced against the wall. A big guy dressed in black, his face fully covered, stood in the doorway, almost taking up all the space.
A small shriek escaped her lips as she pulled her legs in tighter. The man moved his head, taking in the room before he focused on her. His eyes were covered with dark goggles, so she couldn’t really see if he was looking at her or something else.
“Garnet Stratton, US military here for you.”
“Oh, thank God.” Tears filled Garnet’s eyes, and she moved to all fours before pushing herself up.
The man moved closer to her, grabbing her under the arm to help her stand. “Let’s go.”
Bean wantedto tell Garnet that it was him, but the distraction would be too much. Plus, what were the chances of him being here?
After he pulled her close, he told his team that he had their target. He helped her to the doorway and paused before stepping out. She wore jeans, a shirt, and had on shoes. With shoes on, she’d be able to walk when they got outside. They just had to make it out.
“Stay behind me. My team will keep your six safe. Hold on to my pack. Don’t let go and don’t fall behind.”
She nodded, trying to look earnest, but the tears and the look in her eyes revealed her fear. “I won’t let go.”
