Being involved in a heavy firefight made people do weird things. He didn’t want the kids to get scared and take off running, so he stayed where he was, occasionally telling the kids everything would be okay.
He hoped everything would be fine. This whole mission could go to hell in seconds. All it would take was one more group coming the other way and they would be in a shitstorm.
There were enough SEALs they should have this taken care of, but bullets were still flying. It made no sense.
Then a bullet hit close. Something was terribly wrong. They had another group coming up behind them. Foster and Flash moved the kids into a tight group, positioning themselves in the line of fire.
Jump heard something behind him and turned, seeing a hostile running right at them. He was too close for Jump to shoot him with his rifle, so he did the next best thing and tackledthe man. They both fell to the ground, and he rolled them away from the boys.
This scrap had to end with him coming out on top. The guy was tough, getting in a few good hits before scrambling to stand.
Determined to end this, Jump pulled out his pistol right when something flew at him, hitting his arm. Pain flashed through him, making him see white. The man he’d been grappling with rushed him, pushing him into the wall. The air in his lungs exploded out, leaving him feeling like a rag doll.
His arm had been hit by something, maybe a knife. This man seemed to be a better fighter than he was. The bullets were still flying, and the kids were in danger.
Everything was coming together fast, and it felt like a crash, and not a smooth operation. If he didn’t gain the upper hand, he might not make it home to see Blakely.
Jump pulled out his knife and rushed the dude he’d been fighting. The man saw the blade and lifted his arm to block Jump. The blocking worked for a few seconds, but the moment couldn’t last, and the blade sank into the man’s chest.
Relief filled Jump as he pulled the blade free and wiped the blood on the man’s clothes. He’d killed this man in close quarters, unfortunately right in the view of the boys they’d been sent to rescue. Hopefully this wouldn’t stick with them in a negative way.
He stepped back and realized the gunfire was over. Kevlar told all the guys to check in. He listened, relieved to hear everyone was alive.
“Yo, Jump,” Foster said.
He turned, maybe a little too quickly, and had to reach out to steady himself.
“Just as I thought. You’re about to drop. You’ve lost too much blood.”
The sound of the Blackhawks could be heard. He looked to the east and saw that the sun was turning the sky lighter. They had about an hour until sunrise. Once the sun was out, more people would come out, and they would be in deeper trouble.
The rest of the team took care of disposing of the rest of the weapons. As the helicopters rose, Jump looked out onto the land, wondering how this area had gotten so bad. Civil wars were harsh and though the country had tried to invigorate commerce, they hadn’t been able to pull themselves out enough to make a difference.
T came over to check on his arm. With the help of Bang and Cy he got his gear off. T cut through the sleeve of his shirt and shook his head.
“This doesn’t look good. I’m going to wrap it. I think a doctor needs to clean you up.”
“Shit. I don’t need this.”
“No, but at least it hit your arm and not your neck.”
Jump grunted, angry he would have to take time to heal. On the upside, it might give him more time with Blakely. He was looking forward to seeing her again. She made things better. When he got home, he was going to make sure she understood how he felt about her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Blakely was using the tablet to write her thoughts down. She needed to go to the store and buy a computer or something that was hers instead of using the tablet Jump had shown her.
She wasn’t really writing, at least she wasn’t typing. Instead she was using a voice-to-text application on the tablet to get her thoughts down. At first, she’d felt silly talking to no one, but then she got used to pacing around the house, telling the tablet how she felt, and how things had gone wrong, and how some things had gone right.
She knew she would have some heavy editing to do before she let anyone else see her work, but she felt better. It was late, and she needed to get to bed soon. She’d already set the alarm and was in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt she liked to sleep in. All she needed to do was get this next part down.
The neighborhood was quiet, like usual in the evenings. She was almost done with her thought when a car pulled into the driveway. She froze as fear filled her. What if Grayson had found her?
She glanced around, unsure where to hide when she heard someone approaching. Then she heard a key in the door. Relief slid through her.
There was still a thread of fear, so she stood in the hall as she watched the door open. When Jump stepped through, she let go a small shriek.
His head whipped up, and he went from concern to smiling as she raced toward him. She was about to jump into his arms when she saw that he had his arm in a sling. Concern filled her as the reality of his situation hit. He’d been injured.
