"Take it when he moves," Neve said. "Don’t let him get any closer to Gideon."
"You got it," Wynn said.
Zadie kept her sights on the man inching toward his weapon. The only reason she didn’t take another shot was that there was no reason to give up her location. Isaac could have called more men. She needed to keep scanning, watching, and defending. It was the best play.
Two shots blasted from the ravine. Zadie heard the thud of impact on something solid through the comms, but she couldn't see the target from her position.
"Hit one. Ass and thigh," Wynn said. "He's down but crawling. These guys don't quit."
"Scout, report," Neve’s voice filled Zadie’s ear.
"Isaac pacing in front of his vehicle, but he hasn’t gone anywhere. Just keeps putting his finger to his ear," Scout said. "I haven’t seen anyone else."
Two more shots were fired.
"Missed his head. Got his shoulder," Wynn said. "Still trying to move."
"Something’s off," Zadie said. "They’re coming at us, but Coulter’s the only one with sustained gunfire. Why is that?"
"Yeah, I’d like the answer to that question, too," Coulter said. A second later, two more shots. "Bastard has me pinned at the junction box."
"Wynn, cover me," Zadie said. "I want to have a chat with this guy."
"Jesus Christ," Neve muttered. "I’ve got you, but make it quick."
Zadie did a quick three-sixty before darting out from her cover. She reached the man in eighteen seconds.
No gunfire. But she was out in the open, and she didn’t like that.
She stepped forward and kicked the rifle out of range. He grabbed her ankle with his functioning hand and twisted.
The force of it yanked her off balance. Her hip hit the gravel and her elbow cracked against the concrete pad she'd already banged her knee on. White pain lanced up her arm. She rolled, drove the heel of her boot into his wrist, and felt something give.
He let go.
"What are your orders?" Zadie winced as she hobbled to her feet.
"Fuck off," the man said.
"You keep going for the relay and barely care about the fact I’m shooting at you."
The man smiled. "Stop the relay situation. Stop you." He laughed. "You’re a fool." He grunted, and with that, he got a burst of power as he lunged at her, catching her legs with his arm, knocking her to the ground.
Bang!
The man jerked and dropped, dead weight two feet from where Zadie had crash-landed on her side. Her hip, ankle, knee, hell, half her body swore at her as if she’d fallen from the sky.
She turned her head and her breath caught. The man lay there, his hand covering a bullet hole in his neck, and he was still smiling. Still laughing. And still trying to move.
Zadie scrambled to her feet.
"You okay?" Neve asked.
"Remind me that enhanced assholes aren’t worth talking to." She adjusted her rifle, scanned, and broke toward cover, her heart in her throat.
More gunshots echoed in her comms.
"These assholes don’t get tired," Coulter said.
