“We’ve got all six victims. We win. I say we haul ass back to the other sectors, get everyone clear before he sends a fucking wet squad after us.”
She weighed the options, her gaze drawn back to the shed — a detail that had been nagging at her but had just now fully formed. “Buck? Why does the metal door on the shed look so new?”
Buck focused on the shed, eyes narrowed, muscles still primed. He narrowed his gaze, looking as if he was working through some kind of complicated math problem before he inhaled, shoved her behind him, his rifle at the ready, his body shielding her from any kind of frontal assault.
The forest stilled, even the rain pausing for one heart-stopping beat before the metal door slowly lifted, each roll of the wheels emitting a shrieking metallic grind. Harsh, halogen light spilled out of the interior, illuminating the yard with bright white light that reflected off the lingering fog, amplifying the intensity of it. A handful of shadows wavered within the light, the scene finally settling as their eyes adjusted, brought everything into sharp focus.
Pike stood in the center of the blinding glow, lips curved into a smug grin, a light-machine gun strapped to his chest. Four men flanked him on either side, everyone dressed for heavy resistance, including advanced body armor, gloves, and helmets, as two more men stepped out of the tree line behind them, effectively boxing them in.
Pike clapped his hands, grinning as he placed them back on his weapon. “I have to say, you two ruined a perfectly good night for profits. But then again, you did give my audience one hell of a show.”
He took a calculated step forward, patting the LMG. “My turn.”
Chapter Thirteen
Rain fell in sheets across the open yard, each rumble of thunder rattling the metal door, adding to the tension already charging the air. A flash of lightning brightened the storm-bruised sky, dulling the blinding white lights glaring from inside the shed.
Buck stood ankle-deep in the mud, his rifle at the ready, doing his best to shield Tierney from Pike’s gaze. Not that it worked. With double the fire power staring them down, all he could do was wait to see who made the first move.
Pike grinned, teeth glinting in the harsh light. “Don’t look so grim, pet. You made it to the final boss level. No one’s ever done that.”
Tierney shouldered up beside Buck, head high, not an ounce of fear showing in her eyes. “We had a deal. We held up our end.”
Pike laughed. “Then, consider this an audible. That is what you Yanks call it, yeah? A chance for the ultimate showdown.” He winked. “I know you’re itching for some payback.”
“I’ve got nothing to prove to you.”
“I see. Then how about a deal? You tell me where you hid the other strays, give up the two you’ve got stashed in the machine, and I’ll let one of you live long enough to fight in my next hunt. Who knows, maybe you’ll win, again — earn your freedom.”
Tierney merely stood there, rain dripping off her ponytail, weight on her toes, ready for a fight.
Pike sighed. “Loyalty, cute. Tell me, Tierney, how much do you trust these new friends of yours? Because the last time you trusted someone, they led you right into my lap.”
Tierney stiffened beside him, fingers white knuckled around her weapon, chest rising and falling faster than usual. She shifted her weight, her hands shaking ever so slightly.
Pike smiled. “I’m sure you already deduced that we didn’t simply stumble upon your JSOC route. That no one was supposed to walk away from that ravine. But then, we saw you, and we knew…” His grinned widened. “You were just too good to pass up. It’s a shame you’re gonna die without knowing who sold you out.”
Buck inched closer. “He’s talking so you’ll start firing. Don’t let him inside your head, sweetheart.”
Her gaze slid toward him before she swallowed, held her position.
Pike tsked. “You had a good run, pet, but all good things…”
His mouth twitched, gaze focused on Tierney, when a shadow detached from the roofline above them, Dalton dropping down silently behind the mercs on the right. He lunged forward, snapped one of their necks before shoving a knife in the other’s shoulder, yanking it free as the two men hit the gravel.
Pike lit up his machine gun, sent Dalton diving for cover as Buck emptied his rifle, catching Pike twice in the vest, scattering his remaining forces.
A shot cracked from the tree line, hitting the generator fueling the lights, killing the power as they surged to twice their brightness before shattering in a shower of glass and filament.
The men on the perimeter turned, peppered rounds at where Nick must have been nesting, chewing through branches and needles as the entire yard erupted into a war zone.
Buck grabbed Tierney, tackled her behind the excavator a second before a string of heavy caliber rounds ate up the mud and steel where they’d been standing, sparking off the treads and punching holes in the doors. The gun roared, drowning out the next roll of thunder, making Buck’s skull rattle.
He rolled, dragging Tierney with him, racing to the next rusted hull as Pike walked forward, laying down sweeping arcs of massive fire. Tierney took a risk, popped up long enough to plant three bullets in the center of Pike’s chest, but he shook them off, cutting a line through the loader behind her as she hit the ground.
She scrambled to her knees, moving with Buck as he circled the loader, keeping as much metal between them and Pike’s machine gun as possible. “He’s wearing armored plates. My Sig didn’t even faze him.”
Buck nodded, mapping out a way to get behind him, catch the guy in the crossfire, when one of his mercs materialized out of the dark, carbine barking, the muzzle flash lighting up the rain.
