“Let’s move out.”
Everyone moves.
All I can think of is her, down there, all this time.
My hands curl into fists before I can stop them.
Jace meets my eyes. I don’t know what he’s looking for. Maybe forgiveness, or some sort of camaraderie.
He’s out of his mind if he thinks he’s getting it.
I grab a rifle from the back, I check that it’s loaded, and grab a couple of extra magazines, clipping them to the belt. I loop the strap over myself and tuck it under my arm.
“Keep your head on a swivel.” Noah pats my shoulder, “I’ll be waiting for you all.”
I nod. I refuse to lose Isobel like we lost Tex.
She won’t be another casualty.I won’t lose her.
I pull my gaiter up over my nose and follow the lines of men as we head in formation towards the house. Noah’s voice murmurs through the comms; it’s almost calming as he runs live scans.
Lucian lifts his hand. Time to move.
We slip through the tree line, shadows moving in the contours of darkness. The compound rises in front of us. Up close, I can see the hidden fortification Gideon added. But if you didn’t know to look for it, you wouldn’t know.
We reach the first wall, Kellan crouches, readying a compact grappler device. It fires silently, rope anchoring with a soft metal click.
He nods. Lucian signals.
Felix takes the grappler up to the roof. Kellan swiftly takes out the first guard. Felix clears the roof.
Lucian’s men move in front of us to breach the house.
We move in formation along the outside and silently take out any guards we see.
We line up on either side of the front doors, pulling our masks on. Kellanswings the ram, the wood splinters and the door caves in. Lucian hurls the flashbang inside.
“Flash out!”
The blast shreds the silence, the concussive crack rattles my teeth. We move instantly, flooding through the entry in a smooth wave. I pivot left, rifle up, sweeping corners. Jace goes to the right, and men charge down the main hall.
Two guards stumble out of a side room, still disoriented. I don’t hesitate; I drive the butt of my rifle into the side of his jaw. I feel the crack and hear him drop to the floor.
The second guard tries to swing a punch toward me, but I snatch his wrist and twist hard, using his momentum to slam him against the wall. I jab the pommel of my knife into the base of his neck, his whole body shudders and goes limp.
“Left clear,” I call.
“Right clear,” Jace responds.
We push forward. The house is bigger than the blueprints suggested—long corridors, too many rooms, too much space. Every door we pass makes my chest cinch tighter.
Gunfire echoes from further into the house.
“Luca, make a right here, the basement door should be that way.”
I follow Noah’s instruction and move, keeping my gun trained and ready.
Jace and I sweep forward. An open hallway is neither of our favorite places to be. Guards round the corner in front of us, and we open fire. There’s no time for this.
