“Six men coming up the driveway,” he told them. “Flash-bang has them staggering about blindly.”
“Take them out,” Lawson replied without a second thought. A moment later, gunfire filled the air, breaking through the silence, echoing through the quiet night—the men were being picked off with ease.
“More are coming,” Aaron warned them. “You guys ready?”
“Roger that,” the other three men replied in their comms simultaneously.
Another flash-bang went off at the opposite edge of the property, and Xavier and Lawson ducked down beneath the windows on the ground floor, both of them leveling their weapons, ready to take the shot whenever they could. There were several more men staggering around, trying to regain their sight, weapons dangling from their shoulders or hands. They needed to deal with these men now, before their vision cleared and they could return fire.
Lawson lined up his weapon, and fired: one, two, three. He’d picked off three guys in a row, while Xavier took out the other two. Bodies littered the front and back of the property, and Lawson knew it was far from over.
“How many more do you think we’re going to be dealing with?” Xavier asked as he steadied his gun on the sill of the open window before him.
Lawson shook his head. “I have no idea,” he replied, voice tight with worry. He still couldn’t clear the scream from his mind, even in the midst of a gunfight.
His thoughts kept circling back to the women and what Granger would possibly do. He knew the man would want to use Sarah against him, force his hand to surrender. But what about the others? Bailey was a cop and she had her gun. Had he captured them—or worse?
All at once, several rounds of gunfire sounded from the front of the lodge, jolting Lawson back to the present. One of the windows behind them smashed, exploding inward in a hail of glass and bullets. Xavier and Lawson dropped down on instinct, not making themselves any more of a target than they needed to be.
He heard Cade’s voice over the comm about several more men approaching, followed by more gunfire, then the sounds of menyelling and thuds of bodies hitting the ground outside. Good. They were clearing these guys out quickly.
Lawson couldn’t help wondering how many more men Granger would end up sacrificing to get his hands on him. Would he continue until his last man? Or would he realize it was hopeless and give up or make a run for it?
A loud boom drew Lawson’s attention, and he spun around, ducking below the window. A couple of guys had been blown off their feet and one was scrambling for cover while the second lay unmoving on the ground. Xavier took the shot and took the man out before he made it far. At the same time, they heard more windows being shattered and more gunfire sounding from outside. Those men were determined to get in, no matter what it took or how many lives were lost in the process.
Cade and Aaron were also consistently firing from the second floor. Every once in a while, one of them would make a mumbled comment over their comms, but with all the noise and explosions, it was hard to make out most of what they were saying. He and Xavier just had to rely on the fact that Cade and Aaron were both skilled with weapons and would have each other’s backs with whatever came at them. If they really needed help, they’d definitely let Lawson and Xavier know they were in trouble.
Lawson turned his attention back outside. Both men had their weapons balanced in the window, waiting for anything that moved in the darkness.
“There,” Xavier muttered, pointing out a dark figure moving at the edge of the grounds. “You see him? He’s next to the path—”
“Got him,” Lawson replied, and he fired a shot. It smashed off the concrete path below, and the man sprang to the side, dodging the bullet. Lawson cursed, and quickly reloaded, lining up another shot.
He exhaled as he pulled the trigger, squeezing down on it in time with his breath, and this time, the shot landed, hitting the man in the leg. He let out a howl of pain that filled the air around them, and Lawson let out a sigh of relief. Thank God. He couldn’t get sloppy, not now, when every shot could mean life or death for him and his friends.
Silence filled the air once more, then another flash of light from outside. Aaron and Cade picked off the few who were approaching from the front of the lodge, and Lawson ran over to one of the shattered windows to get a better look at what was happening. There had to be at least twelve dead by now, maybe even more. Granger couldn’t have many more men with him to send in now.
“How many more does he have?” he muttered almost to himself, running a hand through his hair.
“We must have evened the playing field a little by now,” Xavier agreed. Lawson could hear the hope in his voice.
“I’m not sure. It’d be nice if this was almost over but it’s doubtful. We haven’t seen Granger yet. So he must have something else up his sleeve for us,” Lawson added.
And Lawson couldn’t help but think that it had to do with that scream. And Sarah. Granger had singled her out when he’d called Lawson to boast about finding them, so he knew the man would make a play for her at some point. That was why Lawson had wanted her down in town instead of there with him. There was no way to know for sure, though, until it was all over. And Granger played his final hand.
A long quiet surrounded them, as they waited for the next attack to come. But it didn’t. Lawson and Xavier glanced around the property again, looking for movement, but everything was calm outside.
“Clear up here, for now. You guys good?” Cade’s question crackled over the comm.
“Good here,” Xavier replied warily.
Lawson and Xavier glanced at each other, concern crossing both their faces. Was this it? Had Granger decided to change tactics and leave instead? Move to another location and use these men as decoys while he got away free and clear? Not the best-case scenario because he’d still be out there preying on the unsuspecting and vulnerable, but at least Lawson and his team would be free of the danger surrounding them. They could step back and let the FBI take over.
What about Lainey, though? Lawson’s gut clenched at the thought of his friend. She’d been a constant worry in the back of his mind and he felt guilty he hadn’t tried to find her yet. He wanted to keep his promise, to get her back to her family. For them to all be safe. First, he had to deal with the immediate danger to him and his friends. To Sarah. Then he’d focus all his attention and resources on finding Lainey and bringing her home.
All at once, the comms crackled to life again.
“Heads up,” Aaron warned them. “There’s a car down the main road, looks like it’s headed toward the lodge. And it doesn’t look like Bailey’s.”
