“Cap!” I spun, ducking just as one of them tried shoving a knife in my back. I grabbed his arm and wrenched it at the elbow, then brought the knife to his throat and shoved in right through his fucking vocal cords. Blood spit from his neck and his eyes went wide, but I wasn’t through. They all had to pay. I ripped the knife from his neck and thrust the knife through his ear into his brain. He dropped to the ground, bleeding like a stuck pig.
It felt good to take him down with my knife. I holstered my gun, wanting to feel the blood drain from every one of these fuckers. They almost killed three of my men and ran us out of our homes. They would pay. I watched a group of men running toward us and I lost it. I surged forward, shoving my knife into the first guy’s stomach, then spun and slashed my knife across the second man’s neck. His blood sprayed my face, but I didn’t stop. I kicked the next guy in the stomach and reared back to avoid a kick to the face from another one. I threw my knife, hitting the first guy in the side of the neck. Pulling my gun, I shot three times right into the second guy’s face.
A shot jerked me forward to my knees but I didn’t stop. I would never stop. I ripped a second knife from my leg holster and slashed upward as I rose, slamming the knife up under another man’s chin. The rest was a haze of blood and bullets. I drew my gun when needed, but I shed blood with my hands every chance I got. I barely noticed anyone else unless they were coming at me with a weapon. By the time I finished, there was a large group of men on the ground, twitching and bleeding. Some barely alive, most dead with large pools of blood around their bodies.
The air was still around me as I caught my breath and stared at my kills. Ice and Chris walked toward me, Chris in his cowboy hat pulled low over his face. Ice covered in just as much blood as me.
“Feel better?” Chris asked.
“I’m getting there. You don’t look too dirty. Was it too gory for you? Had to stay in the chopper until it was safe to come out?”
Chris glared at me, dusting off his rifle and reloading. “I’m no fucking snowflake. I just kill smart. I don’t need to bloody my hands with these assholes. They aren’t worth it.”
“Maybe not, but I sure as fuck feel better.”
Ice was looking at my collection. “Only fifteen. Seriously, Cap, you’re losing your touch. I got at least twenty.”
“I’m partially blind in one eye.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Should I get you a medal or a fucking eye patch?”
I yanked my knife out of the last fucker I killed, flipping the blade in my hand and whipping it right past Ice’s face. He didn’t even flinch. The guy that was sneaking up behind him dropped to the ground with my knife sticking out of his eye. “Sixteen. You can thank me later for saving your life.”
He turned and yanked the knife out with the eye still attached. “Do you want to trade? I’d gladly cut out your bad eye and give you his. It’s only slightly damaged.”
“Thanks, I think I’ll stick with the one I have.” Another group of guys started running toward us and I sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want to take out this group, but it’s almost not worth the fight.”
“Let’s just blow them up,” Chris said. “Why waist the bullets?” He pulled a grenade from his pocket and Ice and I did the same.
“Ice, you take left. I’ll take right and Chris, you’re down the center.”
“It’s a shame Freckles isn’t here,” Chris said thoughtfully. “She would have loved this part.”
“On my mark. Three, two, one, mark.” We all released our grenades and watched as they blew up, sending body parts flying.
Ice sighed heavily. “That wasn’t nearly as thrilling as I’d hoped for. How are we going to go back to guarding princesses after this?”
“Maybe we won’t. I’m sure there have to be more assholes we can take out.”
“Lindsey’s not gonna be too happy about this,” Ice grinned.
“When is Lindsey ever happy with you?”
Chris punched him in the shoulder and we headed toward the building.
“Chopper Two, check in.” I said over coms.
“We’ve got the package.”
“Chopper three, check in.”
“We’re loading up now and heading out.”
“Where’s Jules?”
“Last I saw, he was hacking some guy up into little bits,” Chris replied. “Something about the guy insulting his sister.”
“He doesn’t have a sister.”
Ice shrugged. I guess sometimes you just needed a reason to let off some steam.
“Let’s go get him and get the fuck out of here. I’m ready to go home.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Chance
We had just made it through the tree line when the first explosion hit. I felt Morgan cringing, trying to duck down, but I pulled her along as Payton clung to me, her body wrapped around mine like a monkey. The added weight I was carrying wore me out faster than it should have, but sitting idle in a cell for days on end had done a number on me physically.
I stopped when I heard the faint sound of blades in the distance. There were two of them, if I was hearing things right. They were headed in the direction of the extraction point. The sound of gunfire behind us told me that Wes’s guards were hot on our trail. I took off at a faster pace, pushing myself as hard as I could, but Morgan was stumbling to keep up. I knew if I slowed down or if I stopped, they would be on us in no time.
“Keep running, Morgan,” I shouted over my shoulder. Turning my head caused a slice of pain through my neck, but I ignored it. I knew it wasn’t too much farther to the cliff’s edge, but when I heard return fire from the choppers, it was clear that this wouldn’t be an easy pickup for them. It had to be either Wes’s guards or the guards from the island. Either way, if they were surrounding the cliff and the guards were closing in on us, we were fucked.
I panted as I neared the tree line, looking out to the other side of the trees where the gunfire was coming from. I couldn’t see how many of them were hiding in the trees and sitting here wouldn’t get any of us on that chopper.
“Morgan, I’m going to cover you and you’ll have to make a run for it. As soon as they see you, they’ll drop a line. All you have to do is grab on and they’ll do the rest, okay?”
“I’m not leaving Payton.”
“I’ll take her with me. Trust me, you need to focus on getting to that line. I’ll make sure Payton gets on the chopper safely.”
I jerked my head toward the gunfire, hoping she understood that I wouldn’t risk Payton like that.
“Okay,” she nodded, breathing hard.
“When I tell you to, I want you to haul ass to the chopper. Don’t slow down for anything. Remember, the faster you run, the harder you are to hit.”
She nodded again and I got into position, setting Payton down on the ground beside me. “Stay right here, Payton.” I watched the pattern of how the men were firing for a moment and realized they were just making noise. There weren’t a lot of men, but they wanted it to sound like there were.
“Morgan, there aren’t that many of them. Run!”
She took off for the helicopter, her arms pumping as she sprinted with everything she had. As I expected, the guys on the chopper returned fire and dropped the rope for her. I fired at the tree line, hoping to distract them enough for her to run. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her leap through the air and grab onto the rope. She looked back as my team pulled her up, just before I saw a man step out of the trees with a rocket launcher. I fired in his direction, but I was too far away.
My heart thundered in my chest as I hit the button to release the magazine in my gun and slammed a new one into place. The man fired and I watched as the rocket flew through the air to my team, to Morgan. The helicopter broke right, barely getting out of the way of the rocket.
I could hear the guards behind us running through the trees. They would be on us in just a minute. I couldn’t wait for them to drop another rope. I had to run and hope they dropped one
in time for us. Kneeling down to the ground, I smiled at Payton. Grabbing her by the arms, I made sure she was looking right into my eyes.
“Payton, I need you to wrap yourself around my chest, okay?” She nodded slightly. “I need you to hang on tight and don’t let go, no matter what.”
“Okay,” she said quietly. She moved into my arms and wrapped her arms and then her legs around my torso. I could protect her better this way and hopefully keep her from catching any stray bullets. After a deep breath, I shot out into the open and pushed myself to run as hard as I could toward the cliff’s edge. The chopper was trying to move closer, but the return fire was stronger now, making them stay back. I glanced to my right and left. They had machine guns now.
I heard another chopper coming in and then it was firing at the tree line. I was about halfway there when pain sliced through my calf and I stumbled, falling to the ground. I barely caught myself before I crushed Payton underneath me. The sounds of gunfire drowned out all thoughts as I looked one last time to the chopper. It was so close. I could see someone throwing the rope down, getting ready to come get me. I couldn’t let anyone else come out in the gunfire to save my ass. I couldn’t let anyone else get killed because of me.
Gritting my teeth, I pushed to my feet and ignored the sharp pain that shot through my leg with every step. They had tied several loops in the rope as hand holds. The helicopter moved further back as machine guns fired at them. It was now or never. The chopper wouldn’t be able to hold out too much longer under fire. “Hold on, Payton. We’re going to have to jump!”
I ran, pushing myself beyond my limits. The rope was right in front of me, just over the cliff’s edge. My legs moved in a whirling motion, propelling me faster and faster toward the edge. With one last glance up to the chopper, I saw the eyes of Gabe looking down at me. We locked eyes for just a moment and then I jumped.
The second bullet struck me in the side mid-air, just as my fingers were reaching for loop in the rope. I grabbed on, grimacing in pain from the bullet that had hit me in the side. I wrapped my foot through one of the loops, twisting the rope around my foot to secure us. My hand clenched on the rope to ward off the pain as the rest of my body hung limply. Payton whimpered in my ear as I started to slip.
The chopper jerked suddenly and then I was falling backward. I could feel Payton’s grip loosen from around my neck and the piercing scream that left her mouth sent shivers down my spine as she started falling toward the cavernous depths below. My hand shot out, gripping onto her wrist, just barely catching her before she was lost to me forever. My foot yanked tight with the rope as all my weight pulled me lower and lower.
“Grab my other hand,” I shouted to Payton. She kept looking at the trees and river that lay below us. “Don’t look down. Payton,” I yelled sharply. Her head shot up to meet my eyes. “Keep looking at me. Don’t look down.” Her eyes stayed locked with mine and when I was sure that she wasn’t panicking quite so much, I talked slowly and calmly to her. “Grab my other hand, sweetie. I promise, I’m not going to let go.”
She reached up and gripped my other hand and I snatched it, holding on as tight as I could. When I was sure I had her, I concentrated on hooking my other foot through a loop in the rope to ease the pain in my other foot. It felt like the circulation was being cut off and I prayed to God that my team had a plan to get me up there.
My arms shook as the chopper pulled back, out of reach of the gunfire. The wound in my side was being stretched too far and I was close to blacking out. Spots were dancing in my vision and I could feel my grip slipping on Payton, but my eyes remained locked on hers. I could feel us moving, but staying conscious at this point was becoming harder and harder, and I had to force myself to concentrate on the one thing that mattered. Payton.
I felt arms wrap around my legs, pulling me into the chopper. I hadn’t even realized that we were being pulled up. Someone was next to me, grabbing Payton from my grip, but still I held onto her wrist, refusing to let go. It felt like if I let go, I would lose her, and I couldn’t do that. I lost eye contact with her briefly and I started to panic, but then she scrambled to my side and our eyes locked once again. The door slid closed and the roar of the choppers lessened slightly.
“Good to have you back,” Gabe shouted as he leaned over me, smiling down at me. I wanted to say something, to give a smile or acknowledge him in some way, but it was like I was struck dumb momentarily. I felt a tear slip from my eye and allowed myself to finally close my eyes and sink into the darkness. A slap to my cheek had me rousing again and Gabe was shouting at me, but it was distant. I wanted to say something, to assure him that I was fine, even though I felt like this could be the end. I was beaten down, my spirit was lost, and I was just fucking exhausted. I didn’t know if I would survive even if we got out of here. I had gotten Payton and Morgan back and that was all that mattered. That was my mission all along and I had completed it.
I opened my mouth to say something, but it was too loud inside. Gabe leaned down and pressed his ear to my mouth. “Thank you,” I whispered. Gabe’s hands gripped my face tightly. I was just grateful that I wasn’t going to die in that hellhole.
“Stay with me!”
But I didn’t want to. I just wanted to drift off and I didn’t care if I ever opened my eyes again.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Morgan
Payton was holding onto Chance’s hand for dear life. Her eyes were still glued to his face, even though he had passed out already. I scooted over to her, wrapping my arms around her.
“Payton,” I whispered, but she was still staring at Chance. Tears welled in my eyes and I pressed a kiss to her cheek. My breath stuttered in my chest as relief coursed through me. My daughter was back. She was really here after a year and a half of searching for her. Payton finally looked at me, but she wasn’t the same little girl that used to love to laugh and joke. She had seen things that I couldn’t even fathom at the moment.
“Mommy,” she whimpered before she threw herself into my arms. My chest tightened painfully as my little girl shook in my arms. I held her close to my body, plopping down on my ass so I could cradle her body to mine. She cried against my neck and her tears against my skin were the sweetest thing I had ever felt. I thought I might never get to hold her again or comfort her when she was sad.
“Don’t leave me, Mommy,” she cried, gripping me so tightly that my neck started to hurt. But I didn’t pull back. I needed her just as much.
“Baby, I’ll never leave you,” I whispered. “I love you so much.” I pulled back, cradling her tiny face in my hands. “I promise, nothing will ever happen to you again.” Her lip quivered as she looked at me, her eyes pleading me to keep my promise. “I promise.”
She laid her head against my chest and I held her tight, running my hands down her back and thanking God over and over that she was here with me. I ran my fingers through her hair like I used to do when she didn’t feel good. Her breathing slowed and she fell asleep, exhausted from the day.
“She’s beautiful,” Jackson said with a smile. I looked down at my little girl sleeping in my arms and smiled. She was really here, and it was all because of Chance. He was lying so still on the chopper that he looked dead, and I hadn’t even bothered to ask if he was okay. Gabe was still bent over him, pressing down on his side and had torn his pant leg and wrapped gauze around another wound.
“Is he…”
“We’ll be at the hospital in two minutes. They’ll get him patched up.”
“But…” A lump formed in my throat. Now that I had a chance to really look at him, tears filled my eyes at what I saw. He had a cut around his neck and his wrists were raw. There were scars all over his body that looked like slash marks. Little circle scars were scattered around his torso and his shoulders. I was scared to see what his back looked like. I had thought I had it bad, but Chance had obviously been tortured while he was being held.
“Hey, Morgan.” I looked up at Jackson, swiping at my face. “He�
��ll be fine. He’s a fighter.”
“This is all my fault.”
“He would have gone after Payton no matter what.”
I shook my head, “That’s not what I mean. Wes showed me the video of him being taken, of the office being attacked. It’s my fault that Wes got in.”
Jackson scooted closer to me, glancing over at Gabe and then back at me. “How is it your fault that he got in?”
I took a deep breath. This was my fault and I had to take the blame for it. “Wes made a deal with me. If I gave up information on how to get into Reed Security, he would help me get my daughter back.”
He stared at me for a moment, not believing me, but he would and then he would hate me.
“You couldn’t have known everything. It’s not possible.”
“No, I didn’t. I only gave him the code of the day, but it didn’t matter. Wes told me that he already had the information.”
“Then how is it your fault?”
“If I hadn’t taken his deal, I could have warned all of you. The attack might never have happened. You would have been prepared.”
I ran a shaky hand through my hair, angry at myself for my selfish actions. Even after all this time, the guilt was still as strong as it was the day Wes took me.
“What was the other option?”
“What?”
“You said that Wes made a deal with you. What would he have done if you refused him?”
“He was going to lock me in the house and watch it burn. He said I would have a chance to escape.”
Chance Page 14