by Wade, Maddie
Again she nodded, but this time moved to stand. He saw the blood and bruises on her face and felt his blood boil. Pushing back his anger, he moved to her and quickly secured her to a harness attached to Skinner.
“Alpha One, this is Tack. Sitrep.”
“Tack, this is Alpha One. We have secured the target and taken out one of the Tangos.”
“Good copy. Please move to exfil. Helo is five mikes out.”
“Good copy, Tack. Alpha One out.”
The room was filling with smoke now, the roar of fire beneath them loud in his ears. The heat was all around them, causing sweat to pour from his body.
Skinner moved out first and Reid asked Rachel to swing her leg over the edge. The girl followed his lead as Reid began to cough on the smoke.
“Go, I’m right behind you.”
Skinner nodded and began the climb down with the girl. Redi was about to swing his leg over when the floor beneath him gave way and he found himself falling through the floor into the large dining room.
The oak dining table broke his fall. The landing taking the breath from him as he felt a rib crack, sharp pain lanced through him as ash and fiery debris rained down on him. Rolling off the table he fell to the floor as the heat from the fire around him burned his skin. Glass smashing from the heat gave him a vague idea of where the window might be.
Limping, Reid moved in that direction when he felt someone plough into his body, knocking him to the floor. Twisting he fought with the man on top of him trying to loosen his attacker’s hold as he tightened his forearm around his throat in a choke hold—the hold combined with the lack of air from the fire made his vision spotty.
Sliding his left arm up inside the choke hold, he pushed his attacker’s face to the side and with his right arm locked his hands and applied quick pressure, making the tango release his hold. Rolling, Reid hit the man with a one-two punch, but the smoke was getting to him and he could feel himself weakening.
He needed to end this fight quickly but couldn’t get to his gun. Applying the same choke the attacker had used on him, he used the last of his strength to choke the man out. He fell back on the ground as he heard voices from the window. As his vision began to blur, he saw the face of Clayton East, his oldest friend and FBI Medic leaning over him.
“Always getting yourself into shit and needing me to save your ass,” Clay said with a grin as he lifted Reid and half dragged, half carried him to the window before pushing him into Holler’s waiting arms.
As soon as the cold, fresh air hit his lungs he began to cough, hacking up the smoke from his lungs. “The girl?” he asked in between bouts of coughing.
“The girl is secure and on her way to Memorial Hospital. We need to exfil and get you to the same place.
The three of them jogged to the second exfil sight on the outer ridge of the property, close to a ravine. He ignored the pain in his ribs and throat and ran beside Clay and Holler. The helo was hovering above them as they moved to crouch behind the rocks. A sudden burst of bullets from a machine gun made them duck, and Reid watched in horror as Holler fell, his body riddled with bullets.
Noise and pain fell away as Reid collapsed to his knees beside his friend trying to find a way to save him, even though he knew it was too late. The responding fire from the helo made the night silent again.
“Reid, come on, we need to go,” Clay called.
Reid nodded, his emotions in a fog as he acted on instinct. He pushed his arms under the knees of his friend and lifted him. Clay moved around and together they carried the body of their friend to the helo that would take them to safety.
His eyes never left Holler as Clay shoved an oxygen mask over his face and Reid let him. This mission was fucked-up from beginning to end. Lack of reliable intelligence had put them all at risk. He went over and over in his mind what he could have done differently. Trying to see if he could have saved Holler.
The three of them—him, Holler and Clay had gone through HRT training together. Had been as thick as thieves and now Holler was gone. They all knew the risks but like so many, they thought they were invincible. Reid knew there would be an investigation into why he’d disobeyed a direct order.
He would do it again though, because that girl had not deserved to die for her father’s mistakes. It was a feeling he knew all too well.
Six Months Later
Reid walked out of the office of the Director of the FBI offices at Quantico and felt the sun on his face. He was now officially a civilian. His superiors, although understanding of his decision to go back inside, could not ignore the fact he had disobeyed a direct order.
The HRT only worked because the men were able to carry out missions without question, he had been told. Offered a desk job or the opportunity to resign, he had signed his resignation letter there and then.
His best friend was leaning against a black truck, his arms crossed when he left the building.
“You quit?” Clay’s tone was more statement than question though, he knew him better than anyone, except perhaps his mom.
“No other choice. I won’t spend the rest of my career sitting at a desk.”
“What you gonna do now?”
Reid slid into the passenger seat beside his friend. “Not sure, but a buddy of mine from Delta said there’s an opportunity he’s been offered in the private sector.”
Clay angled his body in the seat to look at him, raising his brow. “And?” Clay knew him too well and knew there was more.
“It’s in the UK.”
Clay’s eyebrows shot up and he drew in a breath. “Wow, you considering it?”
That was the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. Was he considering it? All his life he had stayed close to his mom, helping out with the girls since his dad had left when he was ten. She didn’t need him as much now Nessa and Tori were older and finding their own lives.
“Yeah, I think so. The guy heading this new team has a stellar reputation and the team he’s putting together is in a class of its own.”
“What they want with you then?” Clay joked as he started the car.
Reid laughed. “Yeah, good point.”
They drove in silence for a bit towards the local bar they had been frequenting since they were old enough to drink before Clay finally spoke. “Seriously, Reid, you should take the job. It sounds like an amazing opportunity.”
“Yeah, but mom…”
“Stop. You can’t put your life on hold forever because your dad was a deadbeat asshole who left your mom high and dry. She and the girls will be fine, and I’ll keep an eye on them for you.”
“You could come with me,” Reid suggested.
“Na, not me. I need to be stateside.”
Reid understood. Clay was close to his family too and travelled upstate to see his younger sister every weekend.
“I guess I’m going to the UK then.”
“Guess so, but before you do, you’re buying.”
“Will you really keep an eye on Mom and the girls for me?”
“Sure, but you owe me.”
Reid laughed knowing that watching over two teenage girls wasn’t his friend’s idea of fun anymore than it was his. “I’ll owe you.”
“Yes, you will.”
Books by Maddie Wade
Fortis Security
Healing Danger
Stolen Dreams
Love Divided
Secret Redemption
Broken Butterfly
Arctic Fire
Phoenix Rising
Nate & Skye Wedding Novella
Digital Desire
Paradise Ties: A Fortis Wedding Novella (Coming Soon)
Eidolon
Alex
Blake
Reid (Coming Soon)
Alliance Agency Series (co-written with India Kells)
Deadly Alliance
Knight Watch (Coming Soon)
Tightrope Duet
Tightrope One
Tightrope Two
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