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“I just confirmed my suspicions were correct. My system was hacked,” Gray insisted. “Remove the target. Now.”

“The aggressors are already here.”

“Fuck. I’m on my way. Do what you can to keep her safe.”

Safe? I wasn’t certain I could keep her alive. The mission had been compromised days ago. As I tossed my phone, I swung around the last corner heading to the house. “Get ready, Jarvis. My guess is we won’t have much time.”

He lifted the assault rifle so I could see. “I got your back, soldier. Let’s make certain nothing happens to that woman of yours.”

I wasn’t going to correct him that she didn’t belong to me because at that moment, my heart and my gut told me she did. With my foot on the accelerator, I rolled onto the gravel driveway, spinning tires as I made my way toward the house.

The gear barely in park, I jumped from the cab, my fingers firmly wrapped around my Glock.

Jarvis was right beside me as we raced toward the house. We’d yet to reach the front porch when we both heard gunfire.

“Head down!” Jarvis yelled and I dropped and rolled on instinct, catching a shadow to my right.

Without hesitation, I fired off. At this point, there was no sense of right or wrong, law or lawlessness. Juliette’s life was in danger and I’d be damned if I’d allow anything to happen to her.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Both Jarvis and I fired. In my periphery of vision, I caught a figure falling face first to the ground. More shots were fired, two more enemies advancing from the dense forest. I fired indiscriminately. The rush of adrenaline fueled not only my muscles, but the intense anger.

“To your left!” Jarvis yelled just before we were ambushed.

Kicking out, I caught the motherfucker in the stomach, pummeling him back by several feet. Immediately on my feet, I hadn’t anticipated the fucker recovering so quickly. He pitched himself toward me, but I reacted instantly, slamming my gun against the side of his head. Before he had time to react a second time, I fired off three shots, every bullet hitting him right between the eyes.

“Fuck!” Jarvis hissed from behind me.

I spun and dropped down, catching another assailant in the stomach. Without hesitation, I rushed forward, finishing the job. An instant ache rushed into my system. Where the hell was she? What had the fuckers done with her?

A loud growl permeated the air and it took a few seconds to realize I was the one making the godawful sound.

Jarvis spun around to face me, shaking his head. While his chest was heaving from undue exertion, a smile remained on his well-worn face.

My body remained tense as I spun in a circle, my arms still outstretched with the weapon in both hands. A sick feeling pooled in the base of my stomach.

Suddenly, there was a fallen hush, the lack of noise just as unnerving as the round of gunfire.

Both of us took deep breaths, Jarvis standing with his back toward me and staring at the woods flanking the barn.

Juliette. Juliette. Jesus. What if…

I bolted toward the front door, my feet barely hitting the porch when another sound crashed into the silence.

Tank’s single bark.

Both Jarvis and I spun toward the sound, his head tipping over his shoulder.

“What the fuck?” he gritted out.

“Tank. Juliette ran. And I know where she’s going.”

“Go get her, Kage. I’ll man the fort. Don’t let anyone take what belongs to you.”

CHAPTER 33

Kage