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“I know you’ll do everything you can to save us.” She drew an unsteady breath. “But if—if things should go wrong….”

She was right. Things could go wrong. It would be stupid not to acknowledge that.

Dec took his Glock from its holster and put on the ground next to her.

“Remember,” he said, looking straight into her eyes. “Use both hands. Pull hard, then fire.”

Annie was crying. “I know.”

“Don’t use the gun except to defend yourself.” He paused, knowing his next words would be the most difficult he’d ever spoken. “And only, only if you know there’s no choice left, if I’m down and you’re absolutely certain that everything is lost…”

His heart rose into his throat. There was no mistaking the throaty growl of Amjad’s oncoming vehicles.

“Annie. It’s time. Get down. Stay down. And never forget that I love you.”

Annie flung herself into his arms for one last kiss. It tasted of dreams and despair, of hope and sorrow, of a love that would last through eternity.

Then Dec scrambled to his feet, ran to the rock that was going to be his line of defense and threw himself down behind it.

The wind was blowing hard. The air was thick with dust, but Amjad’s raiding party was now close enough so Dec could count the oncoming vehicles. Two trucks. Three. Jesus. Six altogether, strung out in a line and racing towards him and Annie and the mountain.

Nothing subtle in their approach either. The terrorists couldn’t have spotted him yet, but they knew he was here and they were making the most of showing him that he was outnumbered and outgunned.

Dec checked his rifle. He was a good shot. Forget that. He was one hell of a shot. He’d hold his fire until the last second, then take out those fucking headlights. Then the windshields. With luck, he’d blow up the drivers…

Whomp-whomp-whomp.

He looked up. Two Black Hawks, coming in fast.

Dec grinned. The cavalry to the rescue. He could feel his adrenaline pumping.

Everything was happening at once. It was either going to be a massive fuckup or a massive win—and only someone who’d never been a SEAL or a STUD would dare think it might be anything but a win.

The vehicles were getting closer. Closer. Suddenly, one veered to the right. Towards where he had hidden Annie.

The words from an old childhood game danced in his head.

Ready or not, here I come.

Dec rose up on his knees, rested his HK MP7 on top of the rock, and fired.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The Black Hawks emerged like Martian war machines from the dust-filled sky.

“Fuck,” Chay Olivieri shouted. “Amjad beat us to it.”

“Hold your fire,” Nic

k Romano yelled. “Sanchez and Annie are down there somewhere. We’ve got to identify them before—”

Aidan Maguire pounded on Nick’s shoulder. “Got ’em,” he said. “Dec’s at one o’clock. Annie’s at ten.”

“Where?” Danny Sullivan said. “I see Dec, but I don’t—”

“She’s in among those big rocks,” Alex Spanos said. “See her?”

Danny peered out the open door. Then he gave Alex a thumb’s up.