Page 46

Forty-Six

Roman

The trees were thick around the back of the house, allowing us plenty of room to hide if needed. While I knew that we were likely being watched on camera anyway, I knew that a bullet was more likely to be stopped by a thick tree trunk than thin air, so I took comfort in the resources around us.

Quinn followed closely behind me, her steps almost perfectly in time with mine. I pushed out the flashbacks of being a Marine and stayed focused on the present. I wasn’t in combat, and this wasn’t a team effort. This was me by myself, trying to save the woman I loved and her daughter.

About fifteen feet ahead of us, there was movement by a large, overgrown tree. I quickly raised my hand, signaling Quinn to stop. I held my breath as I listened for more. A twig snapped beneath their weight as they stepped over it, the loud thud of their boots echoing around us.

A few seconds later, a man dressed in black stepped out of the trees and pulled up his zipper as he headed toward the house.

As if suddenly sensing our presence, he lowered his hand to his hip and reached for his gun.

The moment he found us, it was too late.

My bullet had already taken his life as his body slumped to the ground.

We kept walking, slowly inching around the back of the house while listening for others.

I knew they were bound to come rushing out as soon as they heard the gunshot.

It wasn’t like they didn’t know we were there—the cameras had been tracking us since we got through the clearing and approached the house.

It was only a matter of time before they sent someone for us, and that person would be ready to kill.

I heard a door slam shut ahead of me and waited.

But before I could focus on the two heavily armored men heading my way, I heard a commotion behind me.

Quinn gasped as a hand clamped around her mouth.

The sound was enough to get my attention, and I spun around and fired another shot, missing Quinn’s head by a fraction of an inch.

Her eyes widened, but she bit back the scream that was building inside.

I could see the fear in her eyes, knowing how close the bullet had been to taking her life if I had missed my mark.

Trust wasn’t enough when you were faced with something like that.

If it had been me, I likely would have pissed myself on the spot.

I didn’t have time to ask if she was okay. I knew the other two men would round the corner and be on top of us in seconds. I raised my gun and waited like a hunter stalking their prey. It was us against them, and I was determined to make it out of here alive.

Just as expected, the two men came around the corner with tactical gear on and .

45s pointing in our direction. I didn’t turn to see what Quinn was shooting at when I heard her discharge her weapon.

Instead, I transported myself back to being a sniper and took them out before they got off one shot.

Once they were down and I didn’t hear anyone else approaching, I spun around to find Quinn staring down at the three bodies lying on the ground less than twenty feet away from her.

“Nice shot,” I commented, nodding my approval.

“Thanks. I don’t think I’ve ever fired a gun this many times in my life,” she joked. “It’s a lot different than going to a stuffy warehouse and shooting at targets on the wall.”

I noticed how her eyes clouded with tears and recognized the emotion running through her.

The struggle of knowing that you’d taken a life while assuring yourself that if you didn’t take theirs, they would have taken yours.

It was an ugly feeling that would crawl into your brain and live in the depths of darkness, always waiting to rear its head when you least expected it.

“We need to keep moving,” I said, keeping all emotion out of my voice. Now wasn’t the time to feel anything. I had a job to do and needed to focus on that. Mission: Rescue Rosie.

“Okay,” she whispered and pulled her shoulders back. She lifted her chin and gave me a quick nod, letting me know that she was ready.

We resumed our positions with me leading and her following behind me. As we circled around the house, we heard a few voices inside but nothing outside anymore. That didn’t mean that we were truly alone; it just meant that they would find us before we found them.

“Find them and kill them,” a woman shouted, her voice floating through an open window upstairs.

There was an order to kill, but I didn’t know how many people it was given to. One? Two? Twenty? It was hard to know how big Julia’s crew of goons was, but one thing was for sure—it would only be a matter of time before we would be greeted by more gunfire.

“I think we should separate,” I whispered over my shoulder. “I’ll take care of the goons; you get inside and find Rosie.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked nervously.

“I’ll follow you in and cover you while you take the lead. It’s the only way to make sure we get to her before it’s too late. If you come across anyone on your way to her, shoot them. Don’t spare anyone. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Okay.”

I took a deep breath, steadied my arms, and said a silent prayer before I kicked the door in and stepped aside to avoid the gunfire as it came flying at us.