Page 11 of Delta Mission (Alpha Tactical Ops)

Makenna

I snapped my eyes open, and it was a couple of beats before I remembered where I was. A dim glow filled the cave, allowing me to see the most glorious sight: Channing sleeping beside me. His forgiveness filled the fractures in my heart that I never thought would be healed.

A crack burst through the silence and I bolted upright. Chunks of rocks rained from the cave roof.

Channing jolted to his feet.

Another crack split the air.

“What was that?” My heart thumped in my chest.

A bullet slammed into the wall above us.

“Fuck!” He grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind the giant rock.

Bullets punched into the cave wall and as he shielded my body with his, holes punched into the pillows, bursting the stuffing out.

I peered over Channing’s shoulder. Thanks to the dim dawn light, I could just make out images across the opposite side of the ravine.

Jesus! About thirty men were lined up on the edge. All with guns.

Channing banged his fist on the wall. “Son of a bitch! The fuckers found us.”

The noise was deafening as bullets thumped into the walls, taking chunks out of the rocks.

“What do we do?” I shifted so I could peer around him.

“Fucked if I know.”

Two bullets hit his vest on the ground, and one hit his water bottle, sending it flying.

“Fuck! I need to get my gear.”

I clutched his arm. “No, don’t.”

“If they hit a grenade, we’re toast.”

“Oh shit.”

Another bullet slammed into his utility vest.

He shifted his position, ready to sprint.

Clenching his jaw, he bolted out from cover, across the cave. Bullets kicked up dirt at his feet as he snatched up his vest and dove in behind me.

He shuffled in front of me to peer across the ravine. “We’re fucked.”

“What do we do?” I blinked at him.

“Hope they run out of bullets.”

The sheer hopelessness in his expression terrified me.

I leaned into his side, and as he wrapped his arms around me, bullets pockmarked the walls.

He huffed. “That’s it, you bastards. Use up your ammo.”

A deep thumping beat added to the chaos.

“Oh fuck. A chopper.” He shoved me against the wall. “Get down!”

I lay on the dirt, and Channing lay on top of me, pinning me down. But if they fired a missile, his protection was useless.

I kissed his cheek. “I love you, Channing.”

“Don’t you do that. Don’t give up. We’re getting out of here.”

The roar of the chopper grew louder, and wind blasted our cave. Rocks slammed into his back and my boots.

The boom, boom, boom of the chopper’s weapons echoed about the cave.

He stiffened, then he pushed up on his hands. “They’re not firing at us.”

“What?”

“It’s one of ours. Holy shit. We’re saved.”

I squinted through the debris cloud across the ravine. Bullets rained from above, taking out dozens of men.

“Woo-hoo!” Channing jumped to his feet and raced toward the cave entrance.

I followed him.

Across the ravine, the Arabs ran, but they didn’t get far. Soon, a field of bodies covered the opposite ridge.

The wind petered out as the chopper rose higher. At the edge, I peered up. A woman sitting in the doorway of the chopper with a massive weapon across her lap waved to me.

Grinning, I waved back.

“I swear you have nine lives, Goodspeed.” Channing wrapped his arm over my shoulder.

I chuckled. “Well, that just used up another one. We are so lucky.”

“You can say that again.”

The woman was lowered down to cave level. “Hey, there.” She tossed a rope toward us. “Pull me in.”

Channing tugged her into the cave. “Boy, are we glad to see you.”

“Likewise. You sure did make it hard to find you.” She offered her hand to me. “I’m Ghost.”

I gripped her palm to mine. “Makenna Goodspeed.”

Ghost shook hands with Channing. “I have to say, I didn’t expect to find you two alive.”

“I’m glad you did, Ghost. They had us pinned,” he said.

“Well, if they hadn’t been firing on you, we probably wouldn’t have found this cave.”

Her Australian accent surprised me. I didn’t know we had any Aussie soldiers at base.

She removed a brace from a bag on her hip. “Let’s get you two lovebirds out of here.”

Channing smirked, and I tried not to giggle.

Ghost’s stunning blue eyes swept from me to Channing, and her smile confirmed she didn’t miss the connection between us.

“Ladies first.” Ghost strapped me into a harness, led me to the edge of the cave, and turned to Channing. “I’ll be back for you in a sec. Get your gear ready.”

“Roger that.”

“You good?” Ghost nodded at me.

“I am now.” I smiled at her.

“Hang onto here.” She indicated to the brace, then waved up at the chopper.

We fell out of the cave into the ravine, and as I breathed in the hot air, we were lifted into the helicopter. I had a panoramic view of the ravine. The killing field on the opposite side was shocking, but it was the tiny village, far in the distance, that captured my attention.

I’d had big dreams of making my DEA operation to that village a successful drug bust.

I sighed. It never ceased to amaze me how, in the blink of an eye, life could take a different turn. Sometimes deadly turns. I’d been there twice, and both times I got lucky.

I wish I could say the same for Lyle and Trent.

At the helicopter door, Ghost grabbed a bracket and spun us around so I could put my feet onto a tread. “Pull her in, Blade.”

“I’ve got you.” A man grabbed my hand and hauled me into the chopper.

“Thank you.” I sat on the floor.

“I’ll be back in a sec.” Ghost dropped away.

“I’m Blade. That’s Cobra.” He nodded to a man seated behind a massive machine gun, and I assumed it was the weapon that I’d seen shooting across the ravine.

“Glad you could join us,” Cobra yelled over the thumping rotors.

“Me too. We had no idea how we were going to get out of that mess.”

“Buckle up. Wasp flies like a maniac.’’ Blade indicated to the pilot, then pointed at a belt over my shoulder.

I clipped the belt into place as Blade leaned out the door and looked down. He pressed a button, and the winch reversed the cable direction.

Ghost was back with Channing much quicker than I anticipated. “Found our other runaway.” Ghost grinned as she spun Channing around to face the opening.

Channing climbed into the chopper and sat beside me. He wasn’t even strapped in when the chopper tilted away.

As we left the ravine, I glanced at the bloody bodies on the opposite ridge. They were all men.

I swept my gaze to Ghost. “Thank you for saving us.”

She smiled, taking her incredible looks to stunning. “You’re welcome. Blade and Cobra helped a little bit.” She winked at Cobra.

“Hey, what about me?” Wasp called from the pilot seat.

Ghost rolled her eyes and winked at me. “Yeah, he helped a bit, too.”

“Did my team make it back to base?” Channing asked Blade.

Blade nodded. “Everyone but you.”

“Thank Christ.” Channing heaved a sigh.

I wished I could say the same about my team. Once again, I was the sole survivor of a DEA operation that was a disaster. And the woman who had killed Lyle got away with his murder.

The thumping beat of the chopper and its gentle rocking was therapeutic, and sitting next to the man who had recaptured my heart, I was so grateful to be alive.

Today was the second time I’d honestly thought I was going to die. Both times, a miracle had saved me. But would it stop me from heading into enemy territory to find illicit drugs again? No.

My sister’s addiction to heroin had nearly killed her more times than I could count.

Each time she came back from the dead, Yvonne swore she would never do it again.

But she always did. Nothing could save her from that poison.

Not my parents, or me, or stints in jail, or even Yvonne’s young children.

I never wanted anyone to go through what my sister had. And my family.

So even though I had nearly died, finding those drugs was worth it.

Blade sat beside Ghost, resting his rifle across his lap. “Let’s get you guys back to base. You must be—”

“Base?” I blurted. “What about the drug lab?”

Blade glared at me. “Our orders were to find you and return you to base. Preferably alive.”

Oh, God. Guilt washed through me. He was right. “Thank you. But please . . . we have to get Lyle and Trent.”

Blade cocked his head.

“My DEA partners. Their bodies are in that village. We can’t leave them.”

Ghost elbowed Blade. “We can’t leave men behind, Blade. So, I’m with Makenna.”

Blade slapped his rifle, and his chest heaved with a breath. He turned toward the pilot. “Wasp, take us to the village.”

“Roger that.”

The helicopter tilted to the right, changing direction.

Blade glared at me. “I’m not making any promises. We’ll check it out first.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet.”

With Ghost, Blade, and Cobra leaning out the sides of the helicopter, all with their weapons ready, Wasp did four flights over the top of Amir Momahhadakan village before Blade declared it was safe enough for us to land.

The rotors kicked up a swarm of dust as we lowered onto the dirt track that we’d driven into the village. We all jumped out, and with the Australians in a diamond formation around me, I led them toward the charred Humvee. I sighed with relief that Trent’s body was still there.

Trying to smother my emotions at seeing him again, I squatted at his side and placed my hand on his chest. “Trent had been minutes from getting onto a flight home when Lyle made him come on this operation.”

“Poor bastard,” Wasp said.

Ghost rested her hand on my shoulder, but she didn’t say anything. No words could convey the emotions crashing through us anyway.

“Where’s your other man?” Blade asked.

I pointed toward the women’s shelter. “This way.”

Lyle was where we’d left him, and his bloody body was as shocking now as it had been when it happened.

“His throat was cut?” Ghost frowned at me.

I told them about the woman who’d killed him.

“Jesus. You can’t trust anyone in this place.” She shook her head.

“The worst part is she got away.”

“Hey, you can’t blame yourself.” Ghost squeezed my arm.