Page 104 of Duty Devoted

For a moment, confusion. The cartel soldiers scattered, shouting in Spanish, trying to figure out where the fire was coming from. Someone screamed for backup.

I pulled Lauren forward, one arm around her waist to steady her. “We’re moving.”

Then someone hit an alarm. The klaxon’s wail shattered the night, and floodlights blazed to life across the compound.

Within seconds, the night was full of muzzle flashes.

“Go loud!” I shouted. “Bravo, secure that bird now!”

Silence wasn’t any use to us now. Gunfire erupted from the direction of the helipad. Our twenty minutes of ghost time had become about three.

I pushed Lauren back into the shed and pulled her behind a shelf unit as rounds punched through the walls. “Can you move?”

“I’ll have to.” Her voice held no panic, just that same determination I’d fallen for in the jungle.

I cupped her cheeks. “Any injuries I should know about?”

She grabbed my wrists and turned her face to kiss one. “I’m good. Diego’s plans, while sick, weren’t immediate and thankfully didn’t involve violence.”

I would take it. “Then let’s get out of here, beautiful.”

“Moving!” I half carried Lauren toward the door while Ben and Jace laid down covering fire. Even suppressed, the rifles made their distinctive coughs, brass casings ringing on concrete.

“Jolly, attack!” Ben commanded, and the Belgian Malinois became a fur missile, launching through the doorway at the nearest threat. I didn’t see it, but I heard the frightened scream from one of Silva’s men.

We burst into the compound proper and right into chaos. Muzzle flashes lit the night from every direction. Cartel soldiers poured from buildings, some half-dressed but all armed.

“Alpha team, bound back to the helipad,” I ordered. “Ty, we need cover!”

“On it.” His rifle spoke from the tree line, and a cartel soldier spinning toward us pitched backward.

I kept Lauren close, my body between her and the majority of threats. She stumbled—whatever they’d drugged her with still affecting her coordination—but kept fighting forward.

“Reloading!” Jace called out.

“Covering!” Ben’s rifle maintained steady fire while Jace swapped magazines.

We fought our way through the compound, bounding from cover to cover. Cartel soldiers seemed to come from everywhere, but training and superior weapons gave us the edge.

“Bravo, what’s your status?” I called out as the helipad came into view.

“We’ve got problems.” Volante’s voice came back tight. “Heavy resistance at the?—”

An explosion cut him off. Through the smoke, I could see the Bell 412 helicopter on the pad, rotors turning, but Bravo team was pinned down behind concrete barriers.

And standing between us and salvation—Diego Silva with what looked like his personal guard unit.

“You’re not going to take her.” Diego’s voice carried across the compound. “She killed my son. She owes me a new one.”

I didn’t pay attention to Diego’s monologue. All that mattered was getting us out of here.

“Ben, Jace, base of fire. Keep those guards busy.” I scanned for another route to the helicopter. “Ty, can you get an angle on?—”

“RPG!” Ty’s warning came a second before the rocket hit.

The explosion threw us all sideways. Concrete chunks rained down. Through the dust and smoke, I’d lost sight of Lauren.

I pushed up from the debris, ears ringing. Through the din, I heard Lauren’s scream.