Page 103 of Tag (The Golden Team #9)

Aponi

T he desert at night had its own kind of silence — the heavy, waiting kind.

Our Black Hawks dropped us a mile out from the compound, the thump of rotors fading into nothing as we hit the ground running.

Faron led point, night-vision goggles down, every step precise. Raven and Cyclone flanked right, Gideon and Gage swept left. Tag stayed close to me, our rifles up, scanning for any sign of movement.

Through the NVG lens, Chimera’s last stronghold glowed with heat signatures. Guards on the walls. Two patrols near the main gate. More clustered by the helipad.

Kaylie’s voice came through comms, calm but clipped. “Main power grid is inside the east building. I can kill the lights and the cameras, but you’ll have sixty seconds before the generators kick in.”

“Make it count,” Faron said.

We moved.

The first guard didn’t see me until my rifle butt caught him under the jaw. He dropped without a sound. Tag took the next, dragging him into the shadows.

Faron’s hand signals cut us into two teams — his group sweeping toward the east building, mine heading for the main gate.

Kaylie’s countdown started in my ear. “Three… two… one… lights out.”

The compound plunged into darkness.

We slipped through the gate like ghosts. Inside, the air was thick with the smell of fuel and sand. Raven’s suppressed shots took down the two guards by the barracks. Cyclone and Gage cleared the helipad, their movements smooth and efficient.

I reached the holding area — a row of steel doors bolted from the outside. A muffled cry came from behind one.

“Tag!” I called softly.

He was there in seconds, cutting the lock while I covered him. The door swung open, and a dozen pairs of wide, frightened eyes stared back.

“You’re safe,” I told them. “We’re here to take you home.”

One by one, we moved them out, passing them to Gideon and Gage for escort to the extraction point.

An explosion ripped through the east side — Faron’s team taking down the power grid permanently. The blast lit the sky, sending the remaining guards into chaos.

Tag grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the exit. “Time to go!”

We reached the perimeter just as the Black Hawks roared in low. The rescued kids were loaded first, then the team piled in.

From the air, I watched the compound shrink — and then vanish in a rolling bloom of fire as our charges detonated.

Chimera’s last stronghold was gone.

I let out a breath I felt like I’d been holding for years.

Tag’s arm came around my shoulders, pulling me close. His voice was low, meant only for me. “It’s over, Aponi.”

I looked at him, my chest tight, my heart steady for the first time in a long time. “Yeah,” I said softly. “It’s over.”