Page 39 of Wrathful King

Kian jerked his head. “I do. Just one.”

If it meant I had to crawl on my hands and knees, I wasn’t leaving this fucking jungle without her.

The stars were hidden behind the clouds and trees, making the success of our trek promising. If it stayed like this, it would provide us with a cloak of invisibility.

When we got to the marked location, we exited from the Jeeps and began on foot. The miles of trees and night creatures were the only landscape for the remainder of the way.

“Are we climbing a mountain?” Dante muttered.

“Stop being a sissy,” Darius mocked. “It’s a fucking hill. Barely.”

For the next three miles, the two called each other all kinds of creative names, though they managed to keep quiet. God knew how. We all ignored them. It was their way of blowing off steam, and neither knew when to quit.

Kian signaled to turn off our flashlights when we approached a rough path. For the next mile, we traveled in total darkness, using night-vision equipment. As if understanding the need for our concealment, the moon hid further behind the clouds and the darkness was almost oppressive.

Moving swiftly, we approached the compound with its tall walls and looming pillars. Behind us, our men followed. Nobody spoke a word.

“The walls surrounding the perimeter are thick,” Kian explained. “This place is locked down and there are guards everywhere. Once we’re inside, we’ll have to leverage the element of surprise.”

“How much space is there between the walls and the house?” I asked.

“Five hundred feet from every angle,” Kian answered.

“And according to this map, it’s a wide-open space,” Darius chimed in. “We’ll have to be fast and efficient. No one gets away.”

I nodded. “The moment we’re in, our men need to start eliminating the guards. Tell them to use silencers.”

“Snipers in position,” Kian ordered.

“Thank fuck these guards are dressed in white,” Dante muttered. “Otherwise, not sure how the snipers would tell us apart.”

Kian offered him a cold smile. “It’s not my first rodeo.”

“I have no fucking idea what that means,” Dante spat. “I’m Italian, not a cowboy.”

He was agitated and it had nothing to do with lack of sleep and everything to do with the jungle.

My hand landed on my brother’s shoulder. “You okay?” We locked eyes. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. “You’re a good shot. Maybe you can pick the guards off one by one from here.”

He grinned. “And let you have all the fun? Fuck no. Let’s go.”

I watched him for another second, then with a terse nod, I pulled my gun out of the waistband of my pants and we made our way toward the fortress, slipping soundlessly through the gap Kian told us about.

By design, nobody spoke a word. Kian pointed to each location where guards were likely stationed. Immediately, the ones on the towers started falling over like stringless puppets, one by one.

We moved with each target, using the opening to get closer to the house. Then an explosion of gunfire shattered the silence. A spray of bullets followed. Our cover was blown.

We started running, using the darkness to shield us from enemy eyes. My finger on the trigger, I took out everyone in my path. The atmosphere thickened with tension and urgency. Soon more guards charged our way.

I reloaded my gun, slamming the magazine in place. There was no room for mistakes, only efficiency. Aim. Shoot. Aim. Shoot.

The bullets whizzed through the air. At one point, one grazed me, but I didn’t slow down to inspect the damage. It would have to wait.

“Jesus Christ, these guards are multiplying like roaches,” Dante breathed, shooting left and right.

“I wish we had time to cut off their cocks. Better yet, find the women they’ve been hurting and let them do it.” Darius’s voice came through the earpiece while grinning savagely, but his smile was wiped the moment an explosion went off, shaking the ground.

We found ourselves in front of a plantation home with yet another slew of guards surrounding it. Our snipers took them out easily while we aimed for the ones hiding in the shadows.