Gunmen dropped from above, firing before they hit the ground.
The room exploded into chaos.
Rafe opened fire, hitting one in the chest midair. Boone rolled behind a support beam and returned cover fire. Dax engaged, shielding the men of Echo as bullets shredded the dirt floor around them.
“Raven—we’re hot!”
“I’ve got multiple heat signatures directly above you now.” Raven rattled off the information. “They must have masked themselves. Get out of there!”
“No exit east. I need options.”
“You’ve got a corridor behind the north wall. It’s narrow but leads to an old service road. That’s your only way out.”
“Copy.” Liam propped Carr against the wall. “Sorry, man. Hang in there. We’re getting you out.” He switched to command mode. “Three, Four, grab two each and move. I’ll lay down cover. Two, drop smoke and watch our six. Our hands will be full.”
He raised his HK416, pulled the trigger, and swept fire in a tight arc toward the corridor.
Dax and Boone slung their rifles, and each hauled two Echo operators to their feet and half-carried them toward the hidden passage.
“Popping smoke!” Rafe chucked the canister toward the breach. White smoke billowed outward, eliminating the enemy’s visibility, giving Charlie Team the cover needed.
“Time to go.” Liam looped Carr’s arm over his shoulder. No time for concern about the man’s injuries.
Inside the tunnel, the groans of the rescued men echoed off the walls. Dax and Boone did their best to move at a rapid clip while being weighed down by two full-size soldiers each.
The opening came into view and none too soon.
“I’m taking lead. Charlie Two, continue covering our six.” Liam moved to the front. He supported Carr’s weight and lifted his rifle with his free hand. He eased through the doorway to the outside.
The desert opened into wind and darkness. The group put distance between themselves and the ambush party.
Liam ducked behind a jagged rock outcropping. Three of the four men Dax and Boone towed from the makeshift prison had begun to hold their own with little support. The fourth? He wasn’t doing so well, and neither was Carr.
“Raven, Charlie One.”
“Go ahead, Charlie One.”
“Hostiles?” Liam sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, regulating his pulse.
“Negative. You’re clear to the ridge. They didn’t expect you to live through the assault.”
“Noted. And Charlie Five?”
“On approach, waiting for my signal.”
“Tell him not to be late.”
A rare chuckle filtered across his comms. “Copy that.”
Liam leaned out from beneath the rocky ledge and eyed the ridge that led to their extraction point. Not a huge incline, but it wouldn’t be a walk in the park either. He glanced at the men struggling from injuries and prayed for strength—for all of them.
“Gentlemen, time to get out of the sandbox.” He supported Carr and pressed on to the landing zone.
The temperature continued to drop, and sand whipped against his face as they climbed. Xander better not mess around. One of the Echo guys collapsed halfway up, and without a word, Dax scooped him over his shoulder while holding the arm of another.
Ten more yards.
His heart slammed against his ribs as they reached the crest. Cold wind hit them like a wall. Liam lowered Carr gently onto the sand and looked him over—concussion, broken ribs, torn skin. But breathing.
