And every single one is pointed directly at Hannah.
“Acquire the doctor.”
The words echo through the warehouse like a death sentence.
My body reacts before my brain does.
I move directly in front of Hannah.
Weapon raised.
Finger tightening on the trigger.
Mine.
The thought slams through me so hard it almost knocks the air out of my lungs.
Not theirs.
Not anyone’s.
Mine to protect.
The lead soldier tilts his head slightly behind the black mask.
“Step aside.”
“No.”
The answer leaves my mouth instantly.
Cold.
Final.
Around us, everybody shifts weapons at everybody else.
Gabriel’s strike team.
The remaining militia.
Russ and our team.
Three separate armed groups seconds away from turning this loading dock into a slaughterhouse.
And somehow Hannah is the center of all of it.
The lead masked soldier studies me calmly.
Then says—
“You are not the objective.”
“Funny,” I reply. “Because right now I feel pretty involved.”
Beside me, Hannah grabs my vest tightly near my ribs.
Not to hold me back.
