Jackson watched the dust settle on the road long after the SUV disappeared, then turned back toward the house. His pulse was still steady, but the sense of danger lingered like a storm brewing just out of sight.
He stepped inside and locked the door behind him.
Avery stood near the hallway, her eyes wide, one of his pistols still in her hand. “What happened?”
“They know you’re here,” he said, crossing the room. “We’re leaving now.”
Her breath hitched. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure,” he said.
He reached for his gear, shoving extra magazines into his jacket and checking the rifle he’d left by the door. Years of habit made the motions fast, efficient, automatic. Avery hurried beside him, silent but pale.
They moved through the kitchen and down the short hall to the garage. The black polished SUV inside was a Crossfire Ops issue, built for fieldwork and escape. The back held tactical gear, a med kit, encrypted comms, extra fuel, and enough supplies to last a week off grid. Reinforced steel panels lined the doors, and a mount for his rifle sat between the front seats.
He opened the driver’s side back door and tossed his pack in. Avery slid into the passenger seat.
Jackson got in and started the engine. The deep growl filled the space, solid and familiar. He hit the garage opener, and the door lifted, flooding the space with afternoon light. After backing out, he took one last look at the house before closing the garage door. The place had always been his refuge, quiet and steady. Now it felt like a target.
“Let’s move,” he said, shifting into gear. “We’ve got ground to cover.”
She very much wanted that ground covered, but a thought sprang to mind. “What about your horses?” she asked. “Do you need to call someone to take care of them?”
He made a sound that could have meant anything and fired off a text. “Get down in the seat,” Jackson added. “Don’t look up until I tell you.”
She got down, no questions, no hesitation. Avery knew just how bad this could get if they didn’t leave now.
“I’m not going out to the road,” he said, checking the mirrors. “They’ll expect that. We’ll stay on the trails until I can get us clear.”
She shifted lower in the seat. “Where are we going?”
“I’ve got a place,” he said. “Safe enough for now.”
The SUV rolled out slowly at first, tires crunching over gravel as he guided it down the narrow track that cut through the back pasture. He kept one eye on the mirrors, the other on the tree line, every sense stretched thin.
The Escalade wasn’t anywhere in sight. Good. He’d take the back route, loop around, and lose anyone still watching.
They’d barely cleared thirty yards when a deep, gut-punching boom split the air.
A wall of fire erupted behind them, blasting heat across the field. The shockwave hit hard, rocking the SUV as a massive fireball tore through what used to be his house. The sound rattled his teeth, a roaring mix of flame, splintering wood, and shattering glass.
Avery gasped, ducking lower. Jackson gritted his teeth and slammed the accelerator, steering through the smoke and debris raining from the sky.
He knew that sound. The punch of the blast, the heavy whistle before impact.
Grenade launcher.
His mind locked into combat mode. He swerved around a fencepost and threw the SUV toward the tree line.
Another sharp thump split the air, closer this time.
The second grenade hit the ground just behind them, and the world exploded again.
Chapter Four
The explosion tore through the air again, even louder this time, closer. Avery clapped her hands over her ears, the sound so sharp and violent it felt like it split her skull in two.
The world became nothing but noise and vibration. The SUV lurched beneath her, tires spinning over loose gravel and dirt as Jackson floored the accelerator.
