Page 106 of SEAL of Valor

“It doesn’t matter.” Weston tugs me forward right as the first shot rings out.

A bullet hits the ground beside us, and dirt flies up and hits my ankle. I scream, but Weston shoves me forward toward the house. We sprint, reaching the porch right as the door opens. I’m yanked inside first, and Weston dives in after me.

The door slams shut. Somewhere in the house, Aragorn barks frantically.

“How many hostiles?” Weston questions as he pulls me to my feet.

“Seventeen that we know of,” Sawyer replies.

“We caught two on your proximity cameras before the explosion. The others have been spotted on trail cameras I put up in the trees.”

Weston removes a pistol that had been holstered at his lower back, then checks it and turns to his team. “No one gets to my horses or this house.”

“Understood,” Ryker says.

“I’ve got explosives planted at the entrance to this main area. They only got your place because they came in from the back. If they come here, they’re going up like kindling,” he says.

“Then let’s start eliminating some hostiles,” Weston says as he straps on a bulletproof vest offered to him by Ryker.

“What about the police? Are they coming?” Surely these men aren’t planning on taking on seventeen or more armed men alone, are they?

But then I remember the way Weston exploded off the floor of that storage container.

The way he leveled three-armed men despite being unarmed and seriously injured.

These men were trained for war. No matter what the odds are, they are soldiers.

“Leopold knows what’s going on,” Zane says. “He’s set up roadblocks and is trying to get a SWAT team to come in. Caldwell is not currently answering his phone,” he adds.

“Then it looks like it’s up to us to stop her.” Garrison stands, then holds his hand out. “Forged in combat.”

“Washed by grace,” Zane adds as he puts his hand in the middle.

“Bound by brotherhood,” Sawyer adds.

“Iron Tide,” Ryker adds.

“Brotherhood,” Weston finishes, adding his hand to the middle.

“Yeah, baby. Let’s go show these guys the mistake they made by setting foot in this town.” Dressed all in black, Sawyer rushes over toward the back window, then peers outside. After a brief moment, he slips outside, disappearing into the night.

“Aragorn is in your room,” Ryker says. “I wanted him to be safe just in case they came in.”

“Thank you.” My poor boy has no idea what’s going on, but he senses it. He hasn’t stopped barking since we got into the house.

Weston practically carries me up the stairs while Garrison, Zane, and Ryker remain down. He pulls me into my room, and Aragorn jumps up on me, tail wagging, tongue hanging out.

“Hey, boy. It’s okay. I’m here.”

Weston checks the windows, then turns back to me and reaches behind him to withdraw a second gun.

“You remember how to use this?”

“You mean from that time when we were seventeen and you took me to shoot cans?” Aragorn drops down and sits beside me.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“I wasn’t good at it then.”