Page 10 of Russian Rescue

“Can you fast rope?”

“Only on Call of Duty.”

“Fuck.” I yanked him around the corner and pressed him up against the wall. My hand splayed across his defined chest, and for a moment, the simple touch yanked me out of my mindset.

But only a moment.

Focus on the mission.

“Marcus,” I whispered into the comms. “We’re pinned down and can’t get up to you or down through the building.”

“Should I head down to you?”

“No. There’s too much resistance, and Wes could get shot. It’s safest if we exit from here. We’re gonna need a rope dropped from the roof. Wes can’t fast rope without a descender, and we don’t have time for the harness, so we’re gonna need that descender to hit exactly on the twelfth floor. Northeast corner.”

“Roger that,” he responded. “Rope ready in sixty.”

“What’s happening?” Wes asked.

“We can’t get to the roof without too much risk, and we can’t go out the way we came. Our best bet is to drop out from this floor and rope down. Marcus will drop a rope from the roof, and there’ll be a descender for you to grab onto. We’ll go out the window. You’ll grab the descender and slide to safety. Keep your hands under the descender. Push the rope away from you to go faster, pull it toward you to slow down.”

“Jesus Christ,” he whispered.

“You’ll be fine. We’ve got you.”

“And what about you?”

“I don’t need a descender. I can fast rope with my hands behind you. Marcus will follow.”

Our eyes connected, and even though the corners of his eyes creased with worry, I saw the recognition in his stare—that trust that came from years of having each other’s backs. This may have been his first op on the ground with us, but he knew what we could do—the skill and courage of our team. We were the best in the world. With a quick nod of his head, he let me know he was ready.

“Contact in eight seconds,” Brooks cut in.

“Can you shoot?” I asked Wes.

“Not well, but I know how to pull a trigger. I’m not exactly a special operative like you.”

With a quick wink, I handed him my Sig. “Don’t worry. I’m special enough for the both of us.”

I yanked the assault rifle from my back and leveled it in front of me, peering around the corner. The first guard came into sight, and I dropped him with a single shot. His comrades started shouting, and a hail of gunfire exploded as they rained bullets in our direction.

I pressed back against the wall and looked at Wes. “Stay low. Follow me close. Shoot if someone ends up in your sights.” He nodded, and I started forward, then stopped. “Someone other than me. If you shoot me in the ass, I’ll be hella pissed.”

Wes dropped his gaze to my ass and clucked his cheek. “Don’t worry. I won’t. It’s way too nice an ass to ruin.”

Stifling my chuckle, I crept around the corner and let a spray of bullets fly to cover us as we darted across the hall and around the corner, taking us toward the northeast end. Wes popped off a few shots as he raced with me, and finally we reached the corner of the building. A rope dangled in front of the window, so I fired several rounds to shatter it and give us access.

“Grab the rope and go! Remember, rope forward faster, rope toward you slower.”

Wes puffed out his chest with the breath he held, then quickly expelled it. Before he could take a step, several bullets flew in our direction.

“Move, Wes!” I commanded as I returned fire.

He launched forward, grabbed the descender, and swung out onto the rope. I glanced over my shoulder to check on him, and his biceps bulged under his weight as he moved into position. A deep Russian voice boomed down the hallway saying not to shoot and hit Wes, and I felt a slight sigh of relief that we shouldn’t be taking any more fire.

A bullet buzzed past me.

Well, he wouldn’t, anyway.