Page 102 of Silent Target

Pain moves through me.

“My father is dead.”

Fathom’s expression softens. “I’m sorry.”

“So am I.”

Across the radio, a low whistle echoes.

Cobra’s signal.

“Get down!” Caleb shouts.

Three explosions detonate almost simultaneously.

The blasts tear through the trees above the enemy positions. Dirt, stone, and branches rain across the road.

The machine-gun teams abandon their weapons and scramble away from the collapsing ledges.

Cobra did exactly what Rook ordered.

He broke their positions without turning the mountain into a graveyard.

Our vehicles surge forward until the rockslide stops us.

Rook and Caleb climb out.

I follow.

Caleb turns immediately. “Stay inside.”

“No.”

“Evie.”

“You need someone watching your wounded side.”

His eyes narrow.

I draw my pistol. “I’m coming.”

There’s no time to argue.

We move behind the vehicles as another burst of gunfire tears through the smoke.

Caleb drops to one knee and fires.

A weapon spins away from an operator on the ridge.

He could kill them.

He continues choosing not to.

These aren’t federal officers.

They’re mercenaries who tried to murder us.

But Caleb’s restraint remains.