Page 154 of The Deadly Shallows

Noah’s gaze landed on Frank Mirch tugging on a thick rope secured around Brooke’s wrists. Noah gritted his teeth as adrenaline and anger seethed inside.

“If we hurry around, we might be able to cut them off where the stream narrows,” Harris said.

Moving as swiftly and silently as possible, they made it to a narrow hollow before Brooke and the Mirches reached it. With one of them positioned on either side of the stream, Noah held his breath until the precise moment the group passed in front of him. It took everything in him not to move early and lunge for Brooke, but timing was everything.

Harris stepped out in front of them, gun aimed at Scott Mirch’s head. “Guns down and release the girl,” he said.

Frank Mirch laughed. “She’ll be dead before you pull the trigger.”

Noah pressed the muzzle of his gun into the base of Frank Mirch’s skull. “And so will you.”

“Dad,” Scott gritted out.

“Let her go,” Noah said.

Frank tugged her closer. “Nuh-uh. Either we’re getting out of here, or no one does.”

Scott gaped at his dad. “Are you crazy?”

“Don’t you dare back talk, boy. Not after all I’ve done.”

“You mean guilt-tripping me into stealing the cryptocurrency because of what the military did to you? Or leaving me to rot in prison for seven years without a word from you?”

“You were only too happy to steal that currency. You wanted your half, and I saved it for you. I’ve put a ton of my share of the money into this very moment. But a mission like this isn’t accomplished overnight. It takes years to plan and even more to execute. I disappeared because I wanted you to be innocent of what was happening. I did it to protect you.”

“Protect me!” Scott roared. “Are you out of your mind?”

“I did what I did to right injustice. Those men set you up. They left you in prison to rot.”

Scott stared at Frank as if he didn’t recognize him.

“The military betrayed me,” Frank said. “Your brother betrayed me. Don’t you dare betray me, boy.” Frank jabbed the gun against Brooke’s head.

“I’m sorry, Dad, but I can’t do this.” He dropped his gun on the ground and raised his hands.

Frank shifted as he gaped at his son, moving just enough for Harris to take the shot.

Noah met Harris’s gaze, giving him the silent go-ahead, and the shot rang out, echoing through the woods.

“Dad!” Scott screamed as Frank’s lifeless body fell back—a single gunshot wound to the head.

Noah rushed for Brooke, wrapping his arms around her as Scott sobbed over his dad’s body.

Harris radioed in their position, and half an hour later, Noah sat beside Brooke in the back of the ambulance as the paramedic treated the rope burn and open flesh on her wrists.

They watched as a US Marshal by the name of Theisen escorted Scott Mirch into the back of a transport van.

It would take time to rebuild the disciplinary barracks back into a long-term facility. In the meantime, the remaining prisoners were being transferred to an unknown location, and according to Marshal Theisen, it was going to stay that way.

“So we were right. Scott was guilty of the theft, his dad was the fifth man, and the instructors left Scott holding the bag,” Brooke said.

“Yep.” Noah brushed the hair from her face.

“Unbelievable.” Brooke rested her head on his shoulder after the paramedic finished tending to her wounds.

Noah waited until the paramedic stepped away before saying, “Let’s go home.”

“Home.” Brooke smiled softly up at him. “I like the sound of that.”