Page 129 of Scars of Fate

Adam heard them too.

“The call came from somewhere in this region.”

“Or passed close enough to pick up local personnel,” Hawk said.

Wynn’s eyes widened.

“They aren’t waiting for us in Geneva.”

“No,” I said. “They’re trying to reach the file before we do.”

Boone glanced toward the sky.

“Then we’re in a race.”

Adam looked around the team.

“We need to decide how we move everyone.”

Russ pointed toward the waiting helicopters.

“We stay together.”

“We have wounded civilians,” Adam said.

“And we already know the extraction force was compromised,” Russ answered. “You don’t divide the team after something like this.”

Silence followed.

There was no good choice.

If we separated, Meridian could attack us one group at a time.

If we remained together, the civilians stayed close to whoever was hunting Wynn.

Russ continued.

“We take everyone to the same secure air base. The wounded are stabilized there under our protection. Then we fly to Europe as one unit.”

Boone grinned.

“I knew we kept him around for something.”

Russ looked at him.

“I’m older than you.”

“Not emotionally.”

Adam ignored them.

“It could work.”

“It exposes the civilians to anyone coming after Wynn,” I said.

“They’re already exposed.” Russ gestured toward the destroyed convoy. “Keeping them close gives us one perimeter instead of three.”

Adam considered it.