Page 74 of Her Honorable Hero

“So this could be the Chinese or Russians who want this,” Josiah muttered.

“Yep,” Dex answered.

Dalton pulled to a stop where Griff pointed. They had pulled up at the Norton residence. Peggy Norton was a widow, and she always knew what was going on, but he hadn’t heard Peaches, her dog for the last three days, so maybe she was out of town.

Please, say they’d caught a break.

“What’s the plan?” Dalton asked.

“We’re going through the side fence,” Griff said as he hopped out of Dalton’s truck. He ignored the stab of pain in his ribs. “Follow me.” He hot-footed it to the gate and reached over for the latch. Nope, no barking. This was good.

He looked behind him. Why the hell was Dalton crouched in the back of his pick-up truck at his toolbox? They didn’t have time to spare, didn’t he realize that?

Fuck him.

Dex followed Griff through the yard. They peeked over the fence, their guns drawn. It was hell on the other side. Miranda was wrestling with one of the men as he tried to pull Livvie from his arms.

“You want my help, then don’t take my daughter,” she yelled.

He had her head tipped back, gripping her hair. He was damn near spitting in her bloody, swollen face.

“Maybe I just cut baby, make you work faster? Huh?” He laughed. “Cheong wants the files, and if you don’t give to him, I kill baby.”

“You kill her, and you can kill me too. I won’t care what you do to me, it won’t matter anymore.”

Heinrich was lying on the grass. He grabbed the second man’s leg. “I can help. Tell Cheong I’m useful. I know how to get into her files.”

The man holding Miranda looked down for just a moment. Griff hesitated, he wanted to take the shot so badly, but he couldn’t risk it. He needed to separate Miranda from the mercenaries. How?

Dalton came up behind him. Griff spared him a quick glance, then did a double take.

“What the hell?”

“After the Tahoe incident, I’m not leaving home without some firepower.” Dalton handed Dex an M14, but Griff praised God when Dalton handed him the MK12 sniper rifle.

“I’ll take the one fighting with the guy, you take the one with Miranda,” Dex said.

“Get Josiah on the phone.” Griff commanded. The last thing he needed was yelling or shooting from the front of the house.

Dex explained the situation to their captain.

“Okay, they’re standing down, but keeping that guy in their sites. Do you have an idea on how to separate Miranda from the merc?” Dex asked.

Griff looked over the fence. He saw the four of them. Five if you counted his daughter hugged so tightly to Miranda she looked to be a part of her.

Dalton darted over a few yards across the lawn and picked something up, then he came back holding a chewed up yellow tennis ball. “What do you think, will this work?”

Griff eyed it and nodded. “Throw it from over in that corner, it should get them to point their guns that way.”

Please baby, drop down when they turn.

Please baby.

I’m begging you Miranda.

* * *

As soon asshe saw the sub-machine gun, the ability for higher thought had left her. This close the bullets would rip through Griff’s body armor and tear Livvie’s fragile body apart. What was she going to do?