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I snuck up and stopped a few feet before I reached the corner, and I spotted River across the courtyard, hugging the short end of the main house. A couple more steps and we’d step into the outdoor lights mounted in various spots across the yard.
We signaled to each other, both ready.
“Status update from rescue crew,” Elliott requested.
“Covering the back,” Darius replied. “If anyone makes a run for it, we’ll get ’em.”
“Shay and I are in position,” Gray confirmed.
“Ryan?” Elliott double-checked.
“Ready to fire,” Ryan said.
I glanced back at Elliott, who nodded.
I took a deep breath. “Unit one, advance. Unit two, advance.” I lifted my rifle and rounded the corner, and I was suddenly in plain sight. “Courtyard empty—Tenleys, go, go. I’ll cover you.”
River and Reese ran for it and ducked down between the cars, not stopping until they’d reached the doors to the warehouse. I could see from here it was barred and locked, and when Reese aimed his gun at the—
A shot blasted through the air, catapulting me into action. I sprinted toward the main house, hurriedly scanning the windows. The rooms were well-lit and seemingly empty of people. But then I caught several men running into the hall separating the two halves of the house.
I aimed at one man and shot him through the window. Then I quickly ripped off my monocular—it was just in the way now—and I took aim and fired over and over. Gunfire filled the air, Crew grunted and reported he was inside the house, followed by Ortega, who’d joined him, and I cursed when I saw the former bolting through the living room with his gun raised. Jesus Christ, the kid was reckless!
“Four down,” Ryan said. “Five.”
“Three down here,” Elliott added.
“Handful jumping out the windows this way,” Darius snapped.
“Holy fuck,” I heard Reese curse. “We need backup in the warehouse!”
I growled in frustration and kicked in the front door of the main house, immediately coming across two men. I fired two quick shots, and they dropped dead on the hallway rug.
“Kill them!” someone yelled. In English. Carillo?
For a moment, all I heard were bullets flying and windows shattering, then a handful of seconds of people shouting at once. Darius and Mercier threw themselves into the fight from behind the house, Ryan left his position to assist the twins, and I grabbed my sidearm. Fuck me if we hadn’t underestimated the number of cartel motherfuckers.
“These fuckers didn’t arrive to an empty house.” Elliott came to the same conclusion I did. They’d had people here already. “Crew and Ortega, do a quick sweep of the main house, then we’ll retreat to—” He stopped abruptly as a man stormed out from a room, and I killed him with a shot to the head. “Retreat to secure the warehouse!”
“Way ahead of you,” Crew panted. “No hostages in here!”
That was all I needed to know. “Move out!”
“Joel, wait outside,” he replied quickly. I heard him in my ear as much as I heard him coming down the hall around the corner. “I was hoping I’d get to do this. Ortega?”
“Out back!” Ortega answered.
“Main house clear of our guys.” Crew ran out toward me, and he threw a hand grenade behind him before he pushed me out the door. “Take cover!”
We darted out of the way and dove behind a car, just a second or two before an explosion went off.
“We’re not done!” Crew jumped to his feet, holding another grenade. “High-caliber rifle, baby. I throw, you shoot.”
Fucking hell—he was a genius.
I lifted my rifle once more and nodded to him. He threw the grenade toward the roof of the house, and I squeezed the trigger. Sucking in a sharp breath, I pushed Crew down on the ground again as the roof lit up with fire and got blasted with shrapnel. Shrapnel that blew out the windows of three nearby cars as well.
“Fuck, that was cool!” Crew yelled.
