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He barely registered the chopper lifting off. Darkness swallowed them, making it impossible for him to make out the world below. He had to trust Modeen to know what he was doing. Following a pin on a map was easy for the experienced pilot.
He skimmed his gaze over the rifle that Noah brought. Knowing they had it on hand eased his mind a bit more. If Ethan refused to stop, Modeen could swoop low enough for them to shoot out the tires.
Belle’s life didn’t just hover inhishands. The team had his six men, as many as any platoon. And back at the office, an entire group was supporting them by feeding them information that blasted into his comms device with updates every minute.
He tightened his fist on his thigh. He could have explained his position to Belle. She would have understood. So why hadn’t he?
He’d only resisted in the name of duty. If he weren’t so black-and-white, so married to this job and all the others he performed before it, she wouldn’t have run away from him. He wouldn’t have made the gravest error of his life by giving her space.
Bringing his fist to his lips, he pressed the soft flesh into his teeth just to feel the pain. It grounded him enough to keep him from completely losing his shit.
The helicopter lights cut through the blackness. The treetops sped by below. When Declan spotted the gray streak of road, his gut lurched.
“We’re getting close,” Modeen confirmed via comms. “Josiah, where are we in relation to that pin?”
“Less than a minute.”
The declaration hit Declan’s brain. In a blink, he had a plan in place.
“Get as close as you can to them, Modeen. Do you have a bullhorn to order them to stop?”
“Yup.”
He looked too Noah. “If they don’t, then get us as close as you can. Noah, there are four tires on the back of that thing. Are you a good enough shot to take out one tire without sending them into an accident? Belle cannot be injured in the rescue.”
“I got you, Dec.”
He gave his teammate a hard nod. “I’ll jump out. The rest of you take my lead.”
No one called him rookie or questioned his authority.
He clenched his jaw, breathing shallowly as he waited for the moment that RV popped into view.
“I got a bead on it.” Modeen’s statement had Declan’s head whipping toward the windshield. When he saw the steep drop-offs on either side of the road, his chest burned.
“Change of plan! Can you get ahead of it and land? That asshole might drive them off the cliff. Or if Noah takes the shot, both tires on that side might blow. They’ll wreck and be in the same danger. I need her alive!”
“On it.” Modeen picked up some speed and looped around.
Declan pulled his weapon and checked the chamber.Game on, motherfucker,he mentally threw down to Belle’s ex.
The chopper dropped lower and lower with every foot they traveled through the air. Then it hovered for just a moment before Modeen set it down with all the finesse of a graceful bird touching a wire.
Declan was already in motion, hurling open the hatch and leaping to the ground. The rime of ice on the road almost planted him on his ass, but his boots got purchase and he sprinted for the center of the road as soon as the RV’s headlights careened around a turn.
At first, the RV didn’t slow, but he held the line along with the men flanking him in a WEST Protection standoff.
“He’s not gonna stop,” Josiah said.
“Men like Ethan love themselves too much to die. He’ll stop.” Declan braced himself just as the driver stepped on the brakes.
The big vehicle swayed on the icy mountain road but thankfully did not spin out of control and pitch down the mountainside.
He ran forward, weapon up. The brilliant lights of the chopper and the RV’s headlights blinded him from seeing through the windshield, but he was prepared for Ethan to be armed too.
“Each of you take the front doors! I’ll take the back and get Belle!” He bolted for the side of the vehicle. When he found the door locked, he raised his weapon but then realized how risky it was to shoot the lock off. The bullet could hit Belle.
A small metal step up to the door gave him enough of an advantage that when he rammed his shoulder into the door, he felt the lock give. A second hard shove made it break away.
