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Garrett and Jac both nodded.
As the team advanced toward their objective, Cash couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding crawl up his spine. This was personal for all of them, and the stakes had never been higher. The man they were about to confront had once stood by the side of several of them - now he threatened everything they held dear. It made him unpredictable and extra dangerous. They would notunderestimate him because they were already at a disadvantage with their emotions involved.
The cold night wind whipped around them as they approached the bunker. With each step closer, the tension in the air grew thicker, the gravity of their mission bearing down on them like a crushing weight. As Levi reached for the door handle, his heart pounded in his chest, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions... and good, healthy fear.Need to shut it down and focus.
And then, without warning, a deafening explosion ripped through the night, shaking the ground beneath their feet and sending them reeling backward. A fireball erupted from the warehouse they expected to be Walker’s bunker, its flames reaching for the sky as if grasping for vengeance.
“Get down!” Jac shouted, throwing himself to the ground and shielding his face from the blast. His ears rang with the sound of the explosion, his vision blurred by the blinding light. As the dust settled and the team struggled to regain their bearings, the reality of what had just happened began to sink in.
Their target had known they were coming, and now he had vanished in a fiery blaze. But it wasn’t over yet. They needed proof he didn’t just blow up an empty building and that the man they had thought inside was indeed Walker and he was indeed dead. If he had escaped, they would find him. No matter where Walker was hiding, or what he had planned next, they would find him.
Chapter 22
The black SUVs rolled to a stop, headlights cutting through the darkness. Jac’s gaze fixed on the ramshackle barn where Kaden’s drone had identified that Walker or someone had ended up. He wasn’t alone this time. Hell, it might not have even been Walker in the blown-up building but it didn’t matter because the drone identified him or a person a mile down the road meeting up with several men and holing up in this old barn.
Levi was fucking mad. It took twenty minutes for his ears to stop ringing but at least he hadn’t gotten more than a few scratches and the rest were far enough back to avoid real injury. His jaw clenched. This ended tonight, but it wasn’t going to be easy.
“We go in hard and fast,” Jac said, steel in his voice. “Take no chances. Shoot to kill.”
His team nodded, faces grim. They’d been waiting for this moment. It was an order Jac had never given.
Jac caught Callie’s eye. “You and Garrett take the south entrance. Clear anyone in your path. We’ll hit the front.”
They gave a sharp nod and slipped into the shadows, their footfalls silent.
Levi’s heart hammered against his ribs, as he was sure everyone was experiencing. Lives depended on their precision, and they had the skill to make this happen.
“Let’s move,” he growled.
They rushed the barn doors in perfect sync, a well-oiled, well-practiced machine. Shouts rang out as they breached the entrance, guns sweeping side to side. Two of Walker’s men dropped before they could blink. Levi barely registered he’d brought down one of them. It was a means to an end he would later deal with.
But Walker was nowhere to be seen. He wouldn’t have recognized him if Sharlee hadn’t sent over a likeness on their way to this spot. Where was he? He and Jac advanced, knowing each team member was covering their area with precision. They would find him.
A shotgun blast split the air. Jac dove behind a crate as splinters exploded around him. Levi took cover nearby. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. He fired back, nailing the gunman between the eyes.
“Walker!” Jac bellowed. “This ends now!”
Mad laughter echoed through the barn. “I’ve been waiting for you, old friend.”
Walker stepped from the shadows; wild eyes fixed on Jac. In his grip, a knife glinted at Callie’s throat.
Fuck. Levi’s blood turned to ice. Callie’s eyes were wide with fear, her body rigid, but she was a skilled operative. She would not make a wrong move. Where the fuck was Garrett? Fear of the fate his teammate may have met tried to overtake him, but he pushed it aside.
“Let her go, Walker,” Jac said through gritted teeth. “Your fight is with me.”
Walker pressed the knife harder, drawing a thin line of blood. Callie hissed.
Garrett appeared behind them but didn’t move closer. Blood was dripping down along his face, matted in his hair, but he was upright and good to go as far as he could see.
“Drop the gun, or she dies,” Walker hissed.
Jac hesitated, his mind racing. Levi knew Jac couldn’t risk Callie’s life, but not all the men were in this room, which meant there was additional backup. Also, seeing that Walker was not accompanied by any of the men they’d identified on the drone, meant he might not have backup. Much better. With a curse, Jac lowered his weapon with a signal of hold. The team had created their own signals, knowing that other military personnel would not understand them. It had been a good move.
“Good boy.” Walker smirked. “Now put it on the ground and kick it over.”
Jac complied, the gun skidding across the floor just short of Walker’s feet. If Walker wanted the gun, he’d have to go down and lean over. Levi and Carter, who was hidden behind some ancient farming equipment, kept their sights trained on their enemy, waiting for an opening.
Suddenly, a shot rang out from above. Walker howled, the knife clattering away as he clutched his shoulder. Mark stood in the loft, proverbial smoking gun in hand.
