Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Shay had been missing long enough for a lot of trauma to set in.
“You know you can talk to me whenever, buddy.”
He nodded once. “That’s the thing, I guess. I wanna be prepared too.” He cleared his throat and attached his gun to his belt. “The nightmares suck, but they’ve got nothing on the anger. I want to—I want revenge. I wanna make sure this never happens again.”
I released a breath, knowing full well. Unfortunately, he was still in survivor mode. The worst of the trauma hadn’t hit him yet, and it wouldn’t until he got home and was suddenly surrounded by familiarity, peace and quiet, and loved ones. That was when panic and anxiety struck, when he began feeling like he didn’t belong anymore, when he couldn’t relate to the carefree behavior of everyone around him.
“You know what?” I said. “I think you should suggest to River and Reese that y’all come with us after this. Stay with us in Washington for a week or two, and we can talk till our ears bleed, there’s plenty of forest to take your anger out on—we have a shooting range too.”
Something seemed to click—he lost tension in his shoulder, and a pinch of relief seeped into his eyes. “I’d actually really like that. As much as I miss my brothers and aunt, I don’t think I can face them right now. I talked to them on the phone yesterday, and my aunt wants to fuss over me and plan a bunch of fun activities. I almost lashed out.”
Yup, been there. I’d felt suffocated when I’d been surrounded by family and everyday issues. My kid brothers had complained about being out of milk, and I’d wanted to scream at them—there are kids out there who’ve been taken, who are being tortured and sold off as slaves, and you’re angry we’re out of fucking milk?
I hadn’t screamed at them. I’d run away instead.
“Your reaction is completely normal,” I told him. “The good thing is you have River and Reese. Just like I had Darius—they know how to help you rise above this. It’s gonna be painful, and you’ll roller-coaster between anger, despair, grief…all of it. But whatever you do, don’t shut them out.”
He exhaled a laugh, his eyes turning glassy in the dim light from the inside of the car. “I won’t. It’s possible Darius told me about the time you tried to run away from him.”
Yeah… “Thank fuck he chased after me.” I grinned. “I have all the faith you’ll grow even stronger from this hell, Shay. And the bonus? We get to help others who’ve shared our fate.”
“That’s what I really want,” he said. “It blows to stay behind, but I don’t wanna worry River and Reese now.”
“We’re not staying behind. Rescue is an essential part—trust me.” I held up one of the backpacks for him. “Whether it’s only Blake and Marisa or there are others, they’ll need us. You ready for a quick rundown?”
“Yeah—absolutely.”
“Okay, so…” We didn’t have much time, so I opened my bag and got right to it. “Same stuff in your bag. First aid, shock blankets—since we’re rescuing at least one child, I bought a few stuffed animals and Band-Aids for kids. Water, orange juice, energy bars, earplugs—we don’t know how long they’ll be exposed to gunfire, but only use them if it’s safe; it’s hardly a priority—sandwiches for later, some children’s candy, and tools we might need. If you come across someone who’s bleeding heavily, can’t breathe, or is nonverbal, come get me right away.”
“Got it, I will.” He nodded.
“But all this comes in second,” I went on. “Top priority is getting victims to safety, and then we’ll examine them.”
“Understood.”
Elliott Jones
There goes the last light.
I turned on my earpiece. “Jones online.”
“RQ online,” Ryan said.
“Gray online,” Gray said.
Everyone else followed. We were ready.
Ramirez confirmed he heard us all.
My stomach tightened with last-minute nerves, and I would’ve chain-smoked on the way if we didn’t have to worry about the smell reaching our targets. Joel was the freaking weatherman now, keeping track of everything between humidity and the direction of the wind.
“Let’s move out, everyone,” I said. “Remember, only speak when necessary—and shoot to kill, except for Carillo. Lights off, and Gray and Shay, you stay a minimum of twenty yards behind Darius and Mercier.”
I signaled to Joel and Reese, with Joel taking the lead, me following, and Reese going third.
Ryan headed first for the other side of the mountain, Crew hot on his tail, with River trailing after.
Ortega, Mercier, and Darius approached straight ahead.
In under ten seconds, the others were out of sight, and I had to let my eyes adjust to the darkness.
We’re coming, darling. Just a few more minutes.
I lowered my night vision monocular and picked up the pace to keep up with Joel. I was gonna keep an eye on him till everyone was safe. Knowing him, he’d risk his life to bring Blake back, and that wasn’t good enough. Those two had to go home together. If anyone was risking their life, it was me.