Page 92 of Cruel Love

Lilah holds up a hand, signaling for us to stop. I look ahead at the man rounding the house. As he disappears out of sight, Archer continues forward, but Lilah quickly stops him again. We duck down just as a second man appears from the far side of the house and Lilah points forward with an obvious annoyance on our part.

“Wasps,” she whispers again as if that’s supposed to mean something to us. She rolls her eyes when we don’t get it. “They patrol in threes. When one exits, the other comes in. Leave no area unmanned for more than a second.”

Archer nods. “So, we pull back? Call the others? Yes?”

She tilts her head and smirks at him. “Well, aren’t you precious?”

He sighs.

“The security hub should be just beyond the porch,” I say, pointing forward. “Little gray box.”

Lilah nods. “Okay, be right back.”

Archer’s hands twitch as she exits the brush. My gut twinges with sympathy for him. I remember with perfect clarity every time Caleb used to rush into danger headfirst. Front row center. That’s my Caleb.

I pat his shoulder in a show of support.

The bushes surrounding us shake as a body slams to the ground beside me. I tumble back, biting my tongue to keep from shouting. A moist gurgling sound exhales from the man’s throat before he finally lays down in silent death.

Lilah appears over us. “One down,” she says.

I shake the jitters off as she bends down out of sight with us. Another man comes around the house a second later, missing her completely. She timed it all perfectly.

She unclips the man’s vest and slides it off his giant arms, along with his knife and the pistol strapped to his side.

“Is that Kevlar?” I ask.

“Yeah,” she says as she throws it on over her shoulders.

“Can I have it?”

She chuckles. “You won’t need it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Nope.” She slides the knife into the holster clipped to her shoulder and attaches the sidearm to her hip. “When I say so, run for the hub.”

I blink as she grabs my arm and pulls me up to my feet along with her. She shoves me forward onto the lawn and my guts sink as the other agent takes notice.

Lilah, what the hell are you—

“Hey!” she calls out to him as she nudges me. “We got a trespasser.”

The agent hesitates a second, looking from me to her and back again. “I’ll call it in,” he says with suspicious eyes.

He turns his back on us as he reaches for his radio.

“Run,” Lilah says, letting me go.

I take off, rushing straight past him.

“Hey—”

His voice stops, interrupted by a loud cracking noise. I don’t look back. I don’t even want to know what made that sound.

I sprint forward on light feet toward the porch, slowing down as I near the corner just in case I run into anybody. If Lilah’s correct, then there’s a third guard out here somewhere and it’s only a matter of seconds before they show up.

I reach the security hub and stop, turning back to check on the others. They arrive a few seconds behind me, Archer now carrying the other agent’s gear and tactical vest.

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