Page 66 of What I Should Have Done

Rounding the corner, my heart in my throat, I emerged onto the top floor.

Nothing.

My shoulders fell as we swept the completely empty, single room. Not even a closet door graced us. Stepping carefully over each floorboard, we listened for the sound of something hollow. I kicked at a dusty rug that was already rolled up on one side, but still nothing. All the furniture that might have graced this room was long gone.

Dom lowered his rifle and shook his head. Disappointment flooded my system, damming up all adrenaline.

“What the fuck?” Ford cursed under his breath.

“Fuck!” Bernie shouted and jogged around the edge of the room, shoving at the walls, hoping that the cement would give way to something.

“He’s not here. No one has been here in years. Are you sure this is where the coordinates led?” Dom glanced at Duncan. All my companion did was nod, his face hidden behind the goggles and balaclava we all donned.

Then the first unusual sound pierced the emptiness around us.

Faint static.

Dom held up a fist and we all immediately froze.

But the white noise wasn’t coming from this room. No, it was directly in my ear. The radio. Our comms were engaging. My brows pulled together as the buzzing whispered through my earpiece again.

Two jolting cracks thundered through the night air.

“MIKEY!” Scottie’s voice suddenly screamed from the comms.

Panic shot into my veins. Without a second thought, I slung the rifle over my back and spun on my heels. Wind whistled against my cheeks. Sprinting, I pounded down the stairs. Shouting from my team fell on my deaf ears as I tore back out through the house with one purpose in mind.

Gunfire. Two gunshots had preceded Scottie’s desperate cry for me. She hadn’t even used my callsign like she was supposed to.

My vision blurred. Urgency coated my skin as slick as the sweat pouring from my body.

Scottie.

Thompson was with her, but the only thing on my mind was racing across this hell-forsaken town to reach her.

Sand crunched underneath my boots.

My bulletproof vest slapped against my chest.

Cold concrete beneath my palms seared into my skin as I hurdled over a wall.

A damn distraction. That’s what our portion of the mission had been.

Scottie.

Was she dead?

I had to get there.

I should have already been there.

What I should have done was send Jacob with the team.

I should have been the one protecting her.

This was my fault. I’d distracted her with my own selfish desires.

But all I wanted now was to make sure she was safe.

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