Page 62 of How Much For a Life of Lies?

Before I could finish my sentence, Captain Halliday raised her hand, silencing me. “We don’t operate on ‘buts,’ we operate on facts and intel.”

I nodded, swallowing hard. “Yes, ma’am.”

There was a tense standoff as we locked eyes, each of us unwilling to back down. But then, after what felt like an eternity, Captain Halliday must have read into my desperate need to do something, because her expression softened. She nodded, turning to her team and talking low before facing me again.

“Our primary objective is recon and assessment. We do not engage unless absolutely necessary. Understood?”

I nodded again, my resolve strengthening. “Understood, Captain.”

With her approval, the team sprang into action, breaking into threes to infiltrate the target area, each team member hyper-aware of our surroundings as we crept closer to the target. The terrain was rugged, the air thick with tension as we advanced through the darkness, and every rustle of leaves or twig snap set my nerves on edge. But I forced myself to stay focused, to block out the fear and doubt threatening to overwhelm me.

As we reached the outskirts of the compound, Captain Halliday signaled for us to halt, her fist held up. We crouched low, blending into the shadows as we surveyed the area ahead.

I could make out the outlines of buildings and structures, the faint glow of lights casting eerie shadows across the landscape, no different to what I’d seen when I’d done surveillance. My heart pounded as I searched for any sign of movement, any clue that Kai might be nearby.

“Stay sharp,” Captain Halliday whispered. “We don’t know what we’re walking into—this is a retrieval.”

I nodded, my grip tightening on my weapon as we prepared to move forward. With each step, the tension mounted. A faint sound caught my attention, a low rumble in the distance that set my pulse racing. I glanced at Captain Halliday, but she shook her head, indicating it was nothing to worry about, but something wasn’t right, and I couldn’t shake the feeling we were walking into a trap.

As we edged closer to the compound, the noise grew louder, a deafening roar reverberating through the night air. And then, without warning, the ground beneath us erupted in a violent explosion, sending shockwaves rippling through the earth.

I was unbalanced, flat in the dirt, my ears ringing as debris rained down around me. I could see Captain Halliday shouting orders through the smoke and dust, and it was hard to hear over the chaos.

“Move! Get to cover!” she yelled, her words lost in the cacophony of destruction.

With adrenalin coursing through my veins, I scrambled to my feet, my training kicking in as I sprinted for the nearest shelter. Bullets whizzed past me as I dove for cover, my heart racing as I fought to regain my bearings.

In the midst of the chaos, one thought consumed my mind: find Kai. No matter what it took, I had to find and bring him home. And as the CSOC/hostiles firefight raged around us, I took the first opportunity to get inside.

I headed down the first corridor, no idea of where I was going, making a mental note of direction, and finding the comm room, a tall man—Yuri—handcuffed to a ring in the floor, and fuck…

My heart sank at the sight of Kai crumpled on the floor, blood staining his clothes. Without hesitation, I rushed to his side, my fingers trembling as I checked for a pulse. Relief flooded through me when I felt the faint beat beneath my touch.

“Kai,” I whispered, my voice choked with emotion. “Hang in there, buddy. Help is on the way.” I levered an arm under him, and he lurched to stand.

“Zach…”

“I help!” Yuri demanded. He rattled the cuffs, and Kai coughed.

“Friendly,” he managed with a sense of urgency.

I scanned the room, searching for any sign of a key or a way to free Yuri from his restraints. My eyes fell on a set of keys lying on the desk nearby, but if I let this man go, what next? He worked for Kozlov, he?—

“Friendly,” Yuri repeated what Kai said, frowning, rattling the damn cuffs again.

Keeping my gun on him, I grabbed the keys and unlocked the handcuffs. He took Kai’s other arm, supporting him. There was no sign of other weapons, and between the three of us, we only had my gun. Not a good start.

Time was running out. We were surrounded by chaos, gunfire echoing through the room as the firefight raged outside. I had to act fast if I wanted to get Kai out of there alive, and the friendly who was not my responsibility. My mind raced ahead to our next move. “We need to get out of here.”

Together, with Kai’s body limp between us as he tried to walk, we made our way towards the corridor I’d come in on. The firefight outside had intensified, the sound of bullets thudding into walls around us as we rushed through the compound.

As we stumbled into the night air, the relief of escaping was short-lived as we faced a new threat. Kozlov stood before us, his weapon aimed at our heads, and at his side was Indigo, her eyes glinting with malice.

“Looks like our luck just ran out,” I muttered.

Indigo stepped forward, a knife in one hand, a gun in the other, and a wicked smile playing across her lips. “Yuri?” she sneered. “Traitor.”

I tensed, readying myself for whatever came next. Yuri moved with lightning speed. In one swift motion, he tackled Indigo, and they grappled for her weapon, which fired between them, the sound of the gunshot echoing through the night air as Indigo crumpled, a pool of blood spreading beneath her.

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