Page 72 of Tactical Revival

I rip Margot behind me, putting her between the ocean and me as I scan the shoreline. “Why don’t you just break it down for me? The riddle you gave me was too complicated.”

“It was not. You’ve solved harder. A girl’s life is on the line, Payne, and you’re playing house with a harlot and her son.”

Anger burns in my veins, but I swallow it down. Right now, I need to stay levelheaded. Focused on getting him to reveal something—anything. “Then give me something else to go off of. Because I’ve been staring at that riddle since you had Lanetti tell it to me.” Frantically, I continue scanning the shoreline, looking for any sign that someone is out here with us. How does he see us?

“Here’s one for you. Hickory dickory dock, you’ve broken the clock. Time is up, the girl will drown, hickory dickory dock.” The call ends, so I shove the phone into my pocket and pull Margot up the beach. We make it ten steps when I hear the faint click of a pressure plate beneath my boot.

If I hadn’t been in combat zones, I might not have even noticed it. But I have been. And the realization that I may not walk away from this settles over me.

“Stop moving!” I yell, and she freezes. “Did you feel anything beneath your feet?”

“No. Just sand.”

Given that she’s barefoot, she would have felt it before I did. My phone rings again. Carefully, I reach into my pocket with the hand not holding Margot’s and pull it out, then press the button and put it to my ear, knowing without looking who will be on the other end of the line.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you,” the voice says. “Or it’s going to get messy.”

“You did this.”

“I gambled on your obsession with the harlot. You’d want to get her alone. I planned for it.”

“How did you know it would be us? Anyone could have wandered down here.”

“I suppose I just got lucky. Though I’d hoped it would be you watching her die. I suppose I’ll have to watch the show and see what happens next. Tick, tock, Payne.” The line ends.

“Stay where you are. Don’t move.” I pull up Michael’s contact and tap the screen.

“Where’d you go?” he asks.

“I need you to call Sheriff Vick and get a bomb squad down to the beach.”

“What happened?”

“I stepped on a land mine, and I’m not sure if Margot did, too.”

“On it. Don’t move.” He ends the call. I can’t risk glancing back at Margot, but I gently squeeze the hand that I’m still holding.

“A land mine?” she chokes out.

“It was a trap for you,” I tell her, “So I’d say I’m pretty grateful it was me who stepped on it and not you or anyone else.”

“Jaxson—”

“Stay calm, okay? It’s going to be fine. Not my first land mine.”

She chokes on a sob. “That doesn’t make it any better.”

“Just breathe.”

Just ahead, on the path we’d been coming down, Michael and Reyna race down the stairs. Michael has his phone to his ear, but he stops before stepping off the final stair, and I know it’s because he’s worried there are more.

“We came down that way,” I tell him. “But I wouldn’t risk it.”

“Sheriff Vick is on his way. They don’t have much in the way of a bomb squad, but he made a call and a team is headed here. He’s bringing metal detectors, so we should be able to get a good idea of where they are.”

If they’re made of metal. I don’t need him to finish the thought to understand just how much trouble we’re in. Depending on how this was made, we could be dealing with a crude plastic explosive that the detectors won’t pick up.

One wrong step from someone and—boom.

---