Page 60 of Operation: Return

Erica gripped her chair and the tablet and pen fell to the floor. She hadn’t expected him to move so fast.

“Why don’t you wait and I’ll call in the other Guardian. We can see which of you is the issue.” Though Brendon’s wording was a question, it was a statement. “Sit.”

“I think you need to check yourself, solider.” Frank pulled his gun and aimed it at Brendon.

Brendon pulled his own as Erica screamed. She closed her eyes and dropped to the floor as a shot rang out and Frank ran from the room.

ChapterTwenty-Three

Cole shrugged into the vest Dominic had handed him then checked his weapon. The ballistic vest felt strange pressing snuggly to him after so many years of being out of the military. There was no need for them at Wayside. Not usually.

“You up for this?” Dominic flicked the magazine release on his pistol, checked it, then clicked it back into place with the heal of his hand before holstering it then systematically checking his other weapons.

“As much as I can be. It’s not like you forget.” There were days he woke up with certain scents in his nose reminding him of his time overseas. Those reminders would lead his brain down a task list he would never outlive.

Dominic grabbed his walkie and made an announcement to his men ordering Frank to go to Brendon’s office. “There, the clock is now ticking. Let’s get moving.”

They both headed out on foot around the perimeter of Wayside, outside where all the men had been stationed to watch. They would cut toward Lakely once they got past the tree coverage, since they’d be out in the open no matter which way they went.

After a few minutes, Frank’s reply came through.

Cole waited and glanced around, since they were already close to the area where the security cameras had caught the image of Frank heading back toward Wayside. “Five minutes? He could be in the area.”

Both Cole and Dominic froze and listened for any movement nearby. Heading toward anywhere from eight to ten armed men was dangerous anyway, but encountering one by surprise would ruin the plan. Everything hinged on their ability to surprise the men holding Pete hostage.

They slowly moved through the thinning trees toward the Lakely place, Dominic covering his back. The closer they came to the area where the underground hideouts were, the more his senses came alive. He focused on every step to avoid making noise. Every breath was controlled.

A shot whizzed by Cole’s head and he rushed for cover. Dominic separated, heading for another tree and aiming in the direction the bullet had come. Cole inched out from his protected spot behind the tree but saw no one.

Dominic motioned for him to wait there so they could see what would happen next. After a minute, Cole slowly left the cover of the tree and suddenly shots peppered the area. Cole dove to the next tree for cover, but they couldn’t go far before they’d be out in the open.

Cole took a shot at the outline of a man ahead in dark clothing that looked like the men on the security footage. He hadn’t wanted to shoot if he didn’t have to, since he didn’t know where Pete was.

Dominic used the distraction to move from his cover, then he took aim giving Cole time to advance. He caught sight of one man, but where were the others? If there were a group of men like they’d seen, they could easily outman and outgun Cole and Dominic, but no one made a move.

Cole inched in closer to Dominic. He whispered, “What do you think? It’s odd that they keep falling back. They have more men, why aren’t they using them?”

Dom nodded. “I had the same thought. We’re being drawn toward that house again and away from those openings in the ground. They should be a little less than one click to the north.”

“I agree. Let’s try to move that way and see if this guy follows us or if he’ll be more aggressive with his tactic.”

Dominic nodded and motioned for Cole to cover him. Cole aimed at the last known location of the gunman and fired, drawing his attention to let Dominic get headed in the right direction.

The man returned fire, narrowly missing Cole. He hadn’t been in a situation where he had to think about every second, every move, in a long time. But he’d also never had the background thought that he was doing this for his son.

His son.

The gunman took another shot, hitting Cole in the chest. The armor prevented the bullet from penetrating, but the force knocked him back and felt like he’d been hit with a battering ram.

“You hit?” Dominic mouthed from a few yards away.

Cole motioned that he was fine and for Dominic to cover him so he could make his way over. Dominic drew the shooter’s fire and Cole had seconds to get off the ground and move to the new location.

The house was in sight now. They could go back to the right and engage the shooter, go left toward the bunkers, or forward and reach the house. “Do you think they took him inside now that we’ve been here and it’s safe? Or would they take him back underground?” Dominic asked as he replaced an empty magazine with a full one.

“It wouldn’t make any sense for them to come out of hiding just to go right back down. Either they had a car hidden nearby and they’ve left, or they are in the barn, house or other outbuildings. But I don’t think they went back down the holes,” Dominic answered.

“Good, because I wasn’t looking forward to going down there.”

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