Page 45 of Shadow of the Moon

“Hey, now, none of that. We’re going to get this fucker, and we’re going to save a lot of people. If I miss and he takes off, you’re the secondary, you understand? You chase him down and do what you have to do.”

“I will,” she breathed. “But you’re not going to miss.”

Dev gave her a crooked smile, appreciating the faith she had in him. Then he turned and moved back to the truck. Grabbing his pack, he swung it over his shoulders and fastened it tight over the Kevlar. He’d loaded as many mags as he had. His Beretta was in his thigh holster, and he would carry Requiem over his right shoulder. Strapping his helmet on, he mounted his NVGs so that he could navigate.

The legality of what he was doing bothered him for about three seconds. Yes, he was planning to kill a man without the protection of being in the SEALs. Probably more than one. But it was literally for the greater good. The one thing that Brown had come back with was that most of the targets on Regent’s list were confirmed to be places frequented by the wives and children of more than three dozen political leaders. Senators, Congressman, the Speaker of the house. The Vice President’s daughter attended Riverview Preparatory.

If he and Amberly failed and didn’t check in before morning, there was a plan in place. They would begin evacuating, but if they did, their hands would be tipped and it would all fall apart. Regent and his followers would disperse to the winds and they would have to start over.

It was now or never.

“I love you, Amberly,” he said quietly.

With an almost-sob, she threw her arms around him. “I know you do. I love you too. Come back to me.”

“I will, my heart.”

And he took off at a slow jog, dodging rocks and tree limbs with the help of the NVGs. No one would see him coming down the mountain, unless they had thermal optics. And unless they were actively hunting, thermals weren’t something most people carried.

Dev’s heart was thudding strongly, and he was glad he’d kept up with his physical conditioning as much as he had. As long as he didn’t break an ankle on a rock, he’d be good to go.

Dev made it to the base of the mountain and the ground began to level off. Skirting around a large herd of cattle, he made sure not to disturb them with his passing. He startled one mama with her calf nestled beneath a tree. They took off running.

“Most of the men seem to have settled on the porch of the cabin. I can’t tell if Regent is still there or not,” Amberly murmured after half an hour. “I’m going to start down the mountain.”

“Roger that,” he responded. He glanced back once from where he’d come and he thought he saw lights, then they disappeared. The Jeep had been parked so that the headlights wouldn’t draw attention when the vehicle was started.

After about an hour of steady jogging, he reached the inner perimeter of fence, around the corrals near the barn. Horses were more aware of their surroundings than cattle, and a few of them snorted at him as he moved close. Dev spoke softly to them, hoping they would think he was just another hand, out for a nightly stroll. They eventually settled down as he passed by.

Before he went over the final plank fence, he crouched behind a black rubber water trough and watched for movement. There were a few lights on in the barn, but it seemed like everything had been buttoned up for the night. It was going on eleven at night, so most people would be looking for their beds, he hoped.

Pulling the NVGs down, he looked away from the barn, into the night. It was quiet. Nothing moved, other than the animals, dozing lazily. Flipping the goggles back up, he jumped the fence and headed for the barn. As soon as he was inside, he flattened himself against the giant sliding door. Then he looked for a way to go up.

“Who are you?” a female voice demanded. “You’re in the wrong place.”

Dev had spun, Requiem half-raised, as soon as he heard the voice, and his heart sank. It was a young girl, maybe sixteen or seventeen, leaning on the top of a stall door. A gray mare stood behind her, ears pricked forward.

“You people know he’s up in the cabin. We’ve told you to stay away from the animals,” she continued. Then she narrowed her eyes as she looked him over. “You’re not with the Blade. Who are you? Are you going to take the asshole out?”

“Yes,” he said simply.

The girl grinned and gave a funny little dance. “Finally. If he tells me one more time I would be a good wife for one of his men, I was going to shoot him myself. You can do it for me.”

Dev snorted. “I’ll try. I’m trying to be quiet here, though.”

“Oh, yeah,” the girl’s voice dropped as she let herself out of the stall. “I get you. Can I help? He’s screwed my dad up.”

Dev looked at her. Typical ranch kid, dirty boots and jeans. “Your dad is Chris?”

She nodded. “Cole showed up about a month ago and started making himself at home, telling dad these crazy stories. Even I know they’re fake news.” She rolled her eyes for emphasis. “Dad’s had to take over the ranch, though, and he’s having problems with the DNR not renewing his lease and stuff.”

“I’m sorry.”

Dev felt ridiculous standing here in his full kit, weapon in hand, just tempting fate to send another fucking witness. “Listen, you need to go to the house and tuck in. Pretend you never saw me. You hear me?”

Threatening a kid was out of the question, but he could strenuously suggest.

“I hear you.” She glanced down at his gun, and something went over her face. “Wow, you really are here to shoot him. I think he’s doing bad things, so you should.”

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