Page 69 of Emi's Hero

“Got one in my sights leaning against a tree,” George whispered.

“I’ve got the guy standing against the rock cliff on the left,” one of the other men said.

Emi guessed it was Rex.

“Devlin, Teller, take the guy on the right side of the building,” Hawk said. “Reid, stand by with the charges. Ready...go.”

Emi held her breath, awaiting an indication of how it was going. She got it when the sound of gunfire echoed against the mountainsides.

She pressed a hand to her mouth to keep from crying out.

“Guards neutralized,” Hawk said. “You’re up, Reid.”

A few moments later, Reid’s voice called out, “Fire in the hole!”

An explosion rocked the ground beneath Emi’s feet. She reached for Kalea’s hand.

The other woman gripped hers tightly.

“George, take point,” Hawk said. “Going in.”

Emi held her breath, waiting to hear more.

Silence stretched Emi’s nerves to the breaking point.

“I can’t,” Emi said and released Kalea’s hand. “I can’t just stand here and do nothing. Why aren’t they talking?”

“Their radio signals could be blocked by the concrete walls or the mountain,” Kalea said.

“What if they’re hurt?” Emi said. “I need to know.” She started walking up the road toward the compound.

“Wait,” Kalea said. “Give me a minute. I have a taser in my purse. I’ll go with you.”

Sara was in there. And now George was, too. She had to get close enough to at least see what was going on and help if she could.

Emi didn’t wait for Kalea but kept walking with the overwhelming feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.

CHAPTER 16

On point,George was first into the building, barely waiting for the dust to settle. If anything, it concealed his entry as he stepped past the door that had been reduced to rubble by Reid’s expert skills at demolition. The man’s BUD/S training was handy when it came to blowing shit up.

Fortunately, the explosion at the front of the compound hadn’t impacted the electrical system in other areas. The lights still worked, allowing George to move quickly from one section to the next.

The team spread out, checking each room for more mercenaries.

George went right. When he came to a corner in the corridor, he poked the tip of his rifle around it first.

Gunfire made him draw back. He lay on the floor with his rifle in front of him, then rolled into the corridor and fired, hitting his target in the knee.

The man went down, firing as he went, the bullets peppering the ceiling. When he hit the ground, he swung his weapon toward George.

Before the man could pull the trigger, George fired again.

The mercenary lay still.

George leaped to his feet and moved on to clear more rooms. He’d studied the drawing Sachie, the hypnotherapist, had made from Emi’s description of the corridors in the compound. When he found the corridor he suspected was the one that contained the room Emi and Sara had shared, he counted doors as he cleared each room until he arrived at the one he’d calculated was hers.

The door stood open.

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