Page 33 of The Fixer

“Drop your weapon,” the mercenary ordered, his voice cold.

Jake froze, his mind racing. Slowly, he lowered his Glock, setting it on the ground. “Let her go,” he said, his voice deadly calm. “She’s not your fight.”

The mercenary smirked. “She’s exactly my fight. And now, she’s my leverage.”

“Wrong move,” Reyna’s voice cut through the tension as she appeared at the side of the man, her rifle trained on his head. “Let her go, or I’ll paint the walls with your brains.”

The mercenary hesitated, his grip on Lyndsey faltering just enough. Jake lunged forward, grabbing the man’s wrist and twisting until the knife clattered to the floor. With a swift, brutal punch, Jake sent the mercenary sprawling.

Lyndsey stumbled back, her hands trembling as Jake pulled her close. “You okay?” he asked, his voice rough.

She nodded, her breath hitching. “I am now.”

Reyna lowered her rifle, her grin sharp. “Told you we’d kick their asses.”

Jake didn’t respond, his focus entirely on Lyndsey. Her hands clutched his shirt, her eyes searching his. “I thought...” she began, but her voice broke.

“You’re safe,” Jake said, his tone soft but firm. “I’ve got you.”

As the adrenaline began to ebb, Lyndsey sagged against him, her relief palpable. Jake held her tighter. Lang had made this personal, and Jake wasn’t going to stop until the man paid for every threat, every danger, and every moment of fear he’d put Lyndsey through.

Reyna’s sharp eyes scanned the security monitor feeds, her rifle held loosely in her grip. “Well,” she said with a cynical laugh, “looks like our uninvited guests invited some additional friends to the party.”

Lyndsey peered over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of the monitor. Figures moved through the trees, their silhouettes dark and ominous against the dimly lit forest.

Jake’s jaw tightened, his Glock already in his hand. “They’re gearing up for a full assault. We can’t hold them off here.”

Reyna glanced at him, her voice edged with urgency. “We need to move now. If they get any closer, we’ll lose our window.”

Lyndsey swallowed hard. “Where do we go?”

Jake turned to her, his expression unreadable but calm. “We stick to the plan. Get to the SUV and head for the secondary safe house.”

Reyna stood, slinging her rifle over her shoulder. “You sure? They’ll expect us to run.”

“They might,” Jake said, his voice hard, “but they won’t expect us to make it out alive. All we need to do is get to the SUV in the shed.”

Lyndsey forced herself to nod, steeling her resolve and grabbing her laptop. “Then, let’s go.”

The forest around them was alive with danger as the trio made their way to the shed where the SUV was parked. Jake moved like a shadow, his every step deliberate, while Reyna covered their rear, her sharp eyes scanning for movement. Lyndsey stayed between them, clutching the key fob tightly in her hand.

When they reached the shed, Jake motioned for silence. He opened the door slowly, his Glock raised, but the space was clear. “Lyndsey, you’re driving.”

She froze, staring at him. “Me? Are you sure?”

Reyna’s head snapped around. “What? She’s not...”

“She did great yesterday,” Jake cut her off, his tone brooking no argument. “Better she drives while we cover her.”

Reyna’s lips twitched, but she didn’t argue further. “Fine. But if she crashes and we all go up in flames, I’m blaming you.”

Lyndsey didn’t have time to feel insulted. “Ignore her,” said Jake. “You’ve got this. Stick to the shoreline until I tell you to head for the main road.”

Her hands trembled as she slid into the driver’s seat, but the force of Jake’s confidence in her steadied her. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

They got inside the SUV and with a nod from Jake, Lyndsey started the engine, and it roared to life, shattering the forest’s quiet. Lyndsey’s heart pounded as she guided the SUV out of the shed and onto the narrow dirt path leading to the lake. Sheflicked her gaze to the rearview mirror, catching a glimpse of Jake and Reyna in the backseat, their weapons ready.

“Movement to the left,” Reyna called, her voice sharp.

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