Page 140 of Exposé

Remember your training...

This is my team.

I'm the one they rely on.

We have to keep moving.

We have to keep fighting.

My hand fumbles over my comms across my chest and presses the button, my breaths heaving out of my wounded lungs. “This is Nighthawk. We’ve taken heavy contact—IED detonation at Bravo checkpoint. One KIA, multiple wounded. We need immediate exfil, over.”

The radio hisses before Tanner's voice crackles through. “Nighthawk, copy. What’s your grid? Over.”

I blink through the smoke, fingers already moving to the GPS on my vest. “Grid coordinate two-six-niner, tango-zero-four-five. Hot zone, repeat, HOT ZONE. Hostiles could be moving in. Request CASEVAC bird, guns up. How copy?”

“Solid copy, Nighthawk. Bird’s spinning up now. ETA seven mikes. Can you hold that long?”

I glance at Baker’s body, cold and broken in the sand. My grip on the comm tightens.

“We’ll hold. Get that bird here fast. I need guns on station, danger close. Over.”

“Roger that. Blackout inbound with gunship escort. Hold tight.”

The line goes dead, leaving nothing but the cries of my men behind.

Seven minutes.

It might as well be a goddamn lifetime.

A heavy exhale punched out of me the moment it hit a hundred percent with a successful transfer. With a grunt, I pulled the flash drive free and tucked it into my back pocket before bringing up Keith's email how it was and putting his computer to sleep.

Leave no traces.

Except for the security team no doubt running this way by now.

With long, determined steps, I swung open the door and made my way through the cubicles, snagging a random USB off an agent’s desk, then punching the button for the elevator.

Clear.

I released the breath I'd held, my shoulders falling.

That fucker got my team ambushed.

It's not just about Ava now...

But let's see what kind of destruction she can cause...

"Agent Barlowe."

I paused at the sound of my name, my blood running ice cold.

Fuck.

They move quick.

Forcing my shoulders to relax, I turned, facing Keith with two agents walking toward me.

My vision blurred into an inferno. I clenched my fist in my pocket.

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