Page 106 of Second Chance Savior

The four of us went around to the front of the house, where Brynn’s car was waiting on the driveway. Brynn walked Jud toward the vehicle. She opened the door to the backseat.

I noticed a faint buzzing sound overhead. River looked up at the same moment.

I squinted. There was a small, dark blob hovering far above us in the air.

“Fuck. That’s a surveillance drone.” River grabbed me, starting to push me toward the house. “We’ve been spotted!” he shouted. “Get out of sight! Get down!”

Before Brynn could react, a gunshot cracked the air like a whip. It had come from the forest. Blood sprayed, and Jud collapsed sideways against the car.

No.

Brynn shoved away from him, drawing her weapon andfiring at the woods as she ran back toward the house. Her lips moved before her scream reached my ears.

“Fall back!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

River

The windowson Brynn’s car spiderwebbed and shattered as she ran for the house. Slinging my rifle around on its strap and flicking the safety, I dashed out to help cover her.

There was movement as two gunmen appeared from the woods. I picked them off.

“Get inside! Go!” I shouted at Charlie, who was hesitating behind me. Reaching out for her friend. Brynn passed me, grasping onto Charlie’s hand.

Still firing, I jogged backward until I’d reached the doorway to the house and ducked inside.

Brynn and Charlie were here. Charlie’s eyes were wide, and she grabbed hold of me as I slammed the door shut. I scanned for injuries.

“You’re alright?”

“Yes. You?”

Adrenaline had me flying, hungry for vengeance and blood. They’d found us. Stillwater had fucking found us.

No—I’d let us stay here too damn long. And now Jud Hale was lying dead because of it. Those gunmen had beenkitted out military-style. Stillwater mercenaries. Not just the foot soldiers we’d faced at the botanic gardens in Denver.

Somehow, they’d figured out that we were here. But we didn’t have time to stop and wonder how.Protect Charlie. Get her out.That was my priority.

“We need to keep going,” Brynn said. “Out the back, before they surround us and cut off the exits.”

“Agreed.” The shots had all been coming from the woods on the west side of the property. Stillwater had come up from the valley, avoiding the road and approaching from the side. Probably had determined it would take too long to ascend the mountain and come down on us from above. Which was a damn good thing. We still had the high ground, and we had to keep it.

But they knew for sure that Charlie was here. Because that drone had no doubt spotted her.

“We head for the art studio,” I said. “Get to the ATV.”

We dashed through the living room, making a straight line through the house to the back door. I went out first. We’d left our packs here, so I hauled the heavier one onto my back. Charlie put on the other. Then Brynn and I stayed on either side of Charlie as we ran. I fired my rifle to lay down cover.

I swiveled back and forth, picking off another two mercenaries that came into view. But more replaced them.

Gunshots rained, smacking into nearby tree trunks. Splinters erupted into the air.

Fuck, we couldn’t make it to the studio. We were taking heavy fire.

“Archery range,” I said, signaling to the right. We changed course, sprinting.

Bullets thudded into the wooden beams just as we disappeared behind the sun shelter. We lay flat in the dirt. I grabbed my ammo to reload. “From what I’ve seen and thefire we’re taking, they’ve got at least a dozen operatives. I’ve killed four so far.”

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