Page 82 of One Way Out

Ridge grumbles under his breath but finally nods. “You just want to make sure I miss all the fun.”

The sounds of gravel crunching under tires fill the air.

I spin back to Valor, but Omen is gone.

“Where the fuck is your partner?” I ask as my eyes bug.

He was silent as hell wherever he disappeared to. Then again, we’re all barefoot, which is inconvenient. I’m used to fighting in my boots, and they’re a last-ditch weapon if necessary.

Valor shrugs. “He likes to climb and take people out from above. It’s kind of his thing, but don’t worry. He knows how to keep himself alive.”

“He fucking better. Saylor is not dealing with the agony of a broken bond. Not on my watch.” I slap Valor in the gut and take off. “You take the east side of the house. I’ll take the west.”

* * *

My back flattens against the front wall of the house. I regulate my breathing and wait for the steady calm that kicks in when it’sgo time.

The SUVs pull up side-by-side, and I peek around the edge to see if the drivers pop out too. If not, that could lead to a car chase in the middle of the German countryside.

There’s no way we’ll be able to stay here after this. We’re going to have to bail and find somewhere else to hunker down until we can secure Valor’s and Omen’s papers.

Four bodies spill from the vehicle on my side. I flatten against the wall again, but I try to tilt my head enough to see if the other vehicle holds the same number.

I’m right-handed.

I prefer to keep my gun in my dominant hand and a tactical knife in my left for close-quarters combat.

When it came down to it, I had to holster my gun to pull Amato’s gun arm down. Then I was able to slit his throat without any complications. I could have taken a shot at him, but there’s always a risk when you can’t see what’s on the other side of whatever you’re aiming at. The bullet could have gone right through him, and I couldn’t tell where the others were at that moment.

Being outnumbered eight to four isn’t bad odds, especially when we know they’re coming, but Ridge is mostly out of this fight unless additional enemies approach from the rear.

I’m counting on Omen and Valor to understand the advantage we have in stealth. The moment the first shot rings out, they’ll know that we know they’re here.

That levels the playing field.

This is a coordinated attack.

Two from each vehicle head toward the front deck while the other two fan out to the respective side of the vehicle they exited.

That means two men are headed directly toward me, and two more are aiming for Valor. The only good thing is, the men on the front porch are more likely to wait for the four men to reach the back side of the house before trying to breach the door.

The downside comes from not knowing if they’re wearing comms. If they are, they could be on a constant feed, or they could need to press a button to communicate to keep from filling the line with heavy breathing and chatter.

I’m really regretting not bringing a backup knife, and I shove the gun in my right hand back into its holster. I’m going to need that hand to grab with.

As soon as I get back in place, the first body comes around the side of the house. He’s in a tactical vest like they wore in the facility, and I snatch him to me with the shoulder strap. My blade slides across his throat, and I twist my head to the side, closing my eyes to keep the spray of blood out of them.

Warm, wet liquid spurts on my face and arm, but I’m used to the metallic smell that accompanies it. At least the first guy isn’t in a helmet, and he doesn’t have thermal.

I toss him to the side, and he falls without getting a shot off. I’m sure his buddy has realized what’s happened by now, so I drop to a crouch and bring my knife up at an angle. I’ve been in enough tac vests to know exactly where to aim to slide up under his ribs. He slams his gun into the side of my temple—thank God he’s too close to get a shot off with the rifle he’s toting.

I twist the knife, pivot back toward him, and tackle him in one smooth string of motions.

My hand clamps over his mouth, but the initial stab was loud enough to cause concern.

It’s harder than I’m expecting to pull my knife free of his ribs.

I must have miscalculated the entry location, because I was aiming to go up under them to clip his lung.

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