Page 11 of Remade

Numero quatro’s eyes flooded with horror, and he turned around to run away instead.

Before I could take off after him, someone—Crew. It was Crew. He ran past me so fast I barely saw it was him. He sprinted to catch up, which he’d do in seconds.

I heaved a breath and looked around me, and I couldn’t fucking hear anything.

Or feel anything. Physically. Like, I felt a throbbing sensation in my hands, but no pain.

Beckett and Ryan arrived with carbines aimed, and they inspected the men on the ground.

Deep breaths.

Jesus Christ, what was it with all the delayed reactions? I was suddenly beyond spent, and I couldn’t stop panting. I swallowed dryly and drew in a deep breath through my nose.

I flexed my fingers, and then I felt the soreness kicking in. My right hand was tingling and aching, though it wasn’t too bad. Nothing I hadn’t experienced during sparring already.

Ryan eyed me. “Don’t ever get a desk job, son.”

I huffed a breathless chuckle and scrubbed a hand over my face.

No, no desk job for me. Instead, I walked over and picked up my gun from before, and I wiped it off with my hand.

CHAPTER 2

October 2nd, 2024

Bo Beckett

“Aren’t you gonna say anything?”

I glanced back at him over my shoulder, then shook my head and faced forward again. “I said you handled yourself well enough to get a gold star from Shay.”

I couldn’t look at him, to be honest.

I didn’t know if I wanted to knock his lights out or fuck him stupid—but more than that, I was terrified. Leighton was coming undone before my eyes, and I wasn’t sure he was even aware.

He had no fucking clue how much this day had messed with his head. He was just riding some wave of euphoria because he was part of an operation long before he was ready, and who knew what would happen when it was all over.

I reached our camp first—and Coach—and I handed over the two cell phones we’d lifted off the immigrants.

“All seven of them are restrained in the clearing,” I said. “Four of them need medical care ASAP.”

He inclined his head. “What do you wanna do with them?”

“I want them picked up,” I replied. “Get their asses back to Mexico and make sure they can’t reenter the country.”

Right now, I wanted the fuckers dead and buried, but I knew I’d feel different in the morning. They hadn’t asked for this.

“Copy that.” Coach walked off to…either order a ride from whoever Shira could spare in the area, or…maybe he had someone in mind who didn’t need to be here right now.

I would’ve loved for that to be Leighton, but there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d give him more responsibility today. Actually, for the next goddamn year. He wasn’t gonna see any more action until he graduated.

Fuck me.

I blew out a breath and dug out an MRE and a bottle of water from one of the backpacks, and I headed over to the camo netting and sat down behind it. I hadn’t eaten all day, and I needed to get some rest before we entered the bunker at nightfall.

These past three days could go suck my balls.

Granted, I was relieved we’d disposed of the first crew, and we had also secured my brother’s safehouse, but Jesus Christ. Not only had he stored too much sensitive information at that house, but that motherfucking tattoo of his had led enemy forces straight to it.

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