Page 91 of Tag
She laughed bitterly. “And you think this ends it? Chimera doesn’t die with me.”
I leaned in close, my lips near her ear. “Maybe not. But you’re going to tell meexactlywhere to cut next.”
84
Aponi
Gunfire ripped through the compound as the Golden Team closed in from every angle.
Tag kept Tessa locked in his grip, his rifle slung one-handed, his body shielding hers—not to protect her, but to make sure she didn’t take the easy way out before we got answers.
Faron’s voice cut sharply over communications. “North corridor clear. We’re moving the girls to the extraction point—two klicks north. You’ve got ninety seconds before they regroup.”
“Copy,” I said, spinning to fire at two guards breaking from the barracks. They went down before they could call out.
The Nest was crumbling around us—floodlights shattered, sirens wailing, smoke curling into the night sky. Raven and Cyclone sprinted ahead, clearing the path. Gideon stayed back, covering our backs with clean, efficient shots.
We moved fast, weaving through the maze of concrete and chain link until the wire fence came into view. Beyond it, the dark open stretch where the Black Hawks waited.
A spotlight beam swept across the yard.
“Down!” Tag barked, dragging Tessa with him behind a stack of crates. Bullets shredded the wood, splinters raining over us.
I glanced toward the tower. One guard, high and cocky, was raining lead in our direction. I lined up my shot, exhaled, and squeezed.
He dropped.
“Move!” I yelled.
We broke from cover, sprinting the last stretch. Faron was already there, ushering the girls into the chopper. Lacey caught my eye and flashed the smallest smile before climbing in.
Then the world shook—an explosion ripping through the far end of the compound. Flames shot into the night, lighting Tessa’s face in a flicker of orange. She didn’t flinch.
“You think burning my house down kills the idea?” she said over the roar of the rotor wash. “Chimera isn’t a place. It’s a legacy.”
“Not anymore,” I told her, shoving her toward Gideon. “You’re going to watch it die.”
Tag boosted me into the helicopter, then swung in after me as Raven and Cyclone piled in. Faron gave the all-clear, and the pilot lifted us into the night.
The Nest shrank below us, swallowed by fire and smoke.
I sat back against the cabin wall, chest heaving, the adrenaline finally loosening its grip. Tag’s hand found mine and squeezed, his eyes saying what words couldn’t—you’re home.
But across from me, Tessa only smiled. Slow. Knowing.
And for the first time since the mission started, I felt a shiver crawl down my spine.
Because even in defeat, she looked like someone who had just moved her next piece across the board.
85
Aponi
The safehouse was quiet now.
Too quiet.
The girls were upstairs, Blue moving between them like a guardian angel—patching cuts, checking vitals, doling out clean clothes and warm food. The sound of their voices, small and hesitant but alive, was the only thing keeping my heart steady.
