Page 30 of Resisting His Target
Selena was coughing. “I’m scared, Mommy.”
“I know, sweetheart, but I need you to be strong. There’ll be time to be scared later, okay?” A knot of emotion momentarily blocked his throat. “I’m not going to let that fire get you, do you understand? It’s not going to hurt you, Selena.”
She nodded.
Razorback planned how to get Sloan out safely. There was nothing to wrap around the other man’s waist, no means to lower him to the ground. He had no choice but to put him feetfirst out the window and hang on to his hands, getting him as close to the ground as possible before letting go.
But Jackie and Selena would go first. Razorback would cover them for as long as possible, until he ran out of ammo or fire broke through the door. It should be enough to give them a running head start to safety, though SVX would surely be in pursuit. It was a terrible option, and not one he wanted to take.
The smoke was getting worse, breathing far more difficult. The room was hotter than a sauna. They needed to get out of here. “It’s time,” he said. He pulled the strap of Sloan’s rifle over the other man’s head and handed it to Jackie, giving her a quick lesson in how to shoot the automatic weapon. “If you’re firing at them, they’ll take cover. You don’t have to hit them.”
The same wasn’t true for a sniper, who could be at a much greater distance, though there was likely only one with his weapon trained on their current location. “The open window tells them we’re in here. Run around the side of the building as quickly as you can and keep going. Got that?”
She nodded.
Sloan started coughing and Razorback turned, finding his teammate awake but clearly confused.
The roar of the fire changed pitch, the bathroom door seeming to vibrate. A fresh breeze whipped through the room as outside air was sucked inside. “Now, Jackie!”
She climbed out of the tub, helping Selena do the same. The girl stared at him with wide eyes, and he hoped to God he’d see them again sometime. He’d only met her days earlier, but she was the closest thing to a daughter he’d ever had.
“Were you scared?” she asked.
When he was on fire. That’s what she wanted to know. “Yes. But I’m all right now.”
She kissed his cheek. “Bye.”
Thepop-pop-popof automatic rifle fire rang out through the open window and he pulled the girl close to him reflexively. “HERO Force.” They were here. They’d made it in time.
Shots continued, coming on top of each other in a cacophony of gunfire. The bathroom door turned black in mere seconds, the towel he’d stuffed under it catching fire. It was Sloan who moved, stomping at the flames with his boots. “They better hurry,” he said, his voice raspy.
Sweat dripped down Razorback’s face, the heat in the bathroom now unbearable. The sound of gunfire was replaced with silence, the fire the only noise, and it seemed to Razorback they were surrounded by the conflagration.
The door burst into flames and Selena screamed.
“Razorback! Sloan!” yelled a man’s voice over a speaker.
Razorback stood quickly and peered out the window. There stood Doc and Cowboy, waving them down. Razorback wasted no time reaching for Jackie’s hand.
She turned to Selena. “I’ll go first so I can catch you.” She picked up the box from the hallway closet and threw it outside. He hadn’t even noticed it was there.
Razorback helped her go feetfirst out the window, dangling from the sill before letting herself drop. Selena was next, her lanky frame easy for him to lift, Jackie and Cowboy catching her easily. Razorback turned back to Sloan. “Just you and me, kid.” He bent to help Sloan to a stand when the whole floor shifted.
The bathtub fell through to the floor below, opening up what looked like a hole straight into hell. The heat was so intense he had to look away, feeling his exposed skin burn. He held out his hand for Sloan’s, heaving the other man to a wavering stand and helping to support his weight as they crossed the slanted tile floor to safety.
Getting him out the window was easier than he imagined, his strength intensified by adrenaline and the will to survive, and he bent over the window frame as he dangled Sloan by his hands, finally letting go. A tremendous noise behind him was followed by even more heat, and he knew the bathroom floor beneath him was gone.
He considered diving headfirst out the window in an attempt to save himself but was sure, from his position, he would land on his head or spine, failing to rotate completely before running into the concrete patio beneath him. His eyes met Jackie’s one last time, her mouth forming his name in obvious horror as he pulled himself inside and fell backwards into the flames.
16
Jackie held Selena in her arms, the beloved ground beneath her feet. The entirety of the main house was engulfed by the blaze, waves of heat so intense she had to stand back to keep herself from injury.
She watched as Razorback lowered Sloan through the window and let him go, the other men from HERO Force quickly scooping him up and pulling him to safety. Only Ian was left inside, his face clearly visible through the open window.
They were going to be okay, and grateful tears streamed down her face as she hugged her daughter.
Suddenly, a loud roar came from the center of the building, and she didn’t understand what it was. Her eyes shot to Razorback.
