Beyond the Breaking Point - Lori Sjoberg Page 0,31
gaze went down to the weapon and then back up to her. “AK-47. Not my usual rifle of choice, but…well, you know. We’re not in the States. Had to make do with what’s available.”
“What do you shoot when you’re back in the States?”
“That depends on what I’m shooting at. For perimeter defense, I use an FN SCAR. For home protection, I got a Mossberg twelve gauge.”
Hope’s eyebrows rose. “That’s a heavy duty gun for self-defense.”
He lifted and lowered one massive shoulder. “Don’t have to worry about accuracy with a twelve gauge, especially if you load it with double-aught shot. It’s messy, but you never miss.”
“So I’ve heard.” She slanted a look to Wade, a trace of humor warming her mouth.
Hector stood, his hair sticking out in twenty different directions and his clothes scuffed with dirt. Aside from a cut on his forehead and a bruise along his jaw, he didn’t appear to be harmed. He rubbed his torso where Wade had elbowed him and grimaced. “A little warning would have been nice. I think you broke a rib.”
“Sorry about that.” Wade clapped a hand to his shoulder. “There wasn’t any way to let you know without tipping them off.”
The look on Hector’s face said what he thought of Wade’s response, but he didn’t utter a word about it. Instead, he extended his hand to Austin, and a thin smile warmed his face. “It’s great to see you again, man. Your timing’s impeccable. Thanks for the help.”
“No problem. It’s all part of the service.” Austin gestured to the dead men on the ground. “We should get going. From what I could tell, they didn’t have any backup, but it never hurts to be careful.”
Wade couldn’t agree more. With the sun setting, they needed to find a place to make camp, and his stomach was starting to growl. Plus, it wouldn’t be wise to be in the area when the scavengers arrived. With the scent of blood in the air, it wouldn’t be long, and even though he had a strong constitution, that wasn’t something he wanted to see.
He looked to Hope, and something stirred inside him that he refused to acknowledge. Brushing the sensation aside, he holstered his pistol and slipped the rifle strap over his shoulder. “Lead the way, Bones. We’re running out of light.”
Chapter 9
“This’ll work for tonight.” Wade slipped his pack off his shoulders and set it on the ground. After nearly an hour of hiking, it was the only site they’d come across with enough open space and was close to a source of fresh water. And with the sun beginning to dip below the tree line, they didn’t have time to be picky.
While Jackson and Navarre set out to establish a perimeter, Wade and Austin assembled the tents, and Hector and Hope took everybody’s canteens to the nearby stream to fill.
“Need any help?” Wade asked as he finished securing a rain fly on one of the tents. They probably wouldn’t need it tonight, but he’d rather have it and not need it than need it, not have it, and end up soaked to the skin.
“No.” The word came out in a low, angry snarl. Austin hammered a stake into the ground as though he imagined it were Wade’s head.
Wade understood his brother’s anger. If their positions were reversed, he’d probably feel the same way. But there was only so much he could do about it, and the cold shoulder routine was getting old.
“Would it help if I said I’m sorry?”
Austin stopped hammering long enough to shoot him a glare. “No, because you wouldn’t mean it.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Wade was sorry his family was upset with him. Sorry for the worry he’d caused. And he was definitely sorry that his actions had made his sister cry. But even if he could, he wouldn’t change a thing. He fully understood that made him an asshole, but he needed to do this, needed justice for Carmen, as much as he needed his next breath.
“Wade?” The sound of Hope’s voice provided a welcome distraction.
He looked up to find her walking toward him, her arms loaded with canteens. “Where’s Hector?”
“At the creek, washing up. He shouldn’t be more than a few minutes behind me.” She set the canteens on the ground by the tent and reached for her medical bag. “I need to change your bandage and apply fresh ointment while we have enough light.”
Yeah, that wasn’t happening. His gut still hurt, he had a raging headache, and he sure