Breaking Away (Delta Force Strong #3) - Elle James Page 0,21

couldn’t shoot it in a crowded marketplace full of civilians that included women and children.

That didn’t stop the Taliban.

They fired their rifles at the Deltas.

Women screamed and fell to the ground, covering their children with their bodies.

Urging Josh to lie flat against the ground, Rucker and Blade stayed low but didn’t shoot back. With their only weapons the pistols they’d worn inside their jackets, they had to wait for the terrorists to move dangerously closer before they returned fire.

Mac shoved Kylie between the buildings, but they were far from out of the woods. The men with the guns would follow, hunting them down until they killed them.

Unless the Deltas killed Ahktar’s men first.

That meant getting them out of the market into a less crowded area where they wouldn’t incur as much collateral damage.

Mac prayed they had enough time to get to a defensive position and set a trap. He refused to let this be the way his and Kylie’s relationship ended. He wanted more.

Chapter 7

Kylie ran, determined to stay abreast of Dash and Mac as they did their best to keep her alive. She hated the thought of one of them dying because of her. They’d done so much to keep her safe. The least she could do was keep up.

Her lungs burned, and her breath came in short gasps as she ran and ran, following Dash, and then Mac and now Dash, again, through the maze of Kabul’s city streets.

She glanced back at every turn. Rucker and Blade were close behind them, ready to defend them as they ran.

As they moved from the business district to the residential area, the buildings became denser, but there were fewer people on the streets.

“We can’t keep running,” Mac said as they entered a narrow street with single-story homes on either side. “This will do to set up defense.”

“Give me a boost,” Dash said.

Mac cupped his hands.

Dash stepped in and swung up over the wall surrounding a home, disappearing onto the other side.

Rucker, Josh and Blade caught up.

“They’re a block behind us, heading this way,” Rucker said. “We don’t have much time.”

“Dash, is it clear?” Mac called out.

“Clear,” Dash responded. “We have a woman and two small children.”

“Come on, Kylie. Over the wall.” He lifted her in his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’d rather stay with you.”

“I need to focus on taking these men down. If I’m worried about you, I could put myself and my team at risk.”

She nodded. “Okay. But I don’t like it. If you have another gun, I could help.”

He kissed her and swung her to the top of the wall. “For now, your shooting days are over. Keep your head down. These walls may or may not stop bullets.” He spoke into his headset. “Kylie’s coming over.”

Kylie slipped down the wall on the other side. “Hey, what about Josh?”

“They’re not after Josh. But we’ll keep him safe,” Rucker responded.

Dash stepped to the door of the home and waved Kylie inside.

A woman cowered in the corner of the front room, clutching her children to her breast.

“We’re not here to hurt you,” Kylie said.

“They don’t speak English,” Dash said. “Stay here and stay down.” He left her and ran back outside. A moment later, she heard footsteps on the roof.

Kylie glanced at the woman and children, feeling awful about invading their home. They appeared terrified. One of the small children sobbed quietly.

His mother held him close, whispering softly, urgently. The child hiccoughed and sniffled.

Outside in the street, shouts sounded, and gunfire erupted.

Kylie sat on a carpet and kept her head down, praying the Deltas were successful and stopped the Taliban terrorists. She wouldn’t be safe until they did. And they wouldn’t be safe if they continued to protect her.

As she hunkered close to the floor, she stared across the room at the woman and her children. She hated that they were afraid of her when she meant them no harm.

Fumbling in her pocket, she pulled out a package of Lifesaver candies she liked to suck on when she was nervous. She hadn’t opened them yet, determined to have some left for the trip back to the States.

While the gunfire continued outside, she eased her way across the floor, stopping five feet from the woman and her children. Then she held out her hand with the roll of candies.

The children shrank against their mother.

Realizing they were too afraid to come get the candy, Kylie set the package on the floor and gave it a gentle push, sending it