Rising Storm (Westin Force #2) - Julie Trettel Page 0,22
starting to get a bad feeling about this. I opened the last door and saw the van. I used signals to let the others know before proceeding.
I looked around but there was no sign of life. I walked towards the van sweeping the area as my brothers each followed in suit.
Silas put up a hand to halt us. I heard it too. Bomb.
I looked towards Baine who was gleefully happy as he secured his weapon and slid under the van.
“Shit!” he said.
I grabbed him by the feet and dragged him behind me as we ran for cover seconds before the explosion hit.
“It’s a trap!” I yelled as gunfire rained down on us from all directions.
Ben calmly looked to the ceiling and started taking out anything high. Bodies were falling at a disturbing rate. Taylor had his six, providing him cover.
Grant ran for the door and secured our exit. As our medic I was afraid he was going to have his work cut out for him.
Silas and Baine were set up just inside the door, covering us to the right. I moved to the left and picked up anything I could to keep the heat off Ben and Taylor.
A bullet whizzed by my cheek scratching it, but a second one nailed me in the leg. I didn’t even stop to look at it. Adrenaline was pumping through me and I barely felt the pain. If it hit a main artery, I’d feel it quickly, until then I’d do all I could for my team.
Something whizzed by and the room on the far side exploded in fire. Then another and another.
“I love these things!” Baine yelled. “Woohoo!”
I was certain he was using the new hand grenades he’d convinced Patrick to buy him. I said a quick thanks that he’d brought them.
The shooting slowed and Taylor and I took point to push forward. On the other side of the room I saw a ramp that went down.
“Dammit! They’re underground.”
“Not for long,” Baine said as he threw five more grenades down the hole.
Taylor and I looked at him like he was insane, grabbed him by his vest, and ran. Silas and Ben saw us coming and made a fast exit with us right on their heels as the floor exploded.
It took a few minutes for the explosions to subside. I peeked back into the room and the entire floor was gone.
“Idiot.” I laughed.
The others looked at me like I was insane, but they all laughed too.
Ben’s face morphed. “You’re bleeding.”
“It’s nothing. Just a scratch,” I said.
“No man, you’re really bleeding,” Grant confirmed.
I took a look at my leg. There was a sizable hole in my pants and blood everywhere.
“Well shit. Look at that. I liked these pants.”
Taylor burst out laughing.
“You’re a beast, Painter. Let’s get you out of here.”
“Bravo, abort. Echo’s moving in to secure. Charlie and Delta are in route to clean up this mess and investigate. Do you think there were any survivors?”
My team carried me back to the vehicle and as soon as we were on the plane Grant had them take me to the back bedroom so he could fix me up. The adrenaline was wearing off and it hurt like a sonofabitch.
Emma
Chapter 8
When I’d told Painter to go, I thought it would be my opening, my chance to escape and find my way home. No one here had any idea what I looked like, especially with Painter and Baine gone. I could just walk out the front door.
That had been the plan, but everything changed the second I saw Keeley talking to that mole shifter. Painter thought it was funny that I was trying to scare Archie. I couldn’t give two hoots about that guy.
Keeley was a snake. Not like a real snake, I think she was a bunny shifter or something equally innocent on the outside, but inside she was vile, the purest evil. She’d found her place in captivity at Rogers side. As far as she was concerned, he was her mate and she’d strolled around like she owned the place.
She was almost as vicious as he was. The two deserved each other. She assisted on torturing and experimenting on her own kind and appeared to love every second of it.
She never messed with me or Vada. She always went for the meeker species. She couldn’t be trusted. The fact that she was here made my stomach churn. I