Shattered (Anderson Special Ops #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,97

final score of 96, as Smoke was, without a doubt, going to come in first. All day Chad had been at the bottom of the pack in all of the foot races. He wouldn’t allow himself to lose this one.

“Ladies and gentlemen . . .” a booming voice resonated across the speakers. It was Joseph Anderson. He didn’t need a speaker. They all clapped hands to their ears as he continued.

“We’re about to watch the final event of the day. We watched all day as these men have absolutely abused their bodies and minds. Let’s cheer them on one last time as they race in their final event of the day. It’s too close to say who’s going to win, which makes the race even more exciting. It’s only one hundred meters, so it isn’t going to take long. Let’s all give them everything we’ve got at the sound of the gun,” Joseph said, pride bellowing from his voice.

“Racers, on your marks . . .”

“Racers, get set . . .”

“Goooooooooo . . .” Joseph yelled. Thankfully, he’d pulled his mouth from the microphone that time or the entire crowd would’ve lost their eardrums at his excited holler.

The men were spent beyond belief. Each part of their bodies was all but destroyed, but they had a drive that most people never even attempted to use. They also had a reservoir that men could find when their brain was telling them to stop. If they tapped into that reservoir, they’d go farther and push harder than they ever thought possible. Each of the six men tapped into that piece of their soul as soon as they heard the shot of the gun and Joseph’s voice.

Chad jumped off the line, pushing his feet hard against the track, swinging his arms, and trying to curve in his body for maximum drive. All of the men were already in front of him, Smoke speeding away — two, maybe even three, steps to every single one Chad took. He put his head down and pushed harder.

The screams of their friends and family in the crowd became lost in the ether, his lane was his only focus. The footsteps around him seemed to slow. The weight of the vest seemed to vanish from his back, and his lungs were filled with a new type of oxygen — a kind that went straight to his heart and let it push out purified blood to his muscles. The vision of Smoke came closer in his sight, then his brain assisted him in recognizing the uber fast man had come to a halt. Chad had a difficult time bringing himself to a stop, crashing into Smoke, almost sending them both to the ground. Thankfully, Smoke caught Chad and they did an awkward twisting, bouncing dance before coming to a resting point.

“Where did that come from?” Smoke asked in clear surprise.

“Where did what come from?” Chad asked.

“You . . . where did you come from? I’ve never seen you run that fast, let alone with a seventy-five-pound vest on,” Smoke said.

“What?” Chad questioned, looking around at the other men walking toward them — all smiling and laughing.

“Congratulations, Chad!”

“Congrats boss!”

“Wow, that was amazing, Chad.”

“You’ve been sandbagging us. Unreal.”

Each member of his team praised him. Chad was still in another world. He’d been so focused he hadn’t realized he’d rushed past the men, only to fall behind Smoke.

“Damn, wasn’t expecting that,” Smoke said with another laugh.

It took several more heartbeats before Chad realized that with his second-place finish in the race, he’d won the competition. He’d been goading them all day, and he knew he’d kick ass, but his confidence had been all for show. He was almost in a daze to realize he’d won it all.

When his ears stopped buzzing from the raw excitement, the first sound to break through his ringing eardrums was Bree’s voice, screaming. She’d jumped down from the bleachers and was running toward him. He ripped off his vest and met her halfway. She leapt into his arms, and he twirled her in a circle to the thunderous applause of their audience.

Once he set her down he looked deep into her eyes. “I told you not to worry about it, I wouldn’t let you down. You’re going to Napa!” She grinned at him with a youthful light in her eyes that made him want to drag her to the nearest private location he could find. He kissed her right then. He’d vowed years ago he’d never let this