“This way, Coya.” Sharone was leading her through a pine thicket, out of sight and edging closer to the trail. “When we start up, we have to move fast. Emma will go ahead of you, I’ll cover the back.”
Anya shook her head, fighting back tears. They would give their lives for her, and that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted them safe, and she was realizing that her own incompetence merely made her a danger to them.
They had reached the base of the trail when they heard a shot ring out from behind them. Anya flipped around, staring into the night with wide eyes.
“They didn’t see us,” Sharone said carefully.
“Ashley,” Anya whispered. “Oh God. Oh God, not Ashley.”
“Snap out of it, Coya.” Sharone’s voice was hard, unemotional. A clear indication that she was flat pissed and worried now. “Get moving. The shot was aimed higher up and to our right. The trail is in shadow, and we should be able to reach the top and belly crawl from there into the thicket of juniper growing to the right. Don’t worry about quiet going up the trail. We’ll have time to get up there before they’re in position to take a shot.”
They hit the trail and pushed their way up. Anya could feel her chest, tight with tears and rage at the thought of Ashley. God help them if she was hurt, because once Del-Rey caught them, and she knew he would, then she would demand justice herself. Her knife across their throats. She wasn’t proficient enough yet that it wouldn’t hurt.
Del-Rey heard the shot, his head jerking in the direction of the sound. He cut through the mountain echo, pinpointed direction and sent six men toward the shot, and six with him to where it was most likely aimed.
They were racing through the darkness, aware that once the first shot was fired, time was of the essence. One shot. Anya had three Coyote guards with her. There wasn’t a chance of getting to her without taking the others out.
He was racing around the top of a particularly steep area of the cliff, using juniper and holly, piñon and pine for cover, when he glimpsed the fallen form.
Fuck. Ashley.
Motioning his men around the perimeter, weapons aimed into the mountain below, he moved for the fallen form. Gripping her shoulder, he pulled her to her back and found her knife nicking his throat as he jerked back.
“Oops. Del.” Her smile flashed in the dark. “Hey, find that f**ker shooting at me ’kay? Coya’s coming up the pass now. And turn off those f**king links, they have our codes.”
He flipped off the link and turned to pass the message. How the hell had they gotten the link codes?
“Are you hurt?” He crouched beside her, scanning the darkness, his night vision picking up the movement in the pine below.
“Naw. Broke a nail though,” she hissed. “Good thing they guarantee me for forty-eight hours, because this one is going to have to be fixed. I might have even skinned my cuticle.”
Fuck. He would have gaped at her if he hadn’t scented his coya moving up the trail.
He pushed her to the waiting Breed lying on his belly, and watched as the Breed dragged her into the cover of the boulders to his side.
Lying flat, he motioned the men behind him to do the same as he made his way to the trail. There were areas he could crouch and run, but getting to her was torturous.
“I smell alpha ahead,” Emma announced as Sharone pushed at Anya’s back, forcing her faster up the trail. “He’s close.”
“Get on your stomachs.” Del-Rey’s growl sliced through the night, enraged, echoing with fury and sending relief thundering through Anya.
“Belly,” Sharone reminded her, pushing her down as they started crawling quickly toward his voice.
“Ashley?” Anya hissed into the night. “Did you find her?”
“I found her.” He was suddenly there, gripping her wrists and dragging her over the rise. “Stay down. I’ll pull you.”
“Ashley?” she whispered again, terrified.
“She broke a f**king nail,” he snapped out. “She’s fine until I get my hands on her. Now move.” He pushed her toward the Breeds, who pulled her around the boulder.
Sharone followed, collapsing against a boulder and breathing out roughly.
“Martin, Jax, Ryan and Cross,” Del-Rey snarled. “Get those four back to Base and lockdown until I contact. Apprise Brim we’re on comm blackout. Shut down all comm until I arrive.”
Nothing was said. Sharone was crouched, pushing Anya ahead of her again as they moved with the four Breeds who surrounded them at Del-Rey’s command. All four had been in the Russian facility. They were hard and well trained, and they knew well how to kill and how to protect.
“The moment we get to Base you turn right back around and go back for your alpha,” Anya hissed.