Technical Threat (Westin Force #4) - Julie Trettel Page 0,91
them.
Painter nodded but he continued to listen to the woman instead.
“What is she doing?” Silas practically growled.
The door swung open, and we still couldn’t see inside. There were two shots fired and then a flurry of activity as more shifters started running out. The place had gone quickly into chaos.
Most of the Raglan there were scientists, not fighters, and were easily defeated on their meek attempt to push back. The woman kept going from room to room and pulling people out. It was clear she was just as determined not to leave anyone behind as we were, but each time she resurfaced on a camera Silas became more agitated and I knew, that was her. That was Silas Granger’s mate.
“What is she doing now? Stop playing the martyr, Vada,” Silas said quietly.
“Get her out of there now,” he practically hissed through coms.
“Two more rooms,” Painter said.
“Now!” Silas’s voice boomed.
I saw Taylor flinch and grab at her ear.
“Don’t do it, Vada. Not again,” he silently prayed, going from angry to worried in an instant.
Vada. I remembered that name. Emma had told us all about her. She hailed her as the Mother Theresa of shifters. She told us how she always cared for those in captivity and stayed behind with each raid as she worked hard to save as many others as possible while sacrificing herself.
How many times had she crossed paths with Silas? Did she know he was her mate?
When she disappeared into a room and didn’t come back out right away, Silas nearly lost it, but I understood. Then there she was, and I witnessed his entire body visibly relax. It had to be her.
“How long have you known?” I asked him.
“Known what?”
“That she’s your mate? Vada, right?”
“You’re insane. Just focus on the mission and get her out of there.”
I knew he meant them, but his sole focus was on her and I couldn’t blame him.
“Last room,” Painter yelled. “Get ready to drop this place.”
Silas couldn’t give the order. As long as his mate was in there, he wasn’t going to give the order to detonate.
“Sir?” Baine asked already out of the building and in position.
There was silence.
“Sir?” the explosives expert from Charlie asked.
There was another pause.
“Do it, Jacobs,” a voice boomed over the radio.
Silas moved to renege that order, furious that the other leader had the audacity to give it, but it was too late.
“Bombs have been detonated. You have two minutes to get out of there. Godspeed,” Baine said.
An alarm went off inside and people started emerging from all over.
“Sir, what are they doing?” I asked as Painter and Taylor led by Vada opened a door that clearly led to steps. “There must be a basement of some sort. It wasn’t on the schematic.”
“Get out of there now. That’s an order,” Silas said.
“No man left behind,” Taylor reminded them.
They all disappeared. Within seconds more people started running out of the room.
“One minute,” Baine hollered. “Get your asses moving.”
“They aren’t going to make it,” Silas said. He threw down his headset and stormed out running at full speed into the building.
“Shit!”
Without thinking, I followed. He was my commander, I always followed.
We ran down the hall and to the mysterious door. We had no idea what lay behind it. Painter and Taylor were making a hasty exit running right towards us.
“Go, go, go!” Painter yelled.
Vada was hot on their heels and Silas started to relax. He turned and led the way back out.
“Thirty seconds,” he yelled.
There was a scream coming from somewhere behind them. “Help me!” it cried out.
Vada slowed and then turned to go and assist.
I was holding the exterior door open and saw it all unfold.
“Vada, no!” I yelled.
Silas pivoted to go after her, but Painter and Taylor slammed into him and drove us both out just as the bombs exploded and the building came crashing to the ground.
“No!” I screamed.
“Vada!” Silas yelled in a mournful tone as he tried to run into the debris.
The more Painter restrained him, the more he fought back until he spontaneously shifted.
Painter backed off. “What the hell?”
Silas’s gorilla took off into the hot smoldering debris and started tossing things to the sides in his desperate search for his mate.
“The woman that was with you, that was his mate. She didn’t make it out,” I said quietly.
Painter shifted and then joined him in his search. Baine was next. Two bears and a gorilla taking on a massive pile of debris in search of one victim.