“We retire together,” Mark huffs out.
“Right. Stay with me ‘cause if anything happens, I’ll tell Melanie you died skiing on the bunny hill.” Cole grins quickly.
“You would, too.”
“Right, so stay with me.”
“Yeah, I’m here with you.”
Cole gives him a nod and slips out the door into the darkness, moving down the staircase. A quick glance at his watch shows him they should all be checking in again in ten minutes. Where the fuck is John? His hand runs along the wall till he finds the hall closet door handle. “Green Fox One?” He whispers.
The doorknob turns and Cole sees Paul sitting on the floor nursing a blood-soaked leg. Shit! He moves in getting a better look. He quickly unties the soaked bandage and his fingers feel how deep the wound is. He curses when he sees how much blood Paul’s lost. His face is growing paler by the minute.
They need to abort the mission. “Stay here, I’m sending Mark for you then the both of you get out.”
Paul starts to argue but Cole shakes his head. “That’s an order, Agent.”
Cole peeks out the door and clicks his radio signaling Mark to come down.
“Any sign of John?” Cole asks as he rewraps Paul’s leg.
“No, the last time I saw him was in the dining room,” he replies, huffing through the pain. “We got separated and I got knifed and ended up here.”
“Okay, set your watch for ten minutes. Start the clock after I leave. If I don’t return with John get out. That’s a direct order.”
“Yes, Colonel.” Paul nods and wipes the sweat from his forehead.
Cole helps him to his feet, propping him up against the wall.
Cole slowly opens the door. Seeing Mark coming down the stairs he moves across the hall and signals all clear then covers Mark until he’s safely inside the room with Paul. Staying low, weapon raised, he moves carefully through the living room, then the dining room.
He feels something hit his shoulder. He turns and sees John crouched down between two lion sculptures. Thank fuck.
John points to his radio that is dangling in pieces around his chest.
Cole checks around and gives him the hand signal to get up and move to his position.
John nods and joins him at his side.
“We’re aborting the mission. The others are hit we need to get them out of here. GF One and R Two have both lost a lot of blood. If we get separated, meet back at our command post.”
John nods and they start to move toward the front entryway. A man comes into view on John’s right.
Cole lunges forward, covering the man's mouth while wrapping his arms tightly around the startled target's neck, cutting off his airway. He orders John to move on.
The man elbows Cole in the stomach but Cole squeezes harder until the man stops struggling and goes limp. Cole sees his men making for the door when he spots another two men heading toward them from deeper within the residence.
Cole quickly pops a bullet in the first man’s head and is about to do the same to the second when he feels a hard blow to the back of his head. He drops to his knees, a loud ringing sound taking over his brain right before his vision goes dark. His face hits the ground with a heavy thud.
I roam the property, soaking up the sun even though it’s still freezing out. Derek stays close. We’ve managed to get past our awkward moment in the kitchen and have started to build a friendship. I am thankful for that since living under one roof with so many people can take its toll.
He’s still flirty but I think it’s all in good fun. We chat about music as we approach the front of the house.
“Other than blues, what else do you listen too?” he asks, tucking his hands in his jacket pockets.
“Umm, Beck, Radiohead, Weezer, and I fell in love with this Canadian band called the Tragically Hip.” I grin, remembering one of their songs called “Ahead by a Century.” I must have played it twenty times in a row one day. “They started in the early eighties. You should check ‘em out, they’re an alternative rock band.”
“So you like alternative rock then?”
“I like all music, but yes, that would be my second favorite.” I smile, then spot Keith watching us from the porch. A slow chill runs up my spine as he slowly starts to walk our way.
“Savannah, can you come join me inside?” Keith asks looking white as a ghost. I feel the panic form and it grows inside my stomach, making its way to my heart which is now beating at a rapid pace. I look at Derek, seeing him make eye contact with Keith.
A moment later Derek takes me by my arm, walking me toward the front door. I don’t want to be indoors.
I want to run far away from what they’re about to tell me. I don’t want to think the worst, but it’s there teeter-tottering between the good and the bad. One moment I’ll be okay then the next I’m looking for an exit.