Reborn(73)

Then we might be screwed, I thought. No way would I tell him that, though. If there was any chance at failure, Sam would call off the rescue mission, and I needed him at my back.

Trev dropped out the clip in his gun and filled the empty slots with new bullets. “We’ll find her, Nick. We’re not leaving without her.”

I nodded at him in the half dark, happy he was here. Then disturbed that I was happy he was here.

Sam came up alongside Trev. “Looks like they have at least six men patrolling the grounds.”

There was a man at each back corner of the barn, two more in the field farther out, and one on each side of the barn. We also had to assume there were probably two more in the front.

“How do you want to do this?” I asked. As much as I wanted to run in there and start shooting people, Sam was the better strategist.

“We could probably get inside the vent by taking out the two agents at the rear, but we risk being discovered when the others patrolling the grounds realize they’re missing two men. It might be better to take them all out now.”

“I agree,” Trev said. “It’ll take the guys inside longer to realize the outside patrols are gone than it’ll take the outside patrols to realize they’re missing someone.”

“Nick and I should go in first and take out the men closest to the woods. Trev and Cas go in wide and take out the men at the back of the barn. When Nick and I have taken care of our targets, Nick will go right and I’ll go left for the last two.”

“What about me?” Anna asked.

“You watch our backs.”

She scowled at her inferior placement in the attack plan, but didn’t argue.

“Ready?” I asked. They all nodded.

My gun in my hand, I crept through the trees with Sam on my left. We had about twenty feet of woods for coverage before the trees broke up and the field took over. When we reached the edge of the field, Sam raised his fist, pulling me to a stop. He held up two fingers and pointed to the north, where two more men had appeared.

Shit.

Sam waved me forward, though, so apparently we were still going through with the plan.

We divided at the perimeter of the woods. I edged forward, dropping to my stomach in the tall grass when my target made a circle, scanning the area. When his back was to me again, I shot ahead silently, putting a bullet in him before he knew what hit him.

Twenty feet to my left, Sam’s guy hit the ground as Trev and Cas blazed past us, knocking out their targets before any of them realized they were under attack.

I went in for my second target—a short, solid guy who was patrolling the north side of the barn. My gun was up, ready to take the shot, when someone shouted from my right.

“Carson! Behind you!”

My guy—Carson—turned just in time to get a bullet in the chest. When his knees buckled beneath him, I yanked him toward me, using him as a shield as a round of bullets was sent my way. Several thudded into the wood siding of the barn. Two hit Carson. I dropped him and ran, ducking behind a rusted-out trailer as another wave of bullets whizzed overhead.

I crawled to a better vantage point, where I could make out the agents’ legs from the underbelly of the trailer. They were at least thirty feet out, with nothing but open field between us. There was a handful of trees at their back, giving them coverage if they needed it. All I had was this damn trailer.

Fighting broke out in front of the barn. I took the opening, hoping the guys to the north would be distracted, but as soon as I popped up over the edge of the trailer, several gunshots rang out and I had to drop to my stomach again.

This battle was over before I’d even entered the barn.

I’d have to wait until they came for me.

From my spot, I could see only their legs as they raced toward me. And then, suddenly, there was another set of legs—shorter, skinnier legs. Something cracked. A gun went off. A body hit the dirt with a wet, sloppy lurch. A man shouted, then choked. Then nothing.

I chanced a look. Anna was the only one left standing.

She jogged over to me, a smile stretched wide across her face. “You’re welcome.”

“I had them,” I said.

“Uh-huh,” she countered.

“Come on. Let’s see if the men in front are down.”

When we rounded the front corner of the barn, Cas was stuffing an agent in the trunk of a car. Trev and Sam were there, pulling guns from the dead agents at their feet.

“Let’s go find that vent,” Sam said. “Before someone realizes these guys are missing.”



With the area secure, finding the vent was easy. It was a circular port in the middle of the field, recently cleaned of the topsoil and vegetation that had most likely hidden it from view. I wondered if Chloe had cleaned it off days ago, knowing we might need it.