He stands, maneuvers around fallen Marines from number one and the burning remnants of the vehicle to maintain open communication with command.
A crack.
An explosion of fire.
Pop, pop. The crackling burst of rapid-fire shots splinter the air.
Axle falls to number fourteen.
I assume lead.
The team reconfigures. Rifles light up the night to cover Justin as he grabs Axel under his arms, pulling him from the line of fire.
Number two takes a hit. Smoke surges. It's going to blow.
Justin crouches next to me as I peel back Axel's vest.
"Jesus Christ, Lawless. Pack it and let's get out of here," Axel grits out. He clenches his teeth through the pain as I poke into the wound: flesh, no bone.
I work fast. Four minutes later, he's stable enough to hike up the ridge. Bear holds up a hand, a quick signal.
It's time to roll.
I stand, peering out from behind number three.
A bright light flashes.
A pause, and then a longer burst.
It happens again.
And again.
Morse code?
The message repeats, but I got it the first time. Incoming mortar.
"Let's move. Now!" I shout.
We jog at a clipped pace, the wounded and dead hefted over our shoulders. No man is left behind.
BOOM! The shock wave hits. I stumble from the force.
"Move!"
I tap into command, screaming for a pick-up. It's confirmed. A HELO en route. Two kilometers east.
MOVE!
I peer over my shoulder. The convoy is leveled. Flames reach and lick the night sky.
Three-fourths of a mile in, Justin turns, stepping out of formation with his rifle raised.
Dread pools in my gut.
Dad's ring is cool in my outstretched hand. I close my fist as if keeping a hold of it will bring understanding and I'll know how he fits into this picture. "The insurgents normally have piss-poor rifles. Their bullets shouldn't have breached the distance from them to us with the kind of accuracy they did." I focus on Bear, his shoulders seeming to vibrate with the same angry energy coursing through me. "They shot us with U.S. weapons."
Dax nods. "Yes, the question now is who they got them from. Can you get a hold of your medical records to confirm the type of bullet extracted from your leg? We could track sales from the manufacturer."
"I'll get the VA on the line as soon as we're done here. Another thing-we got away from the convoy just before a mortar blast hit based on intel given to us from someone on the other side. The Brit maybe? The same guy who took you in, Bear? A spy?"
"Could be," he agrees.
"That leaves my father as the traitor, the deserter funneling munitions to insurgents." I can barely get the words out.
"Not necessarily," Piper says just loud enough to be heard over my pounding heart.
I turn to find her, dark eyes wide in a pale face. "He said to find Lockman and Lawless. Lockman Schultz," she says, "is the global aerospace firm my father wants to merge with. They specialize in design and manufacturing of military robotics and weapons." Handing JT to Maisie, Piper's fingers tremble as she reaches for her phone on the counter. She taps on the screen, then holds it out for me to see a page from the Lockman Schultz website. I repeat the information out loud, "Military-grade AW50 rifles."
The same guns we saw boxed up in the photo Astra found before the site crashed. Fuck. My fist clenches around my father's ring.
"Good, this is good," Dax says, pacing. "I'll have Astra dig around, but if Lockman is involved I suspect we'll run into roadblocks we've already encountered. Do you think your First Lady friend can get info on him?"
I nod and reach for the cell tucked into my back pocket. "If there is one thing I know about Charlie, it's that she likes a good mystery."
Dear Justin.
If feelings are the gateway to the soul, then I'm an open book. If a racing heart is base to a song, then I'm in tune. If love is kryptonite, then I am weak.
I feel the heavy beat of love. It snuck inside, and I'm both helpless and powerful from its intensity.
x Piper
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Falling from the Cliff of Reason
Piper
"MA'AM," CADEN SAYS, and then his smile spreads. I swear his happy face is brighter than the sun, and I can't look away. Laughing, he shakes his head and looks at me with sparkling eyes. "It's great to be home. And I have one of my own now too-finished up the place and we've moved in. Yeah, she's better than great, and JT. You'll meet them when we come out in a few days." He listens for a minute with that damn brilliant grin, and then his features straighten into serious lines. "I have a favor, a big one."
He fills in the First Lady. I tidy the kitchen and watch him as he paces with long strides, Gus at his feet. Caden on a mission is a sight every woman should see. When he hangs up, he's all business, and he expects the same from his team. His direction is succinct, a power play of male domination in its perfect state. The man is divine in a T-shirt. The simple cotton stretching across the hard contour of his chest is almost indecent, and so is his round ass in faded jeans.