Their cases were the darkest. The most dangerous.
An extraction wouldn’t be easy, and attacking that compound—that attack could turn into a full-on war.
“Are you ready?” Dylan asked Rachel. Because sometimes, it didn’t take an army to fight a war.
It just took a few well-trained soldiers.
She nodded.
“Then let’s do this.” Before any more innocents were pulled into the fray.
* * *
HE’D LOST THEM, for the moment. That moment wouldn’t last long, though.
And, unfortunately, neither would he.
Drew blinked, trying to keep his eyes open. He’d driven for at least two hours, stopping when he thought he saw lights in the distance, making sure that he didn’t turn on his own lights because he hadn’t wanted to alert the enemy to his location.
He’d gotten Tina away from those men. He’d done his best by her.
But now he was about to collapse. Too much blood loss. Not enough sleep. He couldn’t even remember the last time that he’d slept and, normally, that wouldn’t be a problem but—
The bullet’s still in me. The wound was making him too weak. He had to find a place to hide. A place to rest so that he could get that damn bullet out of him.
Or so Tina could remove it. He had a doc. He was going to use her.
He saw the small ranch, a dot in the distance. Cautiously he drove toward it. The fence was broken, the grass overgrown. No signs of cattle or horses. No sign of anyone.
The windows were boarded up. The roof slumping.
“Are we going there?” Tina asked, her voice barely rising over the rumble of the motorcycle’s engine.
He shook his head. Not there. If their pursuers came this way, they’d search the ranch first. But...
Drew drove past the ranch. He kept heading across that overgrown field.
Then he saw the shack. Maybe it had been used as a storage building once or even as a small house for a ranch hand, but time hadn’t been kind to the place.
The front window was broken. Two boards had been crisscrossed over the window and nailed in place.
The little structure was nestled behind some trees, so it wouldn’t be immediately visible to anyone who came by. And, besides, if their pursuers did come this way, they’d check the ranch first.
And I’ll hear them.
“We’re stopping here.” He killed the engine.
Tina climbed off the bike, wincing a little, and he followed right after her. They walked the motorcycle to the shack where he hid it in the back and then Drew reached into the saddlebag.
“What’s that?” Tina asked as she leaned in close.
“Emergency supplies.” Because he believed in being prepared. Would the burner phone work? Only if they could get a signal in the middle of nowhere. It had been hard enough to get a signal at the compound.
Out here...doubtful.
He’d gotten the pack ready cautiously, always knowing that he could need to flee at any moment. Some food, medical supplies—and that burner phone. Everything that a guy on the run could possibly need.
He tucked the bag under his arm and hissed out a breath when his wound throbbed.