Ignite (Unbreakable Bonds 7)

He’d been thinking about raiding the local thrift stores for some old furniture. It was one thing to train in an empty house where you didn’t have to worry about tripping over a chair or coffee table—but he needed to make sure his guys had real-world experience. Maybe after this was all over…

The only domestic touch to the house was the black-out curtains hanging over the front windows. He carefully pushed one edge aside with a finger and looked out the window. The front porch light was on, and there was a second light on at the end of the long gravel driveway. Rowe wasn’t expecting Erik and his minions to drive straight up to the house, but he would be the first to admit that nothing should be put past this fucker.

But for now, nothing moved.

Rowe let the curtain fall into place and walked to the kitchen where Noah was doing a weapons check for the second time. It was a nervous tic that they both fell back on when they were forced to wait.

Looking up, Noah met his eyes and frowned. There was the same worry in his eyes. Too often they were up against inept criminals, jealous exes, or even overconfident executives dabbling in violence for the first time. With the trained team at Ward Security, those threats were easy to contain and counter. Erik Johnson and his former military mercs were an entirely different beast. They knew how to infiltrate a location and how to use a wide array of weapons. It wasn’t that Noah questioned the abilities of their people, but just that they lacked the same real-world experience as the mercs. Rowe wanted to reassure him that they could handle it, but he didn’t want to say anything that would make it sound like Noah was worried.

“I’ve got two SUVs,” Jackson suddenly whispered into their earpieces. “Parked north of the house about five hundred yards. Looks empty.”

“How many do you estimate on the ground?” Rowe asked.

Rowe stood tense on the edge of the kitchen, waiting in the silence for Jackson to come in with an estimate as he crept closer to the cars through what was likely thick brush and grasses. If Rowe remembered correctly, five hundred yards to the north was the other entrance to the short street where it crossed the railroad tracks. There were a couple of houses in the area, but the one at the end of the block was empty.

“Single back row in each vehicle. Max likely of ten men.”

“Kill the tires,” Noah said. “They’re not leaving here.”

“Got it.” The line went silent and Rowe took a breath to give more orders, when Jackson came back on the line. “Fuck! Train!”

The warning came only a second before a loud whistle split the night. Rowe swore to himself as well as he hurried into the living room. The trains through Morning View were incredibly fast and noisy. With the houses and crossings spread out, the train engineers were able to open the throttle up and run them much faster than they could through cities. The train would be passing in front of the house for less than two minutes, but the noise would act as fantastic coverage for any kind of attack.

“Everyone get ready!” Rowe directed. He knew Erik wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to attack during the train noise.

“Snap has movement,” JB announced in a low voice. “Two coming up the front. At least another three from the north…and two more approaching at the rear of the house. I’ve got a clear shot of at least five of the seven.”

“Hold,” Noah immediately replied. “Don’t want you to scare off our new playmates.”

The train engine blew its whistle sharp and loud again even as the house started to tremble and shake. Rowe’s heart sped up and he tightened his grip on the gun he’d pulled from its holster on his hip. A second later there was a soft snap and the power was cut, sending the house into complete darkness.

“Fucking amateurs,” Garrett muttered. They’d expected this.

No orders needed to be given. Night-vision goggles were slipped into place, and the world glowed an eerie green.

“Solo breaking off for the south side of the house,” JB said.

“Get him, Snap,” Rowe growled.

They waited. There was no sound but the approaching train.

“Snap got one.”

“Oh, Snap!” Quinn called with a chuckle. Rowe could have sworn he heard someone snicker softly on the line.

One down. Six to go.

The train charged past the house. Everything shook and rumbled under the weight of the engine and freight cars.

And then the world exploded into chaos.

Windows were broken and gunfire lit up the night. Rowe braced his back in a corner against the front door and the wall, gun pointed at the window. A large body sailed through the opening and he opened fire, unloading several bullets into the man’s chest. He landed hard on the floor and didn’t move again.