Master No (Masters and Mercenaries, #9)(98)

“Get back,” Theo ordered.

“I can cause some chaos,” he heard Des say. “Get ready to run toward the back. We can go up the trail to where we left the cars.”

She swung out and two shots pierced the night before the vehicle entering the compound lost control and flipped, rolling into another one of the outer buildings.

Des turned and even in the low light, he could see the look of triumph on her face. “Let’s get out of here.”

Another shot rang out and she fell forward.

Ten watched in horror as they lost one of their own.





CHAPTER SIXTEEN



“Take the wheel,” Erin said as they approached the compound. “I’ve got to take care of those *s coming up on his flank or Theo’s going to get caught in the middle. I’m going to kill him. I swear.”

Faith’s heart pounded in her chest. As far as she could tell, Erin was going to kill her and soon. She’d nearly taken off as Faith had jumped into the Jeep and she hadn’t slowed down. Lucky for her, Faith knew the roads or they would have been overtaken by those black SUVs. For all Erin was angry with Theo, it was easy to see she was running on pure panic.

Though she seemed calm and professional now, as though having someone to target gave her strength.

Faith moved into the seat as Erin popped up and started firing at the group of five men who were bearing down on the building everyone was certain Ten was being held in. These men moved in from the west, obviously trying to sneak up on the team pinned down at the storage building.

Torture chamber, according to Theo. That building her father claimed was simply there to store the gardening tools actually housed a place for him to torture his enemies. According to the plans Theo had provided there was an entire bunker under what looked like an ordinary storage building. It was a lot bigger than it seemed.

Had her whole childhood been a lie?

Erin fired, never losing control. Faith’s stomach turned as one by one those men went down. Erin wasn’t wounding them or trying to take them temporarily out of the fight. She was taking kill shots with the cool of a professional. Which she was. It was a good thing as Faith nearly lost control of the Jeep as they came out of the jungle. The horrible sound of metal screeching filled the air and then the ground shook as one of the black SUVs rolled and then exploded.

“Shit!” Erin dropped back into the cab, hanging on as Faith regained control of the vehicle.

Faith forced herself not to panic. Ten was somewhere in that mess of smoke and fire and men with guns. She couldn’t think about the killing part now. She wasn’t na?ve. She knew it was necessary at times, but it went against her nature. So she focused on what she could. Find Ten. Get everyone out as quickly as possible.

“Stop the Jeep,” Erin ordered. “Hutch is on his way. You stay here.”

She leapt out of the Jeep before Faith could stop it.

Faith’s hands shook as she put on the brakes. The night was dark, but now it was illuminated by the fiery wreck that had been one third of the bad guys. That had to be a good thing.

Unfortunately, it looked like the other two thirds were taking exception to losing their men as the sound of gunfire split the air again.

She’d come around the back and had to reorient herself. The main storage building was to her left, the dirt roads through the jungle behind her. Up ahead was the road that connected the storage units to the main house. To her right were two secondary units, small in comparison to the one she was parked next to.

She nearly jumped out of her seat when she heard a car slam on its brakes behind her.

Hutch was out of the van in an instant. The happy-go-lucky hacker looked very comfortable with a couple of guns in his hands. He was firing before he got more than a few feet from her.

That was when she saw it. A figure stood out from the side of the building. She was illuminated by the light of the fire burning from the SUV. Faith was sure from the slightness of her frame that it was a she.

A big man started to reach out, to pull her back to the shadows. Her body stiffened, head snapping forward, and then she slipped to the dirt.

Faith blinked. She hadn’t seen that. She hadn’t seen a woman shot and falling to the ground. Her father didn’t hire female guards. If a woman had been hit it had to be Erin or the British agent she’d met.

A masculine shout was heard and she saw a big figure move toward the body before another one hauled him back.

Faith hopped out and started running. She was the only person who could do what needed to be done. Gunfire erupted around her, but it wasn’t her first time in a warzone. If she could do her job, maybe some of this would make sense.

Erin and Hutch were laying down fire as she made it to them.

The Aussie was holding the Russian. “Not losing you, too, Nick. Get it together, mate.”

“We have to get to her.” Theo sounded unsure all of the sudden, as though he knew what he needed to do, but couldn’t stand to say it.

“She’s gone,” Erin argued. “That was a headshot. We get the f*ck out of here before we lose someone else. Nick, I need you to remember your goddamn training.”

“Faith?”

She stopped in her tracks. Tennessee Smith was leaning against the wall. They had so little cover, but Ten reached out and dragged her in, shoving her to the wall and covering her with his body.