Echoes at Dawn (KGI #5)(75)

Joe and Nathan reached down to pull Rio to his feet.

“Got one,” P.J. called. “Motherf*cker is ball-less and singing soprano.”

“Jesus, that woman is vicious,” Joe muttered.

“That’s our girl,” Renshaw called back smugly.

“Shut the f**k up and do your job,” Steele barked. “We have a man down and I’m not losing him. We have to get him to a hospital yesterday.”

“Two down,” Cole called from his position in the far corner. He’d settled beside a small hole in the metal building and had the barrel of his rifle inserted through the opening. There was just enough room for his scope without having his vision obscured.

“Like hell you’re outdoing me,” P.J. muttered. “Number three down. Ah hell, there’s four. Seven o’clock, Cole, moving out fast. Nail his ass.”

Cole fired and then held up four fingers to signal his man was down.

“On my count,” Steele said. “Renshaw, you take right. Baker, you’re my left. Make a run for the jet and take cover. P.J., Cole, be ready. Make this count. I’m not getting my ass shot off because of you two.”

“Suck it,” P.J. snapped. “I haven’t missed my mark yet.”

Steele uttered the count and he and his men ran, ducking and rolling. Gunfire erupted from the surrounding wooded area, and P.J. and Cole were quick to get off their shots.

“I got two,” P.J. called. “Cole?”

“One. I don’t see any more.”

Swanny edged to the doorway and peered around, quietly surveying the area. In the distance, Steele and his two men had their backs to the side of the jet, guns up as they awaited word.

Swanny motioned for Ethan and Joe. “Let’s go for round two and see if they take the bait. If there are any more out there, P.J. will get them.”

“I heard that, ass**le,” Cole snapped.

Swanny grinned and P.J. blew him a kiss.

“Let’s go,” Swanny said.

Ethan and Joe exchanged amused glances. “Since when does he give the orders around here? He’s the freshman in this operation,” Joe complained.

Still, he and Ethan ducked out, running balls to the wall toward the plane. Not a single shot was fired from the woods, which meant the snipers had wised up and weren’t giving up their positions, there weren’t any left, or they’d just decided to retreat and make a run for it.

Rio stood amid all the chaos, his heart numb. Breaths frozen in his chest. Blackness filling his mind. Grace was gone. Hancock had taken her. How the hell had he gotten to them so fast? How could he have anticipated their move before they ever made it? How could he have known where they were going?

None of it made sense.

Unless they had a goddamn leak. Before Browning, he would have beat the hell out of anyone who suggested anyone in the KGI organization would be capable of selling out a teammate. But now he wasn’t so sure.

Sam rose to his feet, his expression grim. “I’ve got a chopper coming for Dolphin and transport for us to the nearest hospital. Our first priority is getting him help. Then we have to regroup, consider our options and figure out our next move.”

“Our first priority is Grace,” Rio snarled.

Sam held up his hand. “I get it, man. But I have a man down. They aren’t going to kill Grace. At least not yet. They haven’t had time. Dolphin’s going to die if we don’t get him stabilized. He comes first.”

Rio closed his eyes because he knew this to be true. Team first. Never leave a man down. It was a motto they clung to as fiercely as they did anything else. But goddamn it, that had all changed for him the minute Grace had entered his life.

Nothing—no one—mattered as much as she did, and if something happened to her, he was done for.

“P.J., Cole,C;P.J., I need you guys to spread out. Do a recon of the area. Make sure it’s safe for the incoming chopper. ETA is fifteen minutes, so you have to make this fast. Rio, I need your guys to help,” Sam said.

Terrence, Diego and Decker grabbed their rifles, followed quickly by Alton, and then Garrett left Dolphin’s side and grabbed his gun. The six men followed P.J. and Cole out the back and into the dark.

Rio hurried over to where Dolphin lay. Blood soaked his entire chest. The bullet had entered at an angle, effectively going under the Kevlar vest. Hell. It was a mess, and he was bleeding like a stuck pig.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Dolphin snarled.

Rio couldn’t even believe he was still conscious.

“And tell your damn woman to get the f**k away from me. I can do this on my own. I won’t be responsible for her going down.”

Rio stared down at Dolphin, sure he hadn’t heard right. “What the f**k? What the hell are you talking about, Dolphin? Are you out of your head? Quit talking shit.”

“She’s here,” Dolphin gasped out. “I can feel her. She’s fixing shit. I’m a mess, man. Couldn’t breathe for shit. I tried to fight her and she told me to stop being a goddamn baby and take it like a man.”

Rio reached out, sharp and probing, like an arrow aimed at the very heart of their connection. Goddamn it, Grace, you stop it! Do you hear me! We’ve got this situation under control. You have to save your strength because you have no idea what they’re going to make you do.