You leave that to us. You just do what he says and give them no reason to hurt you.
I love you, Rio. I don’t regret any of our time together. I wouldn’t change a single thing about what happened to me because it brought us togethe
r if only for a little while. Thank you.
It sounded too goddamn much like good-bye and he couldn’t stand it. His mind was filled with so much grief and rage that he couldn’t even communicate back.
He’ll likely make it impossible for me to communicate with you. He knows I’m telepathic and he won’t want me to be able to relay information. Don’t panic if I go silent. If and when I’m able, I’ll tell you what I can.
Rio closed his eyes as Hancock slowly took the gun from Grace’s hand and gestured for her to climb the steps leading back into the plane.
The door closed and for a moment Rio felt a surge of fear through the pathway to Grace. And then, as she’d predicted, he sensed a sudden flash of pain and then darkness settled over his mind.
The plane began an immediate taxi and soon it was zipping down the runway, lifting off in the distance until the lights from the wings were barely visible in the overcast sky.
CHAPTER 33
STEELE tossed P.J.’s rifle toward her. She deftly caught it, checked the chamber and then set it aside to yank a camo shirt over the soft yellow T-shirt she’d worn to pose as Grace.
“Never could stand yellow on me,” she muttered. “Makes me look washed out.”
“P.J. and Cole, I need you to find those goddamn snipers and take them out,” Steele barked. “Renshaw and Baker and I will try to draw their fire. When they shoot, take them out.”
Rio dove for the hangar just as a shot cracked in the distance. The bullet ricocheted off the concrete a mere foot from where he landed, kicking up shards of rock.
“You okay?” Ethan Kelly yelled in his ear.
He was surrounded by Kellys, all pulling him farther into the hangar and out of danger. He felt gut-shot. He rolled to his back and stared up at the faces looking down at him.
“Grace,” he croaked out. “We can’t let that bastard get far.”
Nathan Kelly knelt beside Rio while Sam, Garrett and Donovan hurried over to tend to Dolphin, who was steadily swearing a blue streak.
“Shea felt her go out too,” Nathan said quietly. “Shea’s going to try to stay with her, but it takes a lot out of Shea. She isn’t like Grace. She doesn’t have Grace’s control or focus. But she’s going to keep trying. She said to tell you to keep trying.”
Joe and Nathan reached down to pull Rio to his feet.
“Got one,” P.J. called. “Motherfucker 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.