His gun seemed extraordinarily loud, as if it was somehow amplified by the rain and wind, and time seemed to slow to the point where she could see each of his bullets cut through the air. Logan ducked back behind the wall as shots were returned, and he held up his fingers so she’d know the position of her targets.
There wasn’t time to think. She could lose her shots if she wasted those precious seconds. She took a breath and held it as she rolled into the open, firing in the directions Logan had just given her—seven, eleven, one, and four o’clock—from left to right, and then she quickly rolled back to the relative safety of her position.
They waited a few minutes more, and Logan signaled the all clear. “Go,” he said. “Finish off Kimball, and lets get out of here.”
She nodded and climbed back to the top of the guard tower, flicking the switch on her watch to check in with command.
“Dragon, I’m back in position to take the shot. Kimball’s moved the party to the dining area. I have a clear shot.”
“Everything okay?” Gabe asked.
She heard the worry and fear and relief in those two words and relaxed as she realized Jack had helped Gabe get out of the house.
“I’m good.”
And she realized she really was. Her mind was clear and her hands were steady. But this was going to be a hell of a difficult shot, and she’d only have one chance to get it right. It was close to a mile in distance to the main house—similar to the length of the shot she’d made when she’d taken out Peters—but the wind was going in the opposite direction, and rain was pelting her directly in the face. There were a lot of added variables with this shot that there hadn’t been with the other.
“Grim Reaper, what’s your position?” Gabe asked.
“I’m spotting for Kill Shot.”
“Stay where you are. Renegade and I are going to set off the light show a little early. Take out the target now, Kill Shot. Things are about to get crazy.”
“I’ve intercepted a signal that military aircraft are headed in our direction,” Ethan said. “Their attitude is hostile. We’ve got less than fifteen minutes before we need to be as far from this island as possible.”
“Roger that, Dragon. Close up shop and pick us up shore side.”
Grace adjusted her aim with every shift of the wind, blanking out the wind and rain and occasional voice from the com link until she was completely alone in her mind and silence reigned. Her weapon hesitated, and her finger flexed, wanting to pull the trigger, as she passed her scope across Tussad.
Her concentration was broken as she watched The Passover Project being demonstrated in front of the curious and terrified crowd. They were all just beginning to realize what kind of position Kimball had just put them in. They’d all be working for him before long.
Tussad fell to his knees on the floor, a fountain of blood coming from his mouth and splashing onto the white tile like red paint. She watched him die without remorse, her idea of justice being well served.
“Kill Shot,” Gabe shouted in her ear. “We’re waiting on your hit.”
Grace kept her eyes on Kimball and lined her shot up once more—her mind blank and the coldness of the kill steeling her spine. She breathed in slowly and held her breath as her finger squeezed the trigger.
“It’s a go,” she said, knowing she’d made the shot as soon as the bullet left her gun.
An explosion rocked the area next to the house, and she knew Gabe and Jack had set off the bomb at the pool house where Kimball’s scientist had set up a lab of sorts that housed all of his research and the components to the formula. Debris mixed with the rain, and chaos reigned over the island as she dropped down to the ground beside Logan. She slid the strap to her rifle across her chest and took out her pistol.
“Kill Shot and Grim Reaper headed to the pick up location,” she said to Ethan.
“I’m in position. Eight minutes and counting until military transport arrives.”
“We’ll meet you there,” Gabe said. “Five minutes.”
The helipad exploded within the next minute, and the ferry and docks went up in flames moments later. Seven of the world’s most dangerous terrorists were trapped with no way out but by military assistance. They were going to have a lot of explaining to do.
Five minutes passed, and she gave Logan a worried look. He turned the Zodiac so they were backed into shore.
“Ghost, where the hell are you?”
“Right behind you, sweetheart.”
Gabe and Jack appeared out of the shadows, running like hell towards the Zodiac. The bandage at Gabe’s shoulder was soaked through with blood, and she could tell he was running on pure adrenaline. Logan had the boat in motion just as they cleared the sides.
Gabe collapsed against her, and she felt for the pulse in his neck, trying not to show him how worried she was.
“I’m fine,” he said, taking her hand and kissing her fingers. “But I’m probably going to pass out soon. Don’t take me to the hospital.”
Grace leaned down and kissed his brow, cradling him against her. “Payback’s a bitch, my love.”
He smiled, and she took his face between her hands and looked into his eyes. “It’s over, Gabe. Tussad’s gone. I thought I’d feel something—more. But it almost feels as if I’ve lost her all over again.”
“Because you were able to let it go,” he said. “We won’t forget her, Grace. And we won’t forget what he did and how he paid. The future is ours.”
She leaned down to kiss him softly, her cheeks wet with tears. “I’m looking forward to it.”
EPILOGUE
Jack was restless.
Maybe he was burned out. Or maybe he was jealous that Gabe and Grace had managed to have their marriage resurrected from the ashes. They’d worked hard to save what was most important to them, purging the demons that had tried to destroy them. They were happy. And he was happy for them. But there was a part of him that knew that kind of happiness would never be a part of his future.
He’d thought of retiring or taking an extended vacation, and he could tell by Gabe’s long looks and probing questions that his friend knew he wasn’t satisfied. He just—needed something more.
Even now, Jack was only halfway listening to the team briefing for their next mission, his mind finding it hard to settle on any one thing.
“This one is all you, Jack,” Gabe said, sliding a black folder in his direction and getting his attention. “We’ll all be there as backup, but it’s you our target needs to trust. Do whatever it takes to get the information we need.”
“He always gets the hot chicks,” Ethan muttered.
Jack looked at the picture Ethan had put up on the wall screen and felt lust slam through his system. He read the description that accompanied the photo until he found her name.
Her mother was an American citizen, but her father was a Japanese warlord. According to the data Ethan had collected, she was brilliant, fluent in several languages, and had a hell of a sword collection.
The team was watching him carefully, waiting for some kind of reaction, and he realized he must have missed the complete rundown of the mission. Something wasn’t right, and he met Gabe’s stare head-on and without apology for not paying better attention.
“And what happens after I get the information I need?” Jack asked.
