Page 73 of Tactical Lies

But if these men got their hands on her tonight, it would be so much worse.

Highly trained or not, they’d likely come with the same orders as the gang in Cambodia had been given. Do whatever they wanted with Becca and then kill her as a warning to his family, motivation to back off.

He had to kill the men before that could happen.

Although as soon as he fired his first shot, he’d give away his position.

In the dark and the rain, there was no way he’d be able to take down all six of them before they could return fire.

As he was debating if he should risk it or slip down, try to separate the men and take them out quietly one by one, his worst nightmare happened.

The door to the cabin opened and he saw Becca step out into the night.

Damn it.

She must have heard the gunshot, gone hunting for Cade’s emergency kit to arm herself with a flashlight, and come looking for him.

His brave girl was going to get herself killed.

As the flashlight in her hand danced about, indicating her path, he saw the six men disperse into the trees.

While the dark was working to his advantage in one way, hiding him and protecting him from being spotted, it gave the enemy the same advantage.

“No, baby, stay inside,” he whispered, his words caught by the wind and tossed away before they could reach anybody’s ears.

But she didn't.

Tracking her progress was easy as she headed toward the generator. That flashlight was a beacon, showing anyone within sight exactly where she was.

He knew the moment she must have spotted whatever the rain was yet to wash away of the puddle of blood he was sure he’d shed when he hit the ground because she froze and then dropped to her knees.

Since all he could see of her was the flashlight and not her body, he couldn’t see her expression, but nonetheless, he could feel her terror floating through the storm to his perch in the tree.

A moment later, she was back on her feet, and even across the screech of the wind, he could hear her screaming his name.

She was spinning wildly in a circle, no doubt looking for him, wanting some indication that he wasn't dead, that he hadn't been snatched away from her.

As much as he wanted to give her that reassurance, he couldn’t.

In the dancing beam of her light, he could see the men approaching her.

They knew an easy target when they saw one, and whatever their orders, they weren't going to pass up a chance to get their hands on a beautiful and very vulnerable young woman.

Even from where he was, he knew the second Becca spotted them because she froze, and a scream tore from her lips as they pounced on her.

His finger twitched on the trigger. It would be so easy to start firing and make those men regret ever putting their hands on the woman he loved.

But shooting wildly, in the dark, in the middle of a storm, with his girl right in the line of fire, was a recipe for disaster. It was only going to make things worse, not better.

If he wanted to get Becca out of this alive, he had to keep his emotions in check and play this smart.

Right now, the men didn't know how badly they’d hit him. They knew he was alive, or at least that he had been, but they didn't know if they had incapacitated him or if he was still a threat.

That meant he had to leverage that and use it to his advantage.

For now, the men were dragging a kicking and screaming Becca back toward the cabin. They had abandoned their search for him, so he had a little time to try to set something up.

Becca wasn't going to be killed right away, and while his every cell urged him to go to her and protect her from any harm, he had to focus on the big picture. Getting Becca out alive was what mattered the most. Anything else they could survive together.

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