Page 46 of Faron
“I know. That’s why I’m not letting you near this one. We’ll be in and out. Minimal contact. I promise, the second I’m back, I’m yours.”
She leaned in, forehead to mine. “You better come back, Lightfoot.”
I kissed her like I’d been drowning and only she had air.
“I will,” I said. “But until then, stay close. Stay sharp. And stay safe.”
She nodded, jaw tight, eyes glassy but not spilling over. Not yet.
I turned and walked out the door.
Cyclone was leaning against the truck. “You good?”
“No. But let’s go.”
“Do we know who made the call?” he asked.
“No name. Just coordinates and a promise.”
He looked at me, then at the horizon. “Blue says it feels suspicious?”
“Yeah. And you?”
“Same. Let’s stay sharp. No hero moves.”
I loaded my gear and climbed into the cab. “Let’s go find some ghosts.”
43
Faron
We landed just outside a crumbling village on the edge of Helmand Province.
The chopper kicked up a cyclone of dust, rotor blades slicing the air as it lifted off and vanished into the orange haze. Cyclone and I moved fast—low, silent, weapons ready. The earth here was scorched and brittle, like it had forgotten what peace felt like.
Two figures stepped out from behind a collapsed well. Grayson and Luca. Both in dusty tactical gear, sunburned and strung tight.
I didn’t lower my rifle, but I didn’t aim either. “Talk to me.”
Luca kept his voice low. “We got the same call—extraction mission for Americans left behind. But there’s been no sign of anyone. No contact. Nothing.”
“No one’s shown?” Cyclone asked, scanning the rooftops.
Grayson shook his head. “Not a soul. And something’s wrong. No movement. No kids, no goats, no birds. Too quiet.”
Then Cyclone froze. “Incoming.”
Shadows burst out of alleyways. Armed men. Dozens. Coming fast.
“Shit!” Grayson hissed, diving for cover.
Gunfire cracked open the air. Bullets chewed into brick and dirt. Cyclone dropped two with sharp, efficient shots. I took down a third. Luca clipped one in the leg before ducking behind a broken wall.
There were too many.
This wasn’t a failed meetup.
This was an ambush.
