Page 64 of Corey
“Sera!”
Oh, my God.She abruptly halted, jerking around.
“Corey!”
Her voice cracked and she stumbled forward, searching for him. Boots pounded, echoing through the tunnel, and then she saw an eerie green glow approaching her fast.
“Sera, it’s me,” he said, and she realized the strange light was from his night vision goggles.
Their bodies collided, arms wrapping tightly around each other, and relief poured through her. “You’re here,” she whispered, voice cracking. He wore so much gear and her chest pressed against his tactical vest. “How did you find me?”
“I’ll always find you, sweetheart. I made a promise to protect you.” He kissed her hard and fast, then grabbed her hand. “Any idea where this leads?”
“No, but Barrera opened it and ran inside, so I figured it was some kind of escape route and followed him.”
“Good girl,” Corey murmured as they began moving along the corridor much faster together than she had on her own. But Corey could see, so she grabbed hold of his vest and rushed forward blindly, doing her best to keep up and trusting in him completely.
The cave-like tunnel curved, climbing higher, and then Corey abruptly stopped.
“What do you see?” she whispered, squinting through the inky darkness.
“A door handle,” he murmured. “Get behind me.”
She ducked behind him, fingers tightening on his tactical vest. He lifted his arm which she assumed held a gun, and he pushed the door open. Light flooded the edge of the tunnel and she blinked against the sudden brightness. When Corey stepped forward, she followed, and saw they were in a large room made of glass walls. Plants and flowers grew everywhere, and the smell of dirt and blooms filled her nose.
It was a conservatory. And just outside its doors, a helicopter lifted up, its rotors spinning as it no doubt carried José Barrera away.
Corey lowered his gun, turned and pulled her back into his arms. Now that they stood in the light, she saw the way his gaze scanned her face and then moved downward. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head. “I’m okay. But Barrera just got away.”
“I don’t care about him. Only you.”
Her heart swelled. God, she was so in love with this amazing man. But this wasn’t the time to tell him. “I think the house is on fire,” she murmured, and he choked out a laugh.
“Yeah, there was an RPG, or two, involved. And some grenades.” He touched his ear, and said, “I’ve got Sera. We’re on the roof, in a conservatory.”
“Roger. Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s good. But Barrera hopped on a bird and took off. And Hawke went AWOL.”
“AWOL?” Brand echoed. “Where the hell did he go?”
“No idea,” Corey said.
Brand made an aggravated sound. “Murph, check the cams for Hawke. Knight and Battle, report.”
“It looks like the Villarreals might be pulling back, but there’s a lot of damn fighting still happening over here,” Jayson reported.
Wes cut in, “I’ve got eyes on two more RPGs! You guys need to evacnow!”
“Roger that,” Corey said sharply then grabbed Sera’s hand. “RPGs inbound!”
She held on tightly, his words making her run faster than she thought possible, and they burst through the doors. “Where are we going?” she cried.
They were stuck on the roof with a raging fire nipping at their heels. Going back into the house wasn’t an option. If they didn’t die of smoke inhalation or run into cartel members, the fire would get them. But more RPG hits in the right structural spots might be enough to trigger a full collapse.
Their feet hit the large concrete deck and, as they ran across the helipad, they scanned the area for escape options.
