Page 54 of Corey
The element of surprise had always served him well. While Jayson covered him, Corey dropped down through the hatch, landing and immediately rolling away. He popped up, lifting his weapon, and counted two more tangoes. He brought them down with ease.
Where was the fourth?
As if in answer, Jayson’s pistol fired and Corey saw a shadow go down. They swept between crates making sure no one else was hiding aboard the vessel.
“Clear,” Jayson reported.
Looking around, Corey scowled at the endless crates brimming with assault rifles, grenades and other weapons enroute to the Lazaro Cartel.Not any longer.Those assholes wouldn’t be getting any of this contraband to help their drug war.
“Tangoes neutralized, vessel secured,” Corey said through his comms.
“Good job,” Brand responded.
As the adrenaline began to wear off, the aches and pains set in. But Corey ignored them. He felt on top of the world. A few acetaminophens would fix the achy joints and then he’d be on his way back to Sera.
He could hardly wait.
???
After their girl time, Sera was bursting with hope for the future. She’d spent far too long succumbing to the guilt and nightmares. Corey helped her process what had happened where others had failed. He understood and related, providing her the safe space she’d so desperately needed. He was the light at the end of her tunnel, and she was ready to live.
Sera slept on the couch again with Loki, while Mitch continued bunking on an air mattress in Julia’s room. After turning on the light above the sink in the kitchen, Sera settled down on the sofa and sent up a prayer that Corey and the others would have a successful mission and return soon. Then she drifted off to sleep.
The smell of coffee woke her bright and early, and she saw Julia pouring two big mugs to the brim. No nightmares had plagued her during the night. The knowledge that she was safe and with people who understood and supported her meant everything.
Breathing in deeply, she sat up and stretched. The couch wasn’t helping her back, but she was grateful to be staying with Julia and Mitch instead of up at Corey’s cabin all by herself. But her thoughts turned to Storm, and she frowned.
“Good morning.” Julia handed her a mug.
“Thank you.” Sera blew on the hot coffee, glancing around. “Where’s your dad?”
“He went out for a jog.” She rolled her eyes. “I swear, the man thinks he’s as spry as ever. And completely invincible.”
“I love it,” Sera said, reaching down to pet a purring Loki.
“I just heard from Brand.” Julia sat on the edge of the coffee table. “The op went smoothly and they stopped the sub.”
“That’s great news.” She relaxed slightly. “Did they say when they’d be back?”
“At some point later today. They’re handing the sub off to the good guys and will need to debrief, then they’ll fly back.”
The idea of Corey being so far away made her sad. “Do they go on a lot of dangerous missions like this?”
“Enough that I worry.” Julia sighed. “I used to downright hate it. Tried for years to convince my dad to retire. But I’ve learned and accepted that saving the world is a part of their DNA. It gives them purpose. Plus they’re really good at whatthey do. They might be up there in years, but they’re still amazing to see in action.”
Sera smiled. “I bet.”
As they sipped their coffee, Sera glanced out the window to see the day was clear and bright. No more snow falling.
“I think I might do some painting today,” Julia murmured thoughtfully.
Sera knew Julia was a talented artist and she didn’t want to get in her way while she was creating. “I was thinking about going back to Corey’s cabin. That way I can get out of your hair and also check in on Storm. I worry about him being all alone.”
“That wolf seems pretty adaptable.”
“I know, but then I can feed him some steak for being such a good boy. I was also thinking of having dinner ready. Corey always does the cooking, and I feel bad.”
“He likes to cook, though, right?”
