Page 30 of A Game of Survival

He's so confident this won't be the end of us. That this won't be our last fight. I am confident that Teddy and Lincoln will return to her. Beyond that I have to be realistic, casualties are going to happen, I just hope we aren't going to meet our end in the process.

As we round the corner, I finally set eyes on the building we have been searching for. The security is tight. Behind the face, armed guards and dogs stand in our way. Assessing the area, I notice the back yard backs on to a wooded area. Nudging Lincoln, I nod in the direction, he sees what I see and we move to check if we can get in that way. We need to be strategic with this. Going in all guns blazing will get us nowhere with the amount of security they have. There are only two of us, and God only knows how many there are of them.

Fumbling through the hedges, we see a broken wired fence which looks to have been recently cut.

My heart is beating hard as I whisper to Lincoln. "Do you think someone else has tried this way before?"

Lincoln frowns as he crouches down, touching the edges of the snipped wire.

"Maybe, I don't know for sure." Lincoln starts before we hear shouting from inside as all the guards in the yard leave their posts to run inside the house. We look at each other, it looks like we don't have much time to get in and out. Whoever came before us has been found or is making a diversion for us.

"Let's go, we aren't going to have long." I tell Lincoln, carefully making our way through the yard and to the back of the house. As we enter the patio doors, we hear the raised voices on the level above us.

“So you were a rat all along, Cole? I think you'll regret trying to trick me.” Ronan’s voice bellows through the house. A loud thud above us has me moving quickly toward the staircase before Lincoln grabs my arm, pulling me back behind the archway that separates the kitchen and seating area. We are concealed, unless you come in through the patio or the kitchen you wouldn't know we were here.

In a hushed voice Lincoln whispers, "No, Silas. As much as I want to run out there and save Cole, we both agreed that Teddy is the priority. I need you to help me with that. And you are leaving with us and not staying back to be the goddamn hero. We are not losing you too! We need to get him first. We can come back for Cole." I see the conflict in him. I feel it inside of me. He's right, I know he is. I nod, I can't promise him that I'll not stay to save Cole. He's my brother. But I will get Teddy out first.

Hearing footsteps making their way down the stairs, we brace ourselves, both of us ready with our guns drawn.

"Take him to the van, he will be made an example of what happens to traitors." Ronan sneers as we hear them stomping and banging around the room. I lean slightly, taking a glance around the corner to see them carrying Cole’s unconscious body out of the door. Ronan is facing the opposite way to us and I fight every urge in my body to kill him where he stands. I know we can't, we have to remove Teddy as quietly and quickly as possible.

"All of you back to your stations!” Ronan orders. "You two find out how that cunt got past you all. I want this place tighter than Fort Knox. I bet his brother and that scum Rossi are on their way here. We might have to move the boy, but I'd like to see their faces when they realize they can't breach our fortress."

I hear a gunshot ring through the air. "For fuck sake! What is going on out there? They best not have killed him. I want him to suffer." Ronan screeches as he stomps out of the room and we hear the door slam shut. Knowing we are about to be severely outnumbered, we wait for the element of surprise. We need to take them out with little noise. This means making sure our silencers are on. As one of Ronan's men rounds the corner, he doesn't notice us there, however the second guy does but before he can shout, Lincoln has taken his switchblade and stabbed him in the side of the neck. He's gargling blood as his eyes roll into the back of his head and Linc slowly lowers him to the floor. The first guy is mine and I jump him from behind, choking him in a headlock before he passes out. I can't leave him alive incase he wakes up and alerts the others so I take my knife from my leg strap and slam it into the occipital bone of his skull, killing him instantly.

More guards are moving around on this floor but no others come our way. I look around the archway again as we hear voice’s trail through the front room. The guards make their way up the stairs completely oblivious to the bloodbath that has occurred in the kitchen. They obviously have something worth protecting up there. Once the coast is clear, we make a move to follow them upstairs. I go first, climbing the stairs two by two until I reach the top. At the end of the hallway, I see two guards stationed by a door. I have no choice but to use my Glock and take them out before they have a chance to make a sound. I aim and take the first one out, blood splattering across the door behind him as I land a bullet between his eyes. Lincoln is just as fast taking the second one down with an equally impressive shot, first to the chest and the second hits the guy’s head, painting an equally impressive piece of art against the wood. Unfortunately, the thump of their bodies hitting the floor couldn't be avoided from this distance, we don't have long to get in and get back out of here without detection.

"Hello?" a small voice calls from behind the blood-covered door. It's Teddy. We’ve found him. We rush forward immediately, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

"Little guy, it's Silas and Linc, your mommy's friends. We are going to get you out but we have to ask you, when we get out of this room, we need you to shut your eyes. You mustn’t look, promise us?" I tell him.

"Is Mommy with you? I heard Cole, is he with you too? Uncle Ronan came and shouted at him." Teddy says.

"Your mommy is at home with Alesso, we are going to take you to her. Just sit tight Ted." Linc reassures him.

I look at Lincoln, we need to do this fast. The door is locked and I'm not wasting time finding the key.

"Teddy, stand as far away from the door as you can, OK? I need to break it down as we don't have the key." I tell him, hoping he'll listen and do as I ask.

"OK. Uncle Ronan is the only one with the key, you could ask him for it." He says naively

I smile at his innocence before nodding to Linc. He positions himself at the top of the staircase to cover me. Bringing my foot up and extending it above the handle I kick the door, putting my full weight behind my boot as it connects with the wood, making it snap open with the force.

I see Teddy standing over by the bed. He looks so small, his face looks puffy from crying which breaks my heart as much as it angers me but he looks to be unharmed. He runs over to me, immediately wrapping his arms around my legs, and without a second thought I pick him up and shield him from the scene behind us.

"Little man, you remember what I said? Close those eyes for us, I’m going to pass you to Lincoln, OK? He is going to carry you. Make sure you don’t peek. We will get you back to your mommy soon."

"You promise I'll see her?"

"We promise on our lives, Teddy," Lincoln tells him as he takes him from me cradling him protectively into his chest.

"Lincoln, whatever happens next, you get him out." I glare at him. I'm not going to be the hero but I will be a distraction for him to get out with Teddy and whether he likes it or not Linc knows this needs to happen.

Lincoln nods in agreement.

With Teddy wrapped in Lincoln's arms, we move from the bedroom, stepping over the guards bodies. As we get to the staircase, we hear voices start to filter through. Lincoln darts behind an alcove in the hallway to keep Teddy covered and protected. As the voices near us, two of Ronan's men stop right in front of me, completely unaware of the danger they’re in. I grab the first one and head butt him, knocking him to the ground. And as he lands, I bring my knife up and slam it underneath the other's chin, causing him to fall back against the wall. Blood pours from his wound, coating his shirt in seconds and booking him a one way ticket to hell. As I watch the blood pour out I am slammed into a door as the first guard rushes me. I punch and block him before I feel his body instantly still on top of me before falling to the floor. Lincoln stands over him with Teddy in one arm and his gun outstretched in the other. The smirk on his face is annoying. I know I’m not going to enjoy hearing about that one over the next couple of months.

Pushing the fucker off of me, I retrieve my blade from the other guard’s jugular before I take the lead and we quietly make our way downstairs. There are no signs of Ronan or his men and that makes me feel a little uneasy. I wave for Lincoln and Teddy to follow. As we enter the seating area near the back patio, I check the garden and notice only one guard patrolling. This isn’t right. Quickly deciding we need to make quick work of this, I aim and shoot the fucker dead on the spot. All those target practice sessions as a kid are paying off. I suppose my father was good for something.

---