Chapter 5 - The Final Stand
The wind howled through the pine trees, masking the sound of engines until it was too late. Black SUVs swarmed the clearing. They were professionals—the kind that don't leave witnesses.
“June,” I said, handing her a spare sidearm. “Stay behind the partition. Don’t move until the firing stops.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You’re not. You’re providing cover.”
Voss looked at me, a grim, respectful nod passing between us. “Red Squadron tactics?”
“Let’s show them why we were the best,” I replied.
We moved in sync. It was like breathing. For the first time in six years, I didn't feel like a broken woman. I felt complete. Every movement was calculated, every shot deliberate. We utilized the terrain, the darkness, and the training that was etched into our bones.
We took them down one by one, a dance of violence in the moonlight. I felt the familiar burn of adrenaline. I saw the fear in the faces of the men who thought they were hunting a cashier.
Then, the lead agent appeared—the man who had signed the orders for my team’s death. He stood behind a shield, firing blindly.
“Callie!” he shouted. “You’re throwing away your life for a girl who doesn't matter!”
“She matters more than this whole corrupt organization,” I yelled back.
May you like
I dove, rolled, and threw a flashbang. The explosion blinded them. I closed the distance in three seconds. I didn't use the gun; I used my hands. I ended his threat with a precision that would have made my instructors weep.
Silence returned to the forest, broken only by the hiss of rain on hot metal.
