Page 24 of Raven's Hunt
Buck made a split decision — charged the doorway, caught the next wave of armed men from the side as they swept into the room, breaking their formation. He knocked two off their feet, plowing into the third like a battering ram, slamming him into the wall. Tierney and Dalton jumped into the fray a moment later, moving through the ranks like machines. Tierney launched onto one of the merc’s shoulders, tipping him back, all but snapping his neck as they landed on the floor, his head cracking against the cement.
Buck focused on the other two, taking a few hits to his ribs in order to get in close. He dodged the next attack, landed an open-hand hit to the creep’s throat, reeling him back as he elbowed his friend. An arm bar and a lift, and the guy’s shoulder popped, the snap resonating through the air. A knee and a couple strikes, and he was down, blood splattering across the floor, legs twitching. The first guy rallied, fell a few hits later, his own knife lodged in his throat.
Pain flared through Buck’s arm as he turned, fists up, his weight on his toes, but Dalton and Tierney had already dropped the others. Buck checked the front office, footsteps pounding the pavement as another group gathered outside, their silhouettes blocking out the window.
Dalton motioned to the back rolling door, hoofed it across the open space before pressing his back into the wall. He peered out the salt-smeared window, ducking when a beam traced the edge of the glass, nearly catching him in the spotlight. Gravel crunched beyond the door, vanishing beneath the surge of the waves against the pier.
The door behind them opened, that group finally spilling into the boathouse, laser dots mapping out their progression. Dalton took a few lunging strides, leaping onto the Zodiac, then back onto the roof. He readied his rifle, tracking the men as they quickstepped through the other room.
Tierney whistled softly, jumping into the water next to the Zodiac, drawing in a breath then slowly sinking below the surface, an oily residue reflecting off the top. Buck tucked in opposite her, Sig at the ready.
Movement.
Darting through the door, fanning out each side, a couple heading for the boat. A heavy silence settled around them, only the occasional scuff breaking it. Buck held firm, waiting to see if one of his teammates made a move, when the guy across from him stopped with his back to the slip, boots positioned at the edge.
Behind him, Tierney rose out of the black water like a wraith, hooking his vest, dragging him violently beneath the surface. The splash alerted the guy near the door, and he turned, pointed his gun at the water.
No hesitation.
Buck simply aimed, dropped the guy with a double tap to the head. Dalton followed suit, downing the remaining two men with quick, tight shots. The report cracked through the air, answered shouts sounding from outside.
Buck raced over to the water, catching Tierney when she surfaced, teeth chattering, water sheeting off her skin. She climbed out, tripping against Buck, looking worse than after they’d dove into the chopper.
Dalton jumped down, covering the doorway when the rolling metal door rattled, something clicking into place on the other side.
Bomb.
The word formed before Buck could voice it. He spun, curling Tierney into his chest as he took Dalton to the floor, angling over them a split second before the door exploded, shrapnel slicing through the boathouse as smoke rolled across the room. Flames curled up from the pieces still clinging to the frame, a deafening roar echoing in his head.
Pain sparked through his skull, nothing quite functioning as he pushed to his hands and knees, all his years with MARSOC kicking in. Beams lit up the smoke and ash, bouncing back as more men stepped through the debris.
He turned, fired a few rounds, sent them diving for cover. Stars flashed before his eyes, ears still ringing, as he staggered to his feet, laid down more cover fire.
Dalton stumbled up beside him, lifting Tierney and carrying her behind the hull as more brass chewed across the floor where they’d been lying a few seconds ago. Buck backed his way to them, mag emptied, nothing but Dalton’s rifle left between them.
Dalton moved forward, limbs shaking, a few pieces of metal peppered down one arm when sirens wailed in the distance. Static crackled in the air, a garbled message sounding above the ocean waves before the men folded into the night.
Smoke burned a line down Buck’s throat as Dalton stumbled forward, each step stronger than the last. He barreled out the opening with his rifle snugged against his shoulder, head on a swivel.
Buck stayed on Dalton’s six, alternating angles, looking for any hint of movement. Lights bobbed on the water, the boat’s engine growling above the thunder.
Dalton quickstepped to the end of the pier, sighting the vessel as the bow tipped up, the outboards spitting out a rooster tail of white water. The boat surged forward, bouncing over the waves, quickly picking up speed as he froze, scope pressed to his eye, hands rock steady.
Some asshole on the back fired off several rounds, the bullets spraying up silver tufts in the black water. Dalton didn’t move, didn’t breathe, just slid his finger inside the trigger, squeezed.
A crack, and the guy jerked, toppling back, releasing a spray of rounds that ate through the canopy, had one of the other men tumbling over the side. Another shot, and one of the engines coughed, then died, the boat barely making it around the rocky shore before vanishing into the night.
Dalton stood his ground, muzzle sweeping the shoreline. Buck and Tierney backed him up, covering the remaining angles, rain soaking their clothes.
Blue lights flashed against the fog, Bodie’s truck and one of the deputy’s SUVs skidding around the far bend before bouncing across the parking lot. Nick and Sloane jumped out while the chassis was still rocking, Bodie following suit. Deputy Jordan Archer appeared through the wind and the rain, weapon sweeping the shadows, looking as if she could take on the entire squad on her own. Though she’d come a long way from her operative days, she tended to switch back whenever the stakes got raised.
She’d fallen for Raven’s Watch’s dog handler, Kash Sinclair. The kind of love Buck hadn’t thought he’d ever have a chance at finding until he’d pulled himself together — met Tierney.
Jordan veered toward the office door, disappearing inside, Bodie covering her six. Nick and Sloane headed for the back, sweeping through the wreckage before returning, gathering around the three of them still standing on the pier.
Jordan arrived last, scanning the surroundings one more time before holstering her weapon as she gazed back at the smoking hole in the boathouse. “I swear, this place is a freaking magnet for trouble. Second time that door’s been blown off.”
Buck sighed, lowering his Sig. “Saylor’s going to kill me.”
