Page 34 of Rescuing Rebel

We move into position.

“Breach in 3... 2... 1...” My voice cuts through the silence, a whisper lost in the night. We move as one, a team honed into a deadly fighting force, and all hell breaks loose.

We split into two groups and surge forward as one. Hank and Walt circle around to the back, ensuring no one tries to move Ally out from under our noses. Jeb, Blake, Gabe, and I breach the front door with the force of a battering ram. A loud crack sounds as wood splinters and gives way. Two startled figures scramble from where they play cards at a small table, their hands reaching for holstered weapons.

They never stand a chance.

Shots rip through the air. One of them crumples to the ground, dead before he can pull his gun. The second man takes a bullet to the chest. I’d like to kill him, but we need him for interrogation.

As for Ally… She huddles in the corner, ropes biting into her wrists and binding her ankles. Metallic gray duct tape seals her lips; all we hear are her muffled cries.

“Ally, your father sent us.” I squat next to the girl while Jeb and Gabe see to the wounded. Hank and Walt join us a few seconds later, standing guard by the shattered door.

Blake keeps watch over me as I slice through Ally’s bindings.

“Can you walk?”

Her body shudders, but she nods. The ropes fall away, leaving angry red welts and bruised skin behind. She rips the duct tape off and works her mouth. Tears stream down her face, yet she whispers a shaky,

“Who are you?”

I help Ally to her feet, and she sags against me, her legs trembling and weak. Scooping her into my arms, I move through the room, headed to the first SUV.

Mission success.

Ally is free.

But our job is far from over.

Jeb and Gabe shove the surviving kidnapper into the second vehicle. Walt and Hank remain behind to deal with the authorities and the circus that will come.

It’s not long before the plane comes into view. Ally stumbles out of the vehicle. She’s somewhat steady on her feet but clings to me as we climb aboard.

She’s in shock, unable to process what’s happening.

I settle her in a seat, buckle her in, then drape a blanket around her fragile frame. Gradually, her shaking subsides, but she tenses when one of her abductors is dragged onto the plane.

“Don’t worry about him.” I shield her as Jeb and Gabe forcibly march the man to one of the rooms in the back of the plane. That’s the last time she’ll ever see that man’s face.

Once we’re in the air, I check in on our prisoner. Our medics treated the bullet wound to his chest. I watch the entire procedure with a hardened gaze, my mind already ticking with questions.

We did it.

We saved another innocent.

But satisfaction is fleeting when there’s still a job to do.

We need information on who hired these men before Ally is truly safe because whoever orchestrated the kidnapping is still out there.

We’ve saved the girl.

Now, we hunt the hunters.

Once the medic’s done, I roll up my sleeves and get to work on our prisoner. In the back of my mind, however, are thoughts of Rebel.

THIRTEEN

Ethan