LITMIR.BIZ

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hair, the familiar rose tattoo on the right arm. Gently, she turned over the body. Her heart squeezed tight and all the air left her lungs.

      “Valentina.” Her voice filled with anguish.

      She felt herself go numb inside as her knees buckled. In an instant, Austin was beside her, gripping her arm, holding her up.

      Kylie shone the light on her friend’s face. The letter T, drawn in black marker on her forehead, stained the sweet woman’s lifeless features.

      “Kylie, we need to take cover now.” Austin’s voice seemed to come from a million miles away.

      More gunfire filled the night as Kylie felt herself drowning in pain and confusion. Only Austin’s hand clasping her forearm kept her from falling apart as he dragged her out of the line of fire.

      * * *

      Adrenaline flooded Austin’s body as he pulled Kylie toward the protection of the tall brush. High-pitched rifle shots from a distance pierced the night. Snipers from the Mexican side. Cartels always hired them to take out law enforcement when they were crossing. Rio Garcia had his fingerprints all over this one.

      Austin didn’t know who the fallen woman was, but the death had clearly affected Kylie enough to shake her. More gunfire cut through the night. Judging from the sound, it was a pistol being fired at close range on the American side of the border. It looked like whoever had shot the dead woman was now targeting Kylie and him. Austin’s gaze darted around. What was taking the rest of the ranger team so long?

      They ducked behind some high bushes. At least one henchman and maybe Garcia were out there in the darkness.

      The other rangers must be on their way.

      Austin spoke into his radio. “Requesting air support. Agent Perry and I are under heavy fire. Some at close range. We have a dead civilian female.”

      “Her...her name was Valentina.” Kylie’s voice cracked.

      Kylie knew the dead woman. No wonder she’d fallen apart. That T on the forehead meant traidor, Spanish for traitor. Maybe this was the informant Kylie had placed so much confidence in.

      Another shot whizzed by so close it left his ears ringing. Kylie fell to the ground after him. Her reactions were off, too slow.

      Still listening for shots or other activity around them, he sat up, turned to face her and gripped her shoulder. “Kylie, we’ve got to get these guys. Are you with me...for your friend?”

      She nodded, pulled herself up and clicked her goggles back into place.

      Maybe she hadn’t recovered from the shock of seeing Valentina dead, but Kylie was so well trained that she could go on autopilot if she had to. The truth was he’d requested working with Kylie for the Garcia mission for three reasons.

      First, she was professional. Second, she could be trusted. And third...something about her smile and easy laughter made him look forward to going to work that much more. He and Kylie would never be more than colleagues. He’d written off the possibility of a wife and kids long ago. He could better serve his God and people by being a ranger without attachments. But he could enjoy her company without getting in over his head, couldn’t he?

      He waited until he heard the whir of the Black Hawk blades before moving through the brush in the direction of the gunfire. Only one more shot was fired before the helicopter came into view. Now they had the shooter or shooters on the run.

      A border patrol agent in the chopper used a spotlight to light up the desert and hopefully track the men who had fired at them.

      Kylie kept up with him as the land opened up a bit. Their feet pounded in unison. The spotlight from the chopper revealed men climbing into a car on the American side of the border.

      Out of breath, he slowed his pace. They wouldn’t be able to catch the men on foot. As if on cue, he heard a car pulling up behind them. Ranger Colt Blackthorn stuck his head out the open window.

      “You folks need a ride?”

      The car explained the delay in Colt’s arrival.

      Austin loved that they were such a finely tuned team, that the other rangers knew what the next move would be without being told. Company “E” had sixteen rangers all together. Besides Colt, there were two others on the mission tonight—Brent McCord and Trevor Street, a new hire. Border patrol had provided Kylie and Greg Gunn to assist.

      They jumped in, he in the passenger seat and Kylie in the back. Colt hit the accelerator before Austin had even closed the door. He fastened his seat belt. The SUV gained speed, catching air as they bumped along the desolate terrain.

      Up ahead, the spotlight from the chopper revealed the car they were pursuing had reached the road.

      “They’re headed toward that housing development.” Kylie’s words were iced over with fear.

      Austin clenched his teeth. If these were Garcia’s men, they would think nothing of taking the innocent lives of civilians to get away.

      Commands flew back and forth on the radios. More ground support consisting of Brent, Trevor and Greg moved into place in a second vehicle.

      Colt floored the accelerator. The glowing red taillights of the goons’ car burned through Austin. These men weren’t going to get away, not on his watch. The car took a sharp turn into the housing development. Colt closed the distance between the two cars. The helicopter loomed above them continuing to spotlight the car that probably contained Garcia’s men and maybe even Garcia.

      The goon’s car took an abrupt turn and disappeared down an alley.

      The agent in the chopper kept them updated over the radio. “Suspects have vacated the vehicle. Two to the west, one to the east.”

      Colt took the turn so sharply it felt like the car was only traveling on two wheels for an instant. Austin’s body smashed against the door. He unclipped his seat belt even before the SUV came to a full stop behind the abandoned car.

      All three of them jumped out, pulling their handguns from their holsters. No sign of the fugitives. He and Kylie split off to the west while Colt headed in the opposite direction. They moved through the quiet, dark neighborhood.

      People were probably still awake—but they were smart enough to switch their lights off and lock their doors after hearing the helicopter. Residents in border towns knew the drill.

      A dog barked in the distance. The radio chatter told him other units had moved in quickly as backup. More barking. Maybe one of the K-9 units border patrol utilized was searching for the runners.

      Ever alert, he and Kylie slipped along a high wooden fence, both of them turning half circles, weapons drawn. Even with the adrenaline rushing through his system, a strange calm washed over him. He was at his best when the danger level was high. Chalk it up to a childhood that had required constant vigilance in the face of violence, everything he’d been through as a kid made him a good ranger. In his book, he counted that as God’s mercy and justice. Only God could redeem a life like his.

      The fence ended, and they ducked low as they moved along a hedge. The chopper had left them in the dark, spotlighting something several streets away. Probably Colt’s target.

      Austin snapped his head around when a noise off to the side caught his attention. Through his goggles, he saw the yellow glow of a man on the run. He watched as the figure headed toward a house set apart from the others. The blast of a gun penetrated the silence and made Austin’s heart seize up.

      His worst nightmare raised its ugly head. He hated getting civilians involved in this war.

      Please, God, don’t let the innocent die here tonight.

      He’d signed up for this, but the people in these houses hadn’t. Kylie surged ahead of him, making a beeline for the house where the goon had gone. As they drew close, she slowed down.

      He didn’t see any movement outside the house, no shifting shadows. “Maybe he fired to shoot open

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