Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Something blunt and metal clattered to the ground before the guard crumpled at his feet.
Gage stepped over him as if he were yesterday’s trash, moving fast, rotating his cane in distraction, and closing the distance as his beads popped, sketching his battlefield in sound.
The one with the complex fired a hasty shot, the bang echoing off the wall.
He drove the cane into smaller man’s stomach, folding him over and stealing his breath, before he hooked him behind the knee.
He hit the carpet with a muffled thud, and before he could think of getting up, Gage yanked his taser baton from behind his back and shoved it into his target’s chest and let the shock of fifty thousand volts put him to sleep.
The last tall one hung back, heart pounding audibly, his pistol trembling in a two-handed grip.
Gage snapped his cane up in a blur of silver and connected with the guard’s wrist, followed by an instant horizontal swing to the right side of his face.
The weighted end connected with the man’s cheek, slamming his head into the wall, the upper jawbone cracking like porcelain, sending multiple teeth skittering across the floor in a spray of blood, spit and fragments.
He dropped, choking on his own blood. Gage left him on the floor, wheezing, curled in the fetal position and regretting his life’s decisions.
The one with the shattered thigh lunged in one last attempt, grabbing at his jacket with his free hand.
Gage twisted away and stomped on the hand that’d dared to touch him, crunching the tiny bones like twigs.
The guard screamed louder, too loud.
Gage dropped behind him, cinching his forearm under his chin with measured pressure—not to kill him, but to shut him up.
The man gagged and bucked once, twice, before the fight drained out of him, leaving him silent and limp.
Gage got back into position, hidden in an alcove, head angled.
Four minutes later, Scar’s voice came over the comms. “We’re done.”
That was his cue. He went around the long way to the back stairwell. By the time he got to the door, Scar appeared at his side as if he’d been there the whole time.
His strong hand found his wrist and squeezed once. Good work.
He returned the pressure. You too.
The extraction was efficient and fast.
The rear door was held open, and the four warriors who made up their tactical escort in the field formed a moving shield around them as they rushed toward their armored vehicle.
Inside Gage exhaled, long and slow.
He, Scar, and their team would be long gone by the time the men upstairs woke up. Neither would know who betrayed who, only that the deal and any trust within their alliance was destroyed.
Their field team decided to leave the scene as is. Colima was so overtaken with violence, authorities wasn’t going to use their limited resources to investigate a few assaulted bodies left mangled in a run-down hotel hallway.
The mission control room was more relaxed now that the adrenaline and concentration had drained out of it.
The real drive holding the classified information was placed in a protective sleeve and loaded into a secured crate by their field chain-of-custody handler.
Nobody spoke about morality and what it took to retrieve the drive, or about the guards Gage had put down and the injuries he’d inflicted.
He didn’t flinch at what his hands had done, didn’t see a need for repentance.
His fighting wasn’t fueled by hatred or vengeance. He was driven by devotion to stand between predators and their victims.
A traitor inside the DEA was selling their agency’s defense strategies for money, helping to shield cartels that poisoned communities and trafficked innocent lives.
If he had to break a wrist, a couple ribs, a jaw, and a few kneecaps to stop that kind of evil, he felt it justified.
Roz approached him. “You good?”
“I’m good,” he nodded as his gear chief stripped him of his kit and stored his weapons for return to headquarters.
Roz squeezed his shoulder. “You were a true soldier tonight, G. You’ve come a long way from that timid kid on the block.”
“You too, brother…you too.”
The rest of the field team packed and left in stages, their voices and footsteps fading down the hall.
Before he could go to Scar, a new set of footsteps arrived—smooth and silent to the common ear.
Outside the door, a deep voice reported in. “White shadow cover is live.”
“Handsome,” Scar said from across the room.
Gage followed the sound of his even breaths until he connected with Scar’s chest.
“Your stuff is already packed. Go change.”
Gage chuckled. “Into what?”
Scar touched his cheek. “Something comfortable, we have a two-hour flight.”
Gage slowly eased out of Scar’s arms and went to do as he’d been told.
White Ravens
Scar
Gage was on his lap before the helicopter had even leveled out.
Scar kept one arm around his waist and used the other to draw him closer by the back of the neck until his nose was buried in his throat.