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“Like it’s a goodbye. I won’t have it.”
I smiled. Her watery eyes betrayed her emotions, even if her words were tough.
“I love you, Nikole May Adams. And this isn’t goodbye.”
She nodded and kept nodding while clutching my jacket. “Come back to me, Jake.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Come back and say you love me again.”
“With all my heart.” I kissed her one last time and walked away.
I didn’t turn around. I didn’t think I could leave her a second time. I couldn’t understand how soldiers left their loved ones behind. They must leave their hearts along with them.
“That was beautiful,” Will said beside me.
“Fuck off.”
Will stopped me before we both got in the truck. “No. I mean it.” His eyes held mine, and I knew he wasn’t joking. “Don’t mess it up.”
Will’s jaw ticked as though he were holding back more… more words, more emotion. I wasn’t sure. He never talked about his past and I never pushed.
“I won’t. Now let’s go get this fucker.”
I started the truck’s engine, and my adrenaline revved alongside it. This wasn’t just a rescue mission. I was bringing Nikole’s mother back to her. It meant everything to me at this moment.
I drove back down the road and turned right, heading straight for the trees behind the barn.
Mine was the only vehicle on the road, so I worried Chapman would notice it coming. “We should park this a few yards back.”
Will nodded in agreement. After parking the truck on the side of the road, Will and I headed toward the barn on foot. I could still feel a bit of pain from the gunshot wound whenever I pushed off the ground, but I ignored it as I walked toward our mission.
The gravel road crunched beneath our boots, and the smell of animal feces permeated the air.
“I thought you said the warehouse was empty,” Will said beside me, covering his face with his arm.
“It is empty. The soil must still reek of it, though.”
“I saw a documentary once where they sprayed the feces through pumps.”
“That’s disgusting. You should watch action movies like I do instead.”
I chuckled next to Will as we crossed the neighboring land. The cluster of trees behind the barn was only a couple of yards away now, and we could hear Maxine’s voice shouting over the bullhorn.
The red barn loomed over us, casting a shadow behind the trees. There was a smaller building beside it, one I hadn’t noticed from the street since the barn had hidden it. It was about the size of a small garage, with aluminum siding and two small windows on either side.
Will cocked his head toward it, and I nodded. “We should check those windows before checking in on the barn.”
I agreed, but we still haven’t had confirmation regarding Nikole’s mother.
“Jager, it’s Jake. Come in.”
“Jager here. Are you behind the barn? We can’t see you.”
“Yes. Have you confirmed the governor’s status?”
“Not yet. Maxine is pleading with Chapman to surrender. But he’s not responding. We’re not even sure if he can hear us.”
“We can hear Maxine, but who knows what he can hear inside the barn.”
If Chapman was even inside there. Maybe he was inside the garage. If he wasn’t responding, that wasn’t a good sign. He may have already done something to the governor that would make negotiations futile. We needed to get in fast. If there was any hope of rescuing the governor.
