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The alarm sounded again, just after midnight. Several of the perimeter’s alarms had Jacob and Faith jumping from the bed and jerking on clothes and shoes within seconds.
“Stay close to me,” he ordered her quietly as they grabbed revolvers and comm. links.
She didn’t speak, but the brief glance he shot her assured him that she was following his lead efficiently. The revolver was in a readied position at her shoulder, the comm. link attached securely to her head once again.
“Expecting someone?” she asked him, barely a breath of a sound as they moved quickly downstairs then into the foyer, edging along the wall to the slender, tinted double windows that looked out to the front gate.
Jacob grunted sarcastically.
“You there, Stygian?” His voice was soft as it came through the unit.
Faith knew they were expecting another attempt to breeze the security of the house, but they hadn’t been expecting it so soon. Whoever or whatever was out there was more than persistent.
“Can’t see shit, Commander. ” Stygian’s voice was disgusted, angry. “I got the alarm the minute it came through, but there’s nothing out here. ”
But they were there. Jacob could feel it. His trouble barometer was going crazy.
“No animals, no nothing. We found the tripped unit, and it’s definitely been tripped, but I’ll be damned if there’s anything around here,” the other Enforcer continued. “And I smell Coyote. Evidently the bastards are getting smarter. ”
The Coyote breeds were smart enough as it was, Jacob thought furiously, they didn’t need to get smarter.
“Find them,” Jacob told him softly, his voice hard as he continued through the house, secure that Faith was covering his back. “Now!”
“We’re on it. ” The link was broke when Jacob turned back to Faith.
“Cover my back. We’re in a shitload of trouble if the sound of those alarms are any indication. ”
There wasn’t just one, it seemed as though every perimeter had been breached and the shrieking protest of the electronic devices were ear-splitting as they began going through the house, looking for any sign of intrusion there.
The house was clear. There were no breached windows, no sign of trespassers. Faith moved carefully behind Jacob, her back to his, her eyes covering every inch of the rooms they moved through.
As they entered the large ballroom, a shadow of movement from the corner of a window caught Faith’s attention.
“Down. ” Jacob swung around, taking her to the ground as a round of gunfire erupted through the room.
“Son of a bitch. Stygian, where the hell are you?” she heard him curse as they turned their guns on the window, returning fire as they scrambled to a place of safety behind the thick oaken bar unit set off to the side.
As Faith reloaded her pistol, she moved to the corner of the bar, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the new entryway into the house. Her fingers went to the comm. link, pressing at several of the buttons until she found what she wanted.
“We’re fucking pinned down, Commander. ” A dark baritone shouted into the link. “I don’t know who or what they are, but they came out of nowhere. ”
“Coyotes. ” Faith barked into the link. “You should be able to smell them. I can. ”
Silence greeted her words except for the sound of distant gunfire and heavy male curses. Outside the shattered windows, Faith watched several dim shapes darting about in the darkness, too quick for her to fire at, but slow enough for her to keep a careful watch on.
“We need rifles,” she bit out as she felt Jacob moving around behind her. “I’m out of reloads and we’ll be sitting ducks here when our ammo runs out. ”
“We’re moving in your direction. ” A voice came through the link. “She’s right. We have four Coyotes in the compound and a handful of soldiers. We’ve taken down a few and moving in for the rest. ”
“Watch your asses, they have night vision goggles, and have moved into a position of defense. ” As Jacob barked out the orders, Faith watched as the shadowy shapes shifted, merging outside. “They want in this house, and they’re determined to get in. There are too many entry points to cover them all. ”
“Stay down, keep your eyes open. ” Jacob was beside her instantly, his revolver placed in her free hand. “I’m going for the rifles and ammo. ”
She could hear the worry in his voice, wanted to look up and reassure him but she was too frightened to take her eyes off the windows surrounding them.
“Hurry,” she bit out. “I’m a hell of a shot, but there are a lot of them out there. ”
She fought to keep her voice from quivering, her fear from locking her up. She was a negotiator. She had to keep reminding herself of this. Why did she keep finding herself in the middle of gun battles?
