Page 90 of Her Forever SEAL

“Yes.”

“Those not doing that, are to stay behind and will use weapons to fire on the guards if there is a problem.”

“I think the little ladies were just relegated to back-up roles, did you hear that?” Angie asked.

“Slitting someone's throat wasn’t on my bucket list,” Rylie answered.

Sophia shuddered and silently agreed with Rylie.

“Is everyone a go?”

Sophia listened to everyone report in.

Drake said, “Go.”

29

Drake moved.

That was the only way to describe it. One moment he was beside Sophia, solid and present, and the next he was no more than a shadow crossing ten feet of open ground. The guard had his back to the building wall, eyes forward, not even scanning the area.

Drake's arm came around from behind.

Sophia jerked when she heard Ibrahim’s voice over the comm. “You took my baby brother from me.” She could tell this was something that he had been waiting years to say.

She kept her eyes focused on Drake. His knife moved and blood spurted.

“He was barely a man.”

After a moment, maybe two, the man's head lolled in Drake’s arms, and he let the body down slowly, one hand controlling the descent. He lowered him to the ground like he was setting something fragile down, and the guard made no sound at all.

“People say you Navy SEALs are heroes.”

Drake straightened and looked back at her. He made a sharp motion with two fingers.

Run.

She ran. She stayed small, low and quiet, and didn’t stop. She covered the ground and flattened herself against the building beside him. He caught her arm and steadied her without a word.

“You are nothing but a coward with a big gun who butchers innocents.”

Sophia jerked against Drake when she heard Kayla whimper. It was small, barely audible through the sock and the distance, but Sophia heard it and something in her chest seized so hard she had to press her fist against her sternum to keep it inside.

Drake's hand was now on her shoulder. Steady. Present.

“Report,” he said quietly into the comm.

“Sniper's still on the roof, focused on the driveway. Hasn’t flinched.” Finn's voice.

“Two down behind the tasting room,” Jack said. “Clean.”

“We got the guard at the back of the production building,” Drake announced. “What about the loading dock?”

“Down,” Aiden said. “Dare came around the dumpster just as Angie threw a bottle cap into the dark. Guy looked left, Dare was already on him.”

“Wasn't even sporting,” Dare said.

Drake's eyes moved to Sophia's. Every exterior target down but the sniper.