Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
It didn’t hurt that she was undeniably gorgeous too, but that might work against me more than for me. I nodded to her when she looked at me, doing my best not to stare like some of the other guys openly did. They were lucky David hadn’t punched them in the throat by now.
“The same few enemies go into that building. They’ll be easy to take out. Besides, if we bring any more people, it’ll draw more attention to us,” David explained to her before cupping her face and kissing her forehead. “We’ll be right back.”
Brianna breathed in deeply and nodded, giving him a small smile as she steadied herself. She looked back over at me and Amir.
“Be safe,” she said.
“Always,” I assured her, not wanting to worry. Seeing us come and go would be a learning curve for her, but she would get used to it. She would realize what all we could do.
“Don’t miss us too much,” Amir chuckled, shooting her a grin that made me pitch a wary look toward David.
David didn’t even seem fazed as he turned and led us out through the thin strip of woods that separated us from the capital. The closer we got, the slower and lower we got, wanting to keep out of sight. He jogged quietly over to what looked like an abandoned bakery, carefully stepping over glass from the broken front window.
I followed close behind him, while Amir took the rear to watch our backs. We rounded the building and stuck to the alleyways, eerie quietness ringing throughout the city. The aftermath of battle lingered in the streets in the form of burnt cars, shattered glass, and stray bullets. Civilians had either evacuated or were in hiding, while rebels snuck around to keep their base hidden from the dictator’s forces, who did rounds every so often.
The sight of a tattered teddy bear on the street made my heart ache, forcing me to tear my eyes away as we continued toward the building that had been turned into a makeshift prison. I had seen a lot in my days of being a soldier, but that didn’t stop certain sights from aching. All the rebels wanted was a fair, peaceful life under a good, caring leader. It wasn’t fair that they had to spill blood for that.
David paused at the end of the alleyway, holding his hand up to signal for us to stop. He then motioned ahead.
“There it is. Aziel and I will hit the door in the back. Amir, take care of any incoming company,” David said.
Amir rested his sniper rifle against his shoulder with a grin.
“With pleasure,” he replied before heading over to a nearby ladder to climb up to the rooftop of the building to our left.
I turned to David and nodded.
“Ready,” I said as I held my rifle closer to my chest.
David crouched before hurrying across the street toward the gray concrete building. There were no signs of any enemies in the nearby area, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any waiting for us inside. We rounded the corner to reach the back area, our boots lightly thudding against the concrete.
“I’ll draw their attention. You find the hostages,” he told me.
I nodded and dug my heels in, preparing to run in the moment he opened the door.
David counted under his breath before throwing open the door and storming inside into a small hallway. There was one opening ahead, and the moment an enemy in black tactical gear came running around the corner, David pulled the trigger, sending him to the ground.
“Let’s go,” David said as he hurried ahead to clear the way, stepping through the entrance for us to come across what looked like a lounge area with a small kitchenette to the right. One enemy was on the couch, and two were in the kitchen. “Go!”
I ran through another door to the left as shots rang out, ducking my head as one bullet struck the wall right above my helmet. I checked every door down the new hallway, only finding storage rooms and bathrooms until a flight of stairs finally greeted me. A basement.
I hurried down the stairs with my gun raised, turning its tactical light to make a beam sweep over the stairs as I made my way down them. When I reached the halfway point, shots rang out, splintering the wood beneath my feet. With a curse, I jumped, landing on the concrete at the bottom of the stairs to dodge the fire. I looked up just as a man in tactical gear lunged at me, slamming me back against the wall behind me.
“Stupid soldier,” the man hissed as he started to raise his pistol.
With a grunt, I slammed my hand against the inside of his wrist, knocking the gun out of his hands before headbutting him with my helmet. It wasn’t the most graceful move and made me a bit dizzy, but at least I didn’t have a gun in my face. I shot him down before he could get up and attack me again, silence ringing throughout the basement until I heard muffled cries.