Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Diego normally didn’t travel with quite as many weapons as Luther had stashed around his property, but on this trip, he had brought a small arsenal with him. From the first moment he had planned his exit from life, he’d intended to leave everything he valued for his brother Rubin, including his guns. As a result, he was carrying his favorite sniper rifle, as well as his hunting rifle, a Glock, a Sig Sauer and plenty of ammo for each. He was also armed to the teeth with his favorite knives.
His weapons weren’t the only advantage Diego had on his side. He glanced up at the trees, spotting a red-tailed hawk perched on the branch of a large oak tree not far away. Diego could sense another two hawks within a mile radius of his current position.
Ever since he could remember, Diego had always had a special affinity with birds. It was one of his many abilities that all the psychic and genetic manipulations of the GhostWalker program had enhanced. Prior to entering the program, he had already developed a rapport with the birds in this area, using them to hunt or scout for him.
With a thought, he sent the three hawks into the air to pinpoint the shooters.
He could connect with each hawk separately and view the enemy from the bird’s perspective. When he did that, however, it took so much energy it often left him feeling weak. He couldn’t afford that until he knew what he was facing. Instead, he instructed the hawks to scout and return to him. Almost immediately, he received the impression of men dropping from the sky to land in the trees above the clearing. More men had come from the road below the cabin. They were surrounding Luther, coming in from various directions, utilizing a ground crew and those parachuting in. This was a very serious attack.
Diego quickly made his way up the side of the mountain, using a deer trail and staying hidden within the brush. He had scouted Luther’s land many times and knew the best locations to oversee the cabin, the meadow and even part of the forest. Luther’s adversaries had parachuted in and, wanting to avoid the trees, were mostly at the lower edge of the mountain. Those coming in from the road were swarming behind Luther’s cabin.
Luther should have made his way into the cabin, where he had access to the caves, or at least headed toward one of the cave entrances, but instead, he was caught between the cabin and the meadow, in high grass with little protection. How was that even possible? The explanation was that Luther wasn’t alone. With him were two women.
One woman was a fighter, armed and clearly familiar with her weapon. She had dark auburn hair pulled back in a thick braid. She wore cargo pants and appeared armed to the teeth. Even with all the guns and ammunition hanging from her belt and slung around her neck, Diego could see she was slender with a woman’s figure. He wished she wore a vest. Bullets were hitting too close. Luther shouted instructions to her, and she nodded, staying low as she crawled through the brush toward a small depression behind several large rocks.
The other woman was curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth, hands over her ears. She was directly behind Luther, and he kept his body between her and the incoming fire. It was clear both Luther and the unknown warrior woman were protecting the woman on the ground. Diego couldn’t tell if she’d been wounded. She had darker hair than the fighter, but it had shades of red in it. From what he could see, she had a similar build, though she might have been a little lighter.
A five-man team kept the three pinned down, but Diego could see they hadn’t come alone. Behind Luther and the two women, another five-man team was creeping through the brush behind the cabin toward them. Another five-man team was spread out in the forest, ringing the meadow. That was fifteen men they’d sent after Luther. Diego’s earlier estimation of the attackers went up a notch. Clearly, they did know who they were confronting. So what was their endgame? Were they trying to acquire Luther? The women? Or kill them all?
Diego let out the loud screech of a red-tailed hawk to warn Luther he’d joined the party. He repeated the screaming message three times to ensure that Luther would realize the cry was a code. Luther knew every bird on his property and the sound of their voices. He said something to Warrior Woman. She looked up at the mountains in his direction and then nodded.
Luther cupped his hands around his mouth and screeched a reply. Enemies. Lethal force.
One of the men with an M4 shot at the woman, spitting bullets around her. It was covering fire to allow the team behind them to advance. Without hesitation, Diego shot him between the eyes and then switched targets to a man with an M5, killing him the same way. Two down and less than a second had passed. He moved position, knowing they would be looking for him.