Believe: The Complete Channie Series (120 page)

“What about the little kids? They won’t be able to go far on foot. And none of us are going to be able to walk all the way from Kentucky to Arkansas.”

“All we need to do is get everyone to the highway. I’ll arrange a convoy to pick us up.”

“A convoy?”

“Veyjivik Enterprises has a fleet of Hummers and limos. I’m sure Mr. Hollister will loan us a few vehicles.”

“Okay. That sounds like a plan. I’ll leave you and Tim in charge of finding volunteers.”

“I wanna go.” Billy crawled out from under Josh’s cot.

He’d forgotten the kid was even there. “Sorry. All volunteers have to be at least eighteen.”

Hunter stuck his head inside the tent. “You ain’t leaving me behind.”

Josh groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. “You guys wouldn’t happen to have any Advil, would you?”

Hunter stepped inside and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll be eighteen in a couple of months and I can shoot better than anyone here.”

Zen chuckled and shook his head.

Hunter jutted his chin out. “You ever shot a squirrel through the eye with a 22, a hundred yards away?”

Zen arched his eyebrows. “Have you?”

Shep pushed his way past Hunter into the tent. “More’n once. Next to me, Hunter’s the best shot in the region.”

“I can outshoot you any day or night Shepherd Feenie.”

Shep rolled his eyes. “Can not.”

Josh grabbed both Feenie brothers by the back of their necks and walked them outside, right into a crowd of people clustered around the front of his tent. They were obviously eavesdropping, but Josh hadn’t ordered the crowd away when he took the meeting inside his tent, so it was his own damn fault.

“I don’t care if you’re both the best shots in the whole world. Neither one of you are going if you can’t keep your mouths shut. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir.” Hunter and Shep spoke simultaneously.

“all right. I’ll lower the age limit to seventeen years and six months, but that’s as low as I’ll go.”

“Can women go?” Vixen flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave Josh a sultry look.

He closed his eyes and groaned. He didn’t want to start a women’s rights debate, but he didn’t want his men distracted by female soldiers either. “No.”

“I can shoot a squirrel at seventy-five yards.”

Shep whistled appreciatively then grinned as he let his gaze roam over Vixen’s body. “I say we take her.”

“And I said no.” Josh hadn’t seen any women during his single session of combat training. “Have you trained with Tim?”

“It depends on what you mean by training.” Vixen winked at Tim, whose face turned bright red.

“That’s exactly why I don’t want you to go.” She had Shep panting like a dog and Tim blushing like a schoolgirl. She licked her lips as she checked out Zen. No way was Josh letting her go on this mission. “This isn’t a game.”

“I know that.” Vixen huffed and shoved her fists on her hips. “But my sister’s name is on that list.”

Zen put a hand on Vixen’s shoulder. “Does she look like you?”

The last thing Josh wanted was for his best soldier to go off on some personal mission when he was counting on him to lead the entire operation. “I appreciate everyone’s willingness to help, but we can’t take everyone. We need to choose a team that will have the best chance of success, so I’m putting Tim and Zen in charge of screening volunteers.”

Josh pulled the two men aside. “No women and no kids under eighteen.”

“Yes, sir.” Zen and Tim answered in unison then turned their attention to the crowd of people wanting to volunteer.

Josh slipped back inside his tent and sprawled out on his cot. He pulled out his phone and gazed at Channie’s picture. He stroked the screen, over her face, and thought about her and their baby, hoping it would give him the courage he’d surely need before the night was over. He searched for her through their bond, but she was asleep. He’d tried to connect with her several times a day since Vince left with her, but she was always asleep. Pregnancy must be exhausting. Josh had just decided to give her a nudge to wake her up when Hunter’s roar of indignation rent the night.

“What do you mean I cain’t go? You’re taking Shep and I’m a better shot than him.”

“Am not.”

Josh groaned and swung his feet off the cot.
Damn it, Hunter.

“If I can shoot the head off a nail at fifty feet, will you take me?”

Josh stepped outside. It was a new moon so there couldn’t have been less light. But that didn’t stop Hunter. He was hammering a nail into a tree stump by candlelight. A small crowd gathered to watch.

Hunter left the candle next to the nail then paced his way back as the crowd counted his strides. He kept going even after the crowd shouted, “Fifty!”

He looked up and winked at Josh. “The extra five is to keep anyone from accusing me of cheating.”

Someone handed Hunter a rifle.

“Anything I should know about the way this thing sights?”

“She skews a bit to the left. I’d allow a quarter inch at this distance.”

“Seriously?” Josh couldn’t believe Hunter was even attempting such a ridiculous shot with an unfamiliar weapon. “How come you don’t have your own gun?”

Hunter shrugged. “Most folks is willing to let me borrow theirs if I share the meat.”

He lifted the rifle to his shoulder, took a deep breath then slowly exhaled.

The bang wasn’t as loud as Josh’d expected, about like a firecracker, but it still made him jump. Would he be able to keep his head straight when the guys with automatic weapons opened up? Especially when it was the bad guys.

Hunter’s whoop of joy snapped Josh out of his downward spiral.
I didn’t freak out when the trackers were shooting at us. I’ll deal with whatever happens tonight, when it happens. No point in worrying about it now.

“Go hammer in another nail.” Shep scowled at Hunter. “I’ll knock the head off at
sixty
yards.”

“No.” Josh had had more than enough of the Feenie brothers’ endless squabbling. “You’re already going. There’s no need to waste ammunition just to inflate your already overblown ego. Deal with it, or stay behind.”

Shep pursed his lips, but lowered his gaze and nodded.

“Let’s take a walk.” Josh pulled Hunter aside and marched him away from the crowd. “I know you want to go, and there’s no one I’d rather have watching my back, but I need you to stay here…in case I don’t make it. Someone has to take care of Prudence.”

Hunter stared at Josh. The intensity of his gaze grew uncomfortable. He blinked then cocked his head to the side and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t agree with Ms. Wisdom very often, but she’s right about how important you are. You’re the one that needs to stay put, not me. You’re married with a little one on the way. But more importantly, you’re the only one that can defeat Dominance.”

“If I weren’t the only elemental mage, I’d agree with you. But my weird magic could be the one thing that tips the outcome of this operation in our favor.” Josh grabbed the sides of Hunter’s head and forced him to meet his gaze. “I know what I’m asking is hard, but there’s no one else I trust as much as you. Will you do it? Will you protect Channie and our baby if I don’t come back?”

“With my life.”

The
plan was simple. They’d land the helicopter four miles away from the prison camp and let Tim’s team out. They’d make their way to the front of the compound, signal their arrival with a single squawk on the radio. As soon as they heard an answering squawk, signaling the arrival of Zen’s team at the bluff behind the compound, Josh would use his elemental magic to blast through the protective spells then blow apart the front gates, causing a diversion so Zen’s team could rappel down the cliff behind the hostages’ barracks and enter the compound. Tim’s team would provide cover while Zen’s team herded the hostages towards the highway where the Veyjivik Enterprises motorcade would be waiting to whisk them all to safety.

It was a good plan. But it took less than a minute for it to fall completely apart.

Gunfire, screams of terror and wails of pain seemed to come from all directions. Josh froze. Searchlights scanned the compound and its perimeter, the ground glistened as if it had just rained, but it was blood, not water. The guards were mowing the hostages down like sheep. Josh wrapped an arm around a tree to keep from sinking to the ground. A light blinded him. Someone tackled him from behind as bullets chewed through the tree he’d been leaning against.

“Stay down, you dumb shit.”

Josh recognized Noble’s voice. What was he doing in the front? The marines were supposed to be behind the barracks.

Josh whispered, “thanks,” but the guy was already on his feet and running towards the shattered gate.

Noble ran in a zigzag pattern. Bullets thunked into the ground behind him. The little puffs of dirt chasing him were getting closer. He wasn’t going to make it.

Bursts of light lit up the interior of a tower near the gate. Muzzle flashes from an automatic weapon. Josh lifted his chest and dug the sapphire out from under his shirt. He clutched it in one hand and pointed at the guard firing at Noble with the other.
Stop it!

The guard exploded, as if he’d stepped on a mine. But there wouldn’t be any mines inside a guard tower. What the hell just happened?

“Nice work.” Zen crouched beside Josh and squeezed his shoulder. He waited for the spotlight to sweep past their position then darted towards the gate.

I killed that guard.
Josh raised himself to his hands and knees. He tried to get his feet under him, but his body didn’t want to cooperate. All he managed to do was rock forward.

A clammy hand grabbed the back of his neck. “Cover me, I’m going in.”

Shep?
“No! Wait.”

Shep ignored Josh’s warning and surged forward. He didn’t take more than two steps before the spotlight caught him on its return sweep. A muzzle flashed in the other guard tower. Shep’s body jerked like a puppet on a string as bullets riddled his torso. He was so close that Josh heard the wet sound of metal hitting flesh.

Shep turned as he fell. He looked right at Josh with a shocked expression on his face.

“No!” Josh blasted the guard and the tower, blowing them both up with a single burst of magic then ran to Shep. He slung him over his shoulder then ran back to the cover of the trees. He laid Shep on the ground and rolled him onto his back. “You’re going to be okay. Hang on.”

But Shep wasn’t okay. Fear and pain twisted his features into a mask of horror. He coughed once, spraying Josh with blood, then went completely limp. His pupils dilated.

“No!” Josh put his hands over Shep’s heart and
willed
him to live. Magic poured out of him and into Shep, but it didn’t work. He felt his own life force slipping away but refused to give up. “Come on, Shep!”

“Stop.” Arms as thick as tree trunks wrapped around Josh’s chest and pulled him off Shep.

“No. Let me go. I have to save him.” Josh struggled to break free, but he was too weak. And Tim was too strong.

“You can’t. There’s too much damage.”

“No!” He clutched his sapphire and used it to repel Tim. He reached for Shep, but before he could resume his attempts to revive him, Tim’s meaty fist slammed into the side of Josh’s head.

When he came to, Tim was gone. Shep laid on the ground beside Josh. His eyes were open but blank, unseeing, dead.

“No!” Josh stood up and screamed, “Stop it! All of you stop shooting.”

Magic shot out of him again. But instead of a focused beam streaming towards a fixed target, it exited his body like a shock wave, expanding in all directions. All around him, people shouted in pain. Weapons clattered to the ground.

“My weapon just overheated.”

“Mine, too.”

“What the hell’s going on?”

“Valor? Did you do something to our weapons?”

Josh stared at his bloody hands. “I don’t know…maybe?”

Multicolored bursts of light inside the compound lit up the night sky. He’d disabled their guns, but they still had magic.

A man grabbed Josh’s arm and shook him. “We need your shield, come on.”