Chapter 1546
[ 594 words ]
Any hiker who got separated from their group was practically guaranteed to vanish. No wonder the missing persons rate in The Aila Highlands was so astronomically
high.
Officer Miller was gutted, his heart heavy with regret. He resolved to face a severe disciplinary review the moment he returned to base.
He had spent decades in the military, yet a foreign spy had operated right under his nose. It was an unbearable disgrace.
Colonel Harrison clapped a heavy hand on Miller’s shoulder. “Miller, pull yourself together. This isn’t the time to drown in guilt.”
“Our primary objective right now is to push into those mountains and extract our people.”
“You’ve run this route twice now. You know the terrain better than anyone.”
Before Miller could volunteer to lead the vanguard, Harrison cut him off. “That said, you’re badly wounded. Find me two able-bodied men from your squad to act as our guides.”
Brooks and River instantly stepped forward.
“We took a few hits, but nothing that’ll slow us down. Besides, our Boss and Miss Claire are still in there. We have to go back.”
Both Brooks and River were desperate to re-enter the hot zone to save Dane.
But Miller brutally shut down their bravado. “Didn’t Mr. Green give you explicit orders to return to Cabinda and secure Vertex International?”
“Are you really going to ignore the final instructions he gave you?”
When Dane chose to stay behind with Claire, he had made peace with his fate.
He wasn’t the sole heir to the Green empire; Ablett could take over if necessary.
Ordering Brooks and River out was his way of ensuring two of his most loyal men didn’t die pointlessly in a cave.
It was clear how deeply Dane valued his bodyguards.
The brotherhood forged from childhood wasn’t something he took lightly.
Brooks looked at River. “You stay here. I’ll lead the Colonel’s team back in.”
River instantly protested. “No way, Brooks. You’re way better at the corporate stuff than I am. If the Boss really doesn’t make it, you’re the one Ablett needs by his side.”
River knew he was out of his depth when it came to managing Vertex International’s sprawling operations.
Brooks understood the logic, but he frankly felt Ablett wouldn’t need his help to run the empire.
“Enough. Neither of you is going back in.”
“I’ll take point,” Miller interjected firmly, shutting them both down.
“My injuries are superficial. Besides, neither of you knows these woods like I do.”
Despite Miller’s insistence, his wounds were far more severe than he let on.
Colonel Harrison was much more
stubborn. He ordered two medics to physically drag
Miller toward the
medevac choppers.
“Have you two decided who’s coming with us?”
Harrison hadn’t originally planned on dragging civilians back into a combat zone, as it wasn’t their fight.
But these two were highly lethal operatives. Every gun on the line counted.
Seeing the National Security tactical team growing restless, he knew they had to move immediately.
Brooks ultimately lost the argument.
River geared up and marched into the treeline with Harrison’s battalion.
Halfway to the target coordinates, they intercepted Dane and Claire’s extraction team.
“Boss! Miss Claire!” River shouted.
Despite the horrific terrain and
endless swarms of venomous
insects the two groups had miraculously collided.
River was ecstatic.
He had spent the entire trek preparing himself to find Dane in a body bag.
Seeing him alive was the greatest relief of his life.
Claire and Dane were equally thrilled to see River.
Spotting the massive column of reinforcements behind him lifted a massive weight
off their shoulders.
With the military and National
Security securing the perimeter, they could confidently hand over the
black-site data and physical O
evidence.
FindNovel.net
“I need to go back,” Claire said, turning to Dane.
They had evacuated in such a rush that she had forgotten one crucial detail.
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