Hearths of Fire (34 page)

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N
eal rested his
forehead against the butt of his Sig as he closed his eyes. He wasn’t a churchgoing
man and the things he’d seen during his years in the service had sometimes made him
question if there was a higher power at all. Fortunately those same events had caused
him to witness miracles that man alone could not have done without divine guidance.
The one thing he was absolutely sure about was that the Ashes had somehow lost their
way in this world and were willing to take the lives of innocent people—one of them
being the woman he loved.

“Doc, we were able to get a helicopter in the air. Daegan’s contact was spot on and
the agent in the helo spotted Patricia and Garreth Ashe,” Starr reported, coming to
stand in front of him. Neal had separated from the group mere seconds ago to take
a moment to himself. He slowly straightened, meeting her gaze. Starr had no remorse
for the decision that she’d made and although he understood that she’d done her job
as she had seen it, he didn’t have to like it. “You and the team will go in from the
east since there’s more coverage there. Patricia and Garreth have some sort of bonfire
lit and if what Robert Ashe had to say is true, they’ll try to use that to finalize
this ritual they’re so hell bent on completing.”

“Did the agent get a lock on Charlotte?” Neal clutched the aftermarket Hogue grips
until his fingers were numb. This helpless feeling wasn’t something he was used to
and he damn well never wanted to experience it again. If—no, when—they extracted Charlotte,
he would never allow this to happen again. “Were they able to see from the air if
Sally Jenkins’ vehicle was abandoned on Fred Lamm’s property?”

“They have sights on Jenkins’ vehicle, but no sight of her, the man she was with,
or Charlotte.” Starr shifted her stance as she studied him. “The moment we receive
confirmation that Charlotte is within fifty feet of Patricia and Garreth you and the
team will move past your designated line of departure indicated here.”

“And if she’s dead?” Neal didn’t need to spell out that he was referring to Charlotte
and not the two other ladies. He couldn’t give a flying fuck what happened to the
other women. “What then?”

“Charlotte’s not dead.” Starr didn’t hesitate in her answer and met him stare for
stare. “If you love her like I think you do you’d know it. Besides, Patricia and Garreth
need her and by the time they take the blade to Charlotte’s wrists—as Robert has told
us—you’ll be there to stop them with only that level of force which is necessary.
Do you read me?”

“Did you know when Red died? Did you feel it?” Neal honestly didn’t ask Starr those
questions to rub in the fact that her husband was dead or to make himself feel any
better in this time of unknown. He truly wanted to know for the sake of his sanity.
“Were you aware he was gone before you received the call?”

“No, I didn’t.” Starr’s voice hadn’t softened with her answer, although she didn’t
appear offended by Neal’s inquiry. He did notice that she bit the inside of her lip
a few seconds before continuing to speak and wondered if that was a nervous tic. He’d
never seen her do that before. Then again, he had a lot on his mind and it might not
have meant anything. “I still don’t feel as if he’s gone. I feel his presence every
day, but then that’s my cross to bear. Charlotte
is
waiting for you, so I suggest you get your ass in gear. The moment we get the call
you and the team will execute what you are trained for. This will be just as successful
as our first mission. Is that clear?”

“Crystal, ma’am.” Neal couldn’t put a finger on the reason why he felt slightly better
about what was about to take place, but it didn’t negate the fact that he did. Standing,
he checked his sidearm and hooked the strap of his suppressed MP5SD-N1 over his shoulder
and then proceeded over to where the team was performing their own weapons check.
Once again, the only one missing was Daegan who’d already left on foot to gain a position
that would give an advantage in elevation should he need to take a long distance shot.
Neal needed the team to know one thing and he waited to speak until all eyes were
on him. “The woman I love is in the hands of these fucking lunatics. She comes out
alive ahead of all these fuckers.”

*

The woodland terrain
that the team was hunkered down in was really just the same as it had been when he
had hunted this entire area in his youth. Mature hardwood trees with abundant scrub
brush had turned to their autumn colors but still refused to let the gold and red
leaves fall. The ground was still moist and soft. The cold nights hadn’t hardened
the ground quite yet. The smell of fall was strong in the night air and the deer were
moving to the harvested open fields to pack on weight for the coming winter.

Tonight the team’s game was much different than that normally in season and the men
doing the hunting were all experts at killing in all its forms. Their prey was far
out-matched in every imaginable way except one—they had the initiative and that was
all that mattered right now.

Neal had his headgear in place and followed behind Stick as they made their way through
the densely populated underbrush. Walking slowly through the woods, they placed their
boots in the same place of the person they were shadowing to make less impact and
noise with the ground. Their earpieces were working properly and giving them detail-by-detail
of what was transpiring in the small open area where Patricia and Garreth Ashe were
currently holding Charlotte.

“Pick up your speed.” Starr’s voice was strong and resonated through the tiny device.
“It appears that Tango One has our objective at waypoint goal line. Press to contact.”

Neal did his best not to break out into a full run into the clearing, although Gunny
did quicken his pace. Daegan would not hesitate to take the shot this time. If the
team couldn’t make it to Charlotte before Patricia or Garreth executed their plan,
his friend would do what had to be done. Sure as hell, a Lapua Scenar .338 caliber
300-grain hollow point boat-tailed round could put a very final end to any threat
short of a polar bear. The Ashes had to have heard the helicopter by now, which would
be a valid reason to hurry along with their plot to kill both Charlotte and Garreth.

The feds had taken over at the compound, doing their best to question Robert Ashe
and the members. In the short time that the team had taken to gather the intel needed
from Daegan’s contact, one of the federal agents had shared with Starr the information
in relation to what Patricia felt would lead them to all eternity. That shit was messed
up, but there was no time to dwell on it. Daegan’s informant was positive that there
was no additional land acquired under their name. It didn’t take long to break one
of the key members into confessing that he’d helped take large stacks of firewood
over to the back of Fred Lamm’s property and dig a firepit.

“Garreth, she’s going to kill us!”

It was at that very moment that the team broke through into the clearing. Neal had
known they were coming up on the edge of their cover just as his other team members
had been aware of it. They each flipped up their night vision optics monocular when
the light coming from the fire had flared in their dominant optoelectronic-aided vision.
It hung just above his right eye on its headgear mount as his vision quickly adjusted
to take in the sight before him. It was as if it were a scene in one of those classic
occult horror films. Patricia and Garreth Ashe were dressed in white cloaks standing
before a large bonfire. Sally Jenkins was to their right watching in what seemed like
delight while a man did his best to hold a struggling Charlotte in front of the flames.
The moment Patricia took the knife and attempted to slice Charlotte’s arm, Neal heard
Daegan’s shot call before the bullet hit its intended target.

By the time any of the witnesses, including Charlotte, realized what had taken place…Patricia
Ashe dropped to the ground like a sack of rocks with a neat .338 caliber hole in one
side of her misshapen head. A large exit wound expelling a massive cloud of pink mist
was seen as the knife was still firmly in her grasp. The team managed to take the
rest of them down one by one without any more fatalities. The man who’d been holding
Charlotte captive had immediately thrown her to the ground and put his hands up in
surrender. Gunny reached him first and had the male subject lying face down in the
grass as Stick covered Garreth who was kneeling over his mother’s body, pulling her
into his arms and rocking back and forth as he howled unintelligibly. The sentiment
was lost on all of them and while Stick took care of the supposed messiah who was
calling out his mother’s name, Diesel and Trigger had Sally well contained. The fear
on her face was in regards to the shepherd baring his canines and letting out a low
rumbling growl of warning. Neal took care of what mattered most.

“You’re safe,” Neal murmured against Charlotte’s neck as she wrapped her arms around
him. The strength in her grip surprised him, but as his arms enfolded her waist the
only thought that resonated through his mind was that she was secure. “I’ve got you.
I’ve got you.”

Neal held her until he heard footsteps approaching from behind. The federal agents
would be all over them and the fact that they now had a fatality on their hands. He
had no doubt that Starr would handle the fallout from this, but it still meant that
Daegan would have to be debriefed. Neal glanced up to where his friend would still
be positioned, covering their backs until Starr or Gunny gave him the order to pull
out. He would mark his firing position for the post-op report and the investigation
that would surely be fast on their heels. He held up his thumb to acknowledge his
thanks, knowing that Daegan would see the gesture.

“I knew you’d come for me,” Charlotte whispered, not easing up on the tension in her
arms. Neal didn’t mind her tight hold. He had no intention of letting her go in the
near future either. Her body was trembling and he would have given anything to erase
the fear that she must have felt. “I have so much to tell—so much to say.”

“Did they hurt you?” Neal pulled back slightly so that he could see her beautiful
face and take inventory. He’d expected tears, he’d expected anger, he’d expected a
lot of things from her but as usual she continued to surprise him. There was a radiant
smile upon her face that he hadn’t seen since before her parents had died. His heart
seemed to have somehow gotten lodged in his throat and he had to swallow several times
before he could speak. “Are you hurt, Char?”

“The stun gun didn’t feel too good against my neck, but I’m okay.” Charlotte rose
on her tiptoes so that she could wrap her arms around his neck, heedless of the chaos
that was now taking place around them. Neal knew he didn’t have much time with her,
but damned if he would release his hold on her…even if it was only her hand as the
federal agents asked their questions. They were in for a long night, but it didn’t
matter as long as she was safe. Fuck, he’d walk through the fire in front of him if
it meant she got to live her life with that luminous smile on her lips. “
We’re
okay, Neal. We’re more than okay.”

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