Operation: Marauder

Chapter 25

Rowan kept his focus on the Wraythe hot on their tail. Zoey was doing great. He expected no less from his mate. It was his job to ensure her efforts weren't for naught.

The Wraythe at the gate expected them to run straight at them. They scrambled when Zoey aimed for the fence beside it. The vehicle shook when she broke through it, and the colonel in the back groaned, holding his chest. His skin was pale, sunken in. Cas had assured him the human would be fine--as long as they found somewhere quiet so he could patch him up.

Zoey turned for the main road, but Jack, on the same wavelength as Rowan, tapped Zoey's shoulder and told her to follow a dirt path going west for the mountains. She glanced at Rowan, unsure, but he offered a nod of comfort. The mountain base would be safe for the meantime--if Rowan could get the Wraythe off their tail before they found the entrance.

Only one vehicle had caught up to them; one Wraythe crouched on top of the SUV, preparing to jump when they go close enough.

Rowan leaned out the window and took aim of the tires. He swore he shot two of them, but the air didn't fizz out.

Jack, watching, called to him, "They have no-air tires. Shooting them won't make a difference."

They also had bullet-proof glass and siding. Nothing he did slowed them down--and they were getting close.

Until the Marauder exited her cloaking field above them and launched two torpedoes. The first was a direct hit, sending the car flying; the second was for good measure, setting off a plume of smoke so no one else could follow.

Rowan saluted Mave before they went into cloak again then he tucked back in the vehicle. "We're in the clear."

Zoey visibly relaxed and gave him a little smile. He could get shot at by Wraythe all day if he meant he got to see that smile at the end of the day. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles, grateful she was his.

Aaron moaned. Zoey glanced back at him through the mirror, concern in her eyes. "Dad?"

"He'll be fine," Jack assured her. "As soon as we get to the base, Cas can start working on him."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Base? In the mountains?"

"It's a repurposed bunker from the sixties, meant for emergencies," Jack explained. He, too, had relaxed, leaning back into the seat as if it was the most comfortable down cushion. "It's filled with supplies, weapons--and a hanger big enough for the Marauder."

"It has everything we need to set up a more subtle base of operations," Rowan added, more excited to have a place to themselves to conduct their hunt than anything else Jack listed.

"You guys will be safe?"

"We will be safe," Rowan corrected her. She was distancing herself from them, but he wasn't having any of it. Wherever he went, she was going with him. End of story.

A pained look crossed her face when she gazed ahead of them. "Rowan. . . I can't stay with you. I. . . I signed a contract: I can have my life back, but I can't see you or Jack ever again. Either that or I go to prison for life."

"What?" Jack shrilled while Rowan growled at the colonel, knowing he had something to do with it. "Dad, you can't be serious. You said you would look after Zoey!"

"I did what I thought was right," he groaned. He was growing paler by the minute. Cas did his best to staunch the bleeding in the vehicle, but the road was bumpy and Cas didn't have enough supplies to do his job properly.

"By cutting her out of my life??" Jack shouted, his voice two octaves above normal. "There is nothing right about that! How could you do this?"

Despite his injuries, the colonel's gaze cut into him. "I haven't done anything yet. Zoey didn't actually have the chance to sign the contact." He winced, holding his side. Once the pain subsided, he continued a little more breathless, "After today's events, it is evident that Zoey is a target for the Wraythe. She needs protection I can't provide."