Hunter ~
Still concealed by the darkness of night, Hunter and the rest of Bravo team slowly made their way through the thick terrain that surrounded the secluded house.
The team they were about to encounter was most likely highly trained mercenaries who knew exactly what to expect in terms of an ambush and had most likely planned ahead to control for those vulnerabilities.
Approaching by boat would have been the easiest and most direct pathway since the small house was located near a dock, but their enemies would have seen an approaching vessel from a mile away. They had no choice but to be dropped inland and hike toward the East side of the house so they could get a better vantage point and gather some intel.
Hunter walked slightly ahead of Bravo team as they fanned out on either side of him with painted faces and readied weapons. Their movements were slow and controlled as they weaved through the trees, scanning and searching the area for any hint of movement.
With nothing but the sound of his own breathing and the muffled grunts and breaths of Bravo team in his ear piece, Hunter clutched his rifle and took in every ounce of his surroundings. He was the perfect balance between animal and machine as his eyes swept every inch of the terrain in front of him, relaying everything he saw to the most tactical part of his mind. Hunter was cold and emotionless in that moment - he was in complete control and Bravo team followed his every command.
The silence was thick and Hunter could practically hear his teammates thoughts as they took careful, calculated steps as a unit.
Bringing his eyes to the ground, something sparkled against the light of the moon for a split second, stealing every ounce of Hunter's attention.
The fuck is that?
His mind processed the low placement and followed it to the right and left, realizing instantly that it was a wire that was strung across their path.
Reaching out to this right, Hunter clutched the front of Pierce's vest, halting his movement and harshly holding him in place with the thud that forced a grunt out of Pierce. Pierce's next step would have crossed the trip wire and Pierce stared down at his own foot as Hunter held up a hand signal for the rest of the team to freeze.
"Trip wire." Hunter said immediately as he held up the signal, prompting the entire team to stop and crouch in place.
The rest of the team was down on one knee, their faces painted and dark, but Hunter could see them scanning the ground in front of them.
Taking out his tactical knife, Hunter carefully moved some foliage away from the wire and studied it.
No rust...No wear and tear...Barely concealed....just set. This is fresh and God knows what else is out here. Fucking bastards.
"Bravo Two you got eyes on this wire?" Hunter asked Marcus using the small microphone dot that was pressed against his throat.
"Negative. None on this side." Marcus said quietly.
"Anchored to the tree on my Two." Caleb said, pointing out an anchor point.
Analyzing their situation, Hunter considered every possible scenario, knowing Bravo team was waiting for him to make the call. Not only was he leading the op, but his specialty in the Navy was explosives.
We could go around it, but who knows what other surprises they've left out here. Were still a few klicks from the house and if they went to the trouble to lay down explosives way the fuck out here, there's no tellin what they've hidden closer to the structure. This is too fucking risky.
"Think you can lead us through it Sir?" Declan asked through the comms mic.
"I could, but I don't fuckin like it." Hunter returned.
Whoever we're dealing with knows this is the best pathway on foot and that the water gives them high visibility for boats...so we're going to have to head toward the coastline and sneak up on them from the side where they won't be expecting us.
"We're gonna double back and retrace our steps, then head for the coastline. We'll scale the beach and approach from the South East, huggin the coastline on foot. They'll be looking for boats and they wouldn't have laid explosives that close to the water." Hunter said to the rest of the team.
"Copy that." Declan replied, getting multiple hand signals from the rest of the team as they confirmed the instructions.
Moving swiftly and silently, Hunter and the rest of the team carefully moved toward the coastline, watching as the sun slowly started to rise. The darkness of night was a blessing and curse, sure it concealed them, but it also concealed potential explosives as well. Hunter was grateful for the visibility that the dim light offered at the moment.
His eyes never stopped moving and his jaw was locked tight as he led the team toward the beach, watching carefully for any signs of movement or any lines or wires that had been left in their path.
They were at the edge of the tree line and gathered to create a new plan with Nate and Caroline's assistance over the comms.
"You've got one tango out on the dock and one in the front of the house on the porch. The others are inside, looks like about 5-7 bodies in the house."
Hunter nodded, visualizing the layout of the property that he had memorized as he figured out where to place his men.
I need my snipers here and here to give us some cover on either side. Dec and I can wade through the water and sneak up from the dock in the back which will allow us to reach the house first, followed by Caleb who will have the most cover and is the most essential.
"Bravo two, I'm putting you up on that hill on the East side. Gives you a view of the front and side of the property, looks like there's a footpath. Keep your eyes fucking open."
"Copy that." Marcus said, already moving with his rifle clutched firmly at his chest.
"Bravo three, I want you on the opposite side, giving you a vantage point of the back of the house and the dock."
"Copy." Pierce said low into the mic at his throat as he slowly and carefully shifted his weight and moved to his position.
"Keep that shit quiet, we don't want them to know they've got visitors." Hunter instructed, letting his snipers know he wanted them to use silencers.
"Bravo One and Four - on me. We're gonna go for a swim." Hunter said.
"Hooyah." Caleb whispered.
The three men moved in unison, keeping their weapons up as they searched for anyone or anything that could be waiting on them. They lowered their bodies into the water, knowing exactly how to move to reduce the ripples and noise as they submerged themselves.
Normally being weighed down with weapons and vests wasn't ideal for a long swim, but the water was shallow enough for them to walk along the bottom, using the weight to their advantage and coming up for air every couple of minutes as they moved toward the dock.
Once they reached the edge of the dock, Hunter, Declan and Caleb slowly surfaced, with lethal expressions and cold, lifeless eyes as they surveyed their targets on the dock, a few meters away. The wooden slats provided perfect cover and the two men standing guard hadn't detected the teams precise and controlled movements through the water.
We've got the element of surprise and we need to keep it that way.
One of the men was walking back toward the house, leaving the other to enjoy a cigarette as he started to stroll down to the edge of the dock.
"Alpha leader, I got tango on the dock in my sights." Pierce said, through the comms.
"Bravo three, cleared hot." Hunter said, giving Pierce permission to fire at will.
The man on the dock was keeping a calm leisurely pace as he enjoyed the last cigarette of his life, looking up at the sunrise instead of down at the water into the eyes of the men who were about to take his life.
The familiar chirp of a muffled rifle filled the silent morning air, as the man's head whipped to the side and sprayed pink mist before dropping with a thud onto the dock.
Grabbing the edge of the wooden frame, Hunter pulled himself out of the water effortlessly, dragging the man's body with him toward the edge of the water to get him out of sight.
Declan pulled the body into the water and anchored the dead man underneath the dock.
One down.
Waiting a few seconds to see if there was any commotion in the house, Hunter moved closer to the shore, staying in tight next to the dock.
"Bravo Two any movement?" Hunter asked Marcus.
"Negative."
The three men rose from the water and readied their weapons, moving swiftly and silently toward the house, still completely undetected...for now. Their next obstacle was the fact that the next sixty meters provided absolutely no cover and it was the only way to reach the main structure.
Hunter pushed out a breath and calmed his body and mind before they took off for the house, glancing down at the black bracelet that was peeking out of his sleeve, hoping like hell it was working.
After running thirty meters, Hunter could hear a yell from inside the house, followed by the loud familiar crack of a gun and the ping of metal on metal as it hit the fence behind them.
Declan and Hunter returned fire, and moved as quickly as possible with Caleb at their backs.
Finally able to see their assailants, Hunter took in every detail about them as they ran toward the house - Their black, expensive tactical gear with full face coverings, along with top of the line weapons.
A deep thud at his chest, sent Hunter stumbling backwards as he took a round to his vest. It was like being hit in the chest with a baseball bat, but he knew if he took his time to catch his breath, it might be his last. Letting out a loud grunt, Hunter took a few steps backwards, but focused all of his energy on moving, forcing his body and muscles to continue their forward motion, despite the lack of oxygen in his lungs and the deep ache in his chest.
Motherfuckers.
"You good Sir?" Caleb yelled loudly.
"Vest." Hunter returned in a deep strained voice as they ran.
As soon as the words left Hunter's mouth, the man who had fired the shot, slumped forward with deep red liquid spewing from his face, courtesy of Pierce or Marcus.
Raising his rifle once more, Hunter looked for the other men, but saw something else instead...something that stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Hold your fire!" Hunter yelled loudly as soon as he locked eyes with a terrified four year old girl, being held at gunpoint on the back porch of the house.
There were three men remaining, two of which had the children at gunpoint on the back deck and one with his weapon trained on Hunter.
"Call your sniper off!" One of the men yelled as he pressed the cold metal of his gun against the little girls temple.
Declan's chest rose and fell with furious breaths at the sight as he huffed air through his mouth.
"Put your weapons down." Hunter commanded in response.
"Not a fucking chance." The man yelled back.
It was a standoff and the kids were right in the fucking middle of it. No one moved, no one breathed. They simply stared at each other, neither side willing to lower their weapons or make themselves vulnerable.
A loud cocky voice came booming from inside the house, pulling Hunter's gaze from the children to the back door as a large arrogant man came sauntering out.
"If you want these kids to still be breathing in the next few minutes, you better lower those goddamn weapons." The man said with his face covered, but his voice was unmistakable.
That's Jack Gryffon...Miles Gryffon's brother. This is Elite Tactical...This is one of Miles Gryffon's teams.
Hunter's blood ran cold at the sight of Jack. Not only had they been enemies for years due to Jack and Miles lack of ethics and civic responsibility, but Jack was one of the names that Kenzie had written down...Jack hurt his girl...held his own flesh and blood down as her father burned and tore her skin.
"Is that?" Caleb whispered.
"Yes it fucking is." Hunter growled as he took a step forward, but felt Declan's strong hand on his shoulder before he could take off running.
"Easy there killer." Jack taunted. "I'm assuming this is what you're here for." He added as he motioned to the scared four year old girl and her eight year old brother who looked injured or sick.
"You're damn right we are." Hunter said loudly.
Jack paused for a second and narrowed his eyes before letting out a loud laugh, placing Hunter's voice immediately.
"Well if it isn't Captain America himself, down here fighting with the peasants." Jack said, slapping his knee for good measure.
I'm gonna fucking kill you.
The sound of Jack's voice made Hunter grit his teeth and he dug his foot into the ground to try and hold himself in place, feeling Declan tighten his grip on his shoulder.
"The fuck are you doing here, Jack?"
"I could ask you the same question you know."
Hunter couldn't see Jack's face due to the face covering he was wearing, but he knew that motherfucker was smiling and it made Hunter's blood start to boil beneath his skin.
"Sanctioned, you motherfucker. So if I wind up on CNN, I got a reason to be here. But I have a feeling you don't."
"Yeah well you got me there Clark Kent, but you're operating under the assumption that I'm gonna let you live to tell the tale." Jack sneered.
"No need." Hunter said coldly in response, tapping the life feed camera on his vest.
"Live." Hunter added.
"Bitch." Nate said with a coldhearted laugh through the comms.
Hunter's threat clearly irritated Jack and his men started to exchange glances with one another, quickly losing confidence in their leader.
Yeah, you're fucked fellas.
"Always such a fucking boy scout." Jack muttered. "So what do you want, Hall?"
"Well Jack...I want you to die slowly, but I'm all booked for the day. So how about you just fuck off and go tell your pussy of a brother I'll be seeing you both real soon."
Letting out a sadistic laugh, Jack tossed his head back before signaling his men to lower their weapons.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" One of Jack's men hissed at him.
"We aren't going back home empty handed." The other said, as the third one remained silent.
"You go where I say you fucking go!" Jack yelled loudly. "This job is fucked and I'm not going down for it, now turn the kids over and get your shit. Pretty boy ain't gonna shoot you in the back."
The men exchanged looks as Hunter, Declan, and Caleb approached the porch, ready to intercept the scared children with their weapons still trained on the men in front of them.
"This is bullshit." One of the men yelled, giving Jack a forceful shove to the chest as he flung the little boy toward Caleb, who quickly scooped him up and shielded him.
"We didn't do all of this shit for nothing." The other man said, setting the little girl down a little too harshly for Declan and Hunter's liking.
Taking one hand off of his weapon, Declan slowly lowered his stance and waved the little girl over to him. She had tears streaming down her face and was shaking as she sobbed, looking around at the covered faces above her and the painted faces in front of her.
"Come here sweetheart." Declan crooned in a low voice that was usually saved just for Lexi.
Hunter took a step forward as the little girl started to move, shielding her as she walked with his large body.
I know you're scared, just stay behind me. Dec won't let anything happen to you.
Without looking behind him, Hunter heard Declan's body moving and knew he had intercepted the little girl. He couldn't risk looking over his shoulder at the moment and kept his eyes locked on Jack who was still arguing with his subordinates before they stormed off into the house.
"Better get your men under control." Hunter taunted.
"Whiny pussies." Jack growled before spitting onto the deck.
"Attitude reflects leadership." Hunter said coldly, watching the muscles in Jack's jaw tighten at his words.
"Quit fuckin with him Sir." Nate said calmly over the comms.
Nate's words were sobering and Hunter quickly regained control over his hatred toward Jack.
"You've got one minute to get your shit and go before my men open fire." Hunter warned.
"Like you'd shoot us on live feed."
"Technical glitches happen all the damn time...don't call my bluff." Hunter said harshly.
Letting out an irritated breath, Jack took angry steps toward the house, leaving one of his men who had yet to say a word, still standing on the porch, staring aimlessly at Hunter.
"Let's move out." Jack yelled with rage in his voice, but the man on the porch hadn't moved a muscle.
What's this guys fucking deal?
"This motherfucker getting antsy?" Pierce said over the comms.
Hunter studied his posture and even though he couldn't see the man's face clearly due to the neck gator that covered most of it - he could see his eyes. Hunter noticed that the man's gaze wasn't up at Hunter's face, it was down closer to his hands that were holding his rifle.
The hell are you looking at?
Tilting his head to the side, the man remained silent and still, studying Hunter with a sudden intensity that put him on edge along with the rest of his team.
"I'm about to drop this guy." Pierce said angrily over the radio.
"Hold." Hunter ordered flatly.
Jack, stalled at the door, looking over at the man who seemed to be frozen on the porch.
"I said let's roll." Jack yelled loudly, yielding no response from his subordinate.
Don't do anything stupid, man. Why are you looking at me like that?
With his fuse quickly dwindling, Jack took one step outside, furious that his orders weren't being obeyed and that his team had embarrassed him in front of Hunter.
"Banks! Get the fuck in here!" Jack yelled, slamming his hand on the side of the house for good measure.
The mention of that name made the hair on Hunter's neck stand on end and he watched as the man suddenly broke his trance and headed toward the house.
Banks? Did he just say Banks?
"What's your name?" Hunter asked loudly as he took a step forward, keeping his rifle up and ready.
"Don't worry about his fucking name." Jack hissed.
"Wait stop. What's your goddamn name?" Hunter asked again with a little more fury in his voice as he took another step forward, this time prompting Jack to raise his weapon in defense of his man.
"Back up Hall. We're leaving. That's the end of it." Jack warned.
"Take it easy Alpha Leader." Nate said calmly into the mic.
With his mind racing and his adrenaline pumping, Hunter breathed through his own rage and focused through his confusion, putting space between him and the rest of Jack's men.
"That's what I thought." Jack said with an arrogant tone that made Hunter want to skin him alive.
Hunter stood there and swallowed his own rage, watching as Jacks team quickly grabbed their gear and high tailed it out of there, swiveling their heads at the tree lines in search of Marcus and Pierce.
Just leaving your own men here to rot, not even taking their bodies for proper burial...You deserve everything that's coming to you Gryffon, you piece of shit.
There were so many thoughts running through Hunter's head, starting with finding their primary target, then medical aid for the children, followed by an evac plan, but one thought flashed hot in his mind every couple of seconds.
Banks...the operative who was staring at me was named Banks. That couldn't be...
********
Hope you enjoyed the chapter my loves.
Also, side note - cussing me out in my DM's isn't going to get updates to you any faster. Hurts my heart and doesn't exactly fuel my inspiration and motivation to write.