His eyes were blurry. His head pounded. Everything was dark, but he could hear screams in the distance. He tried to stand but his leg was pinned under a concrete block. The explosion. It started coming back to him.

The entire mission had been a trap. It was bad intel, served to them to lead them into an ambush. The building was on fire and if he didn’t get out, he would be a part of the next blast.

He shoved the beam off his leg, growling with the effort. He stood, looking for his team.

“Brake!” He heard the scream over the hiss of the flames. He leapt over the rubble searching for the voice.

He threw bricks and beams, until he uncovered the trapped Ranger. He stared at Shep, the team communication specialist. He carried the radio equipment in his pack, but Kyle knew it had been smashed into a million pieces. They wouldn’t be able to call for help.

He stared into the man’s eyes. They were wide with panic. The blood trickled along his temple. It started coming back to him. This was exactly how he found Sam. Trapped and surrounded by fire. Kyle felt the anger well up in him. He couldn’t let another man die like this. He wouldn’t let it happen. He grabbed the end of a concrete beam and lifted it until Shep could move out from under it.

“Let’s get out of here,” Kyle yelled, gripping Shep’s arm and dragging him from under the pile.

Kyle hiked him to his feet and pulled him out of the building.

“Where are the others?” he asked. He didn’t know how long he had been passed out under the beam.

“I think they got it before us. The Delta team was calling us back when the explosion went out,” Shep huffed as Kyle laid him against a wall.

“Do you think you can walk?”

Shep nodded. “If you could pull a building off of me, I think I can walk.” He looked at Kyle. “How’d you do that by the way?”

He shook his head. “I lift weights.”

Shep wasn’t buying it, but they didn’t have time to argue. Kyle could hear the gunfire. He had to find the rest of the team and get the hell out of here before they were captured.

“Any chance you can piece together your equipment to call in air cover?”

Shep winced as he tried to haul the pack over his shoulder. “I might have a radio in here that didn’t take a hit.”

“Good.” Kyle slapped him on the shoulder. “Call in our coordinates. I’m going back in for a sweep.”

“But the building is on fire. There are too many rooms to cover in the hotel.” Shep tried to urge him to stay. “There could be more explosives.”

“I’m not leaving until I know our team is out.” Kyle ran into the burning building. He wouldn’t leave anyone behind.

He ran into the side door, scanning through the smoke for any sign of the Ranger or Delta teams. He tuned into his bear’s instincts, knowing they would help him detect human presence.

He darted room to room, calling out for his men.

“Brake, over here!”

He peered through the smoke, his eyes landing on Jax.

Kyle jumped over a fallen door. “I have two men trapped under this wall,” Jax yelled.

Kyle nodded as he grabbed the other side of the wall. Together they lifted the wall high enough for the Delta team to roll out.

“Thanks,” Jax shouted. “I’ve already covered the second floor. Do you have all your men?”

“No. I only have the comm guy.”

“All right. My team is accounted for. I’ll take the rest of this level and I’ll meet you at the south exit.”

They ran in opposite directions, searching for the rest of the Ranger team. Kyle knew with Jax looking, the search would be thorough. If his men were here they would find them. Two Special Forces bears were worth at least five humans searching.

Part of the second floor had collapsed into the first level. There were places in the floor where the ground gave way, exposing a basement. It must have been how the target escaped. There were always tunnels and secret exits. No matter how accurate or timely the intelligence was they received, the target always seemed to be a step ahead.

Kyle kicked open a door, his anger growing. He pulled two more men out of the hotel, assembling everyone at the south entrance with Jax and the Delta team.

Shep was able to call in two helicopters with his radio. Fifteen minutes later they had enough air support to load the injured teams and get out of the city.

Kyle let his legs dangle over the side of the door, watching the desert blur past him as the helicopter flew them back to base camp. They had found everyone. The injuries may keep some of the men from staying on the team, but by some miracle no one had died. Kyle shook his head, knowing he was one of the ones who almost died today. Everything could have ended. Was that how he wanted to go out? Had he given his life everything he should have? He knew what the answers were.

He decided then. No matter what it took, he was going back to Oregon. Back to Whitney.