They were out of the massive SUV before the others were even out of the backseat. He wasn’t going to accept that fucked-up goodbye while his and Saint’s man was in the middle of a fucking war zone.

“Ernie, is the new chopper fueled?” Saint yelled on the move.

Saint was off in the direction of their ride and was as calm as he was with any rescue they’d done, but he was sure this was eating Saint up as much as it was him. They’d have time to fall apart later.

“Serviced this morning. What’s going down?”

“Rescue, we need a basket. I need the rappelling gear and chutes for at least four.”

“Vests?”

“Yeah, you keep any of those smoke grenades around and masks?”

“How much cover are we talking?”

“I need enough time to rappel in, assess the damage and get Camden out. We got enough tree cover to keep Saint in the air.”

“Free rappel from the chopper?”

“Fastest way to the ground. I need the night vision.”

“I’m on it.”

Ernie headed to the bunker for the gear they kept hidden.

“Sin, what the fuck is going on?” Livingston bellowed.

He didn’t bother turning around to waste time and left Liv, Pure, Raul to follow if they wanted. This shit was second nature. When they couldn’t wait for the authorities in the past, Sin and Saint were the first to organize a rescue. Their mother made sure they were prepared for anything.

“We locked on to the GPS in Camden’s watch. We’re monitoring his location. Saint will fly the rescue mission. The three of us will rappel in out of range of whatever weapons they have out there. Saint will circle and monitor with night vision and keep us informed from the air. You three badass, bounty hunter, ex-military will cover while I hook Camden in and get him in the air. Pure will act as sniper from the air and pull Camden in. Once he’s secured, Pure can use the winch to get us out.”

“Sin, what weight load are we talking?” Ernie appeared with bags slung over his shoulders.

“Camden is a good two-seventy, but I need enough to cover three hundred pounds to compensate for the basket.”

“You’re not going up with him?”

“I’ll act as the belayer from the ground until we have him locked in.”

He changed into his black jumpsuit and secured a matching parachute to his back.

“We ain’t got all fucking day, gentlemen. Me and Saint will take care of this on our own if you ain’t ready to be airborne in five minutes.”

He was already on the move with Ernie and him double checking gear. Sin was doing a quick safety check.

“With night vision, I can go dark when we reach the drop zone.” Saint snatched the black flight suit, slipped in on and finished his pre-flight check. “I checked the aerial photos of that area. There’s a small clearing, not enough for a vehicle but safe enough to rappel in. He’s about half a mile south of the DZ. Can you drag him that far? Because if you want to take the chance—”

“What’s the rule, Saint?”

“Adrenaline is better than sex?”

“Not when it comes to Camden.”

“Yeah.”

“We got this big brother.”

“Mama didn’t raise cowards.”

“Fucking right.”

“Boys, I got the night vision camera, give me five to attach. Stay in constant contact. I’ll be about a mile behind in case you have to bail out.”

“Ernie—”

“Don’t Ernie me, boys.”

The Trenton Crew slipped on and secured their harnesses. He double-triple checked the equipment, carabiners, lines and everything else they needed. They got into the zone, and they were in the chopper as Saint readied for takeoff.

“Boys, what’s the situation?”

For the first time in almost an hour, they smiled as they heard their mama’s voice.

“Mama, our man is on the ground, unknown condition, and a tight drop zone,” Saint answered.

He made sure everyone was in and secure, he strapped in and looked around at the three men staring at him and Saint like they’d lost their fucking minds. They might be big and fucking bad, but this was shit they were trained for.

“You’re going to rappel in, and Sin, when your feet hit the fucking ground, you stay on the move. Smaller target and trust Saint to know how to get y’all out.”

“Always, Mama.”

“Good. Now, I’m patched in, so I’m there every step of the fucking way. We got this, boys. You were born and trained for this moment.”

An instant calm came over him as they soared into the air. The vibration of the blades circling above them. In the air had been home for most of their lives. Saint was on Ernie’s lap learning to fly before he could walk. He’d climbed before he took his first steps. There wasn’t anything they couldn’t do, and Mama had made sure they knew it.

“Gentlemen, you have fifteen minutes until drop. Check your weapons and egos. This is a rescue, not a takedown. We’re in and out with as little fuss as possible. Don’t fuck this up or you’re going to regret it.”

“Listen to my boys, or I’ll make sure you’re frozen on the side of a mountain, and they won’t find your asses until thaw.”

The lights went out, and he slipped his night vision goggles in front of his eyes. He tied the lines for Livingston, Raul, and himself, then he stood on the edge and took a breath. He threw the attached small chute to the basket and attached it to the line, then let it go.

“Bring him home, Sin.”

“He’ll be in our bed before sunrise. See you on the ground.” Sin jumped face down, adrenaline instantly rushed through his veins, and he tightened his hold and slowed his descent as he closed in on the ground. Shots were loud on the ground.

“He’s twenty feet to your right, Sin.”

Two big bodies landed on either side of him, and he crouched as he made his way toward Camden’s location. He stayed low as he noticed Camden hunkered down behind a tree. His heart nearly stopped as he saw his man was unconscious with at least two unfriendlies coming from the opposite direction. He didn’t wait, he ran forward with the basket in his hand and pulled a pin on one of the smoke grenades. He sent it sailing as he fell to his knees. There was a flash, and he covered his nose and mouth with a bandanna.

He pulled compression bandages from his pockets. Camden groaned as he quickly went to work. Fuck, he was alone, and from what he could see, Liv and Raul were drawing fire. He slapped his hand over the emergency beacon.

“I got your location.”

“What’s the situation, son?” His mama’s voice was strong and edged with steel. She stayed calm for them.

“Can’t see much, but he’s unconscious.” He checked Camden’s pulse. “His pulse is strong. The blood loss isn’t dangerous yet, but I don’t know if I’m missing wounds.”

“We’ll worry about that when we have him in the air.”

It was a struggle to get Camden’s big body maneuvered enough to get him on the board. He buckled him in and tightened the belts. He looked up as the wind picked up. A small flash signaled the ropes heading down. He grabbed them, clicked the carabiners on the steel hoops.

He wrapped the line around his back, securing the safety line.

“Start bringing him in, now.”

Pure reeled Camden in, and seconds could’ve been minutes or hours. He could only see the slight outline of the basket. It was neon but the moonless night and thick cropping of trees hid its ascent.

“Package is secure.”

He breathed out a relieved sigh.

“Drop the lines, Pure.”

“Son, you’re going to have to do this quick. Make yourself small.”

“Raul, Liv, meet at the extraction point now.”

“Go, get Camden out, we have backup coming. We can’t leave these fuckers to get away.”

He didn’t argue with Liv. He grabbed the rope and locked in seconds before he flew from the ground. He did as his mama told him, he made himself small, and once he cleared the trees, Saint started to circle. Sparks flew as he used his ascender to pull himself up the wildly swinging rope and into the chopper. His muscles were on fire and he could barely catch his breath. He slipped his safety devices free and leaned between the seats.

“Fucker, we’re hit.”

He checked that Camden was still secured to the lines. He looked at Pure. The man nodded as he set his rifle aside and made quick work of getting Camden into a chute then strapping him back in. It wasn’t perfect, but they weren’t exactly in a place where they could complain.

“Can you set us down at a safe distance?”

“We’re losing fuel and altitude.”

“Get Camden back out, keep us moving enough for us to get Camden to the ground. Pure, you’re going down with him. Keep him covered.”

“You got it.”

They didn’t have time for goodbyes, or I love yous. Their man was unconscious anyway. The only thing they could do was hope they survived.

“Sin, I’m going to get us high enough to jump after we make sure Camden and Pure are on the ground.”

“Boys, once you jump, you get your asses as far from the chopper as possible before deploying your chutes.”

“Ready.”

He held his breath as Pure and Camden went out. Pure would go down with him, far enough to pull the chute before his own.

“Ernie, you with us?”

“Turn on your lights, you two going tandem?”

“We’d have better maneuverability going solo especially with how far we need to get away from the chopper.”

“Sin, hold on tight, I’m going to climb until we’re at a safe distance to jump.”

“Saint, once you reach a safe distance, you hit auto-pilot, and you two work fast. If you’re losing fuel, you’ve got a tiny window.”

Everything slowed as Saint took them into a steep climb and leveled out. Once Saint’s hands were off the controls, they had to work quickly. Once Saint was out of the pilot seat, they reached for each other and stepped to the edge. Then they were in the air. He flattened his body and sailed away from the aircraft. The scent of smoke was thick, and he could see muzzle flashes below.

He deployed his chute, and the deceleration jarred his body. He couldn’t see Saint, but he knew his brother was safe. An explosion brightened the area, and he saw Saint gathering his chute and running for the trees. He aimed for that direction and braced for impact. His body rolled, and he skidded to a stop. He was on his feet and running.

Pure’s voice yelling his name had him jerking his gaze to the right and following the sound. Saint was already on the ground checking Camden over. Pure was standing guard with his weapon drawn.

“You two better be on the ground.” Their mama’s voice sounded in their earpieces.

“We are, and Ernie’s going to kill us for crashing his new toy.”

“Boys, as long as you’re living, crash as many as you fucking want,” Ernie’s voice piped up. There was a bit of a crackle. “There’s an area clear enough for me to come in for a landing about a mile from you. Going to try it or dig in and wait for reinforcements.”

Pure answered for them, “I’d prefer to dig in, but I don’t know Camden’s condition. Which one of you has better aim?”

“Saint.”

“You cover us, and I’ll drag. I left rope tucked under Camden just in case.”

“Let’s do this. I’m on the ground in ten. I’ve got you covered once you get to the clearing. Don’t tell the Sheriff…I’m kinda a felon.”

Within minutes they were on the move, leaving the chaos and hell behind. He just hoped they did the right thing. They couldn’t live without Camden.