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ANDREW WAS CRYING.  Drake saw the white satin of Karen’s gown glowing like a beacon in the moonlight, she might as well have been wearing a bulls-eye. 

“I’ve got the civilians, you handle Dare,” Mason said.

“Roger,” Drake told his lieutenant.

“Need a rifle,” Jack shouted from one of the reception tables.

“On it,” Finn shouted back.  Drake couldn’t remember seeing Finn in the crowd when he was on the dance floor, but he heard him clear as day, and his voice was coming from where the golf carts were parked.  If anyone could put his hands on a rifle, he’d bet the farm on Finn Crandall. 

“Aiden!” Drake shouted.  Dare was going to die if they didn’t get him help.  It was as simple as that.  Aiden skidded in the blood and landed on his knees.  He hadn’t been in the wedding party, so he wasn’t in dress whites.  He slammed his Sig Sauer pistol into Drake’s hands.  “If they get close, try to take out whoever you can,” Aiden said.

“I know what to do.” Drake grabbed the gun.  “Save Dare.”

“I know what to do.” Aiden ripped open Dare’s jacket, buttons flying.  Drake saw that Aiden had grabbed a silk table cloth.  He was on it.  He took another look toward where Karen had run, he couldn’t see her.  Hopefully she was safe.

“Mommy!” he heard Bella cry out as wind from the second helicopter sprayed dirt into his eyes.  He smelled smoke.  Damn it!  The candles from the lanterns!  More screams broke out.

“Drake, help me carry him to the trees,” Aiden yelled above the sound of the helicopter rotors.

They picked up Darius and started toward a spot Clint signaled toward.  It was further back amongst the woods with a table leaned against the base of an Oak tree.  Perfect cover.  Where was his wife?  Where was his son?  They better be under something just as good.

As soon as they got Dare under cover, a muddy Clint pushed Drake onto the ground and poured a pitcher of water on him.  “Roll.”

Drake rolled in the dirt, muddying up his clothes, then he smeared mud on his face.  He stood up holding Aiden’s gun.  He saw that Clint had one too. 

For an instant, Drake wondered why this was happening at his wedding, then put all thoughts of that to the side.  It didn’t fucking matter.  What mattered was keeping everybody alive, and killing the enemy.  He looked up.  The first helicopter was dipping low and coming in to take another pass. He clearly saw someone leaning out the side door of the helicopter.  They had a rifle.  Their pistols might not have the range and velocity to pierce through the glass and hit the pilot, but they could possibly hit this shooter.

“Look Mommy, there’s a fire.” 

He pushed Bella’s voice out of his consciousness and took aim.  He took three shots.  Drake grunted with satisfaction as a man fell out of the helicopter and into the brush two hundred yards away from the reception area onto the knoll above the bandstand.

Immediately a rifle tip took its place, showing through the same door, and more bullets flew, aimed toward Drake.  He and Clint ran, wanting the shooter to follow them, further away from Aiden and Dare, away from Karen, Andrew, Sophia, and Bella. 

Bullets careened past Drake’s ear as he zigged and zagged away from the reception area, further into the trees to the South.  The helicopter zoomed past, shaking leaves from the trees as it whizzed by.  It would be turning soon.

Drake heard bullets that weren’t from the helicopter.  He looked over at the reception area and realized that almost every light in every hanging lantern had been distinguished, which helped obscure the shooter’s targets.  But the two small fires that had started weren’t helping.

“I don’t get it.  Why aren’t they just killing everyone?” Clint asked.

He was right.  The men of Midnight Delta were being targeted.  “Maybe we’re dealing with honorable terrorists?” Drake panted sarcastically.

“Let’s hope they stay that way.”

They’d been successful, the helicopter had followed them.  They were now out of the woods and at the cliff that overlooked the ocean, the helicopters were going to have to bank wide to come back.  Drake watched and saw that this time it was the larger one that was coming in first to take another pass at them.  They had maybe four minutes if they were lucky. 

The men headed back at a dead run, Drake scanned the area as soon as they cleared the trees.  The dance floor was empty, but people were still crawling out from under the tables surrounding it.  He wondered how many more were still cowering underneath others.  If the gunmen decided to just shoot, they could penetrate those tables in a heartbeat.  They needed to get those people into the woods.  Then he saw Dalton, Dex, Griff, and Hunter lifting tables to check underneath.  Apparently, the men from Black Dawn had thought the same thing.

“No!  It’s safer here!”  Drake saw Wyatt struggling with Lacey.  She was refusing to move out from underneath a table.  What the fuck?  He was about ready to wade in when he saw James Eastman helping Hunter move a table and then fall.  His leg went right out from under him.  Drake took off at a run.  The table had fallen on whoever was beneath it, and James was now out of commission.  What was worse, the man wasn’t wearing his Tuxedo jacket, his white shirt was bright in the moonlight, he’d be mistaken for a SEAL.  As Drake was running toward his father-in-law, he saw that Zarek and Alex each had a fire extinguisher and were working on putting out fires.  Now there were three of the damn things.

“Gray!” Hunter yelled.  “Need you.” 

Gray ran toward the falling table from the opposite direction.

James was still holding up part of the table, allowing one of the back-up singers and a member of the wait staff to crawl out.  “Carol’s still under there,” the waiter said.

Drake caught the table just as James’ strength let out.  He heard the roar of the helicopter rotors. 

“We’ve got Carol,” Hunter said.  “Get the old man to safety.”

Drake realized James’ prosthesis had partially disconnected.  James was struggling to get it all the way off.

“It’s okay.  I’m just going to carry you,” Drake explained.

“If I get this off, I can hop beside you,” James said.

“No time,” Drake said as he lifted him in a fireman’s carry.  He headed in the same direction he’d last seen Karen going.  He prayed that he would find her and prove to himself that she was okay.

He felt the wind of the rotors, and then he heard the bullets.  They were aiming for James’ white shirt.  He had to get a move on.  Drake ran for all he was worth, heading for the first cover he could get to.  Bullets sang out. 

All of a sudden, Drake felt like he’d been shoved to the ground, but he knew it meant that James had been hit by a bullet.  He pushed up on his knees, stumbled, tried again.  James groaned. 

“Got you,” Hunter said, as he came up to Drake’s side and helped him up.

“James!” Wilma shrieked as they got deeper into the trees.  Hunter took James off his shoulders and gently lowered him to the ground. 

“I’m good,” James said pushing up on his elbows.

Drake looked, and couldn’t see any blood. 

“They shot my fake leg,” James grinned and started pulling on the prosthesis.  Drake didn’t need to see the show.  His eyes zeroed in on red hair off in the distance.  Why wasn’t she with her mother?  As if she could feel his gaze on her, she looked up at him.  She was holding Andrew, sitting at the base of a tree with Sophia and Piper.  Again, she knew what he needed.  She gave him a thumbs up, and he felt a huge sense of relief.  He and Hunter headed back to the tables surrounding the dance floor.

As they were about to clear the tree line, Mason stopped them.  “Everybody stays still until the next pass.  Finn found a rifle, he’s going to take a shot at the pilots.”

Mason pointed to a spot further up from the band stand.  It was the highest ground that there was, but still not higher than the trees.  “He’s in the brush up there on the knoll.”

Drake stared, but couldn’t see a damn thing.  Finn had the scope hidden well.

“Where did he find a rifle?” Drake asked.

“Angie told me she’d noticed a locked gun cabinet at the lodge.  He got it from there.  She’s pissed that he made her report to me.”  Mason chuckled grimly.  “But she gave me the other rifle that he brought.  I told her to find Jack and give it to him.”

Drake would be amazed if she would be able to find him in the mass confusion in the woods.  Then again, he’d seen Karen and Andrew, so maybe it was possible.

Mason might have called for everybody to stay still, but that didn’t mean they were quiet.  He could hear the civilians talking.  Some were crying.  That one woman, Lacy, was loud and hysterical, but at least she was somewhere behind him and not out near the tables.  Thank God, they weren’t in a situation that required silence.

Drake, Mason, and Hunter stood just out of sight and watched as the larger of the two Bell helicopters came in from the East and bank in a sharp turn.  It wasn’t the smaller one where he had killed the shooter, which is probably why the door opened and once again someone leaned out to take aim.

“Come on, Boss, let me take him,” Drake pleaded, his gun at the ready.

“Negative.  Wait for it.”

“Is it even possible?” Hunter asked in all seriousness.

Mason and Drake grinned at him when the helicopter jerked.  They heard the report of the rifle and saw the crack in the glass.  It wasn’t clear, but Drake would bet his last dollar it was a headshot.  It would take a moment or two, but that helicopter was going to go down.  It listed crazily.  Then he heard another shot, and the helicopter burst into a fireball in the night sky. 

“He must have hit the fuselage,” Mason said.

Drake nodded.  It was still far enough out that the burning craft wasn’t going to land anywhere near the woods.  Another thing that Finn would have taken into consideration.  The helicopter that had been coming in behind, banked West, heading back toward the ocean.

“It’s too much to hope for that they’re leaving, right?” Hunter was grim.

“We’re so not letting you play craps,” Drake said.  “But when they come back, this time we’re taking someone alive.  You get me?  Find Jack, he has a rifle.” 

Hunter nodded.

“Drake, taking someone alive might not be possible,” Mason said.

“Alive,” Drake said through gritted teeth.  “We were targeted in our home.  We need to find out who did this and rain down fire so that this never happens again.  Do you understand me, Mason?”

Mason’s eyes turned dark.  “You’re right.  Alive.  Go talk to Finn.”

Drake paused.  “Sophia’s with Karen, Andrew, and Piper.”  His voice trailed off.

“I’ll check on all of them,” Mason assured him.

Something loosened in his chest. 

He took off at a dead run.  He had a pretty good idea where the shots came from, before he got there, Finn stood up.  He was cradling the Remington .30-06 in the crook of his arm.

“Good shooting, Tex,” Drake complimented his friend.

“Angie’s the Texan.”

“You claim one, you end up becoming one by default.”  Drake grinned.

“They’ll be back,” Finn said with resignation.

Drake nodded in agreement.  “I want to take someone alive.  We need to find out who’s behind this and make them writhe in hell and publicly set them on fire so everybody knows you don’t fuck with our families.”

Finn stared at him.  Drake waited.  He knew his friend had changed with all he’d gone through.  What would he say? 

“Draw and quarter them first,” Finn said, his tone was bloodthirsty.

Drake held out his fist and Finn bumped it.

“Do you know where Angie is?”

“Mason told her to give the extra rifle to Jack,” Drake said.

“Man’s going to climb a tree.  Mark my words.  For such a big guy, he’s half monkey.”

“How are you going to get them to land?” Drake asked.

“Crash land.  Tell Jack we’re going after the tail rotor.  That’ll do the trick.”

“Gotchya.”  Drake watched as Finn sank back into the tall grass and totally disappeared before his eyes.

***

“IT’S ONLY BEEN NINE minutes,” Sophia said.

“What?”  Karen looked up at the pretty blonde huddled next to her.

“Since we’ve been sitting here.  It’s only been nine minutes since I called nine-one-one.”  She pointed to her phone display. 

It took a moment for Karen to catch up.  That was when she realized Sophia’s slim purse was a cross-body and had been on her while she had been dancing.  While Rylie had a gun, Sophia was a normal person and had a phone.  There was no way it could have been just nine minutes, it had been an eternity.

“What did they say?  Will they be here soon?”

“They’re on their way.  They said it would take them fifteen to twenty minutes, but―”

“But they’ll die if they come here.  The helicopters will shoot them like fish in a barrel,” Piper said loudly.

How did she miss Sophia making that call?  Andrew was still crying.  That’s how.  The latest explosion had him screaming.  Nothing made her heart break like when Andrew actually cried tears.  What was worse is that off in the distance she could hear Bella crying.  Yeah, Lacy was crying too, but that was just getting on her last nerve.

“You two holding up okay?” Evie asked as she squatted next to them.  She had to raise her voice to be heard over Andrew.

“How’s Dare?” She and Sophia asked at the same time.

A shadow passed over Evie’s face.  “The guys have to get rid of that last fucking chopper.  Aiden’s been on the phone with the ambulance from Avalon.  Their ETA is ten minutes, but they can’t drive into a firefight.”

“I think I saw someone who was dead.  Did I?” Karen asked Evie.

Evie nodded.  “It was one of the waitstaff.  He was wearing a white coat.  Aiden thinks that the shooters are targeting Drake and the rest of the SEAL team in their dress whites.  This guy was just a mistake.”

Sophia was gripping her phone so tightly that Karen thought it might shatter.  “It was my idea that they wear white.  I thought it would look nice,” she whispered.

Karen juggled Andrew up onto her shoulder and put her other arm around Sophia.  “It wasn’t your fault.”  She could tell she wasn’t getting through to the woman.  She tried changing the subject.  “Have you tried calling Billy?”

“He texted me.  He and Rebecca are with Wyatt and your friend Lacy.” 

“Poor Billy.  I can hear her from here,” Karen said.

“How about everybody else?” Evie asked.

“I’ve texted all of the SEAL sisters and all of Drake’s sisters are accounted for.” 

“I’m still looking for Rylie.  I haven’t found her. Who was she with, Sophia? I want to take her to Dare.  Aiden has him tucked away far to the East,” she said as she pointed.

“Lydia and Beth said she’s searching for Dare, so she’s probably running around like a crazy woman,” Sophia said.  “How about I help you to look for her?”

Karen didn’t want Sophia to leave but Rylie needed to be with her husband.

Evie gave Sophia specific directions as to where Dare and Aiden were, and then she and Sophia left to search for Rylie.

Karen turned to look at Drake’s youngest sister.  “Piper, Mom is over there with Trenda and Bella.  I saw Drake and Hunter carry Dad over.  I know Mom gave me the signal that Dad was okay, but could you go check on him and report back?  I would but not with Andrew.”  She didn’t want to tell the girl that she couldn’t bear the thought of parting with her son to go check, nor was she going to risk walking over the uneven ground in her shoes.

“Sure,” Piper said.  “I’ll be right back.”

Karen waited with baited breath until she was sure Piper had made it safely to the other oak tree.  Piper turned around and grinned at her and shot her a thumbs up.  Then she picked up her niece for a cuddle.

Andrew realized that she wasn’t paying attention to him and he let out another squall.

“I know, Baby Boy, you’re not a happy camper, are you?”  He was a hungry camper, is what he was.  But there wasn’t a chance in hell she was going to nurse while bullets were flying, her son was just going to have to wait.  He continued to cry and for just a moment Karen wanted to join him.  She was scared as hell for Dare.  Please God, don’t let him die.  She still couldn’t believe she had seen a dead body. 

Andrew kept crying, real tears, and she felt herself heave. 

No!  Don’t start.  You are not going to be the first SEAL sister who falls apart.  Be a Rylie.  Be an Evie.

She would bet her bottom dollar that Angie had a gun strapped to her thigh too.  She wasn’t going to cry.

She pushed up from the tree, so she could stand.  She teetered in her heels, she might not be able to walk, but she damn well could stand and sway.

“I’ve got you, Sweetheart.  It’s going to be okay.  I promise.  Daddy’s going to stop the bad men.”

She swayed back and forth, crooning to her son.  A flash of yellow and peach went running by.  Shit it was Rylie and Evie. 

How many minutes had it been since Sophia had made the call?  How much longer did they have to wait for the ambulance?  When was this going to end?

whump whump

whump whump

She saw branches falling from the trees over to her right. 

Pfft.  Pfft.  Pfft. Pfft.  Pfft.  Pfft. Pfft. 

Karen lurched to the ground and covered Andrew with her body.  Please say that a bullet couldn’t pass through her and get to him.

A scream sounded.  It was Lacey.

A shout. 

Something hit her. 

***

IT WAS KILLING HIM.  He was dying inside.  Mason, Clint, Jim, and all of Black Dawn were shooting at the helicopter to no avail.  Three rifles were peeking out of the helicopter windows and shooting into the oak trees.  Jack and Finn couldn’t take any sort of shot because that would mean the helicopter would land on the people hiding in the trees.  At this point, Drake could give a shit less if they took the enemy alive or not, he just wanted the helicopter taken out.  He knew Finn and Jack would feel the same way.

The helicopter zoomed low over the dance floor then started up over the bandstand and further upward to the knoll where Finn was waiting.  Drake saw the tail rotor shatter at the same time he heard the rifle shot.  Then he saw Finn get up and start running towards them.  The blades of the helicopter swung eerily close to Finn as he ran, and the chopper plummeted to the ground.  Finn dove behind the bandstand.

The SEALs and Jim were running flat out towards Finn and the crashed helicopter.  Drake heard shots.  All of them dropped onto the floor of the dance floor. 

Another shot fired.

“Winged him,” Finn yelled.

They crawled on their bellies over the wooden floor, up over the bandstand, and disappeared into the grass.

“Stay down, Jim.” Drake hissed.

When they got to the crash site, Finn had already pulled the wounded shooter out of the wreckage.  “Pilot’s dead, but there’s another one who’s hanging on in the back.”

Drake didn’t stay to find out anything more.  He no longer cared about retribution, he needed to find out if Karen and Andrew were okay after the shots that had been fired into the trees.

He wasn’t surprised to see most of the men right beside him.  Hunter and Jim could take care of the two injured men, the rest of them needed to make sure their women were safe.

As he was running across the dance floor he heard sirens.  People started pouring out from the woods.  Piper was one of the first. 

“Drake, come quick,” she yelled above the pandemonium.  He ran even faster, as if that were possible.

He knocked down a waiter who couldn’t seem to figure out to go right or left.  When he was within yards of his youngest sister she darted back to the trees and he followed her, soon he was past her.  He made a beeline to the tree that Karen had taken shelter under.  Drake saw Wilma huddled over Karen’s prone body.  Trenda was holding a screaming Andrew.  His heart settled just a tiny bit as he heard his son’s loud yells.  His baby was alive. 

Drake was on his knees beside Wilma before he even knew how it happened.  Then he heard the best sound in the world.

“Let me up,” his wife said crankily.  “I’m fine.”

“You are not fine.  Your dress is torn, and I can already see the swelling on your back,” Wilma said in the same cranky tone.

“Let me see Andrew right this second,” Karen yelled.

Drake laughed with relief.  He’d only run into it a few times, but that redheaded temper was a sight to behold.

“Don’t laugh,” Mother and daughter said at the same time.

He laughed harder.  He thought he might cry he was so fucking thankful.  Trenda knelt and handed him Andrew.

“Give him to me,” Karen insisted.

“Not on your life, Honey.  You stay down until the EMT’s check you out.”

“EMT’s?  It’s over?” she asked shakily.

“It’s over.”

She tried to push up.

“I said stay down.”  He bent low, so that she could touch their son.  He stroked back her hair, and looked into the emerald depths of her eyes.  “Thank you for taking care of our boy.”

“Thank you for saving us.”

He captured her mouth in a tender kiss.  “I love you, Mrs. Avery.”

“God, I love you Drake.”