Rush: A MacKenzie Family Novella (The MacKenzie Family) by Robin Covington

She was his center, his true north, and while he knew he’d crossed over a line tonight, he couldn’t regret what he’d done. Knowing she was safe was the most important thing in his life.
    He wasn’t a praying man but he was superstitious when it came to going into battle. A prayer he’d learned in boot camp stuck with him and he recited it in a low voice:
    “Lord, make me fast and accurate, Let my aim be true and my hand faster than those who seek to destroy me. Grant me victory over my foes and those that wish to do harm to me and mine. Let not my last thought be, if only I had my gun; and if today is truly the day you call me home, let me die in a pile of empty brass.”
    He thought he heard a quiet “amen” from the other side of the vehicle as it came to a stop a mile away from the location, parked in a dark copse of trees just off the road. They waited, scanning the area before filing out as quickly and quietly as possible. Once they were all in a circle, he went back over the high-level mission plans.
    “The goal is to rescue Katrina and get her out unharmed. Eliminate anyone who would harm her or you. They won’t hesitate to kill you.”
     
     
    They’d debated whether they would kill or just incapacitate the men they found here and Rush had insisted on elimination. He wasn’t taking any chances. He’d seen Figueroa’s men in action before and it was a good thing to take them out of the picture for good before they could do anything worse to anyone else.
      He continued his instructions. “Brant and I are going in the front, Jade and Seth take the western side of the house, and Curt and Mike the east and go in the back door. Whoever gets to her first, remove her from the house and bring her here. We’ll give you cover and secure the location. Understood?”
    They all rogered agreement and headed out through the woods, leaving Elena to man the communications unit. They covered the mile quickly, seeing the cabin come into view just as the blush of sunrise was cresting on the horizon through the trees. It would have been a sight to stop and admire if they’d been here for pure enjoyment.
    He held his fist up when they all reached the last bank of screen before the cleared driveway and yard of the cabin. Everyone stopped in perfect unison, their training evident. He motioned for the teams to split up and cover their areas. He hung back with Brant, giving the others time to get into position.
    He looked at Brant, nodding toward the house. “You ready?”
    “Hell, yeah.”
    “Let’s go.” Rush hunched down and moved silently and quickly across the field with Brant mirroring his movements. They’d worked together enough that hand signals sufficed when they needed to communicate and otherwise, they functioned as one.
    He came across his man just as Brant grabbed his and Rush grasped the man on each side of his face and gave a twist, listening for the familiar sickening crunch of bone and spinal cord, dropping the guy to the ground. He patted down the body and took his weapons, stashing them on his person before looking over to find Brant doing the same. They made eye contact and he motioned them forward.
    There were two more on the porch of the house who gave more of a fight when they grabbed them. The scuffle of boots on the wood was loud enough to alert people inside and Rush cursed under his breath, pressing harder against the guy’s pressure point until he slumped to the ground. He removed his Glock with the silencer on it and shot him once in the chest and once in the head. If they guy got up from a double-tap, he was fucking Dracula and Rush was no vampire slayer.
    He slid over to the window and looked inside. Two men sat at a table in the kitchen playing cards while one stood in the doorway, keeping watch into the other room. They were all joking around, fucking off, but he wasn’t fooled. They were professionals and could get their shit together pretty fast when they needed to.
    He didn’t