SEALs Honor by Elle James

his watch, and waited for
the time agreed upon for Bravo Team to move into position. At exactly the
minute designated, he held his hands over his ears and pressed the hand-held
detonator. A small explosion shook the wall he leaned on. Another explosion
sounded from the other side of the compound a couple seconds later, like an
echo of the first.
    Without
waiting, Tuck ran around the corner and dove through the gaping hole in the
wall. The tap, tap, tapping of gunfire kept Tuck low to the ground, bullets
kicking up dust near his feet. He ducked and rolled into the shadows, pulled
his NVGs in place, and scanned the corners of the building and the rooftop for
the sniper. A moment later, he found him as he leaned around the corner to fire
off rounds at the hole in the wall, then retreated behind the corner.
    Tuck
aimed, waited for him to appear again, and fired. The gunman grunted and
slumped to the ground.
    Reaper,
Big Bird, and Gator entered through the hole and spread out. Fish remained
outside the wall. He'd provide protective fire on their rear.
    If
they timed their moves right, they'd converge on the building at the same
moment. Satellite photos had shown them where the entrances were. Bravo Team would
take the main entrance and provide a distraction while Tuck's team blasted
through the wall with more explosives and entered through the rear.
    Everything
was going as expected. Like clockwork. A niggling doubt insinuated itself into
Tuck's mind as he pressed more C4 into the back wall of the residence. Enough
to blow a hole without causing too much injury to the occupants inside.
    Charges
set, he held his ears and detonated. The wall crumbled, dust spewing outward.
He motioned for his team to move in. No gunfire erupted from inside.
    If
the meeting was being held in this building, the attendees would have come
B.Y.O.G. Bring your own gun.
    Tuck
didn't like it. Something wasn't right.
    Before
Tuck could alter the plan, Reaper was first in, as they'd planned in the drills
they'd conducted at Little Creek back in the states. He rolled to the side,
pointing his weapon at the empty interior. Tuck followed behind him, moving
more slowly, peering through the dust-clouded interior of an empty room with
nothing but broken furniture and rags littering the floor.
    While
Reaper moved toward the door leading to the interior, Tuck hung back. On the
wall, someone had spray painted a message on the stucco walls in Pashto. Tuck
took a moment to translate and when he did, lead sank to the bottom of his
belly. He spun toward Reaper. "Reaper, don't go—" Tuck saw the trip
wire just as Reaper bumped into it.
    One
minute, Reaper was standing in front of him, the next he was thrown across the
room, along with half the wall.
    Tuck
flew back on his ass and the ceiling above him crumbled, caving in on top of
him and Reaper. His ears ringing, Tuck forced himself to his knees and threw
his body over Reaper as the stones and timbers crashed down, pummeling his back
and head.
    Something
large and heavy hit the base of his skull, knocking his helmet loose. For a
moment, the world around him faded into darkness. He fought to shake it off.
Reaper lay beneath him, having taken the brunt of the explosion. His body armor
would have protected his torso to an extent and he still wore his helmet, but
what about his face and limbs?
    Tuck
pushed against Reaper, the pressure on his back giving way a little at a time.
Not fast enough.
    Shots
rang out beyond the building's walls. Big Bird shouted, Gator and Fish
responded, but the sounds all came to Tuck as if from down a long, muffled
tunnel.
    He
pushed again and a heavy beam rolled off his back onto the floor beside him,
along with crumbled bricks and stone. Fumbling for his flashlight, he found it,
switched it on, and shone it in Reaper's face. His eyes were closed, skin
coated in dust.
    Tuck
pressed his fingers to Reaper's throat and prayed. When he felt the slow thump,
thump of a pulse, he let go of the breath