Skye’s Limits by Stephani Hecht

set up a trap. They knew we would only send out one team because of all the false reports Hankens had called in,” Andrew added. “They must have really sent out a Raven this time so he would call it in. Then when Logan and the others showed up, they attacked.”
    Alden swallowed hard when he saw that the ground was already littered with the bodies of soldiers from Logan’s team. While it was selfish of Alden, he prayed that none of them were Skye.
    Then just as he was about to give up all hope. Alden spotted Skye. He was with Gage and Ash. They had taken cover inside a shed and were peeking out every so often to fire off some shots. Alden couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride when he noted that Skye was hitting his targets more often than the other two.
    Alden made to get out of the van and run to them when Vapor put a hand on his shoulder. “Where do you think you’re going?”
    “To my mate? Where else would I be going?” Alden replied.
    “You can’t just run out there. It’s got to be thirty yards away, and the Ravens will be on your ass before you make it halfway there.”
    “I don’t care. I’m still going to him,” Alden said stubbornly.
    Vapor let out a sigh. “I thought you were going to say that. At least let me provide you some cover fire.”
    They both jumped out of the van and began shooting. As expected, the Ravens were immediately on them. Vapor and Alden were ready for them since they weren’t on the Cheetah team for nothing. They were the best of the best. They easily shot their way through the throng of Ravens and soon were at the shed.
    Pushing their way inside, Alden made a beeline for Skye and threw his arms around his mate. “I was so worried about you.”
    “I’m okay. We just need to figure a way to get all of us out of here. Plus, Mr. Hankens is inside his house. We need to get him out and to safety.”
    Alden let out a sigh of aggravation. It would be easy enough to get Gage, Ash, and Skye to a van and to safety. They were trained soldiers and knew how to fight. Hankens, on the other hand, was a different story. The old man couldn’t even run that fast. Leaving him behind wasn’t an option, either. While he might be annoying, he was still part of the coalition and under their protection.
    “Okay, let me relay this all to the others so they know what’s going on,” Vapor said. He then went into the corner and began to talk into his mic.
    Alden ran his hands up and down Skye’s body. “Are you sure that you’re okay? You’re not wounded anywhere or anything?”
    “I’m fine. This isn’t how I wanted my first mission to go, but other than that, I’m just ducky. I promise,” Skye said. “It does suck that we lost five of our men.”
    Alden could understand that. It was always hard to see some of your team members go down in battle. For Skye to have to deal with it on his first mission was a big hurdle for him to overcome. He was going to need some major comfort once the shock of the battle wore off.
    “Andrew says he’s going in to get Hankens,” Vapor said once he rejoined them.
    “Doesn’t that worry you?” Skye asked.
    Vapor gave a wicked grin. “Nah, my mate can get in and out of any situation without any problem. This will be a piece of cake for him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he beats us back to the van.”
    Alden wouldn’t have been surprised, either. Andrew had been raised with Shane and was a master at breaking and entering. Before he’d joined the coalition, his old master had forced Andrew to use his skills to make money for him. Now Andrew was using his mastery for the good of the coalition. Andrew had done some things in the past that boggled Alden’s mind.
    “Okay, let’s get the hell out of here,” Alden said.
    “But what about Mr. Hankens’ house? If we leave, the Ravens are going to burn it to the ground,” Skye said.
    Alden let out a deep breath. “I don’t like retreating any more than you do, but we are outnumbered here. If we