Page 34 of The Lazarus Protocol

Ash looked at the tablet they’d been given by Earthnet, but he hadn’t moved in a while and neither had the drone, so it wasn’t connected—surprise. “Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you? You’ve been like this since you woke up.”

“One of my cousins sent me a photo.” Kai huffed. “Ailani with some guy from Oahu who runs a surf shop.”

Ah, it was woman trouble. “Maybe they’re friends?”

“You don’t do that with a friend.”

Ash winced. “Sorry, bro. She should be better than that, and it sucks that she isn’t.” Half his awareness listened to the men on the street. “We need to move now that night has fallen. We need to keep going if we’re gonna find the drone before Adam gets here.”

Kai nodded. “I’m ready to fight my way out of this. The situation isn’t going to get better with us sitting here.” He glanced over. “Just a girl like all the rest, right?”

“You’re mad, and cynical doesn’t suit you. But you don’t seem surprised.” Ash lifted up and looked out the window.

The men were concentrated across the street, which was where he and Kai had gone first before circling around—which had taken hours, carefully picking their way through streets and alleys.

He spotted a young guy and two women—one was older—shoved out into the street.

A gunman brought the butt of his rifle down on the young man’s temple and he crumpled to the ground. The older woman cried, while the young one clung to her.

Ash counted the men who’d arrived in those trucks and divided it by two.

No way he and Kai would be able to help, aside from filing a report when they left and hoping someone, somewhere, would send a unit to this area. As if doing that would save innocent people, or make the world better.

“You’re right, Ash. I’m not surprised. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have every right to be pissed. Ailani said she’d wait for me. Plenty of guys have someone at home waiting for them, but mine is getting hot and heavy with some surf shack bro in the front seat of his Jeep? Not cool.”

Smoke drifted through the window on a stagnant breeze.

“No, it isn’t.” Ash scrambled around and peered through the window. “They’re burning houses. They’re gonna try and smoke us out.”

“Makes sense.” Kai sighed. “That’s what I’d do.”

“And if you were them, what would you do to us in return?”

“Is this a quiz? Are you testing me?”

Ash shoved the side of his head, hoping to jog the guy out of his funk. “Get up. We’re moving.”

If it were him, he’d have half the men here searching for what Ash and Kai had come to retrieve, and the other half smoking them out.

Either way, they were very outnumbered. Even setting up a nest on a roof and taking them out one by one wouldn’t solve the problem—and it wouldn’t save these people from the lives they’d been born into.

He lowered the strap of the bag over his head so it rested across his back and checked his weapon. “Let’s go.”

Kai was up doing the same. He nodded once, and Ash went to the door. The far end of the hallway was open to the sky, but a rear room was still enclosed. No windows. No way to check what was beyond the door.

Kai tapped his shoulder.

Ash grabbed the door handle and opened it fast. Kai didn’t fire. After barely a second, he hooked out through the door with Ash behind him. Down the alley. Check the gap between buildings. Continue on. Sweeping all directions, listening for the sound of someone nearby.

Trying not to get distracted with the idea that these men had to have seen the drone go down. Rather than finding it themselves, they were tracking Ash and Kai. No doubt hoping that the two Americans would lead them to the bounty. Probably thought they were active duty military guys, like a SEAL team. Instead, they were going up against two Marine Corps grunts who washed out of their military careers and chose this life instead.

Kai’s chest hitched, and Ash caught him fighting the urge to cough. Smoke filled the air now, drifting between structures. Ash could almost feel the heat of the flames, even though they were on the other side of the street. Definitely trying to burn us out.

A door creaked up ahead. Beyond it, maybe half a mile away, he heard someone scream and the mad scramble of a group of people making a run for it.

Kai slowed to take cover behind a crate. Ash saw them emerge, a woman and two children. They spotted him, pulling up short. One of the kids let out a squeak. All of them carried what looked like pillowcases, bundled with stuff they deemed essential.

Ash checked the next alley between the structures and waited while two guys passed at the far end. He turned back and waved them out, then they moved on—Ash in the lead, Kai bringing up the rear, and the woman and children sandwiched in between.