Swords of Exodus [Dead Six 02] by Larry Correia, Mike Kupari

go-bag, with weapons, ammunition, and gear kept ready.
    After a moment, I turned around and faced Jill. She stood there, looking confused, with a silver thing in her hands. It was designed to hold candles, but had a lot of points and edges. Knowing her temper, I was concerned that I was going to have to dig it out of my forehead when I told her that I was about to jeopardize my retirementand take off with a bunch of nut jobs to attack a secret government base to rescue a mercenary.
    “What’s going on?” Jill asked. Her dark eyes narrowed dangerously. Her hair was pitch black, and tied casually in a ponytail. Her skin was bronzed. Island living had been good to her. She was just as beautiful as the day that I had rescued her from a band of Zubaran terrorists. Considering that the first time we had ever actually spoken, she’d attempted to shoot me, our relationship had come a long way. “That’s your bug-out bag.” She looked back up at me, an edge in her voice. “Lorenzo, what did you do ?”
    I grabbed Jill gently by the arms, partially to comfort her, and partially to prevent her from getting a good swing with the candle holder. The running joke was that Jill was half Filipina, so when she got angry, people got stabbed. I didn’t know how she was going to take this. “Listen to me. Bob’s in danger. He’s been kidnapped,” I said as calmly as I could manage. Jill gasped. She loved my brother. He’d helped save her from Gordon Willis, after all. “It’s a long story. I’m going to get him back, but first I need to spring Valentine out of jail.”
    Jill looked confused for a moment. She hadn’t heard that name in a while. “Valentine? Michael Valentine? He’s still alive?” She’d known him a lot better than I had, since they’d spent some time together at Hawk’s ranch. “I thought he was dead.”
    “I’ll call you and explain everything. I don’t have time now. There’s a plane at the airfield leaving soon. I need to be on it.”
    She tossed the candlestick holder on the bed. “I understand. I’ll grab my bug-out bag.” Jill didn’t have my background. She wasn’t really a criminal, but she was tough. She adapted and overcame adversity no matter what, a trait which I really admired. Sometimes I worried that she had adapted to life with me a little too well. She hadn’t even flinched at what I’d said. We were still technically newlyweds, but we had been through a lot together, so I knew how she was going to react to what I was going to say next.
    “Jill . . . no.”
    She blinked rapidly, the way she always did when I said something stupid. “What do you mean, no ? Bob’s in trouble. We have work to do!”
    “No, just me. It’s too dangerous. These people I’m going with, I don’t trust them. They’re bad people.” Here comes the stabbing part. “I need you to stay here.”
    “ What ?”
    “I can’t risk you, and I’ve got work for you to do, and I’ll call and tell you, but I just don’t have time now. I have to go.”
    “Lorenzo, you don’t have a team anymore. Carl’s dead. You never work alone.”
    “I called Reaper,” I said defensively.
    “Reaper hasn’t done anything for the last six months but play video games and waste money on lap dances. He’s not exactly in practice. If you don’t know these people, then you need me to watch your back.”
    “Jill,” I looked into her eyes, “do you trust me?”
    She looked away. We’d been living an idyllic existence, my violent past left far behind. The evil that had plagued all my days had been locked away, seemingly forgotten, never to be brought out again. The horrible things that had befallen Jill were buried with them, and we’d begun a new life together.
    That time ended now, and it was a lot to take in. Finally she turned back to me. “Yes.”
    I kissed her and held her tight. “I love you,” I said softly, then let her go, her hands lingering on mine as I drew away. I slung the rifle case over my back,