shoulder.
Grace eased her feet along the shadowy side of the area between the split rail fence and the woods of the ridge. They had extinguished the lantern in the stables the instant they heard the noise. She had her AR-15 rifle up to her shoulder and swept back and fourth in 15 degree segments, looking for anything that might be out of the ordinary. She had done this same routine a dozen times with her father at the hunting club where they belonged.
Joshua let his eyes wonder over to where Grace walked twenty-five feet to his left. He had heard the sound outside of the stables too. But, his mind was on what Grace had confided in him seconds before the sound… her parents were CIA agents.
He shook the thought from his mind, the adrenaline beginning to heighten his senses. He let his eyes scan the forest-laden hill, the light from the moon shot through the canopy like small flashlights. The combination of elevation, shadow and colorless light made it difficult to recognize shapes on the hill. He waited for his eyes to calibrate, and that is when he spotted something that did not look natural. It was a shadow in a rock formation up the hill from Grace. He had grownup playing on this hill and knew what those rocks were supposed to look like from his vantage point. He turned his back on the split rail fence and walked at an angle towards Grace, his rifle sweeping above her head with a possible target up on the ridge.
Grace stopped walking the instant she saw Joshua change directions. He had seen something that she missed, and he had a bead on it. She pivoted towards the direction above her and backed up a foot or two so that she was now standing in the shadows.
Joshua came up next to her, never taking his eyes or his aim off of a point up on the hill.
Wu fought the pain as he steadied his aim on the soldier that seemed to suspect his hiding place. His hands started sweating as his own adrenaline pumped through his veins. He had the soldier in his sites. He waited, his finger heavy on the trigger. He was not to engage first.
Joshua scanned the ridge a few more times and then dropped his rifle to his side and reached out for Grace’s shoulder.
“C’mon, there’s nothing there,” he said, pulling her along behind him, and back to the safety of the stable.
Grace let him pull her until they reached the back entrance of the stable, and then looked at him as if he didn’t know what he was doing. He cut her off before she could speak, by putting his finger up to his lips. She didn’t speak.
“There’s at least one person up the ridge,” he whispered, as he continued to usher her along the long concrete runway of the stable.
“So, why didn’t we…”
“He had the high ground on us, Grace,” he whispered, cutting her off. “Just like when we did at the water tower, he would have mowed us down if we’d been any more aggressive.”
Grace let whatever anger she had for being pulled out of the situation, fade with the realization that Joshua had just saved her life...again.
“What do you want to do?” she asked, looking over her shoulder as they moved away from the backside of the stable.
“Let’s get your dad, this could be bigger than one or two guys on the ridge,” he said, speaking with wisdom.
Wu released the grip on his rifle and relaxed his trigger finger. They had not seen him, but he had been careless nonetheless. He would not make the same mistake again. Wu slung the rifle across his back and headed back up the hill; the American’s were on to him. He would have to find another way to communicate with his commanders.
CHAPTER 8
The Tiller Farm
Ian had only been asleep ninety minutes by the time Grace knocked on his door.
“Mom, Dad,” she said quietly at the door, trying to get them to wake up.
Leah came to the door. She was dressed in black fatigue pants and one of Violet Tiller’s
Grace eased her feet along the shadowy side of the area between the split rail fence and the woods of the ridge. They had extinguished the lantern in the stables the instant they heard the noise. She had her AR-15 rifle up to her shoulder and swept back and fourth in 15 degree segments, looking for anything that might be out of the ordinary. She had done this same routine a dozen times with her father at the hunting club where they belonged.
Joshua let his eyes wonder over to where Grace walked twenty-five feet to his left. He had heard the sound outside of the stables too. But, his mind was on what Grace had confided in him seconds before the sound… her parents were CIA agents.
He shook the thought from his mind, the adrenaline beginning to heighten his senses. He let his eyes scan the forest-laden hill, the light from the moon shot through the canopy like small flashlights. The combination of elevation, shadow and colorless light made it difficult to recognize shapes on the hill. He waited for his eyes to calibrate, and that is when he spotted something that did not look natural. It was a shadow in a rock formation up the hill from Grace. He had grownup playing on this hill and knew what those rocks were supposed to look like from his vantage point. He turned his back on the split rail fence and walked at an angle towards Grace, his rifle sweeping above her head with a possible target up on the ridge.
Grace stopped walking the instant she saw Joshua change directions. He had seen something that she missed, and he had a bead on it. She pivoted towards the direction above her and backed up a foot or two so that she was now standing in the shadows.
Joshua came up next to her, never taking his eyes or his aim off of a point up on the hill.
Wu fought the pain as he steadied his aim on the soldier that seemed to suspect his hiding place. His hands started sweating as his own adrenaline pumped through his veins. He had the soldier in his sites. He waited, his finger heavy on the trigger. He was not to engage first.
Joshua scanned the ridge a few more times and then dropped his rifle to his side and reached out for Grace’s shoulder.
“C’mon, there’s nothing there,” he said, pulling her along behind him, and back to the safety of the stable.
Grace let him pull her until they reached the back entrance of the stable, and then looked at him as if he didn’t know what he was doing. He cut her off before she could speak, by putting his finger up to his lips. She didn’t speak.
“There’s at least one person up the ridge,” he whispered, as he continued to usher her along the long concrete runway of the stable.
“So, why didn’t we…”
“He had the high ground on us, Grace,” he whispered, cutting her off. “Just like when we did at the water tower, he would have mowed us down if we’d been any more aggressive.”
Grace let whatever anger she had for being pulled out of the situation, fade with the realization that Joshua had just saved her life...again.
“What do you want to do?” she asked, looking over her shoulder as they moved away from the backside of the stable.
“Let’s get your dad, this could be bigger than one or two guys on the ridge,” he said, speaking with wisdom.
Wu released the grip on his rifle and relaxed his trigger finger. They had not seen him, but he had been careless nonetheless. He would not make the same mistake again. Wu slung the rifle across his back and headed back up the hill; the American’s were on to him. He would have to find another way to communicate with his commanders.
CHAPTER 8
The Tiller Farm
Ian had only been asleep ninety minutes by the time Grace knocked on his door.
“Mom, Dad,” she said quietly at the door, trying to get them to wake up.
Leah came to the door. She was dressed in black fatigue pants and one of Violet Tiller’s
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