Capital Falling | Book 4 | Sever Winkless, Lance (most popular ebook readers TXT) 📖

and more likely, the bastard just wants to cause me pain, but I don’t show him he is succeeding.

Briggs’s grip relaxes slightly, but at the same time, he shoves me forward and then releases my arm and I stumble forward towards the wall. Is he expecting me to climb on top of the wall without the use of my hands, wouldn’t it be much easier all around if he released them?

No chance, two of his men close in either side of me and grab both of my arms, their grip is strong but forgiving. They lean me backwards supporting me so that I can get my feet up on top of the wall, then push me back upright with the help of the door gunner who jumps down to get involved and helps me upright.

Getting into a hovering helicopter can be dicey at the best of time, never mind with your hands tied behind your back. Thankfully, the door gunner mounts the helicopter before me and helps steady me as I step across the void and into the helicopter’s hold. He keeps hold of me and directs me over to one of the seats where I plonk down.

Down on the wharf, I see Briggs shout his orders to his men, but cannot hear a word he says, he then turns his back away from his men who begin their retreat towards the steps and down to the beach.

I am extremely disappointed not to see Briggs lead his men away down to the boats, and it can only mean one thing; he is getting into the helicopter.

Sure enough, as his men disappear right out of my view, Briggs mounts the wall with ease and confidently steps across and into the hold, where he drops into the seat next to me. Great, I think, as two of his men, one of which I am sure is his Corporal follow him up and climb on board to take seats opposite me. The only bonus is that I see my M4 is coming along for the trip.

With everyone now on board, the helicopter immediately begins to hover sideways away from the embankment wall before lifting us up and out over the river.

I cannot slide back into my seat because my hands are still tied behind my back, instead, I have to sit forward, perched close to falling out of the seat, which I am sure Briggs takes great satisfaction in.

As the helicopter rises, my mind races to think where Briggs could possibly be taking me, what orders is he following? One thing I know for sure is that it has something to do with my missed appointment at the hospital.

Epilogue

With the helicopter gaining height, I look out of the hold’s window next to me. As the pilot brings us about, I see the Special Forces troops filing down the beach, aiming for the fast boats; at least that means Karen and Tanya are about to get out of harm’s way.

I feel for Karen, she has lost her soulmate in Jim, the two had the closest relationship I have ever witnessed, they were inseparable. To live with someone and then to also work all day with them, you must be more than just close, right? Karen will take it hard, there is no doubt about that, but I think she will come to terms with her loss, in time. Jim sacrificed himself to save her so that she could live and be with their daughter once more and Karen will come to understand the deep meaning of what he did, and why he did it.

I am confident that the men will make sure they are looked after, not all members of the Special Forces are complete arseholes like the man sitting next to me. In fact, most are the complete opposite and good people. Even if Briggs has given them suspect orders with regards to the women, those orders will be bent to make sure the women are treated well.

If I were to be asked, was the mission a success, I would have to say yes. Jim is a big loss, of course, but we rescued one of Stacey’s parents from certain, and indeed, impending doom. And then there is Tanya, we might have lost Jim, but we saved another.

I strain my neck to try and catch my last glimpse of Josh and Alice on the water below and manage to catch a fleeting one, but they already look so distant. I know Josh, he will be going absolutely ballistic at this turn of events and I can only hope that Alice manages to keep him in check and get him out to safety.

A vibration starts against my right thigh, someone is trying to ring me. I look around the hold to try and find a willing volunteer to retrieve my phone out of my pocket so that I can see who is calling. I feel so helpless with my hands out of action, for fuck’s sake. Odds are on that it is Josh, with a hat full of questions for me, none of which I will have an answer for. The other possibility is that it could be Catherine. Perhaps Josh has called her already to tell her what has happened, and she means to give somebody a piece of her mind.

Whoever it is, they are going to be as frustrated as I am, because the vibrating goes unanswered. I am not inclined to ask any of the men for help, and Briggs would shoot down anyone who tried to help me, in any case.

I suddenly have a terrible thought. What if the military doesn’t just let Josh and Alice sail off into the sunset? What if they decide they have other plans for the two very capable soldiers? Both Josh and Alice could easily find themselves press-ganged back into active duty, and who knows what terrible consequences that could result in and what about Catherine