Briggs held out his arm to stop Lydia from leaving the cover of the trees.
The fence surrounding the compound was just as she’d seen. The entire team spread out, some armed with guns, others with nothing at all. Brody pulled the wire cutters from his backpack and turned to wink at Lydia.
Briggs leaned over and whispered in her ear so she could hear through the torrential downpour. “He’s prepared because of you.”
Lydia glanced around. She only wished she’d seen what was going to happen next. Lydia whispered under her breath, “We’re here, and we’re coming to get you.”
Briggs ran a hand up and down Lydia’s back. “Need some of your coffee before we get going?”
She nodded, opened her thermos, and took a big gulp. The coffee was tepid as it went down her throat. She hated cold coffee, but she’d suffer through it if it was her only energy reserve to fall back on.
Brody shoved the cutters back into his backpack and pulled the fence up and out of the way so they could each crawl through the opening. The fence stayed in place due to Brody’s power; clearly not draining his power like it would her. Lydia pressed her back against a tree trunk when one of the guards walked by twenty yards away. Her heart was racing, driving more adrenaline and caffeine through her system. Power sizzled around her as Brody approached.
“Can you take out the security system? First the security cameras, then the alarms until you make the entire compound go black?”
Lydia lifted her palm to her heart and nodded. “We won’t be able to see. How will we find him in the dark?”
Brody reached into his bags and pulled out night-vision goggles, handing Briggs his. Brody slid the awkward apparatus over Lydia’s head and down over her eyes. The band around her head was tight, as though it were going to squeeze what brains she had left. He whispered, “Close your eyes and take care of business, Lydia. Rick is depending on you, and this isn’t a test.” He kissed her forehead. “You’ve got this, Red. Now let’s go kick some ass.”
Easier said than done, she thought. The weight on her shoulders felt as though she were carrying a boulder. She closed her eyes and concentrated on each mechanism in the order Brody had said. She didn’t know if it had worked. They hadn’t had a telltale sign where they were.
Brody whispered, “Are you sure you got everything?”
Lydia reluctantly nodded. “I also envisioned the backup generators, just in case.”
Brody nodded. “Now all you have to do is take us black and stay hidden while we go rescue your boyfriend.”
He signaled to the hidden team just before Lydia closed her eyes. She was going to take the whole place down if it meant getting Rick alive. She didn’t feel the need to do this lady-like. She envisioned the entire electrical box sparking and lighting up the night sky. It would be the only light the bad guys would be able to use.
She opened her eyes, and Brody was gone. The only person that remained by her side was Briggs. He pulled her down into a crouching position and backed her up to the tree. His big body shielded her, concealing her from anyone who might venture by. Lydia flinched when she heard the shouts and guns going off in the distance. Even though muffled by the falling rain, the loud sounds were still hard to miss.
Lydia whispered, “Waiting sucks.”
She thought she heard Briggs chuckle, but she could have been wrong. “I may not know them very well, but we have to believe they know what they’re doing.” Briggs leaned back into her, squishing her further against the tree. The wet bark stuck her in the back. “If anything happens, and I can’t get you out of here, you run that way.” He pointed toward the direction that they had come from. “Keep running until you make it to the vehicles. Don’t wait for us. The keys are on the floorboard under the driver’s seat. When you hit the pavement, turn in the opposite directions the cars are parked and go back the same way we came. There is a town two miles up the road; we passed it. Hide the vehicle and make yourself scarce. I’ll come find you.”
More shots rang through the night air. “I can’t just leave him.” Lydia tried to push Briggs’ big body out of the way. It didn’t budge “We need to go help.”
Briggs turned toward her. “You’re no good to anyone if you’re dead. You don’t want me to go back and have to explain to your sisters that you died on my watch. They’d skin me alive.”
Lydia rolled her eyes. She wasn’t dying today. “If I were in trouble, don’t you think that Emma would be calling you?”
Briggs pulled the vibrating phone out of his pocket and checked the screen before he shoved it back inside. “Are you happy now?” Briggs asked. “They’re probably pissed that I haven’t answered.”
“Put your hands in the air where I can see them,” an unknown voice demanded.