My pulse hammered in my ears so loudly I could barely hear the rain drumming against the cave entrance. The world narrowed to Doug's hand, the rifle, the space between the two men. "Doug… just stop it."
A muscle jumped in Doug's jaw. His breathing had gone shallow, rapid.
The tension in the cave was suffocating. Rain pounded. Neither man moved.
Doug lifted the rifle slightly, raising the barrel just enough to leave no question about his intent.
My heart slammed into my throat. "Doug! Don't."
Mitch still didn't move. Or even flinch. "If you aim that thing at me, you'd better be ready to pull the trigger," he said, his voice low and level, "because if you don't, I will take it off you… and I won't be gentle."
The promise in those words was absolute.
"Doug, please," I said, hearing the tremor in my own voice. "This is crazy."
A long beat of silence filled the cave. Doug's chest rose and fell. His jaw worked like he was chewing on words he wanted to spit out.
Finally, Doug lowered the gun a fraction. Not all the way, but just enough to pretend he'd never really meant it. But the hatred in his eyes stayed right on Mitch, burning with rage that felt personal.
This wasn't over. Not even close.
I'd thought that river was deadly.
Doug's erratic behavior was a whole lot worse.
Chapter 12
Mitch
* * *
Thunder cracked overhead, shaking the cave so hard that dust rained down from the ceiling. Outside, the river roared like a freight train as another surge of mud and water tore through the ravine. This storm wasn't easing, it was gaining strength. And at the edge of the cave, the water was just inches below the rim.
If this rain continued like this, our cave would be part of the river by nightfall.
Doug still had the rifle slung across his chest, finger off the trigger but hovering close enough that I couldn't afford to look away.
I stayed near the edge of the cave, watching the water rise and watching the stupid bastard unravel in real time.
He paced like a caged animal from the cave entrance to twenty feet back, then the same route again, relentlessly. Each time he passed near me, he'd glance at the floodwater, muttering curses under his breath, then swing his glare in my direction. His eyes were manic, darting between Charlie and me, as though he was calculating which of us he hated more.
Every move Doug made screamed of a man about to snap. I'd seen that kind of behavior before, back in Syria. My teammate, Corporal Barker, had lost his grip during a high-risk extraction. His eyes had gone wild, like a cornered dog, seeing ghosts that weren't there. Then he’d taken off into the kill zone before any of us could stop him.
We’d never found out what had finally broken Barker. Looking back, the signs had all been there. I just hadn't been paying close enough attention when it had mattered.
I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Doug was teetering on that same edge. Different warzone, same look in his eyes. He was a bomb with a shortened fuse, and if he made a move with that weapon, I'd shut the dickhead down with one punch.
Priority number one was protecting Charlie.
The way she'd grabbed my arm when Doug had reached for that rifle stuck with me. She hadn't pulled back or hidden behind me. She'd steadied herself like she'd step between us if she had to. It was the instinct of someone who'd spent her life fighting to be taken seriously. She reminded me of my sister, Cassidy. She had the same stubborn set to her jaw, same refusal to be pushed around, same way of looking at the world like she had a point to prove.
Maybe that was why I gave a damn. Because I knew what happened to women when men as fucked up as Doug decided they didn't deserve respect. Hell, I'd seen my mom shrivel inside herself for years. Dad's belittling had never been subtle. It made sense that Mom had pissed off and gotten away from him. But not us kids. She shouldn't have left us behind.
I'd never forgive her for that.
Charlie sat near the mouth of the cave with her legs pulled up to her chest, staring at the raging floodwaters. She appeared calm, but every boom from the sky made her flinch.