Silence.
It's worse than the noise.
"Jake?" Emma whispers, shifting behind me.
"I don't know," I say, my weapon trained on the doorway.
Mason’s voice crackles over the comms. "We have a problem. More vehicles incoming. At least six. They're regrouping for another push."
"Fuck," Jake mutters. "How many shooters?"
"Too many," Mason says grimly.
I stand, my decision made. "I'm going out there."
"Harper, no." Lily grabs my arm.
"I'm a cop." I look her in the eye. "I know how to handle myself, and they need backup. Can you hold it down here?"
Lily nods. “I have Emma.”
Nodding, I move before anyone can stop me, slipping out of the living room and into the hallway.
The front of the house is a disaster—shattered windows, bullet holes in the walls, spent casings littering the floor.
Luke is crouched in the kitchen, his rifle trained out a window. Jake is at the back door, scanning the driveway. I don’t know where Mason is.
"Harper, what the hell—" Luke starts.
"I'm helping," I say, taking position beside him. "Deal with it."
He looks like he wants to argue, but another burst of gunfire cuts him off.
The second wave hits hard with more shooters that are better coordinated. Turner's men pour onto the property, using the vehicles as cover, advancing in tactical formation.
We return fire, the sound deafening in the enclosed space. I realize really quickly why they posted in the kitchen. The invaders head straight to the front door, and from here we have the advantage of a clear shot from an angle they aren’t expecting.
I take down one shooter. Then another. My training kicks in—breathe, aim, squeeze. Breathe, aim, squeeze.
But there are too many of them.
"We need to fall back," Jake shouts over the gunfire. "Regroup at the barn."
"Negative," Luke snaps. "We hold the house. If we lose it, we lose everything."
"Luke—"
A truck skids to a stop near the main house, tires screeching.
I expect more of Turner's men, but the door opens, and my dad steps out, in full uniform, service weapon drawn.
"Dad?" I breathe, but the word is lost in the chaos. What the hell is he doing here? He wouldn’t attack us, would he?
Luke's head snaps toward me. "What?"
Dad moves toward the house, firing at Turner's men from behind.
"What the fuck is the sheriff doing here?" Mason says through the comms.