“Avoid the sand,” Bob, the team member in the passenger seat, said and chuckled.

“It’s a trap.”

Jessie grinned. She really liked the guys and their smart-ass remarks. It helped keep the terror at bay as long as possible. The vehicle picked up speed.

“Hang on. We’re going airborne, kiddies,” Trey warned.

Jessie saw the small hill as they hit too fast and gritted her teeth. The nose of the SUV cleared the peak and they were flying. The vehicle slammed down hard when it landed. Trey weaved a little but kept control. The impact would have thrown her forward since she didn’t weigh as much as the guys but Jimmy had thrown his arm across her lap when the wheels left the ground. He’d kept her from moving too much.

“There went our stomachs but we’ll pick them up on the way back,” Bob groaned.

“Remind me to buy us all ass donuts for the next time we try that.”

Jessie saw a well-lit, two-story structure coming up fast. She reached down and unfastened the strap securing her gun inside the holster on her thigh. Her heart pounded. She knew it could turn really bad but she still hoped for the best. The fear would keep her sharp and alert. Terror was a good thing in a dangerous situation.

They reached the front of the guesthouse and Trey locked up the brakes hard, skidding ass end around a few feet and killed the engine. Jessie threw open the door and jumped out, moving fast toward the front doors. Trey and Bob were already ahead of her. Jimmy, Mike and Shane remained behind her.

Trey held a metal battering ram about three feet long and charged full force with it as he hit the locked double doors dead center. The wood splintered under the assault, popped apart and opened hard. Trey dropped the battering ram, just tossed it aside and grabbed both his guns. He and Bob entered first by throwing themselves to the sides of the door. Jessie slammed into the wall next to the entrance, yanked her gun out and waited.

“Clear,” Bob called.

Jessie eased around the broken door. She glanced around the large entryway, took in the curved stairwell, high ceilings and long hallway leading to other parts of the house. Trey and Bob moved door to door, clearing rooms while she stayed put with her gun trained at the top of the stairs to cover Jimmy and Shane as they rushed up them.

Mike took position across from Jessie to guard the door. Anyone coming in or out would face off against a heavily armed man. As soon as both men hit the landing above, she lowered her gun and turned to train it on the broken doors.

The waiting was the worst as Jessie stood there. She heard gunfire suddenly erupt from upstairs. Shit . Her gaze flew to Mike, met his grim, tense expression and hoped her team was doing the shooting. He jerked his head toward the front door. She moved, followed his silent command and stepped back outside. Her back pressed against the house as more gunfire came from the second floor. A gun battle had started.

“Gunfire inside the guesthouse!” Tim’s voice shouted into her ear. “Four armed men. Second floor.”

“We’ll get them,” Jimmy’s voice grunted. “One down. Three to go.”

Jessie’s gaze kept roaming the yard for any motion coming at them. Tim’s voice inside her ear kept her informed of what was happening with her team and the others.

“We have eight incoming heat signatures in two cars speeding toward the guesthouse from the south.”

Jessie jerked her head in that direction but didn’t see anything. In less than ten seconds that changed. Headlights appeared in the distance and approached quickly.

She moved, eased inside the house and nodded at Mike.

“I’ve got your back covered if you can handle the cars.” She glanced at his guns.

“You have the better toys.”

He smirked. “Keep your head down.”

“That’s not a problem. I’m short, remember?”

“Knock off the chatter,” Tim ordered. “Your mics are live since you’re under attack, team five.”

Great. Jessie rolled her eyes at Mike. He grinned and lunged next to Jessie, closer to the open doors. The sound of tires locking up prompted him to open fire. Jessie threw up her hand to cover her ear nearest to his weapon. She trained her gun toward the stairs to make sure no one tried to seek down them. Trey and Bob cleared the bottom floor and rushed back.

“Jessie, move your ass this way,” Trey ordered. “Bob, get upstairs to support Jimmy and Shane. I’m coming up behind you to guard the door, Mike. Don’t shoot me.”

“I’ll try not to,” Mike grunted.

Gunfire was deafening. Jessie found herself shoved farther into the house. They wanted her out of the line of fire but it was hard to do with guns being shot from above and outside. Gunfire pelted the front of the house and bullets dug into the wall by the staircase.

“Three of them just darted from the cars to go around the back,” Mike hissed. “Find a hole, Jessie. They are going to try to come at us from the back of the house. We’re screwed!”

“Fuck,” Trey snarled. “We’re pinned down! I repeat, we’re pinned down!”

Shit . There were windows everywhere past the hallway where a large living room opened up. If three men with guns breached it then she’d be a target no matter where she stood. They’d turn that corner and kill her friends, taking out anyone hiding along the way. She glanced around and lunged toward a doorway to a laundry room. It was the only place she couldn’t see a window. She heard glass break not too far from her and listened intently.