Read Line of Fire for Free Online

Lieutenant Ellison called out.
    Christian jumped up into the truck, yanked wires from under the dash and twisted them together, starting the truck. Hayden slid in beside him. Christian handed the map to Hayden. Pulling forward he swung around and stopped next to the tree line and waited for the rest of their teammates to get in.
    “Everyone’s in,” Jason said climbing into the cab and forcing Hayden into the middle. Turning, he had his weapon ready as they pulled away from the compound and made their way down the dirt path that passed as a road away from the camp and toward the secondary extraction point.

 
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
    Hayden clamped his mouth shut as the truck bounced along the pothole-strewn road. Their progress had been infinitely slower than anyone was comfortable with. Christian had kept the vehicle lumbering along at about thirty miles an hour, slowing to five m.p.h. on a semi-regular basis, but never making it above forty-five. He refused to think about the bandage hidden beneath Christian’s shirt even as Jason Morgenstern kept shifting in his seat constantly on the lookout, forcing him closer to his lover. He didn’t mind the nearness to Christian; he just didn’t understand why Morganstern hadn’t ridden in the back with the others.
    The engine hissed and Christian swore, pulling over as far as he could on the narrow road. Hayden looked up and saw steam rising from under the hood. With the light dimming, he knew they were nowhere near the secondary extraction point. Making the trek over land to where a Sea Stallion would take them to the USS Nimitz carrying the wounded hostage was going to be slow and would put them in danger of missing their extraction. Morganstern slid out of the cab and motioned for Christian to pop the hood. Grabbing his weapon, Hayden left the cab and stood nearby, scanning the area. He watched Morganstern approach Christian and signal the engine was dead. SEALs poured out of the back of the vehicle, hauling the wounded man down carefully before they disappeared into the undergrowth.
    Hayden made his way over to Brian, while the Lieutenant and platoon chief were looking over the map. Crouching in the undergrowth, he searched the jungle for anything out of the ordinary, his gaze routinely coming back to where Christian huddled with Ellison. The wound on his lover’s arm was relatively minor, he’d still been surprised at how hard and how fast the thought of Christian being injured hit him. He’d wanted to take care of it himself, reminding them both that they were more than just SEALs, even if he wasn’t sure what they were to each other anymore. He’d kept his actions professional and his feelings guarded, taking care not to out his lover. Keeping himself in check to pretend they were just friends hadn’t been easy. Seiboweitz’s threat re-emerged. He knew that by now everyone on the team knew he was gay and what had happened in the parking lot. Thankfully, his crew had already known and hadn’t cared. Or if they did, it no longer mattered. He’d gone on enough missions with them by now they knew that he could be trusted, he could be counted on.
    “Williams?” Brian asked nodding to where the small group still stood.
    Hayden swore. “Give it a fucking rest. We’re in the middle of the fucking jungle, there has to be something else to occupy your mind. Christ. Dream of Alexa if nothing else. Good grief.”
    “Hot damn! I get a gold fucking star!”
    “Shut the fuck up!” Hayden whispered harshly. “It’s bad enough, I was outted. Don’t do that to him.” Hayden’s eyes narrowed at his best friend. “Not a word to anyone. Ever. Swear.”
    “Dude. All right. All right. I promise,” Brian said holding his hands up in mock surrender. “What the fuck has gotten into you?”
    “Not everyone is as understanding as you are.”
    “You’re thinking of Seiboweitz and Walters again aren’t you?”
    “You heard Seiboweitz. You were there and you can’t