CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FOUR – SECRET AGENT LACY

Karina rose shakily, clutching Becky and making her way over to him as she struggled to process everything that had just unfolded so explosively. "John...what...who...?" She trailed off as he shook his head, lips pulled back from his teeth in a grimace of mingled exhaustion and frustration. "I don't know. I didn't sense anyone else out there besides the hunter squad." As if in response, the sing of a high-velocity round split the air once more, this time kicking up a puff of dirt at their feet in emphatic warning. "Get down!" John snarled, shoving Karina behind the meager cover of a rotting log as he shielded them both with his body. "Show yourself, damn you!" No verbal answer was forthcoming. Only a sleek black SUV with tinted windows melting through the undergrowth to idle confidently amidst the sprawled bodies and settling plumes of gunsmoke. John tensed, ready to unleash his fury upon this latest perceived threat. The driver's side door swung open, and a lean, dark-haired wom