Without Law 18 by Eric Vall (most difficult books to read .txt) 📗

and ready to go, and I saw that the blonde had used some sandbags to create a makeshift table for it so it was high enough to shoot above the sandbags but still be concealed enough for her to fire without worry of being seen.

The girls were all huddled together behind the bags, and I walked over and sat down next to them.

Anna was on my left, and the redhead had her pistol on her lap while she checked her magazines to make sure they were all full. Her tongue poked to the side of her mouth as she focused on the task at hand, and I couldn't help but think how adorable she was in that moment, even with the impending fight on our hands.

Paige was next to Anna, and the brunette sat leaning against the sandbags with her knees up to her chest. She worried her lip and stared off into the distance, clearly in deep thought.

Tara was after that, and the platinum-blonde caught my eye, flashed me a smile and a wink, and then blew me a kiss.

I smiled back and shook my head. Even in the most serious of situations, Tara managed to bring a smile to my face.

Last, but not least, was Bailey. The blonde was sat next to her Barrett so she could jump up at a moment’s notice, but for the time being, she used a stick to draw some hearts and stars in the dirt next to her.

“Everything look okay?” Anna asked after I sat down.

“It’s as good as it can be,” I told her.

“It’s almost hard to believe we pulled this off today,” Paige said with a shake of her head.

“I mean, I knew we would,” Tara said with a small shrug. “But it is pretty impressive.”

“I like your confidence,” Paige laughed.

“You have to be confident,” the platinum-blonde said. “Otherwise if you fuck up, then people know. If you’re confident about it, then nobody can even tell the difference.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not how that works at all,” Anna chuckled.

“Oh, yeah?” Tara asked with a glare. “Then why didn’t anybody question it when I started cooking for you guys?”

“Because the food was good,” the redhead said, and she flashed me a confused look.

“Yeah, but I didn’t know it was going to be good,” the platinum-blonde said. “But I was confident about it. If I had told you guys, ‘oh, I’m not sure it’s going to taste good, tell me what you think, what could I have done better, blah blah blah,’ then do you really think you guys would’ve liked it as much?”

“I mean, she has a point,” Paige said.

“Really?” Anna asked Paige. “You’re on her side?”

“Psychologically, she’s right.” The brunette shrugged. “You’re far more likely to find a flaw in something you otherwise wouldn’t if someone tells you beforehand that it’s flawed.”

“That makes sense,” Bailey agreed.

“You, too?” Anna scoffed.

“It’s like my drawing,” the blonde explained. “I can show someone a picture, and they think it looks great, but if I point out somewhere I think needs improvement, then they’ll be like ‘oh, yeah, I see it now’.”

“You guys don’t have to agree with her just because she’s pregnant, you know,” Anna teased.

“You know, Anna,” Tara chuckled. “I think I’m going to like you even more during this pregnancy.”

“Why is that?” the redhead asked with a laugh.

“Because I know no matter what you’re not going to treat me any differently,” the platinum-blonde answered.

“Nope.” Anna grinned. “You’re the same old brat to me still.”

“Good.” Tara grinned back at her friend.

To a stranger looking in, the two of them would probably seem the most at odds with each other, and they were most of the time, at least when it came to petty issues. Larger problems, though, they always agreed on. The two of them were usually on the same side of whatever debate we had while Paige and Bailey tended to side with one another.

I found it amusing, too, that Tara thought Anna wouldn’t treat her any differently since she was pregnant, especially when Anna had just spoken to me earlier about keeping an extra eye on Tara. The redhead cared about her friend more than she’d ever admit.

The girls grew quiet as we waited for the NK troops to show up. I glanced up at the sun, but it had barely moved since I’d sat down. We still had at least half an hour until nightfall, and I felt myself grow antsy. My heart rate rose, and I became keenly aware of every detail of the happenings around me.

The group of civilians behind the cover to our right whispered among one another, and every so often I heard one of them let out a small laugh. I couldn’t blame them for trying to distract themselves for the moment, the wait was killing me, too.

Waiting was the thing I’d hated most about being in the service. I could handle going on missions all day, and even doing reconnaissance, but when it came to waiting for the action to begin, that was the part I dreaded the most.

And right now, we didn’t even have the luxury of knowing an exact time the troops would arrive. We had a general estimation, but that was it.

The sinking of the sun worked in our favor, though, since the darkness would make it more difficult for the pilot of the MiG to spot us. We were covered as best as we could be, but there was always a chance we would get found out. The darkness would slim that chance down, though, and we’d be able to get the jump on them as soon as they showed up.

I let out a deep breath as I replayed our plan in my head once more. As soon as the MiG went down, the