The men raced toward the door, grabbing their Kevlar before hitting the street.
They had to get to the other half of their team.
There was no other option to them. There was worry filling them both as they knew it all came down to two things.
Maura, and her need to survive.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
Jayson Woods went sliding across the ground with a grunt of pain. The hit to his torso took him down like a ton of bricks. While Maura may have been smaller, she could still pack one hell of a punch. Part of her success was because she caught him off guard.
The surprise was clearly present on his face.
When he got back onto his feet, he glared at her, his body reverberated in rage. “I’m going to kill you, bitch!”
“Ready to finish the game, Jay?” she asked, backing up to give herself some room. She was at the advantage, and he didn't even know it. Maura knew his move before he made it.
It was her job to know.
Now, she’d use it in her strategy. Where he believed her to just be some woman leading stronger men, he’d miscalculated. She was a force to be reckoned with.
“You’re the black knight,” she said, moving as he did. “I’m the white queen. You may have taken out everyone, but I still stand between you and the ultimate goal. You’re going to lose, Jay. I’m going to break you for all of them before it’s over.”
He laughed, amused by her words. “All of your men have fallen. You’re going down too. I see I didn't shoot you, so that means your FBI bodyguard is hurt. You’re all alone, Maura. It’s time to kill you.”
“You won’t kill me,” she taunted.
“I should have done you first. The rest were easy. I didn't even break a sweat.”
She held the knife in her hand. “Do you know how I got to be a major, Jay?” she asked, noticing he was trying to predict her next move.
“By sleeping with every man you could? I’ve heard the rumors. I know you didn't earn it. That’s just another reason why you have to die.”
She ignored his comment. It was all lies. Maura didn't sleep with or date Marines for just that reason. She never wanted to risk that ridiculous speculation. “I was a drill sergeant. I was really good at kicking ass.” With that, she threw her knife, and it lodged itself in his shoulder.
He screamed in pain, now distracted. It was then that she attacked. Her fist met its mark, causing his nose to explode in blood. Blindly, he swung out with his knife, barely making contact across her ribs.
It stung, but Maura worked through the pain. It was only a scratch. There was no time to worry about a little blood. Her life depended on it.
When he came at her, she booted him in the solar plexus, driving him to the ground. It weakened him, but now gave him both knives.
She was weaponless.
That was okay. She’d seen worse situations.
“You’re the real sinner, Jayson. You betrayed your men and the corps. I’m going to make sure every single Marine knows the truth, and then I’m going to make sure your record shows that you were a traitor to this country, and the men and women who you served with!”
Well, that plan worked.
Maura pissed him off and got him to attack.
Now, she just needed him to make a mistake. It would take time. She knew his flaw. Once she saw it, she would end it.
There would be no court martial.
There would be no prison.
What was coming was simple.
It would be the completion of the game, and the end of his miserable life.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
He was dying inside.
From below the upper ledge of the cliff, Luke could hear them fighting. With each grunt and blow, Luke wanted to toss his cookies. He’d heard the taunts and comments from the killer, and they made him want to be sick.
His precious Maura was fighting for their lives, and he couldn’t get to her. After trying to stand, he found himself too weak to even attempt to go to her aid.
It was destroying him from the inside out.
Every now and again, he would see rocks skittering from the edge, right before they made the freefall to the ground below. With each pebble that fell, his heart squeezed in his chest as he prayed she wouldn’t tumble from the edge.
From the sounds of the battle raging above him, Maura and Jayson were very close to the edge. All he could do was move closer, knowing that with his good arm, and what was left of his strength, he could pull her in if Maura fell.
Or so he hoped.
When he heard the scream of anger, his stomach dropped, making him want to retch. From the sounds above, someone was getting their ass kicked.
Luke could only say a prayer and hope for the best.
“Come on, guys! Where the hell are you?” he muttered, staring at the clear blue sky.
They needed a little intervention, and soon.
Before it was too late.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
When the blade cut across her cheek drawing blood, she was pissed. That was going to leave a scar. Since he was obliged to give her a memento of their fight, she was going to do the same.
In anger, she punched him in the face, throwing him off balance. With her other arm, she managed to block his wildly arching hand, knocking the knife to the ground.
It slid to the edge and tumbled off.
Well, at least now neither of them had the advantage. It was going to come down to hand to hand combat. The odds were in her favor, especially since she grew up beating on men. At that moment, she could see the end in sight. Her bleeding adversary was struggling to catch his breath.
Maura didn't doubt that she had this one in the bag.
“Bring it on, Jayson. I’m going to beat your ass down in Bravo Ghost style. Then, you’ll know why it was my damn team. I made us. I trained us, and now I’m going to bury its last member.”
She saw the intent.
He moved toward her.
With her bloodied fist, she took aim at his trachea. With enough force to make it a deadly strike, she felt it give way under her hit. Once the contact was made, Maura knew that Jayson Woods didn't stand a chance. Crushing his windpipe, she saw the second his life came to an end.
When he dropped to his knees stunned, she swung out with her steel toed boot, making sure he wasn’t getting up again. The impact to his temple ended it fast.
“That was for the men you killed,” she said, spitting blood onto the ground from her split lip. “While you deserve to suffer, I won’t be the animal you were.”
As he lay there staring blindly up at her, nothing left but an empty shell, there was no remorse.
Not for him.
It was all for the men who died in his perverted wake.
“Here’s a lesson for you, Jayson. When you play chess, everyone knows one simple fact. Don’t fuck with the queen. She’ll do anything to protect her king, including killing.”
With that, she headed to the ledge. Once there, she glanced back at his dead body.
“Checkmate, bitch. This game is fucking over.”
Luke saw the legs swing over the edge. When her whole body came into view, he wanted to be sick. Maura had the shit kicked out of her. Her shirt was sliced across her ribs, her face had a gash, which was oozing, there was blood on her chin from her lip, and her eye was already starting to swell shut.
“Oh, shit!” he muttered, stumbling to her.
“Hey, handsome. You better be careful,” she stated, not wanting him to take a fall. She didn't just fight for their lives to have him end his.
“Baby, you’re a mess. Please tell me that the asshole, who did this to you, is dead, or I’m going up to finish him off.”
She pointed at his arm. “You don’t look so good either, Lucas Mars! As to the state of that murderous bastard, yeah, Jayson is dead.” There was no apology in her voice.
There was nothing but ca
lm, clear acknowledgement of what she’d been forced to do.
“Maura,” he began.
“Before you tell me that we should have brought him in, I want to point out that Marines handle the situation. He killed the innocent, and now he’s joined the men he hurt. That’s justice, Lucas, whether you believe it or not.”
“If you would have let me finish, what I would have said is that I am so damn glad you survived, and that he deserved everything you gave him, and more.”
“Thank you for that.” His words meant everything to her. In fact, his faith in her handling the situation helped Maura get through the fight.
Immediately, she saw his shoulder was still bleeding, so she pulled off her semi bloody shirt.
Luke stared at her. “Why are you taking your clothes off?” he asked. “I hope you’re not in the mood to have sex because I’m pretty sure I won’t be at my best, but I can try, if you insist.”
Maura started laughing. If he was talking about sex, that meant he was going to survive.
She would too.
While she was sad inside over what she had to do, Maura was happy because now she could move on. Bravo Ghost was officially dead.
She was the sole survivor, and the future looked cloudy at best.
For now, she was free.
“Yeah, thanks for that offer, stud, but I like my men conscious when we do it. You’re barely holding on. As for why I’m taking my shirt off, it’s because I need to stop the bleeding in your arm. It’s still oozing.”
He watched her make a field dressing out of the material before securing it in place with a boot lace. “You’re going to get us out of here dressed like that?” he asked, trying not to focus on the pain.
She laughed. “Yup.”
Luke must have been delirious. At that point, he didn't care who saw her standing there in cargo pants and black bra, as long as they survived.
Besides, it kind of turned him on. She was like a female Rambo.
Yeah, he was definitely delirious. It was obvious that he’d lost a lot of blood.
He started laughing.
“What?” she asked, glancing up into his baby blue eyes.
“Nothing, but I do have a question.”
Maura finished securing her shirt. “What?”
“How the hell are we getting down?” he asked, pulling her against his body. It was done partly to stay upright, but mostly because he felt the need to press his lips to hers. Luke was grateful she was alive.
When they broke apart, she pointed at the thin trees. “You Jane, me Tarzan,” she teased.
“What?” he asked, trying not to freak out. “Isn't that dangerous and backward?”
“Don’t worry, Lucas, like I told you. I’ll always have your back. I’ll get you to the bottom safely. All you have to do is look pretty and let me do the rest.”
“Maura, when we get to the bottom, I swear we’re going to have a conversation about the roles in this relationship.”
She laughed before leaping out to the branch to use her booted feet to push her back toward him. “Going down?” she asked, holding out her arm.
“Are you sure this is safe?”
“Hell no! This is far from safe, but sometimes in life you have to take the big risk. It’s usually worth the most gain.” Yeah, like him. A week ago, she wouldn’t have gone there.
Now, she couldn’t imagine her life without him.
He went with it. After all, Luke was pretty sure she wasn’t talking about the tree and falling.
When her arm closed around his waist, he used his good hand to hold on. As they flew back toward the cliff, she was laughing.
He wasn’t.
In fact, he screamed like a girl.
“We are so having that talk,” he muttered, now knowing that he wasn’t anywhere near the adrenaline junkie she was. In fact, it was quite possible that Maura Gaines was bat shit insane.
And he loved her…
When they managed to reach the ground, she kissed him. “I love you, Lucas. You’re going to regret storming into my life like a battalion.”
He was confused, or maybe it was the blood loss. “Why?”
“Because now you’re absolutely stuck with me.”
“What are you saying?” he muttered, the edges of his vision going gray. Luke fought to stay awake, but he was losing the battle.
“Luke, stay with me,” she said, pulling his head into her lap. “Lucas Mars, don’t you go anywhere. I love you so damn much!”
Unfortunately for Luke, he didn't hear the rest. The gray came and pulled him under.
He’d lasted as long as he could.
Now, Luke was down for the count.
* * * C a r t e r C h r o n i c l e s * * *
When the helicopter finally landed, both men jumped from the side and raced to the couple on the shore of the river. Neither looked very good, and both were covered in blood and war wounds.
As Quinn approached, he saw his sister was barely covered. Immediately, he pulled off his jacket, which covered his Kevlar, and placed it over her shoulders.
Then, he hugged her.
“Are you two okay?” Nate asked, dropping down by his partner to check his pulse.
Luke was out cold.
“Yeah, but he needs to get to the hospital. His arm is jacked up. I’m good. I don’t think I need stiches,” she added, touching her cheek with bloody fingers.
Quinn couldn’t believe how nonchalant his sister was. “Where’s Jayson?”
“Dead.” There was no emotion in her voice.
“Where?” Quinn asked, lifting a brow.
“You’ll find his body on that ledge over there. I killed him after he shot my man,” she stated, as two medics began buckling Luke onto a stretcher.
“Are you sure he’s dead?”
She laughed. “Yeah, I’m pretty damn sure. Where he is, there’s no coming back.”
The medic got their attention. “We need to get him in. You should come with us too. You need to get looked at.”
Nate looked at his watch. “There will be back-up here shortly. They’re coming in from the ground. We’ll stay. You go back with Luke. Callie will be waiting for you both at the hospital.”
She was good with that. It was time to head back to civilization.
Maura followed the medics to the helicopter behind the stretcher carrying Luke.
The men watched the helicopter take off. When the battered, bruised, but victorious woman flashed her brother the ‘I love you’ sign, he couldn’t help but smile.
He was damn proud of her. All their life, he knew Maura was tough, but this just proved it. She’d saved a Fed, kicked a killer’s ass, and managed to stay tough as nails.
Yeah, it was official.
She was his hero.
“Your sister is totally bad ass,” Nate said, laughing. “Coming here, all I could picture was Jayson Woods killing them both. He almost took out my partner, and I’m glad that bastard is dead. I can’t wait for Luke to tell us all about it.”
Quinn snorted.
“What?”
“Oh, I have a feeling what’s coming is going to be fun.”
“What am I missing?” Nate inquired.
“Remember when Callie told Luke that she hoped he fell in love with someone who would kick his ass every day?”
Nate recalled.
“He’s in big trouble. Lucas Mars is no match for Maura, and we get ringside seats. Karma is a bitch, and so is my baby sister-- a bad ass one.”
They both started laughing
The show was about to begin…
Epilogue
Monday
W aking up in the hospital, Luke couldn’t remember how he got there. In fact, most of the time that passed between when Maura climbed down and the arrival in that room was sketchy. After struggling to open his eyes, a beautiful woman stood there waiting, only it wasn’t the one who owned his heart.
It was Callie, and she was lovingly holding his hand.
&n
bsp; “Where’s Maura?” he asked, trying to sit up.
“Whoa, slow down there, tiger,” she ordered, helping to raise his bed into sitting position. “You’ve had surgery and are all hopped up on drugs. Your shoulder isn't too bad, and luckily for you, Jayson Woods was a better swimmer than marksman.”
Luke didn't care about him. His only concern in that moment was for the woman who owned his heart.
Again, he asked. “Where is Maura?”
“She’s gone, Luke.”
Once the words were out, so much emotion played over the man’s face. It was evident to her, as someone who loved Lucas Mars, that the man had fallen hard.
He was head over heels in love.
And she was so happy for him.
The words tore at his heart like vicious claws. This was exactly what he was afraid of. With hesitation, he had to know the truth. Callie wouldn’t lie to him. Family held you up when you were too weak to carry on.
Like now…
“Is she coming back?”
Callie sat beside him. “She left you a note. The military recalled her. She was patched up and on her way. Since she had top clearance on Oracle, they want a debriefing to see what slipped out and what didn't.”
He relaxed. “Can I have the note?”
Handing it to him, she offered to read it. “Can you see straight?” she asked.
“No. Will you read it to me?” If it was a ‘Dear John’ note, he was going to cry. In that moment, he’d need the woman beside him.
In his heart, she was his sister.
His friend.
Someone who would help him through the pain.
“I’m ready,” he said, closing his eyes.
Callie opened it and read it to him.
‘My Dearest Lucas,
I had to finish up some loose ends with my job. I wanted to be there for when you woke up, but duty called. I promise I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. It may be today, or maybe not for a couple of days. Just don’t worry. I’m coming back. I made that promise to you. Do me a favor and stay out of trouble while I’m gone. You’re a menace to yourself. I love you very much. You’re in my heart no matter how far apart we are.
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