Ultimate Courage

by Piper J. Drake

  Joseph Corbin Junior fell backward, back into the canal…and didn’t come up for air.

  “Ah, shit.” Rojas waded in and felt around in the water until he had the man’s suit jacket. Yanking the other man up to the surface, he dragged Junior onto the bank where he wouldn’t drown and patted him down for weapons. Clear. He put Junior’s suit jacket back on him. As makeshift cuffs.

  Satisfied, Rojas ran down the trail. As he reached Elisa, he asked, “Are you okay? Can you hang on another few seconds?”

  Elisa’s gaze met his in one lightning second and relief washed through him. She was alive and all right. And she was going to be safe.

  Breathing hard, she waved him on. “I’m okay. Souze. Don’t let him hurt Souze.”

  All this insanity and she was still more concerned about his dog. God, he wanted to wrap her in his arms and hold her, but he did as she asked and ran on down the trail.

  Souze still had hold of the other man’s arm. The man screamed and beat at Souze’s head and shoulders with his free fist, but the GSD shook him and didn’t let go. The entire struggle was silent on the part of the big dog. No growling. There was only the relentless determination to hold on. Blood was running freely from the man’s shredded forearm, and every time he tried to yank free, Souze shifted his grip for a better hold. The man’s flailing only damaged him more as it forced Souze’s teeth deeper.

  “Freeze!” Rojas shouted at the man. “Police are on their way, and you are not going anywhere. Freeze and the dog will let go.”

  The man glared at him but stopped struggling.

  Rojas issued the quiet, firm command. “Aus.”

  Souze let go, stepping around the man to stand with Rojas, never dropping the other man’s gaze.

  “Pass auf.” Souze sat and watched his target, comfortably between Rojas and the potential threat. Meanwhile, Rojas warned the man. “Move and he will be on you. Stay where you are and he’ll let you alone.”

  Sirens were approaching. It’d only be another few minutes and Elisa would be safe. Rojas turned and jogged back to her, gathering her in his arms. “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head, burrowing into his shoulder as she held on to him.

  “Are you sure?” The fear sliced through him now. He’d been ignoring it as long as there’d been a purpose, action he’d needed to take, but now he was shaking because he’d almost lost her. “Not anywhere?”

  Elisa raised her head. “I’m okay. I just…”

  She trailed off and drew in a slow breath, then another.

  “Yeah?” Concerned, he searched her face for any signs of pain.

  She closed her eyes slowly then opened them to meet his worried gaze. “I need better cardio.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Elisa woke up from a doze. It took her a few seconds to recognize the private room in the ER.

  “Hey. Have a good nap?” Alex’s voice was gentle, gruff and low.

  There was a stirring beyond the edge of the bed, and Souze’s face popped up as he rose to an upright sitting position from where he must’ve been lying on the floor.

  She smiled at them both. “Maybe. How long was I out?”

  Alex shook his head. “Not long, maybe twenty minutes tops. The doctor hasn’t come back yet.”

  They’d been brought by the police to the same emergency room where Elisa had first met Alex and Boom. There’d been a storm of questions until her voice had started to crack from the strain and Alex’s police friend, Officer Graves, had exchanged a few words with the investigating officers. Then, only one officer at a time had sat down to talk with her, with Souze in the room to help reassure her. Alex had remained outside the room but within earshot if she needed to call him.

  A doctor had come in to examine her and mentioned an IV bag of fluids to treat dehydration but otherwise gave her a clean bill of health. The ER had received an influx of patients, though, and out-processing was going to take a while, so Alex had told her to get some rest while she was still getting fluids via IV.

  It seemed crazy to fall asleep in such a public place, despite the private room. She’d been exposed and frightened and worried that the man who’d been helping her ex would be brought to the same ER. Officer Graves assured her he wouldn’t be.

  “How much longer on this bag of saline?” She craned her neck trying to get a look at the bag hanging behind the hospital bed.

  Alex glanced up then back down at her. “Not long. It’s almost empty.”

  “I feel like I’ve been run over.” Every muscle in her body ached, and if it was this bad now, it’d be far worse in the morning.

  He didn’t stop staring at her, his gaze boring into her as if he could see every fear, every insecurity. She bit her lip. Maybe he was going to tell her she was fired. He’d helped her, but that was because he was a good man. It didn’t change things. He needed to think of Boom first, and Elisa was definitely not good for either of them.

  “Elisa.” He stopped and then started again. “Elisa, I’m so sorry I left back there.”

  She held her breath for a moment as his words sank in. So totally not what she’d been bracing herself to hear. “You came back.”

  It was all she could think of.

  He shook his head. “You were right. I didn’t believe you, and you never gave me any reason to doubt you. It was worse than betraying you.”

  Tears welled up before she could stop them. “Do you believe me now?”

  It was important for him to trust her. Because it mattered more than she had words to explain. He needed to believe her, always, or she might as well leave as soon as she could get released from this emergency room.

  Alex placed his hand on her bedside, palm up. She stared at the invitation for a long moment and placed her hand in his, hoping he’d be very careful with the heart she was placing in his care, too.

  “I wasn’t being fair to us,” he said quietly. “I was trying to compartmentalize too many things in life. Asking you to separate the work we were doing for Hope’s Crossing from the conflict I was causing for you by pursuing you. Asking you to ignore the way your relationship started with your ex to risk exploring what was between you and me. Ignoring my own issues while I was trying to do everything for Boom and for you. But when it came down to even the hint that you might have an issue I couldn’t accept, I ditched out and walked away. Like it was black and white, no discussion required. I was making decisions as if I was the only person whose opinion mattered, and I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

  Elisa wanted to stop him, but at the same time she wanted to hear him out because every statement he made settled a piece of unrest inside her—a worry, a fear that he’d be just like Joseph.

  Fundamentally, Alex Rojas and Joseph Corbin Junior couldn’t be more different.

  Alex squeezed her hand, held on to it as if it was a lifeline. “I thought I’d lost you. And even though I’ve found you again, I want you to realize you got away on your own. You’re free of him now. You can choose to stay here or leave if you want to. And if you stay, you can decide if you want us to stay together or I will respectfully step back. It’s completely up to you. But I was hoping you’d let me ask you a question before you make those decisions. I was going to ask tonight, but dinner went all to hell.”

  A big question. Her brain kicked into overdrive. It’d been a little over a week. There weren’t many questions he could ask, and she’d drive herself crazy wondering what if she didn’t let him ask.

  As Boom would’ve said, Duh. “Ask me.”

  “Would you like to give living with us a try? Full time? You could have your own room or you could move into mine with me. We could go in phases at whatever pace is comfortable for you. But I’ve realized I enjoy seeing you every morning and I’m hoping you’ll accept.”

  Her heart thumped hard in her chest. It wasn’t too big a question, or too scary. It had a lot of flexibility to make it the right fit. “Are you sure Boom would be comfortable?”

  He grinned a
nd fished his phone out of his back pocket. “Serena thought you might ask that, so she had me take this pic for you.”

  There in the picture was Boom, his Serena, giving a thumbs-up and holding up a sign: COME LIVE WITH US!!!

  And sitting next to her was Souze, with a sign around his neck: PLEASE.

  Elisa laughed, taking the phone into her hands.

  “This.” Alex caressed her hands as she held the phone. “This is why I love you, Elisa Hall. Because your first thought is for my daughter and me and my dog. Because you’re selfless and brave, and I don’t think I deserve you, but I’m going to do my damned hardest to make you happy.”

  Before she could answer him, there was a knock at the door. A very disgruntled doctor stood in the doorway. He pressed wire-rimmed glasses up his nose and cleared his throat. “Miss Hall. There are several very insistent visitors requesting to see you. While I don’t usually make exceptions to hospital policies, they make compelling arguments.”

  Alex got to his feet and so did Souze.

  The doctor’s gaze went from Elisa to Alex to Souze and paused for a long moment before returning to Elisa. “If you do not wish to see these visitors, I will not let them in. But I have been convinced that you should at least be given the opportunity to know who felt it was too urgent to wait, until you are properly discharged, to see you.”

  Alex brushed his hand over hers and then withdrew, staying within arm’s reach.

  Elisa considered for a moment. There shouldn’t be anything to fear anymore. Joseph was in custody. Anyone else, she could handle. Even facing him, she could if she had to. “Who is it?”

  The doctor consulted notes he’d made on a tablet he was carrying. “Mr. David Cruz, Miss Evelyn Jones, and a Captain Jones. Mr. Brandon Forte, Miss Serena ‘Boom’ Rojas, and Miss Sophie Kim.”

  Relief swept through her. These people were wonderful. Hearing they’d come to find her filled her with an unexpected warmth, and she wondered how it all could’ve snuck up on her so quickly. “Yes. Yes, I’d like to see them.”

  “Normally, we limit visitation in these situations to the emergency contact and direct family members.” The doctor’s tone was distinctly disapproving.

  Elisa gave him a peaceful smile. “Doctor, they are family.”

  The doctor harrumphed, but then his expression cleared, and he gave her a smile. “I’ll have them escorted in.”

  * * *

  Brandon and Sophie were the first to enter. Sophie looked back out the door to see if the nurses or doctor were in sight, then pulled an insulated lunch bag out of her canvas shoulder bag. “It has to have been hours since you last ate and hospital food is awful. I figured you could use a snack.”

  “Oh, I love you.” Elisa exchanged a heartfelt hug for the lunch bag. She’d have been as enthusiastic to see Sophie either way, but good food was a fantastic bonus.

  Alex leaned forward and whispered, “If food is all it takes, I’ll cook for you at the house sometime when Boom is away on a sleepover. Clothing optional.”

  Elisa blinked and tried not to blush. Based on the way David grinned when he and Lyn came in, she’d failed utterly.

  “Who said something naughty in your ear?”

  Lyn whacked him across the shoulder.

  David rubbed his arm in mock hurt. “What? Look at her face. We know that look.”

  Lyn briefly dropped her forehead into her palm before recovering as a man in Navy uniform entered and closed the door behind him. If it was at all possible, Alex straightened next to her.

  Brandon and David stood equally as tense.

  Elisa decided this was going to be a new experience and she was going to meet it head on. “Hello. I’m Elisa Hall. You wanted to see me?”

  The man in uniform stepped forward and offered his hand. “Miss Hall, I’m Captain Francis Jones, United States Navy.”

  She nodded. “What brings you here, Captain?”

  Honestly, she wasn’t sure how to address him but figured she couldn’t go wrong with his rank.

  “I need to request your help.”

  Elisa raised her eyebrows. “I’m not sure how I can be of help.”

  But she had a sinking feeling her time with Joseph wasn’t completely behind her. Corbin Systems was a major military contractor.

  “I’m in the midst of a deep undercover investigation. It brought me here a few months ago and into contact with David Cruz and Evelyn Jones.” The captain glanced at Lyn and then away.

  Elisa studied the two of them for a minute and decided the surname wasn’t a coincidence.

  “What is discussed between us does not leave this room. I’m currently tracking the progress of a forming private contract organization made up of ex-military resources, a mercenary group, if you will. It seems they are looking to gain footholds in several aspects of the private sector, including integration with weapons systems that should not be in the hands of mercenaries. You are currently the most expedient way for us to conduct investigation into the activities of Mr. Joseph Corbin Junior.” Captain Jones didn’t scowl, but his look was definitely stern. “We have reason to believe he used you as his biometric security key.”

  Elisa swallowed hard but refused to wilt under the captain’s regard. She hadn’t done anything wrong.

  “When we were together, he preferred I accompany him on all business trips. When he toured his manufacturing sites, I was there. I thought it was a compliment, his way of showing his affection, that he set access on my thumb print and retinal scan. I thought it was a demonstration of his trust in me.” She hesitated. “I assumed he’d reset all of those systems when I left.”

  Captain Jones shook his head. “The suspect in question had extreme confidence he could get you back. What he has in custody could be evidence to resolve several ongoing cases under my purview.”

  She shook her head. “I never saw anything unusual.”

  “You may not have known what you were looking at,” Captain Jones pointed out, not unkindly. “We have reason to believe the suspect has an air-gapped laptop stored in his facilities containing sensitive weapons designs and integration code intended for sale to various foreign interests. What weapons and who they were intended to be sold to are best not shared in current company.”

  David nodded to Alex. “Phase 2, behind the scenes.”

  Captain Jones scowled at David.

  “So you need me to go with you?” She hadn’t even given Alex his answer yet and she might have to leave. “For how long?”

  “Actually, no.” Captain Jones looked at Alex, Brandon, and David in turn. “We can digitally assimilate your biometric information and create replicas. I have the equipment to copy both your fingerprints and your retina imprint. That is information that should not leave this room. What we’d need to do while the investigation is underway is assure your location at all times, to verify you are not being used by someone else to access the same systems. We need to know where you are and what you are doing, who you might be communicating or interacting with, and any possible ways you might become compromised.”

  Alex stirred next to her. “And how are you going to do that?”

  Captain Jones cleared his throat, obviously ruffled about someone other than the person he was speaking to directly asking questions. “Normally you would be taken into protective custody. You’d be moved to a secure location and kept under watch.”

  No! Elisa leaned forward and clutched the blankets covering her. She’d only just gotten free. She didn’t want to be kept hidden away, separated from friends she’d just made. The idea of having to leave Serena and Souze, of leaving Alex, ripped a hole in her chest.

  But Captain Jones wasn’t finished. “However, it has been pointed out to me that you are already employed by an organization with unique specialization in multiple applications, including security work. While it is unorthodox to leave a key asset with non-active duty personnel, each of the men currently at Hope’s Crossing Kennels has an exemplary service record. There may not be
a safer arrangement than the one you are currently in, without significantly limiting your freedom or quality of life. If you agree to stay at Hope’s Crossing Kennels with certain additional safety precautions, we may not need to take you into protective custody.”

  The older man glanced at Lyn and his face colored a fraction.

  Elisa considered. “This is a lot of information you’re sharing, if you don’t mind my saying so. I can’t imagine civilians usually get to hear this.”

  It didn’t surprise her to hear Joseph had been involved in illegal dealings. Not at all. He’d been a driven man and ethics were for less powerful people. She was glad to be away from him. But there were more connections in the room than she was understanding, and for once in her life, she wanted the full deal.

  “I’m making exceptions,” Captain Jones said.

  “That seems to be going around,” Elisa responded.

  The older man pressed his lips together. “Every time I deal with any of you people, you have a knack for disrupting well-laid plans.”

  Every time?

  Elisa caught Lyn’s eye and her new friend mouthed a single word, Later.

  That was going to be a story to follow up on and get all the details.

  “But you also flush out evidence I might not otherwise have been able to acquire,” Captain Jones continued. “So I am making exceptions. I hope the idea of cooperating with me and my people is somewhat more palatable as a result.”

  Lyn made an odd noise.

  Captain Jones glanced at Lyn, and his expression softened. “And you are involved with people I trust.”

  Lyn’s eyes widened, then started to glisten suspiciously. “There’s a lot of family in the room.”

  Well, Elisa hadn’t been sure. Jones was a fairly common surname but, maybe there was a lot she had to learn about her friends. In a good way.

  Captain Jones cleared his throat. “In any case, I became aware of the inquiries your people were making into Joseph Corbin Junior and decided to trade information for aid. You cooperate as much as you are able and I will see to it that you have the option to stay at Hope’s Crossing Kennels. I have every confidence you’ll be in safe hands while we conduct our investigation.”