by Shauna Allen
“Including your cousin.”
I bit a piece of bacon. “Is he nice?”
“Sure, I guess.” He glanced out the window again. “He’s a SEAL.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means ‘nice’ isn’t the first word that comes to mind.”
“What then?”
He faced me. “Cool. Badass. Smart.” He shrugged. “He’s a family man now, so I guess he’s nice.”
“He is? A family man, I mean?”
“Yeah. He’s married with a couple of kids, I think.”
More family to meet. This was getting better and better. I smiled. “I can’t wait to meet him, I just wish it was under better circumstances.”
“Me, too.” He peeked out the window again, his body tight.
I swallowed, my instincts kicking in. “Why do you keeping looking outside? Is something going on?”
“No.”
I watched his amber eyes flit away. “Liar.”
Before he could respond, there were three rapid taps on the door. He immediately jogged over and opened it without looking through the peephole.
“Mav.” A tall, light-skinned, really, really good-looking black man stepped inside and they did that half handshake, half hug thing that guys did.
“Tito, brother. Come in.”
Another guy with chocolate brown hair and eyes followed, then another, and another . . . it was a regular testosterone hottie fest.
Tanner faced me and I stood, feeling tiny and a bit self-conscious.
“Guys . . . this is Rebekah.”
I waved. “Hey.”
He pointed them out one by one. The black guy was his leader, Tito. The next one was Bubba. Then Wolf.
The last man stepped forward before Tanner could introduce him and held out his hand. “And I’m John . . . Tex.”
I smiled up at him. “My cousin.”
He smiled right back, looking me over like he could hardly believe it either. “Yeah. I guess so.”
I ignored his hand and grabbed him around the waist for a big hug.
He laughed and hugged me back. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” I glanced up into his face. “Weird, right?”
“You could say that, but good weird.”
“Definitely good weird.” I stepped back. “Thank you for coming to help me and my grandpa.”
“Of course. We may have just met, but we’re still family.”
I nodded as a warm feeling bloomed in my chest and brought tears to my eyes.
“Why don’t you sit and finish your breakfast while we figure out a plan?” Tanner suggested, his eyes gentle and understanding.
“Yeah. Okay.” I sat and nibbled on my eggs, but I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation about drug cartel leaders and hackers and escape plans, all while my eyes continually pinged back and forth between Tanner and Tex. God, how my life had changed in a matter of days.
Tex lowered his voice, but I still heard him. “They know you’re here. I got a surveillance image . . .” He held out his phone.
Tanner glanced at the screen and stifled a curse, his eyes shooting to mine.
I stood and paced to the window, crossing my arms in front of myself. A minute later, Tanner came up behind me and cupped my shoulders.
“You okay?”
“Not really.”
His forehead touched my crown. “I’m so sorry this is happening, but I’ll keep you safe. I swear.”
I spun in his arms. “I know you will.” I felt the other men’s eyes on us, assessing our interaction. “Should we keep our distance now that your team is here?” I whispered.
He frowned. “What? Why?”
“Because . . . aren’t I just a part of your job or whatever?”
“You were, but you’re definitely not anymore. Jesus, Rebekah, how can you doubt that after last night?”
My heart thrummed in my chest. “I—”
“We’ve gotta move, guys,” Tex interrupted. “I tapped into the hotel’s security cameras and it looks like we have company.” He spun his laptop to show two men with scorpion tattoos entering the first-floor stairwell, guns bulging from their waistbands.
Tanner faced me again, cupping both of my cheeks in his hands. “We will finish this discussion later.”
I nodded blindly, too frightened to say a word.
He took my hand. “Let’s go.”
The men loaded up their gear quickly and Tanner tucked me into his side as we ducked out of the room. We moved down the hall with me in the middle, directly behind Tex, and that was the first time I noticed his limp, but he didn’t seem to have a problem keeping up with everyone. I shot Tanner a questioning glance, but he was focused on scanning the hallway.
Wolf and Tito took the lead while Bubba followed in the rear. They led us quietly to the back to the employee area and the service elevators. We side-stepped storage boxes and housekeeping carts and the guys dispersed in a small radius around me as Wolf hit the button to call the elevator car to get us down to the ground floor.
Tex frowned down at his phone, his face growing pale. He lifted wide eyes to his teammates. “Wolf.”
“Yeah?” Wolf seemed preoccupied, hitting the elevator button over and over when it didn’t seem to be moving fast enough. “Come on, come on,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Wolf!” Tex ground out more urgently.
“What?” Wolf whipped around.
Tex indicated his phone. “It’s Cookie. The power’s out at the house.”
Wolf frowned, not comprehending.
Tanner stiffened beside me, his hold on me tightening.
“Fuck,” Tito grumbled, his eyes roaming the empty storage space around us.
Wolf’s eyes suddenly grew round. “Son-of-a—the security system.”
Tex nodded and looked down at his phone again when it buzzed with another incoming text. “They’ve got it under control.” He glanced back up. “For now.”
“We’ve got to get the hell out of here,” Tanner said.
Wolf began smacking the elevator button again, his body language suddenly urgent, probably imagining the worst.
Then the lights died.
The entire room went pitch black.
The indicator light showing what floor the elevator was on went blank. It wasn’t coming. We were stuck.
My stomach dropped. My throat grew tight. I thought I’d be sick.
I turned my head to hide in Tanner’s chest as tears sprang to my eyes. What would happen to Grandpa if I died today and nobody was there to take care of him?
No.
No. I couldn’t think that way. I was stronger than this.
I sucked in a breath as I felt the men tighten into a huddle around me, their communication silent but clear. I lifted my head and glanced up into Tanner’s face. I would see this through with him. I had to.
His amber eyes melted in the darkness, but their intent was obvious. He wouldn’t leave me. He touched my cheek in a fleeting gesture of reassurance before we moved.
Tito stepped up and took the lead. Using hand signals, he led the team to double-check their weapons then toward the back staircase. Tanner never let me out of his sight, though I knew I had to be slowing them down.
In the stairwell, we moved single file and I was sandwiched between Tanner and Bubba. I kept my fingers curled through Tanner’s beltloops and my head close to his back so I didn’t lose him in the darkness and so he’d know I was right there and be able to keep his focus on what was ahead.
It was quiet.
So quiet.
I don’t know how many flights of stairs we went down. I was sure we should be near the bottom . . .
As we curled around a corner from one floor to another, a door suddenly flew open behind us two floors up. The guys sprang into action.
Tanner swung around, shoving me behind his body, blocking me from the threat.
Bubba turned, dropped, aimed his weapon, and immediately began to e
xchange fire with them as I was tugged away by Tex.
I reached for Tanner, a cry on my lips, but he was next to Bubba, both of them shooting and ducking for cover.
Tanner took one second to look over at me, our eyes locking for just a millisecond. “Get her out of here!” he shouted.
I kicked and screamed, out of my mind with fear as I was hauled away by Tex, Tito, and Wolf in a sprint down the stairs.
We eventually hit another storage area, where Tex got a better grip on me, hauling me over his shoulder much like Tanner had done that night in the casino.
Hot, hopeless tears leaked from my eyes as I lifted my head and studied the door we’d just emerged from, hoping to see Tanner and Bubba follow.
Nothing.
Screams and gasps followed us as we continued in a flat-out run through the storage area, by the kitchen, and out a back door and into an alleyway.
Tex slowed to a trot as we neared a street. I could hear their heavy breathing from exertion, a few more screams, and the muffled bang of gunfire. I began to cry, wilted on my cousin’s shoulder.
Still, he didn’t put me down. Not until we were safely ensconced in their Humvee. They ripped out of the parking lot and away from the casino.
I lifted tear-filled eyes to Tex. “You’re not just going to leave them there, are you?”
“Hell, no,” he said. “But we had to get you out of there and safe first.” He leaned over and put an arm around my shoulder, which just made me cry harder as I sagged into him. “Maverick wouldn’t have it any other way. They’re tough and they’re trained.” He tipped my chin up so I’d look him in the eye. “Once we get you safe, we’re going back for them. I swear.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“To the police station,” Tito said.
I wiped my eyes. “Why aren’t the cops here now?”
“This Op was classified,” Wolf said. “And we weren’t exactly planning on this shit.”
“We were just going to go in, get you, get out,” Tex explained. “This damn cartel and their hacker have turned into our worst nightmare.”
We sped into the police station, and though I didn’t want to go in, I swallowed my pride and worked to get my shit together. The guys gave me a cover story. I was just supposed to go in and report the break-in to my truck and the footprints outside my house. I was to take my time, talk slow, use the restroom, get a drink, whatever I had to in order to stall until I heard something from them.
I could do this. I could. But when Tex’s phone buzzed with yet another text, my heart fell out of my chest.
He lifted sorrowful eyes to mine. “We’ve gotta go, Rebekah. They’re pinned down and under fire.”
Chapter Sixteen
Tanner
“Where the fuck are they, man?” Bubba said through gritted teeth, his face white as a sheet of paper as sweat pooled and ran down his forehead.
After a fierce battle in the stairwell, he’d taken a hit to his right shoulder. I was holding pressure, but he was losing a hell of a lot of blood and fast, and we were stuck in a broom closet with barely any ammunition and little hope, our only light from my cell phone.
“On their way,” I said. “They’ll be here in a minute.”
God, I was a liar. I had no idea where they were, or if they’d even be able to get back inside the casino. For all I knew the cops had the place blocked off.
But at least Tex and the guys had gotten Rebekah to safety. I at least had that.
I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed harder on Bubba’s mangled shoulder, making him grimace.
I also had no idea where the sicario was at this moment. As soon as Bubba took the hit, I got him as far away as I could, as fast as I could, and tucked him away while I called for backup. I was a Maverick, but I wasn’t a fucking idiot. I couldn’t take on an entire drug cartel and hitman alone with a wounded partner and low ammo. I would just have to sit tight.
In the meantime, I shot off another one-handed text to Lucky to check on things back in California.
Me: Status?
Lucky: Fucked but nothing we can’t handle. You?
Me: Bubba’s been hit.
Lucky: How bad?
Me: Not sure. No medic. Right shoulder, through and through, losing lots of blood.
Lucky: Where the fuck is the team?
Me: Got Rebekah out.
Lucky: ???
Me: They’re coming back.
Lucky: Call me as soon as you’re out. Tell Bubba to hang in there.
Me: Roger that.
Hot blood seeped through my fingers. I pressed harder as Bubba wilted beneath me, his eyes growing heavy and unfocused, his breathing shallow. My heart thundered in my chest as footsteps pounded beyond the door. This was it.
I sent off one more text to Tex then pocketed my phone and picked up my gun, my eyes homed in on the door in the darkness.
It suddenly dawned on me that I could die here. Tonight. I’d never given much thought to my mortality, preferring to live life on the edge, throwing caution to the wind, marching to the beat of my own drum. I was all about doing what I wanted and asking for forgiveness, rather than permission.
But something about these past days, back in my hometown, had opened my eyes. My heart. For the first time, I had something to live for other than my career and my team.
Rebekah.
A woman. Who would’ve thought?
If there was even the slightest chance I might not make it out of this alive, I had to tell her. She needed to know.
I took a few seconds and tapped out one more quick text, hoping it would be enough.
Thank you for sharing your light with me. This time with you has meant everything…xo
My head snapped up as the footsteps and voices grew closer. I swallowed the thickness from my throat.
Closer.
Then a sudden burst of gunfire and shouting. Spanish. English.
Commotion and more gunshots blazed right outside the door. I was tempted to peek, but I couldn’t abandon Bubba or let the pressure go on his shoulder and let him bleed to death. I’d just have to wait . . . and wait . . .
Then it all stopped.
~ ~
Everything went silent, but for my heart, beating steadily behind my ribs. Adrenaline sat acidic on my tongue. Every muscle in my body coiled, ready to strike.
Bubba lay limp on the ground, the puddle of blood now alarmingly wide and thick beneath him.
Suddenly, the door to the closet flew open.
I raised my gun, safety off, finger on the trigger. One hair from the pull, I recognized Tito’s face and dropped my weapon, relief literally making me shake.
He inched inside, Wolf right behind him, Tex in the rear.
“Fuck, man.” He crouched down and checked Bubba’s carotid pulse.
“Took y’all long enough,” I grumbled, hefting myself up as they took over bandaging up Bubba’s shoulder. I moved toward Tex, who was guarding the door. “Rebekah?”
He shot me a look. “At the police station, stalling for time. She’s good.”
I nodded and glanced out at the dead bodies littering the ground, grateful this shit storm was over. At least for now. “Thanks, man.”
“Don’t thank me. It was the job and, more than that, she’s family. We take care of our own.”
“I know that, but still, I appreciate it.” I shifted on my feet. “She’s special, Tex. Really special.”
Now his gaze grew assessing. “I may have just met her, but if you hurt my cousin, I will fuck you up, Maverick.”
“I hear you, man. I’d never hurt her.”
“See that you don’t.”
We both turned when Wolf and Tito hefted Bubba on a makeshift gurney.
Wolf nodded toward the exit. “Lead the way, gentlemen.”
I took the lead as we inched our way down and out, still on the lookout for any stray tangos. As soon as we got Bubba back to the Hummer, Tex contacted the police and updated them on what they could know
of our operation and the mess we’d left them, while we sped to the hospital.
I checked my phone, my heart falling when I didn’t find a response from Rebekah.
I tried again. You OK baby?
She responded immediately. Yes. Are you?
I’m fine. Bubba was shot. We’re taking him to the hospital now.
Oh no . . . is he OK?
Not sure yet.
I’m sorry, Tanner.
I frowned down at her words. I didn’t want her sympathy. I wanted a reply to my first text message. Why was she avoiding me? I would get to the bottom of that, but not by text. I glanced up as Wolf turned into the ER.
Sit tight…I will come pick you up as soon as he’s settled, I shot back before jumping out of the Humvee to unload my friend without waiting for her answer.
Chapter Seventeen
Rebekah
I sat on the bench outside the police station waiting, my eyes glued to my phone, my brain circling around his words. Not his command to wait. The message that felt like his goodbye.
Thank you for sharing your light with me. This time with you has meant everything…xo
How was I supposed to respond to that?
I glanced at the time. It’d been over an hour since I’d heard anything and I was getting nervous. I’d filed my report, eaten a snack, drank a bottle of water, gone to the bathroom twice, called to check on my grandfather, worried about Tanner, and obsessed about his message. But, in all of that, a couple of things were clear—I was relieved he was safe and this nightmare was going to be over . . . and I was sad this was going to be over. That meant he was going to go back to his life and I would stay here with mine. We were two very different people who lived a world apart. Hell, I lived in the world he’d left behind. The one that hurt him and still haunted him. He wouldn’t want to be reminded of that. I was sure the second he had the chance, he’d be out of here and I’d just be a memory. A good one, if I was lucky.
I bit my thumbnail and glanced again at my phone just as the big black Humvee pulled up beside me.
I stood and Tanner hopped out of the driver’s seat. He rounded the hood and headed straight for me. Without stopping, hesitating, or even slowing down, he yanked me straight into his arms and devoured me in a devastating kiss. I had no choice but to hold on and go along for the ride. I clutched his shoulders and moaned, my body on autopilot, as if I’d been kissing this man my entire life.
