Southern Regions (Southern Desires Book 4)

by Jeannette Winters

  It was so nice she didn’t mention the butt of the gun in his waistband, digging into her thigh. What’s a little pain for such joy? The bruise will be worth it.

  The last time she’d been this happy was when her mother was still alive. Mom, I really think you’d like Kevin. I’m not sure he’s what every woman dreams of, but he is what I dream of.

  They stopped at several street vendors, watching different performers. Finally, they came to an uncrowded spot. It was a beautiful view of the river with people enjoying gondola rides as they passed huge fire pits in the middle of the water.

  They stood on an old cobblestone bridge overlooking the river. A violinist walked over to them as though it’d been planned. He played a tune she thought she’d heard before, yet never on that instrument. Marina loved the oldies, and this was one of her favorites. Superstar!

  The song felt as though the words within her soul were waiting to be spoken. Marina tried to rationalize her feelings for Kevin. No matter how hard she tried, there wasn’t a calculation for her emotions. Logic didn’t apply. But this song sure does. You’re about to leave me, Kevin.

  She turned to Kevin, who was beside her, but she noticed his eyes never stopped scanning the crowd. She was grateful for this time with him even if he couldn’t shut off the Marine in him. Marina wanted to make sure he wasn’t just protecting her. She needed him to protect them both. You said you’d be coming back again this way, baby. Don’t you dare forget your promises, Kevin. I’m holding you to them. Come back to me, baby.

  He must’ve noticed her watching him. Kevin let go of her hand and put an arm around her, pulling her close. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

  More than I can ever say. Even with Maggie and Lionel following their every move, Marina loved the outing Kevin had planned for her. She knew it wasn’t exactly as he’d planned, but she still thought the evening was perfect. Even if we can’t go back to the apartment and make love all night, I’ll never forget this. “I am. Thank you for this.”

  Kevin released her for a moment, pulled out several large bills from his wallet, and handed them to the violinist. The man took the money, and with a nod he walked away. Did you request that? This was all planned? Marina fought back tears of joy. It was the most romantic thing he could’ve done, and she never guessed Kevin as a romantic. There’s a lot I need to learn about you, Kevin. So you better not forget I’ll be waiting for you.

  Even as the music faded, it played within her. The melody flowed through her and each note tugged at her heartstrings. She knew she’d never hear Superstar without thinking of Kevin.

  “You know I don’t want this to end.”

  “But it must. You need to go to your parents, and I need to . . . take care of my own business.”

  As they walked back to the apartment, she tried not to think about them parting ways. Saying goodbye was going to be so hard. The truth is, if I could be with anyone, it’d be you.

  He’d kept his word so far. She needed to believe he’d continue. Either way, this is going to be difficult. Now is probably better. Having him at the lab when I inject myself with the vaccine isn’t the ideal time. If it doesn’t work, he would watch me suffer and be helpless to stop it. It’s better this way.

  Kevin came up to her with a dark vest. “Put this on, Marina.”

  She reached for it, and it weighed a ton. Instantly she knew what it was. “Do you think they found us?” she asked as she slipped it over her head and secured it around her. It wasn’t a one size fits all; the bulletproof vest was meant for someone much larger than her.

  “There hasn’t been any sign, but I’m not taking any chances.”

  “You should’ve thought of that earlier,” Johnson snapped.

  Marina watched Kevin glare at Johnson, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned back to her. He helped her adjust the vest, so it fit snuggly. “All set.”

  She didn’t feel all set. In fact, she felt the furthest from it. Kevin was about to leave her when she’d just gotten used to having him around. Why now? Why bring him into my life just to have him leave again? Am I destined to be alone always?

  “Why can’t I come with you and then go to the safe house together?”

  Kevin reached out and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “It’s complicated.”

  It’s not complicated. I want to be with you. And this feels like goodbye.

  She knew there was nothing she could say that would change his mind. He had his orders, and that was the end of it.

  Johnson and Maggie grabbed the bags, Kevin retrieved his duffle bag, and Marina held onto the one thing she knew no one else should hold. The urn. They all piled into the black SUV, Johnson driving with Maggie as copilot. At least Kevin and I have this ride together. I wish it were longer.

  The last time it’d only taken ten minutes to get to Bailey’s. She thought they’d head back to the small airport they’d arrived at a few days earlier. Instead, they drove into a park. She looked at Kevin puzzled.

  “Two choppers sitting too long would bring suspicion.”

  She nodded. I’m not sure keeping them in a park is any better, but at least it’s night and the park is closed.

  This park was larger than she thought. She could see a baseball field and a football field off in the distance, containing the two waiting choppers. It’s almost time. Kevin had shown her affection during their outing, but there still was a barrier he couldn’t seem to put down. He reached across the seat and touched her hand.

  “It’ll be okay, Marina. I promise you.”

  She smiled at him as they started their final approach. Before she could say anything, she heard the sound of bullets ricocheting off the side of the SUV.

  “What the fuck?” Johnson shouted.

  Kevin pulled Marina so she couldn’t see. “Kevin.”

  “Stay down,” he barked.

  The SUV swerved, and she was thrown all over the place. Kevin grabbed her and held her in position.

  “I only see one vehicle approaching from the left,” Maggie added over the gunfire.

  Marina heard what sounded like guns being loaded and the safeties taken off over her head. Tears welled up in her eyes. They’d come so far and were so close. It couldn’t end like this, not after everything she and Kevin had shared.

  “Maggie, Johnson and I will hold them off. You get Marina on that chopper and get her out of here. Understood?” Kevin barked orders.

  Marina tried to pull herself up. She wanted to scream that he needed to be on that chopper with her. There was no way she could leave him behind.

  “Roger,” Maggie replied.

  The SUV cut sharply and came to a stop. The doors opened, and Marina felt herself pulled away from Kevin. She met his eyes, filled with fear. His eyes were dark as he handed her the urn which had fallen to his feet in the ruckus. “Go! Now!”

  Without another word, Maggie pulled her toward one of the choppers, and within seconds she was inside and the door shut behind them. Looking out the window, she saw Kevin making a big circular motion with his hand, pointing up like he was throwing a lasso.

  Instantly she realized what he’d told the pilot as Marina felt the chopper leaving the ground. “No! Wait! We can’t leave him!”

  The moon provided enough light to see everything. She couldn’t take her eyes off the horrific scene below. The vehicle that had been chasing them had reached the SUV. She could see flashes of gunfire going off from both sides.

  Kevin and Johnson were outnumbered, four against two. One of the men held what looked like an M-16 and pointed upwards as he fired. He was shouting at their chopper as it was taking off. Maggie grabbed her arm, but she continued looking out the window. She held her breath, too terrified to turn away as she watched the one who’d been shouting drop to the ground. Then a second one of their assailants fell to his knees before falling over face first in the grass. Please, God. Don’t let Kevin get hurt.

  A third fell at the same time she saw Johnson jerk a few times befor
e falling backward. “No!”

  The last thing she could see before the chopper turned, leaving the gunfight out of their view, was the final assailant approaching Kevin and Kevin dropping to his knees. “Oh, God please no!” Had he been shot, too? Was that the end? Had she just witnessed the man she loved giving his life to protect hers?

  Her eyes filled with tears as she buried her face in her hands. Kevin was right. She left a trail of death behind her. I’m as deadly as what I’m carrying. She’d hoped he’d been wrong, but now she witnessed it with her own eyes. This is all my fault. Because of me, you didn’t leave earlier. Because of me, Johnson is dead. Because of me, you might be too. The only one who should be dead is the one you’re all protecting. What have I done?

  Chapter Thirteen

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  She thought she was going to be sick. Her heart felt as though it was breaking into a million pieces. No matter what her eyes saw, she refused to believe it. Marina couldn’t bring herself to speak. Maggie tried to coax her away from the window and console her. Unless someone was going to tell her she had been dreaming and didn’t just see Kevin shot, she didn’t want to hear anything.

  The image of Johnson lying motionless was a sight she couldn’t forget. Marina might not have known him, but she knew he was only there because of her. No different than Kevin. She had no idea what happened to Kevin. Had he been shot? Did the gunman come and finish what he’d started? She was angry the pilot wouldn’t listen to her as she screamed at him to turn around. She’d begged and even threatened them to turn around. They couldn’t leave him there, fighting for his life. Her heart felt like a vice was squeezing it, knowing he needed her.

  It’d been as though she spoke another language as her pleas went unnoticed. Marina had never hated another person before, but right now she was boiling with hate. She hated the men who shot Johnson and Kevin. She hated the pilot for not listening to her request, and she hated herself most of all for creating the virus that had brought nothing but sadness.

  Marina heard Maggie calling her name again and again. She tried drowning it out but eventually she couldn’t stand it any longer.

  “Dr. Brimlow!”

  “I don’t want to hear it.” Marina turned to Maggie and spoke sharply. She sucked in her breath, noticing for the first time a stream of blood from Maggie’s left shoulder. “Maggie, you’re hurt.”

  Maggie looked at her shoulder then back to Marina. “Not as bad as it looks.”

  She remembered Kevin tossed a second bulletproof vest at Maggie as they left the apartment. Looking closely, she saw how close the bullet had come to the chest area. “You were shot; of course it’s bad.” Marina couldn’t understand how Maggie could remain so calm. She’d just seen two of her fellow servicemen shot down and she was wounded as well. Are you trained not to show emotion? Is it because this is what you face every day?

  Marina unlatched her lap belt and leaned over to look at Maggie’s injury. She wasn’t a doctor, but she had enough medical training to stop bleeding. Before she could examine her wound any closer, Maggie snapped at her.

  “Leave it. I’m fine.” Maggie still held the M-16 across her lap as though she may need to use it at any time.

  “I was only trying to help.” Marina sat back and buckled again.

  Maggie turned to look out the window, staring off as though in deep thought. Then she turned back and said, “I wish I could tell you what you want to hear. There hasn’t been any response from our transmissions.”

  “You mean—”

  “Don’t assume anything.”

  So easy to say. Not easily done. “I saw . . . we saw them—”

  “I know. It looks bad, really bad, but until we have confirmation of their . . . of what happened, we think positive. Understood?”

  Marina liked the think positive, send-good-vibes idea. She needed to know if Kevin was okay. Had he gotten away, or did he end up another victim with the others? “How long until we hear anything?”

  “Mark is trying to get that for us now.”

  “How?”

  “Mark has a lot of connections all over the world. He doesn’t say how he gets things done. They just seem to happen.”

  “Then I hope they just happen really quickly. Kevin could be hurt, bleeding, and needing help now,” Marina said as she saw the blood continue to run down Maggie’s arm. “Please, Maggie. I can’t be there for Kevin, so let me be here for you. Please let me take care of your wound; heaven knows I need a distraction right now.”

  Maggie looked at her arm then nodded to Marina. She set her weapon beside her and unbuckled. Marina knelt in front of her, trying to get a good look. She noticed it wasn’t her shoulder but her upper arm that was wounded.

  Marina looked for anything she could use to bandage it.

  “There’s a medical bag behind one of the seats. Maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for in there.”

  She located the bag and found it was well stocked. If needed, she could start an intravenous line to give medication. Maggie’s wound needed attending to, but for now, all Marina could do was clean it and apply direct pressure to stop the bleeding. There was no exit wound, so Marina assumed the bullet was still inside.

  Maggie’s phone rang again, and she heard a voice she’d come to know as Mark’s. Not meaning to be so rude, Marina grabbed the phone from Maggie. Maggie tried taking the phone back from her but winched in pain as she jolted her injured arm. Marina turned from Maggie and started rapidly firing questions at Mark. “This is Marina, Dr. Brimlow, have you heard from Kevin? Was he injured? Is he alive? Have they been rescued? Please tell me something,” she begged, as her voice started to quiver.

  “There has been radio silence, and we haven’t been able to get a visual yet,” Mark stated.

  “He needs help. Tell the pilot to turn around. I can help him. He needs me.” I need him.

  “Marina. Kevin would want you safe. The only way we can ensure that is by getting you to the safe house.”

  “But I—”

  “I know you do. Right now the best thing you can do for Kevin is to get to a safe location. As soon as I have any word, I promise I’ll update you.”

  She could hear the sincerity in his voice. He was in control, and his brother was missing, yet he was holding it all together. Am I the only one breaking? Is everyone blind to what just happened? Don’t you know the man I care about could be . . . bleeding to death?

  “Please. I can’t lose him.” The desperation in her voice echoed in the chopper. She didn’t care. Her world was falling apart, and she needed to find someone to put the pieces back together.

  “You and me both.”

  As tears ran down her face, and a sob tore from her throat, Marina handed the phone back to Maggie and went to sit in her seat. She knew she wasn’t the only one worried and hurting right now. Mark was his brother. No matter how much he tried controlling it, she could still hear the concern in his voice. I know you’re doing everything you can. I just feel so helpless, and I hate it.

  Looking out the window, she noticed they were no longer over land. She had to face the cold, hard fact that everything was out of her hands. All she could do was move forward, test the vaccine, and hopefully survive long enough to put an end to this nightmare that started six years ago.

  Off in the distance, she saw a bright star. Her heart sank. Why grant my wish and send me someone to love if he was just going to be ripped away from me so soon? I never thought anyone could mean so much to me or that I could fall so hard. Thinking he might be gone hurts like hell. Without him, I don’t care what happens to me.

  Closing her eyes, the melody from earlier came to her as though holding on to hope. That’s all she had right now. She wasn’t going to let it go. You promised me, Kevin. You promised to come back to me. I’m holding you to it. Do you hear me? If you don’t, I’ll never forgive you.

  She brushed the tears from her cheek. I’ll never forgive myself.

  Kevin dropped to his knees to giv
e the bastard less of a target. He only had a few rounds left in the magazine and thankfully they hit the target, taking out what appeared to be the last of them.

  There wasn’t any way to know if others were close by or on their way, so he needed to act quickly. Kevin scanned the area and listened. Everything was quiet. For now. But it won’t be for long. He wasn’t sure the gunmen were dead, and he knew Johnson had been hit and it looked bad.

  He looked over to where he’d seen Johnson go down. There didn’t appear to be any movement. Kevin called out, “Johnson.” The silence was deafening. He had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Fuck. I got to get over there and help him.

  With his weapon in hand and still crouched low, Kevin made his way across the grass to Johnson, lying motionless. Even before taking his pulse, he knew he was too late. Hoping against all hope, he checked for a pulse anyway. Fuck. It should’ve been me.

  He choked back the emotions anyone would have at a time like this. They might not have been friends, but he had a lot of respect for Johnson as a soldier. His mouth watered and nausea threatened to overtake him as he reached out and closed Johnson’s eyes. Fuck, I’m so sorry.

  There was no time to reflect on the past, what he should or shouldn’t have said to Johnson earlier. There’d come a time when he’d be alone and break down. They all did, whether they admitted it or not. Combat left no time to grieve the loss of a comrade. Allowing himself to be distracted by grief only risked more loss of life. There were four other bodies out there that he needed to make sure didn’t survive.

  Kevin picked up Johnson’s gun and checked the magazine. He had enough to finish whatever needed to be done. As he went from one body to the next, he was relieved to find they were all dead already. He knew it would only be a matter of time before law enforcement showed up. He couldn’t afford to be held for questioning. There were questions he couldn’t answer right now.

  He needed to act quickly, so he gathered the weapons from the assailants. Kevin didn’t want them falling into the wrong hands. Enough life had been lost tonight; he didn’t want some troubled teen getting their hands on misplaced weapons.