by Rhonda Lott
Brandy's lips pressed in against the wetness and kissed her softly. "Forgive me for being such a bitch to you and Eli."
Too choked up to say a word, Erin smiled into her sisters watery brown eyes and nodded.
Brandy ran her fingers through Erin's hair, separated it into three sections and started a braid. They sat there in the silence of the house, Brandy braiding her hair, all forgiven and forgotten for the moment. They didn't know the fate of their parents, didn't know what the breaking of the new day would bring them. Would the four of them, her little family, ever be the same again, would they be whole again?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The morning was bright and warm. The wind off the lake, however, was cold enough to freeze the blood in your vein. Perhaps it was more to do with the sense of focus readiness that his team sent out and the thick layer of dread that clung to him. A multitude of unknown variables ran through his thoughts. Did Brennan make it to the island unnoticed, was he able to navigate through the tunnels, did he eliminate some of Pope's men? He prayed that Pope wasn't stupid enough to have done any harm to Erin's parents.
Men and boat loaded down with weapons, the team was ready to push off. Eli took a moment to glance back at his woman. She was dressed from head to toe in black Camo, reflective shades covering her eyes, and a cap covering her hair and pulled down so far it touched her shades. She wasn't anywhere near as tall as the men, but they had a couple of life preservers for her to sit on like a booster seat. The subterfuge might fool the enemy long enough for them to get ashore. That was all they needed. Eli shook his head as the faces of his dead team mates flashed before his eyes. Pope had a lot to answer for. So much blood on his hands. Eli wouldn't let the number include Erin or her family.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder, he turned to find Brandy blinking up at him with worry shimmering in her milk chocolate eyes. Erin's sister was as different from her as she could be. Brandy had a mouth on her and didn't mind telling you exactly what she thought of you in vivid colorful detail. She was a firecracker and Erin was a sunrise. Both vibrantly beautiful, brilliantly captivating and awe-inspiring in their own way.
"You bring my family home Special Agent Sessions. Erin cares for you or else she wouldn't be going across this lake with you. So, from this moment on you hold the lives of everyone I love in your hands." Her angry expression softened a bit. "Please, bring them back safe."
Kennedy whistled. "Go time."
Brandy turned to walk away, but Eli caught her hand staying her. "I love Erin. No promises, Brandy. A pledge on my life, I'll protect her and your parents or die trying."
She tilted her curly head, reading him, like she could sum him up by one prolong observation. "Yeah, I believe you will. Oh, by the way. Sorry I called you an asshole. I'll reserve that judgment for a later date."
Eli chuckled. "Maybe you can answer a question for me. Why does Erin call me Huge Pain, from time to time?"
For the first time since he'd met her Brandy's face brightened and she laughed out loud. "Her pet name for me is Little Pain, and I call her Big Pain. Now you're Huge Pain, guess that makes you part of the family."
Eli couldn't think of anything that could have made this day better than Erin including him in their special names for each other. She loved him, she was making a place for him in her life. She loved a man who walked into her life and fucked it up so royally.
His prime objective became crystal clear. His family was her family, his team wouldn't suffer another loss, and the six people standing on the shore of Lake Enoch and Brennan Marshal would survive this day. He could envision Saturday afternoon barbeques at his house and super bowl parties with the guys. From that moment forward, his life was starting over.
He caught Erin around the waist and lifted her into the air. She screeched, throwing her arms around his neck. Eli kissed her quick and hard putting all of his commitment and love behind it.
"What was that for?" She asked breathlessly, when let her feet touch back down on the ground.
Eli grinned, tucked a wayward strand of hair back under her cap. "Because I love the hell out of you woman, that's what for."
Erin scrunched up her face and gave him a perplexed stare. "You just now figuring that out, Huge Pain?"
Eli swatted her on the ass, before picking her up and placing her on her seat. Brandy scooted in-between them and kissed and hugged Erin. The two sisters shared a long look and a nod, a nonverbal promise to see each other soon.
Jayce started the motor and they headed across the water. Colton Island was a small dot in the distance. Eli silently prayed that Brennan was able to cut Pope's numbers down enough that they could handle what was left, but not enough that the old man would notice. The plan was in place and all they had to do was stick to it and they would all be returning home soon. He chanced a glance over his shoulder at Erin. She had her hand on the top of her cap to keep it in place. The changes in her were astounding. She impressed him daily. The shy woman who had never ventured outside of Wayland was no longer. She'd overcome her fear of flying to witness the bright lights of New York, she'd driven two unconscious men down the interstate to safety, and now she was taking the place of his sharpshooter on the way to a deadly rescue mission.
With effort he turned his attention to the team. His men. To the last man, they stepped up to go against Pope. Pope's blatant nerve to involve the Talley family brought out their protective nature. This morning, Pope asked for Alpha Team Six. What he was about to get was something a hell of a lot worse. Men who didn't answer to the government, or to the FBI, or even to him. This team was a deadly force, a wave crossing the water aiming for justice. Pope killed and hunted them. Put them on his most wanted hit list. The mad man had forced them back in service and now they had nothing holding them back. The tiny island that was to be their grave yard would, in a scant few minutes, be their killing field.
****
Wind and the spray of lake water splashed across her face as the boat raced towards its destination. Erin focused all her attention on Eli's wide back. She purposely kept her eyes of the protruding circle of earth where Pope held her mother and father hostage. She didn't look back at the shore, knowing that her sister was still there waiting, unseen. She was determined to keep her thoughts and focus on the man before her.
With each mile of water they crossed, the reality of what she was about to step into weighed down on her like a full metal vest on her chest. Her heart was in a race to go faster than the damn speed boat she was in. Why did she volunteer for this? Who did she think she was, certainly not an agent or even a cop, she was the owner of a diner in a small, blink once you might miss it, town. But, this was her battle now. Pope made it so when he put his hands on her family. Eli had all kinds of guilt right now about his team and now her and her family. His body spoke of his readiness, each muscle rigid as stone.
Erin's life on the outside was a huge mess since she'd met Eli. Yet, on the inside under her fear was Eli's love for her and hers for him. She had confidence within her that she'd never possessed before. He was the reason, Eli was the catalyst that changed her, allowed her to become more. He was fearless and adventurous with a sense of honor a mile wide. A bit of who he was, his unstoppable spirit seeped into her, making her braver. She was only there as a place holder. The five men with her wouldn't let her get hurt, she was sure of it. Today she would help in the rescue, Pope's capture, and right the wrong done to Alpha Team.
Kennedy jumped from the boat near the inlet as Jayce cut the motor. Blake joined Kennedy pulling the craft closer to the shore.
Erin splashed through the water and took her predetermined place between Eli and Blake. Not a word was spoken, each of them knew their roles. Eli was on point, Erin and Blake behind him. Kennedy and Jayce were holding down the rear.
Once they were off the beach and headed into the trees, Erin's heart did a flip in her chest. Two men wearing Camo were off to their right with weapons up and aimed at the team. Eli made a motion with his ha
nd calling for the team to halt. Erin held her breath, knowing that they were going to be fired upon at any second. The men didn't move and on closer inspection she noticed that their eyes were closed and that they weren’t standing there but propped up against the tree. Brennan's handy work. Erin let her breath out. Eli motioned for them to proceed deeper into the forest.
The signs of Brennan's night on the island were scattered throughout the woods. He posed the downed men in positions that would look to the casual eye that they were alive and on watch. The trees started to thin out, sunshine peeking through the canopy, and up ahead there was a clearing with a small group of men standing around a gun metal gray hummer. Eli crouched down and the team followed suit. Eli took out a pair of compact binoculars. His head took a slow swing from left to right, then passed the viewers over to Blake.
"Seven soldiers and Pope. Talley's are in the hummer." Eli told them in a hushed voice. He tipped his head to Jayce. "You know what to do."
Like he was never there at all Jayce faded into the forest. A chill slid down Erin's spine. That dude was all kinds of scary when he wanted to be. Lie a specter, you would never know he was there unless he wanted you to. The perimeter was taken care of there would be no back up from that area. Now all they had to do was get through the group in the clearing, reach her parents and then get the hell out of there. Yeah, easy peasy.
As they watched, there seemed to be a nervous energy flowing through the men in the clearing, weary glances between them, shuffling of feet, and grumbled curses. An older man with salt and pepper hair and a stocky build paced alongside the hummer. He held his cell phone to his ear.
"Come the fuck in Evens." He yelled into the phone. "Wilton, can you reach any of the men in the woods?" He asked one of his men.
"Not getting an answer, Mr. Pope." The man returned.
Erin sucked in a breath. So that was the former deputy director. He didn't look like a demon of hate. More like some executive on a corporate retreat.
"Alright. This has gone far enough. If they hadn't reported in then something has gone wrong. We take the hostages out of here and regroup. Should have never gone this route."
Rage turned his face bright red and Erin could see a vein pulsing in his forehead from where she was crouching. This man didn't have the look of a killer. Erin knew that looks can be deceiving, but honestly, he had a frightened deer in the headlights look in his eyes.
"Alpha team has to be here and overtook our men. I told that idiot that this wasn't going to work." Pope yelled. "Let's get the hell out of here while we still can."
Erin's first instinct was to take off full sprint towards her parents. No way in hell was she letting them be driven out of that clearing. Eli threw his arm across her chest.
"Stick to the plan." He told her quietly.
Erin stared at him, her mind in a riot. Fuck the plan, they were about to get away. She shook her head and her cap went flying.
"Eli, we can't let them go."
The sound of gunfire snapped Erin's attention back to the clearing. The Guardians were being shot down. Two were unmoving in the grass and the others were scrambling to find cover.
Blood pumped like fire through her veins. "Now, Erin. Move now." Eli shouted. Erin fought back her fear and ran. Her part of the plan was to get to the hummer and free her parent while the team took care of the radicals. Erin ran through the tree line, looking back only once to see Eli and the team leaving the cover of the trees opening fire.
She would make it, a few more feet and she would be there. Just a few more feet. Someone stepped into her path, gun pointing at her head. Erin's eyes stretched wide in her face, she knew this man. She swiveled her head in the direction of the hummer and could have sworn she saw her mom's eyes widen with shock and fear lock onto her. Erin turned back to the familiar male, a grin dripping with malice pull his lips upward as he squeezed the trigger.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Eli went to his knee and took out the last of Pope's men. One quick look around assured him that his team were all accounted for and the groans of pain that reached him were from the opposing forces and that Pope was not one of them. Without getting their hands on the ring leader this little mission was a bust. Erin should have her folks out of that truck by now. Jayce was her shadow, making sure she was covered every step of the way. With one glance at the vehicle and the man and woman still sitting in the back, a knot of cold hard fear seized his chest.
"Erin!" Her name ripped from him as he ran flat out towards the tree line where she should have been. Erin lay on the ground, unmoving. Eli stumbled to a stop, sliding down next to her. He frantically ran his hands over her, checking her pulse, looking for injury. Shuffling sounded to his right. Eli spun, weapon up.
"She's not dead, yet." The voice came from behind him. A voice he knew very well.
Eli turned around. Liston stood over the body of Andrew Pope. Pope had a very large hole in his head and Liston gazed down at the body then back up at Eli. Liston's eyes were wild, glazed, and insanely bright.
"You were shot down, I saw you killed motherfucker." Eli stood, but stopped when Liston allowed his gun to drift downward towards Erin.
"Not so fast. Lead Detective Sessions. We don't want to lose another one, do we?" Liston barked out a cackle, then nodded over his shoulder. Jayce lay face down, blood pouring from his side onto the dry leaves.
Eli's mind switched from predator to negotiator in an instant. "Why Liston, you were one of us. I know for a fact that you don't buy into this far right, white power, bullshit. Why are you doing this?"
"Because I want you and all the rest of our band of fucked up brothers dead. None of you had families, so you didn’t give a shit about being booted out. I have a wife and a son. I lost them when I lost my position. I lost who I was, my reason for getting up every day. You didn't think about the ramification of your actions when you went after Pope. Even when I asked you to let it go for the sake of all of our jobs. You didn't listen and went after Pope to the bitter end. Then what did my team do? You dicks walked the fuck away to live your lives without a care in the world, while my life went straight to hell." Liston advanced towards him, spitting on the ground as if the conversation was vile to him.
"You could have come to me. I would have helped you out man." Eli said as calmly as he could. A shimmer of light caught his eye from a tree directly behind Liston.
Liston laughed again, shaking his head. "I did come to you in that tiny diner. You told me that you were done and that you were sorry about Hartwell but you were out for good. Yeah, I had to kill Hartwell when he found out about my dealings with Pope, but I was giving the rest of you one last chance. Your refusal to speak to the Director on my behalf, put the nail in your coffin. You self-righteous, arrogant, bastard. Now, you're going to lose it all, just as I did. Your woman, her folks, your men, everyone in one fail fucking swoop."
For Eli, things happened in slow motion. His team ran towards them, Liston's finger squeezed the trigger of the gun he had pointed at Erin, Brennan shot Liston in the back of his head, and Eli dove to cover Erin who at that moment was trying to sit upright. Eli hit her body and rolled them to the side, landing on top of her.
Erin squirmed beneath him. "Oh God, get off of me Huge Pain. You're making my chest hurt." She complained.
Eli took a second to squeeze her tight and kiss her forehead before moving off her. He gazed down into her beautiful soft brown eyes and smiled. "Are you alright, love?"
"Um… I don't think so. My chest is burning, Eli." Her voice was low, her words garbled.
Eli glanced down at her shirt. It was soaked in blood and there was a bullet hole right where her heart should be.
****
The noise in the waiting room sounded like a buzzing insect in his ears. Eli kept his focus on that damn door. The words ICU waiting area was written in block black letters across the door and behind it was the woman he loved. People spilled out of the room into the hall. His four team members, coated in d
irt, lake water and blood stood like dark sentinels at his back. Erin's parents, Brandy, FBI agents, and the local authorities filled the space so that there wasn't room for another person to squeeze in.
The hum of conversation decreased as the hours passed with no word on Erin's condition. He could hear voices watch peoples lips moving, but his mind, closed down to his surroundings, heard nothing. Holding pattern, he was just there, not allowing himself to feel, not allowing his focus to stray from that door.
Liston's bullet went through his shoulder and into Erin, high on her chest. It missed any vital organs and ended up lodged in her shoulder blade. Eli was so enraged when the medical helicopter landed with them at the hospital, he spared the doctor ten minutes to patch him up before he went to the ICU. The hell with his fucking wound when his woman was fighting for her life.
Brandy and Erin's parents gave didn't approach him, but Brandy gave him a nod of acceptance. In a roundabout way, he had kept his vow to her. He had brought her parents and Erin home. Pope was eliminated and the threat to their family was over. They might not accept him as part of her life, but he wasn't going anywhere.
Nurse Ballard, an older woman with a warm smile and a no nonsense personality, assured him that she would let them know when Erin regained consciousness. Kennedy moved to the empty seat beside Eli. Eli didn't budge.
"Boss, can I get you something?"
Eli shook his head. "What about Jayce?"
"His pride was more wounded than his body. Liston got the jump on him, but Jayce only suffered a superficial wound. He's going to be fine."
