Something behind him clattered, but a shuffled foot seconds before had come from the other direction. The guy was trying to make him chase a red herring. Not happening, asshole. Turning the tables, Jake picked a rock out of the tread of a huge tire he was squatting next to and threw it to his left. Just as he’d hoped, a shadow appeared to his right. The guy rounded the trailer looking toward where the rock had landed and by the time he noticed Jake to his left, it was too late—he was in the former SEAL’s gun sites. But the asshole wasn’t going down easy. He swung his gun hand around, however, Jake was ready for it and fired his weapon, hitting the goon in the face. In a reflexive reaction, the man’s finger squeezed the trigger, but the shot went off harmlessly several feet to Jake’s left. The body was dead before it hit the floor.
Just to be safe, Jake stood and stepped forward, before kicking the man’s gun to the side. Pivoting, he tried to zero in on where Nick and Wagner were, but Alyssa screaming “look out”, followed by two gunshots, had his blood running cold.
“ATF! Don’t shoot!”
A split second of relief was shattered at the teenager’s next words. “Nick! Nooooo!”
Shit!
Circumventing the trailer, Jake spotted Allman disappearing around the far side of a platform holding two large, diesel engines. Running like his life depended on it, he wasn’t prepared for what he found. Wagner was dead. Alyssa was on her knees crying and Nick…oh, God, Nick…
Jake’s heart and gut felt shredded in that moment, and a fear, unlike anything he’d ever known, gripped him in its talons.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Allman was on his knees, ripping open the kid’s shirt and glanced up when he heard Jake approach. “He’s alive, but it got him in the chest. Call 911.”
Unable to look away from the blood seeping out of Nick’s upper torso, Jake fumbled in his pocket for his phone. He quickly pushed the digits.
“911. What’s your emergency?”
* * *
Sitting on a chair, bent at the waist, Jake held his head in his hands. Thick, heavy tension hung in the air of the surgical waiting room. In his mind, he replayed everything that’d happened for what felt like the thousandth time since the ambulance carrying Nick pulled away from the scene. After watching it speed down the road with lights flashing and sirens blaring, Allman had filled Jake, Devon, and the rest of them, in on what’d happened.
The fed had gotten a text from Wagner telling him to meet the others at the storage garage without further explanation. Traffic had been heavy and he’d pulled up just as the gunfire started. Upon entering the building, Alyssa’s screams had him dashing in her direction. Unfortunately, his arrival had inadvertently set things in motion for Nick to be shot. Allman had been able to make the shot that killed Wagner a split second after the man had fired at Nick.
The rest of the team had shown up about three minutes later. Devon had been as white as a ghost when he ran into the building, his gaze searching for his injured brother. Jake had almost forgotten they’d all heard everything go down. Apparently they’d muted their mics, so as not to distract Jake and Nick with unnecessary chatter.
When the second rig of paramedics was ready to transport Alyssa to the hospital, Jake had hopped in with them. Even though she was basically unharmed, sans a few scratches and bruises, they still wanted her to be looked at by a physician and the teenager had refused to go without him. Allman had handled the local police and feds who’d shown up, but Jake was going to have to give his formal statements to the ATF, FBI, and local P.D. as soon as Nick got out of surgery.
Fuck! What could he have done differently? There had to have been an alternate scenario which didn’t result in Nick fighting for his life. If he died…no! Jake refused to let that thought be completed. The kid couldn’t die. God, please. I know it’s been a long time since I’ve asked you for anything, but please let him live.
He glanced around the room. Three quarters of the occupants were here awaiting word on Nick. Rick and Eileen Michaelson, Boomer’s parents, and Jenn were sitting with Alyssa, trying to reassure her that everything would be all right and it wasn’t her fault. The ER doctors had checked her over and released her into his care after he explained the recent deaths of both her parents and claimed she was his niece. Devon and Kristen, Angie, Marco, Brody, Boomer and Kat, Mitch, Kayla, Tiny, and Henderson were scattered around the room, some standing, others sitting. Mitch’s parents were on vacation and he was holding off on calling them, while his brother was waiting in Atlanta for word on whether or not he needed to make the trip for their cousin. Kayla’s wife, Dr. Roxanne London, had been with the solemn group earlier, but was now checking on one of her pediatric patients who’d been brought into the emergency room. Trident’s secretary, Colleen, was holding down the fort at the compound with the help of Foster and McCabe.
Jake’s brother, Mike, had driven their mom to the hospital after she insisted on seeing for herself that Jake was okay. They didn’t want to be in the way, so they hadn’t stayed long, but promised to check in with him later. The two were still in the dark about his relationship with Nick and it hadn’t seemed like the appropriate time for him to tell them.
Sitting next to him, Angie reached over and rubbed his shoulder in silent support. She’d been on an early morning flight returning from New York when everything had gone down and Tiny had driven to the airport to pick her up and bring her to the hospital. Although he’d grown to love all the women of Trident like the sisters he’d never had, Angie was the one he was closest to. While he’d been helping Ian protect her months ago, the two of them had just clicked.
He looked up when Angie gasped, stood, and ran into Ian’s arms as he walked into the room two seconds before his parents did. When Devon had called his oldest brother, Ian had abruptly ended his meeting at the Pentagon and rushed back to Tampa. CC had flown him up to D.C. and had been waiting for him at the airport for an evening flight anyway. The extremely wealthy Chuck and Marie Sawyer had taken their own private jet as well. Thankfully, they’d been at home in Charlotte when Devon called them, instead of halfway around the world on one of their charity trips. The Sawyer matriarch was a plastic surgeon who spent a good portion of her time helping the organization Operation Smile perform facial reconstructive surgery on children in third world countries.
Jake, Devon, and the others all stood to greet the newcomers. Chuck hugged his second born son. “Any word?”
Devon shook his head. “Not yet, Dad. He’s been in there for over two hours. The good news is the bullet went straight through. Less damage that way…we hope.”
Making her way through the group of family and friends, Marie kissed and hugged everyone. When she reached Jake, he let her pull him into an embrace, but couldn’t look her in the eye. It was his fault the Sawyers might have to bury another son.
Jake shook hands with Chuck, again avoiding eye contact, and then sat back in his seat to wait for the surgeon to come let them know Nick’s condition. It was another forty minutes before a tired-looking man in his fifties, wearing scrubs, entered the room. “Nick Sawyer’s family.”
The doctor’s eyes widened when the group of eighteen all stood and hurried toward him. He held up his hands in reassurance. “It looks like he’s going to be fine. Sore, but fine. Once we got the bleeding stopped and gave him a transfusion for the volume he lost, it was just a matter of repairing the damage to his muscles and the subclavian vein that the bullet nicked. He’s a lucky guy. The angle of the bullet’s entry helped it stay away from the spine. And if he hadn’t been in such good shape, things may have been different. Now, only two people can go see him in recovery and a nurse will let you know when they can go in. I’m sending him to the surgical intensive care unit until I reevaluate him tomorrow, just as a precaution.”
While everyone else sighed with relief and hugged each other, Marie identified herself as a physician to the surgeon and stepped outside the room with him to get a more technical report on Nick’s condition. T
he relief which coursed through Jake wouldn’t replace the guilt he felt. Even though the circumstances were completely different, he blamed himself now as much as he had when Max had ended up in the hospital with devastating injuries so many years ago.
Feeling himself closing in on an emotional breakdown, he knew he had to get out of there. Turning to Ian and Devon, he said, “I’ve got to go give my statement to the feds. Alyssa’s been cleared to give hers tomorrow. I’m not allowed to be in with her when she gives it, so I contacted Reggie to be her lawyer. He’ll get her through it.” His gaze met Devon’s. “Thanks for letting her stay with you tonight. I think she’ll do better with the rest of the girls around. I’ll check in with you later.”
The brothers exchanged a look he couldn’t decipher, then Ian eyed him with concern. “Okay. You all right?”
Taking two steps closer to the door, he swallowed hard then nodded. “Yeah. Glad the kid is okay. I’ll talk to you later.”
Feeling like a coward, unworthy of his team’s brotherhood, Jake fled with tears in his eyes.
CHAPTER 27
After snatching a beer from his fridge, Jake shut the door with his hip. His other hand was holding his phone to his ear. “I’m glad you’re getting settled in, Alyssa. Boomer’s parents are great people, and I’m only a phone call away if you need me.”
“I know you are, Jake. And they’re very nice. I still can’t believe they offered to help me. It’s a little weird, because they keep saying this is my home now and I’m not a guest, but I still feel like I have to ask before I do anything or eat something.”
“That’ll pass after you all get used to each other.” He threw the bottle cap in the garbage pail and ambled out to the living room, plopping down in the recliner he’d been moping in all day. The teenager’s call was the only positive thing that’d happened in the past two days.
“That’s what Eileen said. She’s taking me to register for my G.E.D. classes on Monday, then shopping for books and whatever else I need. Tomorrow is my first appointment with my new therapist and Rick is going to teach me some self-defense. He says every girl should know how to kick some effing ass.” She giggled. “His words, not mine.”
Letting out a snort, Jake leaned back until the footrest popped up. “Yeah, he’s got a military mouth on him. Just don’t start repeating it.”
“I won’t. Oh, the pizza is here. I gotta go. Thanks again for everything, Jake.”
“You’re welcome, sweetheart. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“K. Bye.”
“Bye.” Jake disconnected the call and tossed the phone on the side table next to him. He was glad she sounded happy. Rick and Eileen had apparently discussed the orphaned teenager between them after they’d found out she had no other family, and then offered to let her come live with them in Sarasota, an hour south of Tampa. If all went well during the next few weeks, they intended to file for legal guardianship.
When they’d picked her up at the compound yesterday, he’d been there to give Eileen five hundred dollars toward Alyssa’s clothes shopping. Pete Archer had swung by her former home in Canon City, Colorado to retrieve her things. But when he’d gotten there, he found the landlords were in the middle of throwing everything out, since the crime scene had been released. Pete had only been able to salvage some pictures of Alyssa and her mom, and a few other items he thought she might want. He was packaging them up and mailing them to her in Sarasota. Knowing she needed a whole new wardrobe, Jake insisted on paying for it.
The Michaelsons would take good care of her and give her the guidance she needed to finish her education. With her sweet personality, he doubted it would take her long to make a bunch of friends. In the meantime, Jake had one of the lawyers Trident used working to make sure she received her father’s estate—well, what hadn’t been seized by the government. Thankfully, some of his businesses had been legit with no ties to his illegal activities. Reggie Helm had been in contact with Oliver Wagner’s lawyer and would be filing the necessary paperwork with the courts to ensure the girl’s financial future was secure. Reggie was also arranging to have Carrie Wagner’s remains sent to Florida and Jake would then help Alyssa find the right resting place for her mother.
With Craig Allman’s help, the Canon City, Colorado detectives were able to get enough evidence to issue a warrant for the arrest of the two men who’d murdered Carrie Wagner. Their vehicle had been spotted in Mississippi by the state police. A high speed chase developed, resulting in the suspects plowing their vehicle into the back of a tractor trailer, killing both men instantly. Jake was glad to hear that—two fewer mouths to feed on death row in Colorado.
Unfortunately, not everything went as well as a result of Oliver’s death. This morning, Allman had called to tell him that Emmanuel Diaz had heard about the death and that he’d been duped by the ATF, so the shipment of weapons disappeared. Months of undercover work had gone down the drain thanks to a newspaper photographer who’d seen the police activity at the warehouse and taken pictures of the scene. The police and feds had tried to keep the identities of the dead a secret until after the sting, but the photographer had gotten shots of the vehicles in the lot. From there, it hadn’t been hard for the press to run the license plates and Wagner’s name had been made public in connection with the incident.
As he brought the beer bottle to his lips, the doorbell rang and Jake glanced at the time on his cable box. Eighteen-thirty hours. Who the hell could that be? Placing his beer next to his phone, he stood and hurried to the door. He wasn’t prepared for the person he found on the other side.
“Is there a reason you’re here, while my son is in the hospital, driving everyone nuts with his surly attitude? I expected better from you, Jake.”
He sighed and stepped back to allow Dr. Marie Sawyer to enter, knowing he was about to get an ass kicking. Nick’s petite mom was a force to be reckoned with when she got her Irish up about something. She was one of the most caring people he knew, but when someone was doing her loved ones wrong, then look out. Jake shut the door with a click and followed her back into his living room. Gesturing for her to take a seat on the couch, he waited until she was sitting before easing back into his recliner again, leaving the footrest down this time. “He told you about us.”
It wasn’t a question, but she still answered him. “Yes, but not intentionally. Apparently Nick talks in his sleep when he’s under the influence of narcotic painkillers. But before that, I knew something was wrong, because there was hope in his eyes every time the door opened. Followed by disappointment when it wasn’t the one person he wanted to see.”
He ran a hand down his face in frustration, the coarse whiskers he hadn’t shaven in days scratching his palm. “I don’t know why the hell he wants to see me. It’s my fault he’s in there. He could’ve been killed. It should be me laying in the hospital.”
“Bullshit.”
Jake’s gaze whipped up to meet hers. He didn’t think he’d ever heard her curse before, despite her husband and sons’ foul language. The baby-blue eyes her sons’ had inherited narrowed as she glared at him.
“Yes, he could have been killed, but you know as well as I do, Jake, there are no guarantees in life. What I don’t believe is your claim that it’s your fault. Would Ian or Devon have done anything differently than Nick or you did? I know all my boys, and that includes everyone at Trident, because I love all of you…all of my boys would have done exactly the same thing to protect that girl and their teammate. I wouldn’t expect less from any one of you. No mother wants to bury their child—I’ve done it once before and hope to God I don’t have to go through it again. But if I do, and if it’s because he was saving an innocent young woman’s life in the process, I’ll be damn proud, despite my grief.”
During her speech, Jake’s gaze dropped to the floor. She didn’t understand, she couldn’t.
“Do you love him?”
He shook his head and his response was hoarse as something inside his soul began to break. “I
can’t.”
“That wasn’t what I asked you, Jake Donovan.” Her glower pierced him like a dagger. “Do you love him? Do you honestly want to walk away from him and be alone for the rest of your life? Or do you want to overcome whatever has been haunting you all these years and be completely happy? Finally have someone who loves you as much as you love him? And don’t bother denying it, because if you didn’t love him, you wouldn’t be hiding in your apartment looking like you lost the love of your life.” She rose from her seat and Jake followed suit, towering almost a foot above her, but she waved him off. “I’ve said my peace and now I’ll stay out of it. The decision is yours to make. I hope for both of your sakes, you make the right one. I’ll see myself out.”
Jake stood there with the weight of the world on his shoulders long after she was gone.
* * *
Sitting in his idling truck, Jake stared at the building in front of him, trying to find the courage to go into the lobby of the Brentwood Arms. He’d never been inside the condo complex in Clearwater, but had heard the units were upscale and spacious. This was the last place he expected to find himself, but before he went to talk to Nick, there was someone else he had to apologize to first.
Shutting the engine off, he climbed out and hit the remote lock on his keychain. He forced himself to put one foot in front of the other until he reached the door. His hand shook as he reached for the handle. Turning around, he took a deep breath while running a hand through his hair. You can do this, Donovan. You’re a Navy SEAL, for God’s sake! Get a fucking grip!
Doing an about face once again, he opened the door before he chickened out. The desk guard eyed him suspiciously. “Can I help you?”
“Um, yeah…” He cleared his throat while the man waited. “Sorry. I’m here to see Max Sterling. Unit 610.”
The guard picked up the phone. “What’s your name? I have to check with him before I can send you up.”
“Jake Donovan.”
Topping the Alpha: Trident Security Series Page 20
