by Shauna Allen
I mentally calculated the best course of action, when all I really wanted to do was storm the place. I’d taken out the sorry excuses for security guards outside. Using my night vision goggles, I scoured the house itself and found the panels for what had to be the security system. The stupid fucks hadn’t bothered to upgrade from whatever had been installed with the house itself. Rookie move. After studying it for a few minutes, it was easy enough to figure out. A few snipped wires and it was disarmed.
Slipping along the darkened perimeter of the house, I moved until I found a side door. I tried the knob. Locked. I kept going. It was more dangerous, but I moved to the front. I scanned the yard. No movement. I crept, inch by slow inch, to the front door.
Time moved interminably slow.
Oh, so gently, I reached for the knob and turned.
It eased open under my hand.
There was no sound inside except for the low hum of electronics. The old scent of cigarettes hung in the air.
I let the door slowly creak open.
From the side, I peeked in.
A room literally full of computers greeted me, but no people.
I slid in and silently closed the door, pressing myself against the wall. Military grade munitions filled another room.
Holy fucking shit.
I made as many mental notes as I could, my recon brain kicking in.
Then, from the kitchen area, two tangos appeared with sodas in hand, their voices low as they apparently argued in Arabic.
The smaller of the two spotted me first. He froze, his eyes wide. He reached with his free hand for his sidearm as his cohort looked at him like he was crazy.
I popped one round in both of their heads before they could go any further, dropping them where they stood, their soda cans rolling away and fizzing on the ground.
I didn’t move. Waited to see if there would be any other movement.
Silence.
Eerie silence.
Was I in the right place?
Where the hell was Brianne? Shadeek?
This had to be it. The coordinates led here, and all the evidence pointed to one of his operations. Could they have already left? Was I too late?
From the other end of the house, there was a murmur. A mumble. The smallest of noises.
My senses went on alert.
I crept along the wall, stealthily making my way down the corridor, pausing every few feet to listen for movement.
I poked my head in each open doorway, finding only more computers, equipment, weapons, and munitions. Shadeek had stockpiled enough of an arsenal to do some major damage to any target.
Finally, I reached the last doorway to what had to be the master bedroom.
I reached for the knob.
Opened the door a couple of inches.
Peered inside.
Caught a glimpse of golden hair.
Relief ran through my chest like a tidal wave.
Then a pop sounded behind me and a searing flame pierced my left arm, spinning me around and into the wall.
Brianne screamed.
I immediately readjusted my hold on my weapon and shifted my body, seeking balance as I realized I’d been hit.
My brain scrambled to size up the damage—a bad flesh wound most likely, through-and-through, not severe—fight back pain signals, work out if I’d miscalculated the number of tangos, and how to proceed and protect Brianne at the same time.
One man stepped out of the shadows.
Dressed in a suit, he could’ve been a businessman, except for eyes that spoke of an evil I’d only ever seen in the enemies I’d faced in battle. Armed with only a 9mm pistol, he strode down the hallway like he had all day. “You Americans are so predictable. Always come to save the damsels in distress.”
I lifted my weapon, aimed it at his head.
“Shoot me and she dies.”
I hesitated.
He saw it and grinned like a madman. The night we’d rescued her, she’d been strapped with bombs. There was no telling what he’d done this time. I had no way of knowing if he was bluffing and he knew it.
“Don’t listen to him,” Brianne yelled, her voice hoarse with tears.
“Shut up and get back to work, or I shoot him in the head.” He said it as if he was speaking about nothing more than the weather. He waved his pistol in the air at me. “Drop your weapons and kick them over this way.”
Again, I hesitated.
He made a tsking sound. “And here I thought you loved her . . .”
“Fine, asshole.” Without preamble, I tossed my rifle and pistol his way, not caring if they discharged and shot him in the balls.
He simply laughed. “Are you alone?”
“Yes.”
He kicked my guns behind him and into another bedroom. “I must say, I’m impressed. You left your team like the Lone Ranger to save the woman you love. How very romantic.”
“Fuck you.”
This made him laugh harder.
“So, what now?”
The smile slid from his face as his gaze slid to the blood running down my arm. “Now, we wait for your pretty little lady to finish her work in there so that Uncle Sam can make his donation of some lovely new Sig Sauer’s to my cause, then I’d imagine we will have to dispose of you and be on our way.” His eyes turned dark and cold. Calculating. “Perhaps sweet Brianne will come to . . .” He turned his pistol in circles, as if making a point. “. . . appreciate all of my talents in time and forget all about you. What do you think?”
“You touch her, you die,” I gritted out between my teeth, fighting my bitter rage and the searing pain in my bicep.
“How do you know I haven’t already?” Now he was taunting me just for the fuck of it and enjoying it. “What if I already know how sweet she is?” He let his eyes drift closed as if in ecstasy. “How she screams when you force her—”
His words unleashed a beast in me that I’d never met before. So primal, so protective, so fierce, I had no idea how to control it, nor did I want to.
I was blinded by a fury so intense, I didn’t think or question. I simply acted out of pure, unadulterated, raw instinct.
I leapt on him, throwing him bodily to the ground without finesse, giving him no time to think. His gun skittered away, crashing into the wall, but my fist was already connecting with his nose, his jaw, his temple.
I roared and wailed as we rolled on the ground, going at each other in hand-to-hand, kill-or-be-killed combat. But I was not going down. He’d dared talk about touching my woman, and I smelled blood in the water, and it was not mine.
I shoved my forearm across his throat and threw all my weight into it.
He bit me hard enough to draw blood.
We crashed into another wall, splintering two computer monitors.
Brianne’s cries from the other room echoed in my subconscious, but I was too far gone, the pain in my arm a memory.
Shadeek was going down.
He got in a kidney blow and a hit to my jaw. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth.
We roared at each other and rolled, battling, until he had me pinned. I flipped and broke the hold. We struggled and grappled, a haze of fury filled the air and coated my brain.
He managed to find an ink pen and jammed it into my wounded arm, making me pull away with a howl—just long enough for him to grab a computer wire and snake it around my throat and yank.
Black spots danced in front of my eyes.
He squeezed tighter.
My lungs burned like fire.
His bloody saliva dripped onto my face as he stared down at me, fury and determination in his eyes. I flailed my legs. Fought for air and clawed at his hands.
Consciousness ebbed away.
Brianne.
Baby.
My mind fought back.
“She is mine!” he yelled.
Something in me roared back to life.
Oh, hell no! He was not going to win that easily, and he was not getting her.
Over. My. D
ead. Body.
His fingers slipped, and his hold loosened on the cord.
I grappled past him for the knife in my boot, and without hesitating, plunged it up under his ribs.
He gasped, his eyes wide, his grip immediately loose.
I shoved him off, yanked the knife back, plunged it again, twisting for maximum damage.
Once more for good fucking measure.
I waited, watched, made sure he was dead as sweet air filled my lungs.
Once I had my bearings, I scrambled to my feet and stumbled into the bedroom.
Brianne was in a chair at a computer terminal, sobbing. She lifted her face when I entered the room, her cries growing louder. “DeAndre!”
I rushed over to her, but she didn’t stand up.
“I can’t.” She rattled the cuff at her ankle.
I knelt and examined it. Moving back to Shadeek, I found the keys in his pocket, then freed her from the table.
She jumped up and into my arms, her tears hot on my neck. “You came for me.”
“Of course I did, baby.”
“I was so scared.” She clutched me so tight, I thought she’d never let go.
“I know. I know. So was I.” I tucked her close and led her out through the back door, careful to keep her from my bloody arm.
We walked back to the truck in silence, still stunned from all we’d been through in the last few hours. I knew I’d have to answer for going rogue and leaving my team, but I couldn’t find it in me to be sorry. I had Brianne back safe, and Shadeek was dead. I’d do it again in a heartbeat, and I had a feeling that any one of my teammates would’ve done the same thing.
Once I wrapped up my wound and we were on the road, I called Tex to update him, then Wolf and the guys, then my commander. Surprisingly, he didn’t chew my ass right then. I guess he was saving that for the next morning. I told them all I was taking Brianne home, then I would meet up with them so they could patch me up, then I would help process the scene for intel.
Back on base, Brianne was hauntingly quiet. I knew she’d been through too much, but I wished she’d open up and talk to me.
I walked her inside her apartment, led her straight back to her bathroom, and started a shower. I stripped both our clothes and stepped inside the steamy stall with her, washing her body with care as her tears fell unheeded when she saw my bloody arm.
I let her cry it out, and she collapsed against my chest. “I’m so, so sorry, DeAndre.”
I pushed her wet hair back. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“Yes, I do. I’m sorry for going with him.” Huge blue eyes begged me to believe her. To understand. “I thought it was the only way. I wanted to keep you and your family safe. Because I love you. I love you so much.”
I dropped my forehead to hers, overcome by her. “And I’m sorry for not listening to you. I should have. I promise I will from now on because I love you, too. I love you so damn much, baby.”
“Really? You do?”
My smile mirrored hers. “Is it that hard to believe?”
She pressed a kiss to my chest. “I don’t know . . . I’m just so thankful. You’ve saved me. Again.” That sweet, sweet gaze lifted to mine. “You’ve redeemed me, and I can never thank you enough.”
“No need to thank me, baby. Your love is all I’ll ever need.”
And that was the God’s honest gospel.
Epilogue
DeAndre
A few months later . . .
My buddy, Maverick, was a nervous wreck. But, hell, it was his wedding day. He had a right. I stood beside him as he vowed to love Rebekah Keegan until the day he died.
Rebekah was a beautiful bride, the setting sun glowing in her hair, as we stood on the beach not too far from Maverick’s Café, under a canopy of flowers, their closest family and friends in attendance for the event.
It was a relaxed and happy affair, and we all seemed to breathe a bit easier now that both Esteban and Shadeek were in the ground and we were between missions. Yeah, warriors like us and Wolf’s guys could get a little restless without an op to focus on, but for now, I think we were all happy to be home with family and friends.
After the night with Shadeek, we’d cleaned up the mess, obtained quite a bit of intel about his operations, including some we hadn’t seen coming with Mikhail Kovach and his network in Serbia. I think the fact that my rogue bullshit hadn’t totally blown the entire op and that I’d taken down Shadeek and saved Brianne had kept my ass out of a sling. The commander chewed me a new one, and I did earn myself some extra bullshit duties, but overall, he was more than fair when I could’ve easily been court martialed.
Warmth unfurled in my chest as I smiled over at Brianne, who was gorgeous in a light-blue sundress, a simple flower in her hair. She was the most precious thing in the world to me, and I’d barely let her out of my sight since that night.
Her eyes softened when she caught my stare as if she knew the trajectory of my thoughts. She smiled back, soft and knowing.
The ceremony was short and sweet, and after Maverick and Rebekah were pronounced man and wife, everyone dispersed to mingle, snack on finger foods, or sip cocktails. A few people danced in the sand to the music provided by Dude, our impromptu DJ.
The bride and groom made rounds to visit with everyone, all smiles and laughter.
Red fed Danielle bites of cake and rubbed her belly, which wasn’t much of a belly yet, but I’d never seen a more excited dad-to-be.
Mozart, Cookie, Lucky, and Benny danced with their wives.
Several of the kids played with sand toys.
Tex even lifted one of his daughters for a twirl and a dance.
Bubba handed out tequila shots with Abe.
Wolf and Kid chatted to the side as their wives stood next to them, Caroline smiling and Carissa . . . frowning? I looked again just as Kid seemed to also notice something was wrong.
“What is it?” Brianne asked.
“I’m not sure.” I took a step in that direction then froze as Carissa clutched her hugely rounded stomach with a grimace.
Oh.
I grinned at Kid’s ghostly pale face, his words echoing across the beach. “You’ve been contracting all day? Why didn’t you say something?”
“It wasn’t bad at first. Plus, I didn’t want to . . .” Carissa stopped to breathe. “Interrupt the wedding.” She offered a tight, forced smile to Rebekah when she joined them. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Rebekah put an arm around her shoulders. “Go have this beautiful baby girl. It’ll make this an even better day.”
“Right.” Carissa faced Kid. “Ready?”
“Now?” He looked shell-shocked.
“Well, unless you want to deliver your daughter right here on the beach, yes, now.”
I just laughed as Kid spat a curse and got his ass into gear, hustling his wife from the wedding and off to the hospital.
Brianne turned to me with wide, blue eyes. “Excitement follows your team everywhere, doesn’t it?”
“You have no idea, baby.” I took her hand, and we strolled along, past the crowds and noise.
She kicked off her shoes and walked in her bare feet, her tiny toes sinking into the sand as we moved slowly, the moon and a few stars rising above us.
We hadn’t really talked much about what was next for her now that the Shadeek mission was over. She was free to go on with her life anywhere she chose. She could start over, do anything she wanted. She hadn’t gone any farther than her tiny apartment on base.
“So, what now?” she said as if reading my thoughts.
I slowed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, what now?” She met my gaze. “My work is done.”
“I know.”
“So, is that the end or the beginning for us?” Her voice was breathy, uncertain.
We came to a stop and found ourselves somehow alone on the beach, the restless push and pull of the waves our only background noise.
“That depends,
I guess.” I said.
“On what?”
“On what you want.”
She seemed puzzled. “What I want?”
I brushed her hair back when the breeze carried it in front of her face. “Yes.”
“What about what you want, DeAndre?”
“Well, that’s easy. I want you, Brianne. But I would never hold you back or ask you to take on this life if it wasn’t what you wanted. Being with a Marine, especially one who does what I do, isn’t easy.” I cupped both sides of her jaw in my palms. “I love you, but I’d give you up if that’s what makes you happy.”
Her grip tightened on my waist. “You’d really walk away if that’s what I wanted?”
“No questions asked. Anything for you, baby.”
She rose up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips across mine in a kiss so sweet it made my heart ache because it felt like goodbye. “And that’s why I would never ask you to.”
I blinked, processing her words. “You . . . no?”
“Never. I’m not going anywhere, DeAndre. In fact . . .” She kissed me again, deeply this time, giving me no doubt as to her feelings. “I was thinking . . .” She pressed another kiss to my throat. “All this wedding business has me feeling all sorts of girly and romantic and like I want it to be legal between us . . .” Another kiss to my jaw. “When you’re ready, of course—”
My heart froze in my chest. “Wait. Hold up a second.” I gripped her hips and drew her back so I could look into her hooded eyes.
“Are you . . . are you proposing to me?”
A soft, dreamy smile tilted up her lips. “Too soon?”
We stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment . . . then a laugh burst out from deep in my belly that was filled with all the love and joy I had. “No, not too soon. Just in time.”
“How’s that?”
I thought of the velvet ring box I had stashed at home, waiting for the splashy proposal I’d planned for the Fourth of July, and I simply laughed harder. “It doesn’t matter. I’m ready. I say yes. I’ll always say yes to you, baby.
A note from the author
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed Tito and Brianne’s story as well as all of the other books in this series! If you missed any of them, you can catch all of them in order here: http://www.shaunaallen.com/kindle-worlds/