Ben (The 13 Book 4)

by Anne L. Parks

  If they got to her in time.

  But Ben knew rushing into the room with guns blazing would only create more chaos and may get more than just Mia killed. His team could be caught in the crossfire. Kevin could shoot Mick, and all hope of saving anyone would be lost. No, patience and a cool head was the only way they would all get off this fucking island in one piece—and with their lives.

  Reaching a corner, he and Mick flattened against the wall. Ben pulled a mirror out of a pocket in his pants, and held it out enough to see around the corner. A woman lay on the floor, her auburn hair swimming in a pool of blood.

  Fuck!

  Was Mia still alive? Could she have survived a gunshot wound? It would depend on where it was. Months earlier, Ben had survived being shot while rescuing Mia from the RRA in Colombia. But that had been a shot to the leg. And while Ben couldn’t pinpoint where Mia had been shot, it had to be to her upper body judging by the amount of blood that had darkened her hair.

  “Mia’s on the floor, about five feet away from us,” Ben whispered to Mick.

  “Can you see anyone else?” Mick asked.

  Ben used the mirror to look around the corner once more. He shook his head. “No one in sight.”

  “We need to wait for the rest of the team to breach the house,” Mick stated.

  “She could die while we sit here and wait,” Ben argued. “I can’t do that, Mick.”

  Breathing heavily out his nose, a grim line across his lips, Mick gave a curt nod, and Ben darted around the corner. Ben slowly rolled the woman on her side and tried to locate an entrance or exit wound. One look in the woman’s face, and there was no question. A hole sat where her nose once was. Blood splattered across her face. Her eyes were wide open and staring at the ceiling, clouded with death. Ben stared at the once bright green eye—then noticed that the other eye was a bluish-gray.

  “What the hell?” he murmured. Mia’s eyes were green—both of them.

  Searching the floor around him, Ben plucked something off the tile and held it up. A green contact lens streaked with blood.

  “Well, well,” a male voice practically sang to his left.

  Ben looked up as Kevin came around the corner from the kitchen—a gun shoved into Mia’s side.

  She squirmed in an attempt to get free from the hold Kevin had on her arm. “Ben!”

  Kevin yanked her hard into his side. “Did you bring your other little friends with you?” He looked around quickly, the gun never leaving Mia’s ribs.

  “Do you see anyone but us?” Ben asked.

  “Odd, I didn’t think you guys could take a crap without the others standing by to wipe your ass.”

  “Let Mia go, and I won’t kill you, Kev,” Ben said. He tried not to look at Mia, but caught the tears that were streaming down her face.

  “You should’ve just left us alone, toad. Mia is with me now. She will always be with me. And now, you are going to force her to watch you die.”

  “Give it your best shot, psycho.”

  “No, please—Kevin—please don’t kill him,” Mia begged. “I’ll stay, I promise, just please let Ben and Mick go.”

  Kevin stared at Mia, a smile stretched across his face and his eyes grew wide. “You’ll live here with me, forever. You will forget him—love only me.”

  Mia swallowed and slowly nodded her head. “I will. I’ll do whatever you say, just please don’t hurt him.”

  “Looks like you lose,” Kevin sneered at Ben. But Ben had his eyes glued to Mia. She was up to something—and Mia with a plan she hadn’t run past Ben first was always a bad idea. He tried to get her to look at him, but she kept her gaze on Kevin.

  Could he have been wrong about her? Did she actually want to stay with Kevin?

  No…he couldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t. Mia loved him as much as he loved her. She would do anything for him.

  Including sacrificing herself for him.

  Ben had to get her attention. Had to stop her before she did something stupid.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mia knew there was one shot, and one shot only, to get away from Kevin before he killed Ben. She just had to put herself in between the two men. Kevin would never shoot her. She was the prize possession he coveted more than taking revenge on Ben by killing him.

  At least that was the hope.

  It didn’t matter either way. There was no way Mia would allow Ben to die at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. Mia would just as soon die as let him be harmed in anyway.

  Mia drew in a deep breath, and fought the revulsion that twisted in her stomach. Leaning in to Kevin, she pressed her lips to his. He jerked back only slightly—no doubt surprised at her action—but then she felt his body relax as he pressed his mouth harder against her. She could feel his desire coursing through his body. Could taste his hunger for her as he tried to force his tongue into her mouth.

  Everything about him made her sick to her stomach. The smell of his sweat mixed with lust. The taste of him. The feel of him under her hands as she splayed them across his chest. She hated every second she was close to him.

  She didn’t want to think about what this was doing to Ben. Would he understand that she had to do this. There was no other way to catch Kevin off guard so that she could get away from him. Ben had to know this was all a rouse.

  Pushing hard against Kevin’s chest, she shoved him back. He stumbled and fell against tile floor. The gun skittered away, completely out of his reach.

  Mia launched herself into Ben’s arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. He grasped her around her upper arms, pulling her towards him. Pain sliced through her lower back. He knees went weak, and buckled under her.

  She had forgotten about the knife Kevin carried in a sheath on his ankle. Forgot he had pinpoint accuracy when throwing them at a target. She had never imagined she would be the target.

  And that was her biggest mistake.

  No matter how often Kevin proved it to her, she could never quite grasp that she was nothing more than an object of desire for him. And that the more she pulled away—thwarted his advances or ignored him—the more he wanted her. Wanted to own her and possess her. And would never let another man have her.

  Voices seemed to be all around her. A shot rang out behind her. She couldn’t grasp what was happening, except for her own inevitable fate.

  She slid down Ben’s body. His eyes were wide—was that confusion or disbelief she saw? It was pain and sorrow, and she realized that she had been stupid. And selfish. She hadn’t wanted to see him die. And now, she was going to condemn him to watching her die in his arms.

  “I’m so sorry, Ben.”

  “No, Mia—” He dropped to his knees and pulled her close. “Mick! She’s hurt!” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close into his chest.

  She inhaled him. The scent of him, musky, sweaty, male. Uniquely Ben. She gazed into the sea of blue in his eyes. There was no better feeling than being in his arms. If she was going to die, she could think of no better way.

  “Mia, you have to stay with me, baby. Don’t close your eyes, okay? You have to stay awake, sweetheart. You have to do this for me. For us.”

  Darkness rimmed the periphery of her vision as she struggled to keep her eyes open, but her lids were too heavy. And darkness swallowed her up.

  Chapter Twenty

  Mick dropped to his knees in front of Ben and pulled his pack with medical supplies from his back. His eyes roamed up and down Mia’s lifeless body.

  “Ben, she has a knife in her back. I have to get it out, but she’s going to bleed like hell as soon as I do. I’m going to pack the wound as much as can, and then we have to get her down to the boat and out of here as soon as possible.”

  Ben nodded, fighting to swallow over the lump in his throat. “Copy.”

  Mick reached out and wrapped his hand around the hilt sticking out of Mia’s back. “Hold her as still as possible. We don’t want to cause damage to her spine, if we can avoid it.”

  Ben didn’t
care if Mia were paralyzed, as long as she was alive. She had to survive this. He couldn’t stand the idea of not having her in his life.

  Her body jerked when Mick pulled the knife away. He dropped the blade to the floor where it clattered against the tile. A steady stream of blood dripped onto the floor from the hole in her back. With swift hands, Mick pushed wads of gauze into the wound and wrapped more gauze around her body to secure it in place.

  Lance placed a hand on Mick’s shoulder. “We have company. Is she good to transport?”

  Mick gathered up his medical supplies and shoved them back into his pack. “As ready as she’ll ever be.” He grabbed a thin blanket draped on the back of the couch and laid it out on the floor next Ben. “We have to lay her on the blanket, but we to be careful, Ben. No sudden moves. No jostling her. Got it?”

  Ben placed his hand behind Mia’s head and slowly lowered her onto the blanket. He fingered the thick black plastic collar around her neck. “What the hell is this?”

  Mick glanced at it. “Fuck, he put a shock collar on her. I’m guessing as soon as we try to leave, she is going to receive an unhealthy dose of electrical current. We have to get it off of her.”

  Ben dug in his pocket for his Swiss Army knife, and popped open the screwdriver. Locating the screw that held the collar in place, he tried to get his fingers from shaking, and get the fucking collar off her. He glanced at Kevin’s lifeless body. If the shitbag wasn’t already dead, Ben would beat the man to death with his bare hands.

  Finally, the screw dropped onto the floor and the collar opened. Ben tossed it to the side and examined Mia’s neck for injuries. She had some red marks, but he couldn’t tell if they were from the collar, or someone’s hands being around her throat.

  Mick helped to get her straightened out and in the very center of the blanket. He called Mason and Dex over, and the four of them took hold of a corner of the blanket and slowly carried Mia out of the house.

  “We’ll give you a head start and make sure no bad guys catch up to you,” Lance told Mick. Traversing the cliff as the sun started to slip over the horizon was going to be tricky without trying to carry an injured woman in a makeshift carrier. It took twice as long for them to reach the boat as when they had arrived.

  The sounds of shouts filtered from the house as they loaded into the boats and drove away.

  “Anyone see us?” Mason asked Lance.

  “Don’t think so.” Lance looked up toward the house on the ridge. “Hopefully, they are too preoccupied with finding dead bodies to wonder where we are.”

  Mick rolled Mia onto her side and removed the bandages on her lower back.

  “How’s she doing?” Lance asked him.

  Mick glanced up at Lance. “She’s still bleeding—too much. We need to get her to a hospital most ricky-tick—” he swung his gaze to Ben—“if there’s any chance for her to survive.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The constant beeping from the heart monitor Mia was hooked up to provided Ben with a sense of calm. It was a sign she was alive. The doctors were still scratching their heads trying to figure out how she managed to survive after the amount of blood loss she endured. Ben thought it was classic Mia. No matter what odds were against her, she managed to beat them. He had been in awe of her from the moment he met her, and that hadn’t ceased one bit.

  A light rapping at the door pulled his attention away. Riley slipped inside the room, stood at the end of the hospital bed, and glanced at Mia. “How’s she doing?”

  “Good. She wakes up for a couple of minutes here and there, but then falls back asleep. The docs say it’s typical—she needs her rest to recover—“

  “Same thing they always say,” Riley said. “I wanted to give you an update. Abbott has been talking to all his assets, and Flaherty has been monitoring chatter all week. As far as we can tell, the RRA bought that the body we left in the house was Mia and she’s dead.”

  Ben exhaled, and some of the tension that had been sitting like cement on his shoulders eased. He had been on high alert by Mia’s bedside almost 24/7 since she had been wheeled into the private room. The prospect that the RRA figured out where Mia was, and was coming after her, weighed heavily on him. A guard was posted outside her door, but Ben didn’t trust her life to anyone except him or one of his teammates. “I can’t believe they bought it.”

  “Yeah, I guess in some twisted way we can thank Kevin for being such a sadistic bastard. If he hadn’t come up with the plan to fake Belinda Reeves death, she would be a missing person. And eventually, the police would have discovered her with Kevin on the island.”

  Ben would never have a kind thought about the asshole. He had taken too much from Mia to ever be granted any goodwill or sympathy.

  “Which brings me to this,” Riley said, and handed him a manila envelope.

  “What is it?”

  “Mia’s new identity.”

  Ben opened the envelope and pulled out the documents. On top was a birth certificate. He read the name. “Melanie Ashford.”

  “Yep, everything she will need should be in there—social security card, driver’s license—even college transcripts in case she wants to work in accounting again.”

  “Thanks for this. You’re amazing.” Ben put everything back in the envelope. “Were you able to find the other thing I asked for?”

  She smiled. “Of course. Lance wouldn’t have let me leave Newport without it.” She dropped the box in his hand. “Good luck.”

  Ben watched Riley leave, and placed the envelope on the table next to him. Popping open the box, he peered inside. Just as he had remembered it the first time he saw it. Perfection—just like Mia.

  “Was that Riley?” Mia’s sleepy voice asked.

  Ben stood up and grasped her hand. “Yeah, she was dropping off some stuff for you.”

  “Oh,” she wiggled trying to sit up.

  Ben wrapped his hand around her arm. “Easy, we don’t need you popping any stitches.”

  She grasped her side. “I don’t care so much about the stitches, but I am really tired of men breaking my ribs.”

  “Yes, let’s find you a less injurious pastime from here on out—one that doesn’t involve hospital stays.”

  Mia chuckled and then groaned. “Don’t make me laugh.”

  Ben kissed the side of her head. “Sorry.”

  “So what did Riley bring me?”

  “All your new papers. You are officially Melanie Ashford.”

  “I wondered why the nurse was calling me ‘Ms. Ashford’. I figured she was mixing me up with another patient.”

  “That could’ve been tragic, if true,” Ben said.

  “Yeah, but she was giving me good drugs, so I didn’t mind.” She smiled, and Ben’s heart skipped a beat. She had a way of making everything right with just a simple look. “Is that it?”

  “Actually, no.” Ben held the small black velvet box in his hand. “She brought this for me.”

  Mia’s eyes widened, and she licked her lips, but said nothing.

  “I’ve actually had it for a while now,” Ben said. “I saw it in a shop window down on America’s Cup, and decided it was perfect. Just like you. So, I bought it.”

  She lifted her gaze to Ben, her eyes shimmering with tears. “W-what is it?”

  “It’s my hope and dreams,” he said, a lump suddenly caught in his throat. “I’ve had two close calls where I almost lost you forever, so I know what I’m feeling for you is deep. And true. And forever.”

  He sat on the side of the bed and opened the box. Inside a diamond ring surrounded by smaller diamonds were set in a platinum band. “I love you Mia. And I never want to spend another day without you by my side. While you were away, everything felt—wrong. My life was off-kilter. But seeing you, being able to touch you—hell, just be in the same room with you, has made everything fall back into place.” He looked deep into her eyes, all the way into her soul, and let the love he saw there comfort and calm him. “I love you—now and forever.
Will you marry me?”

  Mia threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly against her body.

  He tried to pull back, but she wouldn’t let go. “Babe, isn’t this hurting your ribs?”

  “I don’t care,” she said.

  Ben chuckled. God, this woman made him happy. “So, can I take this as a yes?”

  She pulled back and looked at him, a wide grin on her face. “Yes! Now kiss me and put that beautiful ring on my finger.”

  Acknowledgments

  Every book is a labor of love, but the best love stories have their share of ups and downs. What gets an author through the bumps and bruises of producing a story and characters people will fall in love with are the many helping hands, shoulders to cry on, and kicks in the asses along the way. Big thanks go to my sprinting buddies, Melinda, Selena, Jill, and Kendra, who motivate me to keep my behind in the chair and fingers on the keyboard. The team at Buoni Amici Press, who handle, well—everything that involves marketing my books and getting them into readers hands. A special shout out to Drue Hoffman, PA extraordinaire, who is also the best cover designer and artist out there. My covers are epic. My editor, MJ Price, who has stopped asking me how soon I need something back and assumes everything is in “rush” status. To my family and friends who continue to support me in my dreams. To all the bloggers and reviewers who read, review, and talk about my books, a big warm, fuzzy hug to you. Most of all, thanks to all the readers who buy my books. I am nothing without you.

  About the Author

  Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains, Anne L. Parks has spent the last 28 years moving all over the United States. Married to the Navy – well a Commander in the Navy – Parks has lived in various locales throughout the United States. She currently resides in the Washington D.C area. When not writing, she spends her time reading, doing yoga, mountain biking, and keeping track of four kids and a very spoiled rescue German Shepherd. And drinking wine.