The Trainer (military romantic suspense) (The Dregs Book 5)

by Leslie Georgeson

Collins let out a dark chuckle. “Good. Who killed Aikens and Darcy? Was it the dregs?”

  I had no idea who those people were. “I don’t know those people and I don’t know who killed them. I’ve never heard of them before.”

  Collins tsked and shook his head. Then he stepped toward me, raising his hand, the brass knuckles flashing in the light. I lifted my chin, daring him to hit me.

  “No,” Logan rasped out. “Don’t hurt her. Darcy killed Aikens, and a cop killed Darcy. The dregs weren’t responsible. Nishi doesn’t know anything about any of that. She wasn’t there. She didn’t even know me then.”

  Collins eyed Logan for a long moment, then pulled his gaze back to me. “Why would Darcy kill Aikens? He was her brother. She looked up to him.”

  Logan coughed, blood spurting from his lips. “Because Aikens abandoned her and let her take the fall when she nearly killed a cop. He left her in jail to rot. It was the Black Dragons who freed her, not Aikens. Aikens and Darcy had turned on the rest of you. They were operating The Company without you. I don’t know why. Maybe they were just greedy bastards.”

  Logan closed his eyes, his head falling back to the concrete floor. My heart pinched. He was hurting badly. I had no idea how extensive his injuries were, but he was obviously in great pain.

  Collins eyed me again, a calculating look in his eyes. Then he snickered. “All we had to do was bring you in and he instantly talked. So, let’s see how much information I can get out of him if I bring you into the interrogation.”

  “No!” Logan stumbled forward. “She doesn’t know anything! Just leave her alone, you son-of-a-bitch!”

  Ignoring Logan, Collins kept his gaze focused on me. “You’ve been holding back a lot of information from me, Logan. It’s time you really started talking.”

  He lifted his fist, and swung the brass knuckles toward my face.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  Logan

  Collins raised his fist, tightening the brass knuckles in his grip, and swung toward Nishi’s head.

  My heart stopped. No! I forced my beaten body into action, lunging in between Nishi and Collins’ fist. The knuckles struck me mid-motion, cracking me on the side of my head near my missing ear as I launched myself through the air.

  Pain exploded in my skull, the force of Collins’ swing sending me sailing into the chair where Nishi sat. The chair crashed over, Nishi falling beneath my weight.

  The soldiers rushed forward, yanking me off her.

  “You bastards!” She spat, glaring up at them. “Leave him alone! He already told you everything.”

  Collins smirked. “Put her back in the chair. But hold him this time.”

  I let out a growl as they yanked the chair upright and tossed Nishi back onto it.

  Collins turned to me with an evil grin. “Tell me where to find the other dregs, and I won’t touch the girl.”

  “Don’t betray your friends,” Nishi urged. “I can handle the torture, Logan. My father’s man Katsu used to torture me all the time. I’m stronger than I look.”

  I knew she was strong, but I couldn’t let them hurt her. I would rather die than watch them beat her.

  But I couldn’t betray my dreg brothers, either. Shit. I didn’t know what to do. What kind of man would I be if I just let them torture her? What kind of man would I be if I betrayed my dreg brothers?

  Nishi’s tough. Give her the benefit of the doubt. Trust her.

  She is a competent fighter. A shadow warrior. She can fight back.

  I jerked my gaze back to Nishi. Her hands were bound in front of her, not behind her like mine. The soldiers weren’t even holding onto her. They just stood beside her. They obviously didn’t know of her abilities. Idiots.

  She can fight back. Trust in her abilities.

  “Where are the other dregs?” Collins demanded, eyeing me coldly.

  I pulled my gaze back to him, glaring through my swollen eyelids.

  “I already told you I don’t know where they are.”

  “Liar.” Collins raised his fist again, swinging toward Nishi’s face.

  Nishi dived forward, ramming into Collins’ legs, tripping him. I let out a snort that was part laugh, part amazement. God, I loved that girl.

  Collins fell backward, going down hard, his head slamming into the concrete with a thud. He lay still and didn’t move. He was either out cold, or dead. I prayed it was the latter, though I knew we couldn’t be so lucky. Nishi kept rolling away, her movements nimble and graceful, a true beauty to watch.

  “What the fuck?” Several of the soldiers raced after her, but she was quick, darting this way and that, eluding them at every turn.

  The two men holding me released me, and joined in the pursuit of Nishi. I sat back and laughed hard at their antics, my broken ribs aching as my chest heaved, watching as she bounced around, kicking out at them, fighting with her hands still handcuffed in front of her. Damn, she was amazing. She even managed to land a few blows, and these guys were trained Company soldiers. They obviously weren’t as good as the dregs. In fact, they sucked compared to us. They couldn’t even catch a dainty woman.

  Drawing in a deep breath that made my ribs ache, I lunged to my feet to assist her. Dizziness spun in my head. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to fight it off.

  Then someone rammed into me hard, knocking me back to the floor. I opened my eyes in time to see one of the soldiers tackle Nishi, taking her down onto the concrete floor. She let out a soft grunt of pain before the man roughly hauled her to her feet. They yanked me upright as well, then shoved us both down the narrow hallway.

  “Lock ‘em up until Collins wakes. Then he can continue his interrogation.”

  They shoved us into a room three doors down on the right, then slammed it closed and bolted it shut.

  Nishi immediately rushed forward and pressed her body against mine. With my arms cuffed behind my back, I was unable to hold her like I wanted to, so I had to settle for just pressing into her. My entire body was throbbing with pain, especially my aching ribs, my face and my broken nose, and the deep stab wound in my side. I had to protect her somehow, save her from whatever Collins had planned.

  Because I had no doubt that when he woke, he would be out for vengeance.

  He would take that vengeance out on Nishi.

  And he would enjoy every moment of it.

  Finally, she stepped back and looked into my eyes. “I talked to Noah on your earpiece thingy. He was going to search the city records for old buildings to try to figure out where we are.”

  “You’re amazing,” I praised, looking into her eyes. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

  She pressed into me again, letting out a soft sigh. “If it’s anywhere near as much as I love you, then yeah, I have a good idea.”

  I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I will get us out of this somehow,” I promised. “Do you still have the earpiece?”

  She held it up to me. I bent so she could reach my face better.

  “Put it in my ear, and hold down the talk button.”

  She did as I instructed.

  “Nishi and I are alive for now,” I advised the other dregs. “When Collins wakes, he’ll be out for revenge. We don’t have much time. Have you figured out where we are yet?”

  Nishi leaned her face close to my ear so she could hear Noah’s response.

  “Still looking,” he advised. “I located nine buildings that could be where you’re at. Tracker tried to get a read on you through me, and he got a faint connection. He suspects you’re somewhere in the south vicinity. This enabled us to narrow the search down to seven buildings. We split up into three teams and headed out. Each team is currently heading toward our first building. We should find you soon, man. Just hang in there a bit longer.”

  “Will do,” I murmured. “Please hurry. I’m afraid for Nishi. Afraid I won’t be able to stop them from hurting her.”

  There was a pause, then, “I can feel your pain, man,” Noah responded quietly. “They fucke
d you up good, didn’t they?”

  “Yeah,” I rasped. “Brass knuckles on my face, steel-toed boots on my torso, a couple of knife stabs...you know how it is.”

  “Fuck,” he muttered. “Bastards. How much blood have you lost?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’m starting to get lightheaded.”

  “Hang tight. We will find you soon. We will take Collins down. I won’t abandon you, bro.”

  Nishi pulled the earpiece from my ear, palming it in her hand once again. Then slowly, carefully, she helped me settle down on the hard floor next to the wall.

  “I can’t see your wounds very well in the dark,” she admitted, her voice full of worry. “If you tell me where they stabbed you, I can try to stop the flow of blood.”

  I drew in a ragged, gurgling breath. “My lower right side.”

  She removed her jacket, roughly yanking at the fabric, and tearing it into two large strips. Then she knelt over me and pressed a large piece of fabric against my wound. I sucked in a breath, closing my eyes at the stab of pain.

  Holding it there with her bound hands, she asked, “Where else?”

  “My right forearm,” I murmured. Since my arms were still cuffed behind me, she gently leaned me forward and pressed the other piece of torn jacket against the arm wound.

  Twisting her wrists as far as the handcuffs would allow, she managed to keep pressure on both wounds. She looked up into my face.

  “How’s that?”

  I hurt like hell, but I didn’t tell her that. I didn’t want to worry her.

  “Much better. Thank you.”

  “You can lean into me,” she offered. “Relax, Logan. I will take care of you.”

  Still keeping pressure on the wounds, she gently rested her head on my shoulder, and I tilted my head down, resting my chin on her head.

  We sat there in the darkness, our bodies touching, sharing each other’s warmth.

  And waited.

  Either for the other dregs to save us.

  Or for Collins to kill us.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Nishi

  Logan wasn’t doing well at all.

  He had fallen asleep against me, his lungs wheezing with each breath. His blood now soaked my clothes, seeping through the strips of fabric I’d pressed against the wounds. I think the wound in his arm had stopped bleeding, but the one in his side was still wet. My wrists ached from being stretched apart so I could apply pressure to both wounds. Now, I let go of the arm injury and applied pressure only to the one on his side.

  The night dragged on. And on. Time seemed to stand still. It was still dark out, but I had no idea what time it was. How long before the other dregs found us? Would they find us before it was too late?

  Sudden footsteps sounded out in the hallway. I gently nudged Logan, trying to wake him.

  He didn’t even stir.

  A wave of fear crashed over me. Was he dead? I pressed my finger against his neck, feeling for a pulse. A faint, thump thump, bounced back at me. Not dead. Passed out. Probably from blood loss. How much longer did he have? I vowed I would protect him. I wouldn’t let those bastards touch him again.

  The door crashed inward and the soldiers strolled into the room. I counted them as they marched forward.

  Ten of them in all.

  I lifted my chin. “Where’s Collins?”

  The men exchanged glances. “We had to rush him to the hospital. Major head trauma. You fucked him up, little Jap.”

  Good. I hoped the bastard died.

  “So that means you can let us go.” Hope rose in my chest. Would they free us now that their leader was injured?

  The guy who kept calling me “Jap” sniggered. “No can do. Our orders are to bring you back to the facility now. The other shareholders want a word with you and the dreg. They want answers.”

  I glared at him. “Well, as you can see, Logan is badly injured. He might even die, so you won’t be asking him any more questions. And I don’t know anything.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Get up. We’re leaving now.”

  Four of the soldiers stepped forward. I leapt to my feet, glaring at them. “He’s lost a lot of blood. And unless you’re blind,” I motioned wildly to Logan’s unmoving form, “you can see he’s passed out! He needs immediate medical attention, not further interrogation! If he doesn’t get medical attention, there will be no more interrogation!”

  The soldiers all exchanged glances. The one who kept calling me “Jap” pulled a cellphone from his pocket and turned away from us, speaking into it.

  “Yeah. The dreg’s injured bad. Passed out. Lost a lot of blood and wheezing. The woman claims to know nothing. She insists we get him medical treatment. You still want us to bring them in?” He listened a moment. “Yes, sir.” He stuffed the phone back in his pocket. “We’re to bring you in. If he dies on the way, tough shit.”

  Tough shit? Bastards! Logan needed immediate medical care or he might die.

  Where were they taking us? What if Logan didn’t survive long enough to get wherever we were going?

  They hauled Logan’s limp body up off the floor and dragged him down the hallway. I followed anxiously, worriedly, wishing I could do something to help him.

  Once outside, they tossed him back into the van. I quickly joined him, leaning over him and checking his pulse again. Faint. The wound in his side was bleeding again, so I applied pressure once more. Logan was fading fast. How much longer did he have?

  The soldiers all hopped into the vehicle, and moments later, the van was backing away from the building. A sudden panic gripped me. How would the other dregs find us if we left? I had to keep these guys here as long as possible. But how? Logan might not last much longer. He needed medical treatment. Now. Maybe I could convince these guys to take Logan to a hospital.

  “Please, he needs a hospital.” I looked at the nearest soldier, a big brute with a mustache and goatee. “If he dies before you get him where you’re supposed to, don’t you think your superiors will be pissed?”

  The man exchanged glances with another soldier. “Our orders are to bring him in, so that’s what we’re going to do. If he dies, he dies.”

  A sudden gunshot exploded outside of the van. Followed by several more. Rat a tat-tat-tat! The van careened to the left, screeching to a halt. I glanced up, noting the driver slumped over the wheel.

  Dead?

  “We’re under attack!”

  The soldiers shoved open the back door of the van and they all tumbled out, disappearing into the dark night. I knelt protectively over Logan, my heart pounding. Was it the dregs? Had they found us? Or was it a gang or some other criminals? Had the Black Dragons found us?

  Please let it be the dregs.

  More gunfire erupted all around, bullets pinging into the van. I dropped over Logan, trying to protect his body with mine.

  A dark figure leapt into the back of the van.

  Noah.

  I let out a startled half-laugh, half-gasp. I had never been so happy to see someone as I was at that moment.

  “Found them,” he said into his mic. “In the van. Need Nate here, pronto!”

  Emotion clogged my throat. The other dregs had come! They’d found us!

  Noah looked into my eyes. “You doing all right, Nishi?”

  I nodded shakily. “But Logan’s hurt bad. Bleeding profusely from a stab wound in his right side. Please, help him!”

  Noah leaned over him, checking the wound. “Shit.”

  Someone else jumped into the van beside Noah.

  Nate, The Healer.

  Like the other dregs, Nate was tall, well-built, and good-looking. Nate nodded at me, his expression grave. I’d already learned that he was a no-nonsense type of guy. He opened a black medical bag and leaned over Logan, assessing his injuries. I moved aside to let them attend Logan’s wounds.

  Then the dark man, Tony, arrived, kneeling on Logan’s other side, ready to assist them.

  “All resistance has been eliminated.�
� Tracker and Jacob appeared just outside of the back of the van. Tracker was the one who’d spoken.

  I jerked my gaze back to Nate. “Please don’t let him die. I love him.”

  “I’ll do what I can, Nishi,” Nate promised, his focus never leaving Logan.

  “Nate is the best,” Tracker informed me. “He’ll take care of him.”

  Jacob smiled encouragingly. “Tracker’s right. If Logan can be saved, then Nate is the one to do it. And you fought well tonight. You were fucking awesome!”

  My cheeks heated. Yeah, I had, hadn’t I? I’d killed my father. “Thanks.”

  Then his words hit me.

  Hard.

  If Logan can be saved.

  My heart squeezed. Could Logan be saved? Was it too late for him?

  Then Ryan and Luke arrived, staring anxiously in the van at Logan. All of them were here. All of the dregs had come to save Logan.

  My heart pinched tighter. Their loyalty to each other, their close friendship, and their deep bonds were rare and special. I loved these guys. Every one of them.

  “Fuck,” Nate whispered. “His heart stopped!”

  What? I let out a soft gasp, my gaze swinging back to Logan. His heart wasn’t beating? Did that mean he was dead? No! Please no. Not my Logan.

  Nate pulled a portable defibrillator machine out of his bag while Noah quickly wiped the blood off Logan’s torso with a disinfectant wipe. Then Nate stuck the electrodes to Logan’s chest.

  Nate pressed something on the machine.

  Logan’s chest jerked as the electrical current passed through him. I stared, tears stinging my eyes, my heart twisting and squeezing in fear. Nate leaned over him, listening to his heart. He shook his head at the others.

  Tony’s expression turned grim. Noah’s filled with panic.

  Nate shocked Logan again. I let out another soft gasp as his body jerked. The tears burst free, trailing silently down my cheeks.

  Come back to us, Logan. Please, come back. Please. I love you. I need you. Please, please come back.

  Again, Nate leaned over him, listening for a heartbeat. And again, he shook his head at the others.

  No! My chest caved in, squeezing tighter. Tighter. My breath caught. My head spun with shock and disbelief. I stumbled back out of the way, falling against the side of the van, watching as if from a distance.