by Lisa Pietsch
Here it comes. Loss of consciousness.
She looked into Vince's eyes. “Don't worry. You can't get rid of me.”
The tunnel of her sight grew smaller and smaller. All she saw was Vince. His eyes were so intense. The look on his face was all but relaxed.
Then everything faded to black.
~~~
Vince went on autopilot as he pressed the heel of his hand against Sarah's wound. “Chris, we need the chopper now. Sarah's been shot.”
Will lifted her to bandage the exit wound. “Tell the hospital we have a close range gunshot wound, but it was a .38 so it's a big one. She's lost a lot of blood. Pulse is weak. She's unconscious.” Will felt her forehead - cold and clammy. “And she's going into shock.”
Will finished bandaging and looked at Vince. “Let's get her out of here.”
Vince picked Sarah up and carried her as quickly as his legs would take him, through the house and down the stairs. When he got outside, Jason was already in the side yard and popped a smoke canister to signal the chopper.
Vince looked down at Sarah's limp body. His heart ached and his stomach rolled. “Come on, Sarah. Can you hear me? You're gonna be fine.”
The smell of the smoke mixed with the sea air brought back memories he knew he shouldn't focus on.
This isn't the same. Sarah is fine. We'll get her to the hospital and she'll be fine.
“You're gonna be fine. Just hang on.”
Vince pulled Sarah's face close to his chest as the force from the chopper threw sand and gravel at them. He ran toward the chopper and put Sarah on the floor inside. He knelt at her head, keeping his finger on her pulse the whole time.
Jason's voice came from the door. “We got one more!”
Oh, no.
The last thing Vince wanted was more casualties today. He looked out the side door to see Brian and Will carrying Angelo. “Where's he hit?”
Oh, hell. The Italians aren't going to be happy about this.
Angelo's face was pale but he was conscious. “Sarah?”
Vince looked at Angelo, so pale, with sweat beading down his face and neck. He wasn't going to make it. Vince spoke loudly so Angelo could hear him over the police radios and helicopter rotors. “Shoulder. Will patched her up. She'll be fine.”
But you won't.
Will continued to work over Angelo, trying to bandage the abdominal wound. “Chris, we've got another casualty. Multiple gunshots to the abdomen. It's Angelo. He's lost a lot of blood.”
Vince never liked the idea of competing with Angelo. He was a good guy and damned good at his job. Vince liked him and it was a real kick in the nuts to see him take that last bullet right before he was about to retire.
He deserved better than this.
Angelo's breathing was shallow and his eyes were growing cloudy. “Keep her safe. Make her happy, Vincenzo.” He grabbed Vince's hand and squeezed it. “Promise me.”
“Ti prometto.”
Angelo squeezed Vince's hand one more time and nodded. Vince felt Angelo let go and watched as he closed his eyes and took his last breath.
Will tried to perform CPR but the blood never made it to Angelo's brain. His wounds were too extensive. Will stopped pumping Angelo's chest and his shoulders sank as he knelt over the dead man. He rubbed his face with bloody hands. “She's okay, right?”
Vince grabbed his shoulder and looked him in the eye. “Sarah is fine. You patched her up. She's weak but she's going to be fine. Angelo was too far gone. There was nothing you could do.”
Will sat back against the closed door of the chopper. “I know. I know. I just never get used to it.”
Vince said a silent prayer for Sarah. “If you did, you wouldn't be human.”
Chapter Twenty
The firm grip of Will's hand on his shoulder woke Vince. “Is she awake?”
“No.”
“Boss, you need some sleep. Why don't you go back to the house and I'll sit with her. Jason and Brian will be here in a few hours. We'll take care of her.”
“No, Will. This is my fault. I did this to her. I have to stay.”
“Vince, you're holding on too tight. This is an occupational hazard. You'll see it clearly after you get some rest.”
“No.” He touched her pale cheek. “I have to stay with her.”
“Alright. I'll go get us some coffee.” Will turned to go but stopped as the doctor entered the room.
Vince turned around to look at the doctor but kept one hand on Sarah’s just in case she woke up. His shoulders slumped with the weight of worry. Sarah had been asleep too long. “She's still not awake. Is that normal?”
“She's suffered a severe trauma. It is natural for her body to conserve energy.”
Will rubbed his chin. “What about the scars? She's not gonna be happy about scars when she wakes up.”
She’s definitely not vain, but he’s absolutely right about that. She won’t like scars.
“It was a very clean wound. The scarring will be minimal.”
“Okay, that's good.” Will nodded. “When can we expect her to regain consciousness?”
“We gave her a strong sedative. It will be a few more hours.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Will looked over his shoulder at Vince. “I'll go see about that coffee.”
~~~
Sarah woke from a deep sleep. Somebody was snoring. Several somebodies were snoring. Chris lay cramped on a small sofa in the corner, Jason sprawled in a chair with his feet on Brian’s chair, and from his slouch in a second chair, Brian had his feet braced on the foot of the bed.
What am I doing in bed?
Somebody was holding her hand. She felt a dull pain as she turned her head.
Vince sat in a chair by her bed, his head rested on his well muscled arm. He held her hand with both of his.
She could barely whisper. “Vince?”
Vince jumped as though he had been slapped in the face. A hoarse whisper escaped his lips. “Hey, sweetheart.” He smiled but he was haggard. The beard growth gave away the fact he clearly hadn't shaved in days.
Brian woke next. He nudged Chris and Jason before moving to the foot of Sarah’s bed. “Hey, girl. Nice of you to join us.”
Sarah panicked when she realized somebody was missing. “Where's Will? Is he alright? Oh, my God, did he get shot, too?”
Will strolled into the room looking fresh as a daisy and carrying a tray of coffee cups.
Sarah sighed with relief.
Will smiled a broad, clean-shaven smile. “Hey, look who finally decided to wake up!”
Sarah squeezed Vince's hand. “Everybody okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, we're okay. How do you feel?”
“I’m sore. What happened?”
Vince kissed Sarah’s hand. “You were shot.”
Sarah caressed his cheek. “Vince, you look like hell.”
Will slapped Vince on the back. “Yeah, sitting in these chairs for a couple days will do that to a man.” Will looked directly at Vince. “She's awake now and we're here. Why don't you go clean up and get some rest, man?”
“No. I need to talk to Sarah. You guys go get some breakfast or something.”
“Vince, you don't have to do this now.”
“Yeah, we need to.”
“Okay boys, let's bounce.” Brian, Chris and Jason followed Will quickly out of the room.
“Vince, what's going on?”
“Sarah, you weren’t the only one hit when we raided the compound.”
“But the guys look fine. You?”
“No, the boys and I made it without a scratch but Angelo wasn't so lucky.”
“Where is he? Is he here?”
“No, Sarah. I'm sorry. He didn't make it.”
Oh, no. Oh, God, no!
Chapter Twenty-One
Sarah watched Chris walk out onto the patio with a puzzled look on his face and a large envelope in his hand.
“What's wrong, Chris?”
He held up the envelope. “This jus
t came for you by messenger. It’s from Angelo's lawyers.”
Sarah's stomach turned. She felt terrible staying in Angelo's home while she recuperated, but the GIS insisted the team stay there for security reasons. “I can’t imagine what it is. Would you read it, please?”
Chris sat in the chair near Sarah and opened the envelope. He started reading to himself. After a long minute, he looked up at Sarah with sadness in his eyes. “It is his will. He left it all to you.”
“Chris, what are you talking about?”
“The estate, the groves, the house, the cars. All of it along with significant investments that have historically brought in, well…” Chris pointed to a figure on the page. “This much, annually.”
“Oh, dear God!” Sarah slumped back in her chair and threw her hand onto her upturned forehead. Tears began rolling down her cheeks almost instantly.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Vince was kneeling in front of her in a flash.
Sarah sobbed forward into Vince's arms. “He thought…”
Will, Brian, Jason and Chris all walked quietly into the house.
Vince wrapped his arms protectively around her and pushed the tear-dampened hair from her face. Vince's voice was low and soft. “Don't go there, Sarah. He thought you'd be happy here. He wanted you to be happy.”
She sobbed into Vince's shoulder. “He thought I was going to marry him.”
“Shh…no, Sarah. He knew. He wanted you to be safe and happy. That was all he wanted.”
Sarah picked her head up and tried to catch her breath. “But?”
“He told me.”
Sarah took a short breath and looked into Vince's eyes. “What?”
Vince blinked and looked into the quiet blue sky above them for a moment. His gaze met Sarah's. “The man grabbed my hand like a vise and made me promise to keep you safe and happy. All that time I hated him for being so good and cool and having the balls to ask you to marry him. Turns out, he really was a good guy and he did care about you. He just wanted you to be happy, and he thought you might be happy here.”
Sarah took a deep breath and wiped the tears rolling from her eyes. “What an unselfish and wonderful thing to do.”
Vince stroked her hair as she let herself grieve for Angelo.
When exhaustion set in and the tears stopped, she looked up at Vince. “Where did the guys go?”
“Like I told you from the start, they get nervous around weepy women. They went inside.”
Sarah wiped her eyes with her good hand while the other rested in a sling to keep her from moving her wounded shoulder. “Well, let's go in there and talk about this.”
Vince put his arm around her waist. “Sarah, you’ve been through a lot. You need time to think clearly. The guys know you’re overwhelmed. They’ve seen us together. They know what’s coming.”
Sarah straightened and took a deep breath. “Let's go.”
Vince nodded and followed.
Will was the first to speak. “You okay, kid?”
Sarah sat in the large leather chair. “Yeah, sit down guys. Let's talk.”
Vince stood beside her chair. “Take your time, Sarah. There's no need to talk to anyone about anything. This place is yours. End of story.”
“Okay, boys. What do I do with this?”
“At the risk of sounding insensitive,” Will lit a cigar, “you got it all now, pork chop. You've got the body, money, a great place in Vegas, and now an estate in Italy. This would be a good time to cash in your chips.”
Sarah looked at Brian.
“You've got your back up plan and your retirement hooked up now. This is a good thing.”
Jason fidgeted with his Zippo. “Nobody would hold it against you if you quit the business now. Frankly, the thought of seeing you shot again makes me pretty nervous.”
Chris ran his fingers through his hair, his nervous tell. “Sarah, why don't you take some convalescent leave, talk to a lawyer and then give this some thought. I'll be honest, I'd be hard pressed to leave a life like this.”
Sarah stood. She had to move to keep pace with her thoughts.
What does this mean? What happened?
She lit a cigarette with shaky hands, smoking and pacing while the guys watched silently.
Her mind raced to grasp it all. She spoke to slow her brain. “A man I barely knew gave me a mansion on an estate that brings in a bigger annual income than I could imagine earning in a lifetime. He worked thirty years to keep people safe and happy and when it was his time to just relax and enjoy life he took a bullet? It doesn't make any sense.” She turned and looked into Vince's soft brown eyes. “Is this how it ends for all of us? We fight so hard for other people to have a happy ending and instead of a gold watch, we get a bullet?”
Vince shook his head. “Sarah. You're upset. It's a lot to take in all at once.”
“A lot to take in? That's an understatement!” She turned and paced some more. “Tapestries. Artwork. Antiques. I have a fucking ballroom for fuck’s sake!”
Sarah's face went white as a sheet. She started to sway.
Vince jumped up and caught her before she fell.
“Okay, sweetheart. Let's sit down.” He placed her in one of the large leather chairs and knelt in front of her.
“You aren’t doing this today. You're still recovering. You haven't eaten in days. You need to rest. That’s an order.”
Her eyes were glazed over. The lack of sleep, the meds and the stress were too much right now.
“Yes, I think I should go to bed. I’m sorry I flipped. It’s been a big day.” She moved to stand but her knees just couldn't hold out.
Vince caught her and she collapsed against him. He carried her up the stairs to the master bedroom, her bedroom, and his heart ached for the woman quietly weeping in his arms.
“He was a good man, Vince. I didn't love him, but he was one of the good guys.”
“Yes, he was. He was definitely one of the good guys.”
“I'm so tired.”
Vince laid her on the bed and covered her with a blanket. “Get some sleep.” He kissed her on the forehead.
She grabbed his hand. “Vince, don't leave me.”
He sat on the edge of the bed, brushed the hair from her face as her breathing slowed and he knew she drifted off. “Never.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Pain shot through her shoulder. “Aargh!” Sarah couldn't help but shout out with the pain. She sat up and looked at the bedside clock.
Hard, heavy footsteps ran down the hallway at the same pace as the beat of her heavily thumping heart.
Vince stormed into the room and scanned it, Sig in hand. “What happened? Are you alright?”
“Oh, my God, Vince!” Sarah flopped back down on the pillow with a wince. “I'm okay. I overslept and haven't taken anything for the pain in about fourteen hours. I rolled over onto my side in my sleep and felt it. That's all.” She chuckled. “That response was in record time, Marine. You're pretty fast for an old guy.”
Vince tucked the sidearm into his belt and sat beside Sarah. “You wanna see fast? Just wait until that shoulder heals. I'll show you what an old guy can do.”
“Promises. Prom…”
Vince stopped her with a kiss. “That is a promise I will most definitely keep.” He stood and walked to the dresser. “You need some help getting dressed? The guys are leaving today.”
Sarah kicked the sheet off and stepped out of the bed. “I don't understand why they have to leave so soon.”
Vince helped her slip a shirt on over her bandaged shoulder. “We milked the Italian debrief period as long as we could. Young would only authorize one of us to stay behind until you're cleared by the doctor and ready to fly.”
“Couldn't you play the whole 'teams stay together' card? Surely you could have thrown that team effort shit at him.”
“I tried, babe.” Vince shrugged. “A six-two, two-twenty guy can't pull that off as well as a five-ten, buck fifty knockout like you. Besides, I was on the pho
ne, and batting my eyelashes doesn't carry the same weight as it does in person.”
Sarah giggled at the thought of Vince batting his eyelashes for anyone. She kissed him on the cheek. “Point taken. Looks like I'm stuck with you then, huh?”
“At least thirty or forty years.” Vince followed her as she walked downstairs.
“It's about time, darlin'.” Brian's bright smile greeted Sarah as she walked down the stairs. “We thought we were going to have to leave without saying goodbye.”
“Don't you ever do that, Brian.” Sarah wrapped her good arm around him in a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek.
When Brian stepped aside, Jason was there with open arms and his devilish grin. “It's just not going to be the same without you to kick around every day. Get better and come back soon, okay?”
Sarah hugged him back. “No bar fights without me, okay?”
“Okay, but you really do need to hurry. You know how I like my brawls.”
Chris scowled when Sarah moved to hug him goodbye.
“Why the sad face?”
“I still need a golf partner. It’s going to take forever to break in a new one. Just how long are you going to milk this handicap?”
Sarah chuckled. “There's just no budging your priorities, is there?”
Chris hugged her, careful not to squeeze her bad shoulder. “It’s all I've got.”
Will shook Vince's hand. “Take your time, man. There's no need to rush back. See that our girl comes back safely.”
“No worries there.” Vince pulled Will in for a one-armed hug.
A car horn sounded outside.
Sarah gave Will a kiss on the cheek. “I don't do long goodbyes so get the hell out of here. I'll see you bums when the doc clears me in a few days.”
Brian picked up his bags. “You talk a good game, darlin', but you know you're going to cry yourself to sleep when we leave.”
Sarah opened the door. “There will be tears and lots of blubbering. Be safe, guys.”
Chris and Jason responded in unison on their way out. “Yes, dear.”
“You don't look so good.” Vince watched Sarah as she closed the door.