The cold air in the hospital room seeped straight through Marley’s skin and settled like heavy ice picks in her bones. Even Mack's hand lacked its usual warmth and strength as she clutched it to her chest, cradling the limp form.
What had she done?
How had she ever considered leading this man into an ambush? Tears stung her eyes and Marley blinked them away. He wouldn't want her to cry, he’d want her to be strong.
No. Mack Grey wouldn't want her at all.
Marley bowed over the bed, the guilt weighing her. She'd been allowed to touch his fire and revel in heaven with him, and then she threw it away. She couldn't even look at herself in the mirror. She should've told him that first night. She should have trusted him. Now she'd never have the chance again.
After John, she’d never thought she’d love again, but Mack had marched right in and made her realize exactly how wrong she’d been. She could love again. She loved Mack.
And she’d destroyed him.
Someone cleared their throat behind Marley and she jumped and spun, scrubbing the back of her hand over her eyes to erase the evidence of her tears. “Riser, you should have knocked.”
He approached her with caution, his gaze searching hers and then settling on Mack, out cold in the tiny hospital bed. “Your transport is here to take you to the airport.”
Her heart lurched in her chest and her fingers instinctively tightened around Mack's. There was a part of her, the brave part, that urged her to stay until Mack awoke. Maybe if she explained her reasons one more time. Maybe if she pleaded he would understand. Maybe hell would freeze over.
Men like Mack didn't forgive, no matter what the reason.
“I can tell the driver to take a hike and come back after Mack wakes up, if that's what you want.” Riser squatted in front of her, the understanding in his eyes piercing her like a hot blade.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“The way I see it, everybody makes mistakes. You did the right thing in the end and that's all that matters.”
“The right thing would've been to tell him the first time I got the text.”
Riser shrugged. “Maybe you needed some time to decide if you could trust us with your daughter's life.”
Marley turned back to Mack, Riser's words pummeled her shields, leaving her with nothing but a vulnerable ache she couldn't contain. “Mack doesn’t see it that way. The rest of your team won’t either.”
She didn't have to turn to know Riser stood up. She could feel him behind her. “The rest of the team feels the same way I do, and if you hang around long enough, you might find out Mack changed his mind too.”
A surge of hope sprang up so fast her body jerked. Would he? Could there be a chance of a future between them?
Marley thought back to the last couple of days and how Mack had looked at her like she was nothing. There'd been no anger, no hate, and no disgust.
He looked at her like she was a stranger.
The image was enough to last her for a lifetime of pain. Uncaring that Riser watched her every move, Marley lifted Mack's hand to her lips before lightly settling it back down on the bed. “You're wrong Riser,” she said in a dead-end voice. “I've been around men like Mack my whole life. Men like him don't forgive and they never forget.”
Gathering up what shreds of pride she had left, Marley lifted her chin and headed towards the door.
“You're wrong Marley.”
She paused with her hand on the door handle. “Tell him thank you for saving my life and for saving my daughter.”
Marley rushed from the room, head down as she strode from the hospital. Her entire body was numb – everything except her chest – it ached with such pain she could barely breathe. Leaving meant giving up on her dream of being with Mack. It meant she accepted her lifetime of loneliness; God wouldn’t give her another chance at a soul mate.
Her life with John had been destroyed by an IED in another country.
But she’d been the one to destroy her chance with Mack. She’d pulled the trigger with her lie and detonated a trust-shattering bomb on their tenuous relationship.
A black four-door sedan was parked near the entryway. The man got out of the driver side and rushed around to open the door. “Captain Mitchell?”
“Take me to the airport,” Marley squeezed through her constricted throat and slid into the car. The driver shut the door and they drove off, before she knew it she was on a small charter plane flying home.
Alone. Like she would be forever.
Chapter 31
Mac fought through groggy tendrils of sleep, blinking under the bright florescent lighting overhead. Where was he? What happened?
He tried to remember but couldn't, his mind felt sluggish, his body hot and numb. What the fuck was going on?
“About time you woke up.” Riser pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down, a small smile on his lips that did nothing to hide the concern in his gaze.
“What happened?”
“You were shot and stabbed. We were at Mankel's compound. Ring a bell?”
The compound. Jack Mankel. Reaper's team. Marley. “Where is she?”
She'd run to him in the courtyard and he hadn't been able to speak. He needed to tell her he was sorry, that he'd been wrong.
“She's gone. Left yesterday.”
A gut punch of pain had his vision blacking. How could she have left him?
“And you let her?” Mack tried to sit up but all he managed was a weak shove and then a grunt before he fell back onto his pillow, the room dipping and spinning around him.
“Whoa, you better chill with that crap before you rip open your stitches and end up staying here another week.” Riser put a hand on his shoulder and urged Mack against the bed.
“Why the hell did you let her leave?” What if he never saw her again? Did she hate him for the way he treated her? She would if she was smart. Marley had been protecting her daughter, and he'd been too blinded by hurt to see the truth.
“First off, I haven't known Marley long, but she doesn't seem the type to listen to orders from a grunt. Second, I don't blame her for leaving.” The condemnation in Riser's voice was as clear as the glass in the window on his right.
“What about her daughter? Is Maddie safe?”
“Agent K called this morning. Maddie and Marley are reunited and safe at home. He did what you promised.”
It was a hollow victory for him. He'd gotten Maddie safe and made sure Marley made it back – but he wasn't with her. He needed to be with her. The aching hole inside him had been filled when he was with Marley. He didn't want to go back to an empty life with no family. No Marley. Living without her would be like living without the sun. Cold, dark and lonely.
“Get me out of here. I have to talk to her.” Slower this time, Mack tried to sit up, but he fell back again weak as a damn baby. “No more pain meds.”
Riser pinned him with a hard stare. “If you don't quit jerking like that, I'm going to tell the nurse to pump you full of morphine until next Sunday. Your not getting out of the hospital today or tomorrow. You lost too much blood. If you left now, you’d bleed out.”
“But Marley –”
“If you're really hell-bent on trying to win her back, then you need to get better first. You're no good to her dead.” Riser settled back in the chair and crossed his arms with a look of stubborn mutiny. “I’d say you need to stay here at least a week.”
He needed a clear head to create a solid plan to win Marley back. His head felt groggy and heavy. There was a large white bandage covering his left shoulder, and then another on his side. They were clean, probably recently changed. Mack shifted his arm, testing out the stiff and sluggish muscles. Pain shot through him. “Not staying here more than two days.”
He could make it two days, but then he was out. Traveling that soon would hurt, but it wouldn’t be as agonizing as losing Marley forever.
Riser leaned back in his chair, shifting shoulders as he got comfortabl
e. “That was more than I was hoping for.”
“Why the hell did you say a week then?”
“Everybody knows you have to start high when you’re bargaining. I expected you’d only wait one day, but two is even better.”
The hospital room door swung open and his entire team shuffled in. Hunter grabbed the remote to the TV, and clicked it on. “You’ve got to see this.”
A dark-skinned woman wearing a brightly colored turban was speaking in French. The screen changed to a video of a village filled with men and women who’d formed a half-circle around a white man kneeling on the ground. “Mankel.”
Hunter nodded, his expression grim. “Looks like Mankel is finally getting what he deserves.”
The man standing behind Mankel lifted a huge machete and swung. No one in the room flinched. Hunter clicked off the TV and faced Mack. “We haven’t heard from President Ali. I’ve contacted his office, but was told he was unavailable.”
“Why?” Mack asked. The president had been sincere when he’d promised Mack his men would question Mankel before killing him.
Hunter’s face fell flat and he crossed his arms. “Because while you were out, our government imposed new sanctions against the Democratic Republic of Congo intent on curbing the flow of cash for insurgents to purchase weapons. The sanctions halted all US imports and exports for a period of no less than six months. President Ali is not happy.”
It took Mack a moment before he could wrap his sluggish mind around the news. “So, by killing Mankel, we’ve severed any hope of getting Caroline’s location.”
Dammit. Anger ripped through him, but he was too sluggish to do anything other than lay there helplessly.
“We didn’t have a choice. Ali had us surrounded. He would have taken Mankel no matter what,” Hunter said. “We aren’t giving up on her, commander. As soon as you’re better, we’ll resupply and find her.”
“Mankel’s hurting people even in death.” The words rang hollow, lacking the satisfaction he thought he’d feel. He was so tired of the hate. The entire past two years had been focused on finding and killing Mankel, he’d had nothing else to look forward to. Nothing except Marley.
Merc stood from his position leaning against the wall. “He doesn’t have to. Reaper’s team can help us locate her.”
“Where is Reaper's team?” He couldn’t rely on them until he figured out just exactly what they were. Mack tried to remember the details of their fight in Mankel’s facility, but the pain meds were pulling him under, making his mind slow.
Hunter moved past Riser to stand at Mack’s side. “We've got them locked up. A couple of the guys are watching them now.”
“Good, I want at least two of you on them all times. Where is Reaper?”
Riser answered, “Waiting to talk to you.”
“Send him in.” Mack fisted the sheet, willing himself to stay awake. His IV dripped steadily, saturating him with meds.
Hunter nodded and turned to leave. “We’ll give you some space.”
“No, stay. You all need to hear this,” Mack said.
Merc stuck his head through the door. A second later Reaper entered, his deadpan expression in place. “I need to see my men.”
“Why?” Mack watched Reaper for any subterfuge. He wanted his team safe, but was that all? Was he planning on freeing them to escape?
“They’re my men. My responsibility. I need to know they are all okay.”
“Merc, come here.” Mack waited on Merc to comply before continuing, “Give me a full report on his team.”
Merc clasped his hands behind his back and squared his shoulders. “They are contained in a safe location. They are free to move about the room, and we are supplying them with food and water.”
“They need more than that, dammit, and not from your government.” Reapers cool composure slipped.
Mack tried to focus on him, but his vision was blurring. Dammit, he couldn’t stay conscious much longer. Reaper wanted a reassurance that Mack wouldn’t turn his men over to the government, but Mack didn’t know what the hell else to do with them. They’d basically short circuited in the lab, but that was only after nearly killing Mack’s entire unit with an inhuman deadly skill.
But Reaper was right. If Mack turned them over to the government, they’d be locked up and experimented on for the rest of their lives. The CIA wouldn’t just draw their blood and let them go. Not men like Reaper.
Merc cleared his throat. “I have a suggestion.”
“Go ahead,” Mack said. He was willing to take anything right now.
“Nightshade’s father left her the mansion. It’s got a full underground bunker stocked for an attack. We could house his team there until we figure out how to help them.”
“I’d be willing to consider that,” Mack hedged. Those men were beyond helping, but he didn’t say that out loud. He needed Reaper compliant for now, at least until Mack was able to think clearly. “They stay contained for now.”
“Agreed, but only if I can see them,” Reaper said.
“Fine. Merc, you and Hunter, take him. Keep an eye on him.” His vision blurred again and Mack closed his eyes, unable to fight the pull of sleep any longer. He was so tired.
He just needed to recover and get to Marley.
Chapter 32
Marley launched from the taxi and ran up the neatly trimmed sidewalk splitting her father's front yard down the middle. Before she reached the dark blue front door, it burst open and Maddie came running outside, arms open. “Mommy!”
Marley's heart swelled, her throat clenched and tears sprang to her eyes as she enveloped her daughter in her arms. Maddie’s sweet smell filled Marley and she palmed her daughter’s head tight against her shoulder. “I missed you so much.”
Maddie giggled and pulled back, her smile fading. She reached out a tiny hand and brushed a thumb across Marley's cheek. “Why are you crying mama?”
Marley offered her daughter the best wobbly smile she could and yanked her against her chest once more. “Mommy's being silly. I'm crying because I'm happy to see you.”
Her father appeared in the doorway, the weathered lines of worry around his eyes easing and Marley silently mouthed thank you over Maddie’s head.
Her father gave her nod and disappeared back into the house, giving her another moment with Maddie. Careful not to crush her daughter, Marley squeezed her a little bit harder, feeling like she'd never get enough.
A pang of sadness took her off guard and she slammed her eyes shut, trying to focus only on Maddie and block out the thought Mack should've been here.
“Mommy, come on, I have to show you what I found in the backyard this morning!” Maddie wriggled her way out of Marley's arms and took off running to the house. Marley climbed to her feet on wobbly legs and quickly dried her cheeks.
It was her fault Mack wasn't here. Marley knew that. Just like she knew she had to accept her decision and move on. She’d live for her daughter and that was all there was to it.
Marley clutched the doorframe and watched Maddie jump into the colonel’s open arms. Marley's mother, Jane, enveloped both of them in a hug.
The picture-perfect family stole Marley's breath. She could have had that with Mack.
As if sensing Marley behind her, her mother spun. She took in Marley with a knowing glance and held open her arms. Marley flew to her mother, and as soon as her cheek hit her mom’s shoulder the tears started flowing again.
“You scared us,” Jane whispered.
Marley sniffled, so thankful to be home. “Just a slight delay, I'm home now, and that's all that matters.”
Just like Marley had done to Maddie, her mother squeezed the breath out of her and then leaned back. The searching gaze her mother gave her probing deep enough to make Marley lean away. Jane, as usual, was having none of that. She put her hands on each side of Marley's face, forcing her to look at her. “Then what's causing the shadows in your eyes?”
I lost the man I loved. Again.
“There's
no shadows, mom.”
Jane clucked but thankfully didn't press the issue. “I'll let you get away with that for now.”
Maddie's soft high-pitched voice filled the room, “Come on mama, you have to see my new pet!”
She squirmed until her grandpa set her down and took off out the kitchen door. Marley passed by her father and went to the patio where Maddie knelt over a large cardboard box, talking softly to something inside.
Marley felt her father's presence behind her “Did you have any trouble?”
“Nothing I couldn't handle.”
She turned to look up into her father’s eyes, there was a simmering anger present she hadn't noticed before. “What happened?”
Before dad could speak, her mother burst into the conversation. “I'll tell you what happened, some man was sneaking around the backyard. Your father tackled him with nothing but a knife from the kitchen, hogtied him and kept him locked up in the guest bathroom until a couple of men in black suits showed up and hauled the intruder away. Scared the living daylights out of me.”
Her father didn't even blink. “What did you want me to do, invite him in for cookies?”
As if on cue the oven timer dinged and her mother went into the kitchen and pulled out a heavenly smelling batch of chocolate brownies. She sat the pan down on the oven top a little too hard before answering. “I wanted you to do what any normal person would have done and call the police. No, you had to relive the glory days. You're not as young as you used to be Col. Mitchell.”
Her father's unreadable expression fell into a frown. “I wasn't too old to take down that asshole now was I?”
“Language!” June waved her bright yellow spatula in the air like a club.
“Look mama, I named her Penelope!” Maddie’s tiny fingers were wrapped around a small rabbit with fur the exact same shade as Mack's eyes.
Marley knelt, chest squeezing, and gently stroked the rabbit’s back. “She's beautiful,” was all she could manage to get out. “Can I hold her?”
“Grandpa won't let me hold her for long. You have to be really careful. She is just a baby.”
Men of Mercy: The Complete Story Page 170