“Almost got it.” Zack’s huge biceps bulged beneath his shirt. The cords in his neck tightened. Alex gripped the opposing side and leveraged his weight against it, groaning as it tipped toward him. He danced out of its way when it finally fell to earth.
“Damn it to hell,” he muttered, blowing out a huge breath.
Libby was not there.
“If that sonofabitch lied, I’ll kill him.” Mark fumed out of control. Three down. Seventeen planters to go. Doubt niggled.
“Come on, guys. We can do this.” Alex stood panting with his hands on his knees at the end of the next planter, sucking in great draughts of air and shaking. They were all beat, working past their exhaustion. “One more time. This is the one.”
“We’re running out of steam.” Zack wiped the sweat off his face, still blowing out huge breaths to restore his oxygen level. He scanned the work site. “There’s got to be something we can use for a lever around here.”
Even Mark felt it, that human frailty called weakness creeping into his body. The muscles in his thighs and buttocks twitched. Everything else burned. Who was he kidding? They were just three men thinking they could do the impossible, and she might not even be here. They were fools to have believed Castor.
He shrugged his doubts away yet one more time. If nothing else, he would die trying. Bracing himself against the next planter down, he launched another attack, his shoulder to the hard cold concrete and his fingers grasping for purchase on its smooth outer wall. Where there’s a will, there’s a freaking way!
Arghhh! He squeezed his eyes and summoned every last sinew to give its all. Nothing happened. The heavy planter didn’t budge. He clenched all the way to his soul. His all wasn’t good enough. It was gone.
No! Libby’s not dying like this. No way.
Suddenly, another pair of hands clamped over his. The planter shifted. He blinked. Three had become six. The paramedics stood with them now, adding their will to the fight. More grunts and groans. At last, it toppled to the side.
Libby!
“Got her,” Zack sighed.
“I’m here, baby. I’m right here. Please be okay.” Mark dropped to his knees.
She looked up at him, her blue eyes dazed and clouded. Unseeing. He lifted her out of the concrete box, cradling her against him. Her hand reached up, making contact with his cheek, but not reaching for him; just reaching, the way a blind woman might accidentally bump whatever stood in her way. Or whoever. Bloody fingers smeared his cheek.
“Mark.” She blinked twice, dropped her hand, and closed her eyes.
“Libby, I’ve got you,” he murmured, his hands smoothing over her cold arms to get a reaction from her. Anything. He pinched, pressed, and squeezed. Nothing.
The paramedics moved in to do their work. Very gently, they eased her out of his arms and moved her onto their portable gurney. He clung to her ragged hand.
“Come on, babe. We’re swimming, remember? We’re going together. You and me. You say when. You say—” He choked. This was that awful moment. She was leaving him. Dying. This was—when.
While one medic wrapped her in heated blankets, another inserted an IV line into her arm. The third medic took her vitals and relayed those statistics into the two-way radio at his collar. Everything they said sounded so grim. Mark stood in the way. His heart in his throat.
“You have to let us do our job,” one of the medics said gently, but then he met Mark’s eye. He handed him a large squeeze tube. “Put this on her fingers. Use it all. It’ll stop the pain.”
Tears dripped down Mark’s face as he lifted her hand again. This tiny little hand was all that had saved him that summer night on the raft. But now ….
A solid hand landed on his shoulder. He glanced into the sad eyes of Alex. Kelsey stood at his side. Mark had no words. They’d done all they could.
“She’s alive, Mark.” Kelsey snaked her arm around his waist. He heard the gentle admonition in her voice to keep believing. “She knew you would come.”
“Sometimes cold is a good thing,” the medic offered.
Mark glanced up at that hopeful comment. “I’m going with her.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way, sir.”
He stood as the medics transferred her into the helicopter. Alex, Kelsey, and Zack were with him, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Libby. Alex clapped one last hand to his shoulder. Mark tossed Zack his car keys and scrambled onboard.
The chopper headed north.
“Oh my,” Rosemary’s voice was tight on the other end of the telephone line. “I can’t get away, Mark. I’m already running back and forth to the rehabilitation center and the hospital. Marie hasn’t come home yet, you know.”
“How is she?” Mark could feel the weight of the world on Rosemary’s shoulders.
“She gets a little better everyday. I’m told she’ll be released maybe tomorrow.”
“Where will you take her?”
Rosemary’s voice cracked. “I haven’t had time to think about the house yet.”
“I can cover your motel room if that’s where you decide to move Jerry and Marie,” he offered. “At least let me do that.”
“Oh, no. You’re doing plenty right there with my daughter. You’ll stay with Libby, won’t you?”
“Yes.” His voice caught. Sure glad this isn’t a video call. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“And you’ll call every day so I know what’s going on?”
“There’s no way I’m leaving her, Mrs. Clifton.”
Her next question caught him by surprise. “You love my little Libby, don’t you?”
He choked. Wow. What an understatement. “Yes, ma’am. I do.” he admitted.
Rosemary was quiet for a minute. She was crying, too. “I’m ashamed to say this because she needs me. I should be there with her, but I’m only one person. I’m planning Faith’s funeral, too.”
Mark hurt for Libby’s mother. “It’s okay, ma’am. I won’t leave Libby.”
“Jerry and I always wanted a son,” she said softly.
He couldn’t respond. Libby’s mother and father had treated him like family the moment he had stepped through their front door.
“You give my little girl a hug for me, okay? You tell her I love her.”
Mark nodded.
“And Mark.”
His voice cracked with his one syllable reply. “Yes?”
“I love you, too, young man.” Mrs. Clifton cried openly now. “Thank you for loving my Libby. One way or the other, I’ll be seeing you kids soon.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He hung up the phone and wiped his face before he turned to Libby. She lay pale and lifeless on the stark white of the hospital bed. He lifted her bandaged hand.
“You probably heard me tell your mother,” he whispered against her cheek, “but I love you with all my heart. I’m not going anywhere. Please come back to me.”
“How is she?” Kelsey asked quietly.
She and Alex were the first visitors of the day and a welcome sight. One of the orderlies had pushed a recliner into Libby’s room so Mark could actually get some rest during the night. It didn’t help. She was a critical case, so doctors and nurses came and went all night, checking, monitoring, and just generally caring for her. Recliner or not, he couldn’t sleep. He had to know what they were doing, thinking, and what meds they were giving her.
“She’s better.” He stretched his aching back as he stood. Movement didn’t help either. His only relief came from the steady readout of Libby’s bedside monitor. “Her body temp’s normal, but the pneumonia’s kicking her butt. Her oxygen saturation could be a lot better.”
“They’ve got wonder drugs for pneumonia these days,” Kelsey offered.
“That’s what they tell me.” He took Libby’s bandaged hand in his and rubbed a gentle thumb over the layers of gauze where her knuckles might be. “For now she’s in a hold pattern. The meds are supposed to reduce her congestion. If not, the doctor plans to aspirate.”
&nbs
p; “Has she come around yet?” Alex asked.
“No.” Mark bit his lip. The pale lady at his fingertips didn’t even know he was there. “I thought once we got her warmed up, she would snap out of it. I guess she needs more time.”
“It’s hard waiting, isn’t it?” Kelsey looped her hand over his arm, patting his bicep with her other hand. “She’s very lucky you’re here to watch out for her.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He caught himself. “I mean, Kelsey. I mean ....” He scrubbed a hand over his head. It had been a helluva week. He didn’t know what he meant anymore.
“She’ll come out of it,” Kelsey reassured him. “You’ll see. Have you had time to call her mother yet?”
“I did. Jerry and Marie are both going to be released next week.”
“How’s that going to work?” Alex asked. “Their home’s demolished. What’s she thinking?”
“I honestly don’t know, Boss. She’s going to need help, that’s for sure.”
“Let me take care of that.” Alex clapped his back. “You worry about Libby. Come on. Let’s get some breakfast and maybe get you a shower.”
“Nah. I’m fine.” Mark shook his head. Besides, she might wake up. I need to be here.
“I’ll stay with her. You guys go on.” Kelsey patted his arm encouragingly. “It won’t help if you get sick, too.”
“But I can’t leave.” He hadn’t come this far to desert Libby now. “Really. I’m good. They said I could use the shower in her bathroom and—”
Kelsey’s smiling brown eyes melted the argument right out from under him. Yeah. Libby couldn’t be in better hands. A tired tear came to his eye. He brushed it away before anyone else saw it. Damn. He wasn’t carrying the weight of the world all by himself anymore. Other people actually cared.
“Well, okay.” He nodded, brushing a hand over his face again.
“I’ll take good care of her. You know I will.” Kelsey wasn’t playing fair. Everything she said was so kind and so sweet and ....
He wiped another tear, hoping for control before he had to face his boss.
“Come on, son. You look like hell.” Leave it to Alex to offset Kelsey’s sweetness with his sour. “Let’s go. I’m hungry.”
Mark nodded. “Okay. Guess you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right.” Alex steered him toward the door with a glance over his shoulder to the women. “We won’t be long.”
“I’ll be right back,” Mark informed Kelsey like she didn’t already know that.
“Take your time.” Kelsey waved them off. “Us girls will be fine.”
Mark choked. He had just left his angel with another angel. Yeah. Libby would be fine.
Twenty-Seven
The shower felt fine, but man, real food felt so much better.
Mark stabbed another pork chop and two more slices of buttered toast. Alex obviously knew all about that ‘breakfast being the most important meal of the day’ propaganda. He hadn’t just bought a meal. He’d bought a feast.
“Slow down.” He smirked. “She’ll be there when you get done.”
Zack showed up in time to help himself. Alex poured another round of coffee from the carafe the waitress had left at their table. That was another thing. Hospital coffee really sucked.
“I see you like a little coffee with your cream.” Alex spiked a brow at Zack’s very light brown coffee.
“I likes what I likes.” Zack snagged another one of those single servings of vanilla flavored creamers. This was his third. “You ever try one?”
Alex shook his head, sipping his coffee black, strong, and hot. “Hell no. I like the real stuff.”
Zack grunted, then turned to Mark. “I stopped by the hospital. Kelsey said you guys would probably be here. Libby’s looking better.”
“Is she awake?” Mark straightened in his chair.
“No, but she’s not so gray today. Kelsey was reading to her.”
Mark blew out a big sigh. He needed to get back to Libby’s bedside, but something else nagged at him. “Who was this Kensington fellow, Boss? It sure sounded like you knew him.”
“A mistake.” Alex grunted.
“Why’s that?”
Zack shot Mark a look. “Rod was a screw-up from the get go. You’ve seen plenty of them in the Corps. Macho boneheads with a gun. That’s all he was.”
Mark nodded. He knew the type. Armed and stupid in uniform were never a good combination. That he had used a sword to personally commit his atrocities only made him that much more evil.
“The problem started when I sent him on a simple op to Afghanistan.” Alex sipped his coffee. “All he had to do was watch a couple caves northeast of Bagram. He stopped checking in three days after he got there. Then he sent bad intel to the Air Force.”
“He liked the dope, huh?” Mark asked. He’d seen the signs. Rod was a user.
Zack nodded even as he stuffed a forkful of pancakes into his mouth.
“That wasn’t the worst of it,” Alex said. “I missed something when I hired him. Not going to make that mistake again. Now I look my men in the eye like I did with you.”
That explained a lot. Murphy had been the one who originally approached Mark while he was still in the Corps, said he was looking for a few good men or some other line of BS like that. The job seemed promising and offered over the top benefits, which made it hard for a man coming home from the war to pass up. All Mark had to do was show up and, if he passed muster, the job was his. When he did show up, Alex hadn’t even bothered to shake Mark’s hand. No nice to meet you, thanks for stopping by, nothing. He stood in The TEAM’s open bay like he had other places to be and barked, “What’s the right time to take a kill shot?”
Mark hadn’t thought twice. It was the dumbest question he had ever heard. He’d hoped he had kept the insolence out of his voice when he gave his one word answer to the jerk asking. “Never.”
At that point, Alex had walked out, leaving Mark wondering what the hell had just happened. The only thing that told him he’d passed muster was the twinkle in old man Murphy’s eye.
“Kensington enjoyed the killing,” Alex continued. “He was mean. I don’t want that kind of man around me, much less on my payroll. I’m looking for the kind of guy who’ll look for every last reason not to take the shot. You two know what I mean.”
“And here I thought you hired me for my long-shot record.” Mark smiled. He caught Zack’s wink and silent toast with his coffee cup. There it was again, that brotherhood thing. That family thing.
“Don’t get me wrong. Records are good to know, but I’m only hiring the best men. There’s damn few of them around.”
Mark heard the gentle praise in Alex’s words. His boss might be a hard man to work for, but he was a good man, too. A real good man.
“So why did he go after the Cliftons? Jon wasn’t involved in drugs,” Zack asked.
Alex sighed deeply, his stare piercing Mark. “I’m not one hundred percent sure. Mother is still fighting me on this, but I think Kensington got inside our server. Once he figured out that I had two men in Afghanistan, he decided to play god. It only got better when he discovered some of his dope was buried in your buddy’s coffin, Mark. That put you on his radar, big time.”
Mark’s throat dried up. “He came after Libby because of me?”
“I doubt that.” Alex shook his head. “No way he could have known how you felt about Libby, but I do think that striking Jon’s fiancée and her family was Rod’s way of getting to me. Think about it. He could’ve destroyed this team from the inside out if he’d gotten to you.”
“He almost did. He could’ve—”
“No.” Alex stopped Mark cold. “This kind of a man is predictable. You knew that going in country, or you never would’ve taken those fancy fireworks with you.”
Mark stared at Alex. So many chess moves. So much risk. Yet this man moved through it like he always knew the outcome.
“Besides.” Alex smirked. “I never doubted you. Not for one damn
minute.”
What could he say? There were no words, so Mark simply nodded. Humility swarmed up from his boots. This was why men were willing to follow Alex Stewart into death, maybe even beyond. He was a sonofabitch all right—the very best kind.
“Harley called,” Zack interrupted. “Guess your little surgical strike did not go unnoticed by the folks at Bagram.”
Alex grunted. “I’ll call the commander over there. He’ll understand.”
“The FBI’s happy though.”
Again, Alex grunted, this time Mark, too. Who cared what the FBI thought? He didn’t.
“So when are you going home?” Mark asked.
“When Libby wakes up. Why?” Alex replied.
“Guess I thought someone should be back at the office, that’s all.”
“Not your problem. Mother and Ember will call if they need anything. Right now, they’re just glad we got to Libby in time.”
“Yeah, about that.” Mark cleared his throat. “Thanks.”
“No thanks needed.”
Zack dragged his napkin over his mouth and settled back into his chair. “What did you think? We’d let you run off and save the girl all by yourself?”
Mark shook his head, but yeah. That fear had crossed his mind. He’d been alone too long, always fighting uphill battles by himself. The Corps had been the closest thing to a family since his mother died. The TEAM? Not so much until now.
“What’s really going on?” Piercing blues stabbed Mark with their x-ray vision.
Mark hesitated. Something else needed to be said, only not to these guys. This was tough. Every instinct told him to get his butt back to Libby’s side, and yet, Jon’s voice nagged at him from beyond the grave.
“I have to visit a friend. I need a couple hours.”
Alex never blinked. “Do what you need to do. Kelsey loves sitting with Libby. You know that. Zack and I will go keep them company. Heck, we might even see Murphy and Roy today.”
“We’ll miss you.” Zack shot him an exaggerated smile. “But we’ll manage.”
Mark tossed a couple bills on the table.
Alex tossed them back.
“Get the hell out of here, son.”
Mark (In the Company of Snipers Book 2) Page 24