Unbeatable Love

by KaLyn Cooper

  “Ademir Vasquez, please release Marcus.” Katlin spoke in a conversational tone as she leveled the gun to his captor’s head. “It’s over. Your perimeter guards are dead. You are surrounded.”

  Out of his peripheral vision, Marcus watched Tori maneuver through the crowd. It was as though he had a sixth sense, able to find her anywhere, instantly.

  “This is Lady Falcon, I can’t seem to get a clear line on him.” Her words sounded as though they were implanted in his brain, but he knew they were coming from his comm unit.

  “Lady Kite here, moving to see if I can get a clear shot.” Lei Lu was obviously looking for a better angle as well, but he couldn’t seem to find her. Perhaps it was because she was so short and tiny.

  “You lie, bitch,” Ademir accused Katlin.

  “Surrender. Now. We have secured the nuclear warheads,” Katlin announced to the assembled group. Low mumbles reverberated as gazes turned from Katlin to Ademir. His followers were getting restless.

  “That’s bullshit,” the leader retorted.

  Katlin’s gun never wavered, nor did her gaze wander. She didn’t give away a hint of what was happening all around them.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Marcus watched Tori weave through the crowd until he couldn’t see her anymore. He didn’t dare turn his head to look at her.

  Marcus wasn’t worried in the least about her skill. Tori was the team’s sniper and the best shot with any weapon. His woman was going to save them.

  “Damn it. This is Lady Falcon. The crowd keeps shifting so I can’t get a clear shot. Keep stalling.”

  Katlin’s head shook slowly side to side. “Ademir, did you really think that you could steal all those nuclear warheads from the United States, and we wouldn’t come after you?”

  “As they say in America, possession is nine-tenths of the law. They are now claimed and protected by the El Salvador Army.” Ademir sounded smug.

  Marcus just wanted to turn around and beat the shit out of him for being an idiot. He hadn’t fought back during his initiation because others would have jumped in to assist Ademir

  Katlin cocked her head and feigned pondering. “When was the last time you talked to your brother, Eduardo? Yesterday? Or was it the day before?”

  Ademir’s entire body stiffened. “Why should you care when I talk to my brother?”

  The grin Katlin gave him was not friendly. “He couldn’t have answered the phone anyway. Eduardo is a little tied up right now, trying to figure out how he’s going to get out of charges of treason. Which reminds me, as a citizen of the United States, and of El Salvador, if you think you’re going to use your dual citizenship to keep your lousy ass out of an El Salvadoran prison, you’re wrong. But, if you release Marcus right this minute, I’ll put in a good word for you and maybe, just maybe, the U.S. may decide to try you there first. Our prisons are much nicer than the ones here.”

  “I’m not going to fucking jail anywhere.” Marcus could feel Ademir’s head jerk as he took in his followers. “Salvador libre,” he shouted, then repeated, “Salvador libre. This is my destiny. I will unite this entire region into a world power. We will build deep water ports and attract visitors from all over the world, spending their money in our restaurants and casinos. Salvador libre.” Those surrounding him did not join in the familiar cry.

  “Lady Falcon is in position.” Tori said the magical words.

  “Lady Kite is in position.”

  Two of them with a clear shot. Marcus couldn’t hope for anything better. The worst that could happen is he’d get splattered with gray matter. Brains and guts could be washed off.

  “Ademir, put the gun down. Let Marcus go. It’s over.” Katlin sounded sincere, as though she really wanted the man to give up.

  “Dad, please,” his son begged from the side. “It’s over.”

  Ademir turned his head, then swung the gun in his son’s direction.

  Marcus turned to see Tori with her gun pointed directly at the crazy leader’s head.

  “You fucking bitch,” Ademir snarled.

  Marcus tried to jerk out of the man’s iron grip but was unable to move him the slightest. He watched Ademir squeeze the trigger as though in slow motion. The report of the shot filled the building with deafening sound. His gaze flew to Tori, who had pulled the trigger at the same time.

  Ademir fell to the floor.

  Marcus whipped out of his grip and glanced down to be sure he was dead. There was a hole in his forehead just above his nose. Blood pooled at the back his head.

  Forcing his gaze away from the sickening sight, Marcus watched Tori take a step backward and crumble to the floor. Blood covered one side of her face.

  He didn’t remember sprinting across the distance. He was on his knees next to the woman he loved.

  He ignored the pandemonium surrounding him as the Ladies of Black Swan and the men from Guardian Elite started handcuffing people.

  Marcus knew he had to immediately find the bullet hole and stop the bleeding. Tori couldn’t die. He gently picked up her head and ran his fingers through her soft curls, looking for the headshot he didn’t want to find. Her face was covered in blood with more oozing from some hidden spot.

  He ignored the tears running down his cheeks as they splattered onto her beautiful face, thinning the red blood that welled up somewhere beneath her hair.

  As his fingers probed the back of her head, he let out a long slow breath realizing it was whole. He couldn’t stop his glance toward Ademir, who had lost the back half of his skull as the bullet exited.

  He closed his eyes and shook his head as though to erase the vision. When he opened them again, all he saw was Tori’s face.

  “Don’t you dare die on me.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. “We haven’t had our us, and you promised me an us. Tori, I love you. I couldn’t handle losing you.”

  “Get the fuck out of my way,” Nita ordered. “You can give her all those sweet words after I’m done.”

  “I’m not leaving her.” Marcus was resolved to stay by her side until he could tell her that he loved her. Needed her in his life forever…and she was awake to hear and understand every word.

  Nita ran her hands quickly over Tori’s body looking for injuries. She seemed to immediately find the source of the bleeding. “Head wounds bleed like a son of a bitch.” Over her shoulder she yelled, “I need fresh, clean water.”

  Within seconds several people were handing her bottled water. “Open those and hand them to me one at a time,” she demanded. Marcus would do anything to help make Tori better. Nita used the water to rinse the blood away from Tori’s scalp so she could see exactly what the bullet did. Turning, Nita dug in her bag and came out with something that looked like a thick tablet.

  She held it over Tori’s head. Marcus had never seen anything like the real time x-ray. He heard several clicks as though it were taking pictures. Nita pulled the tablet closer to her then expanded the pictures.

  “Sitrep,” Katlin commanded.

  “It looks as though the bullet grazed her,” Nita explained. “I don’t see any cracks or breakage of the skull, but you know how preliminary this image is. She’s going to have one hell of a concussion, so we’ll need to watch her for the next twenty-four hours.”

  “I’ll take care of her,” Marcus insisted.

  Nita exposed the small groove on one side of Tori’s head. “The speed of the bullet cauterized the skin so it’s more like a burn. I could try to stitch it together but I’d rather a plastic surgeon take a look at it. For now, I’m going to stop the bleeding and keep it clean. We need to get her back to D.C. as soon as possible.”

  She poured several more bottles of water over the bleeding area before she soaked a sterile cloth and handed it to Marcus. “Use this to clean her up. If she wakes up and finds blood all over her face, she’ll have a shit-fit.”

  “Should we try to wake her up?” Marcus was afraid she’d been out quite a while, maybe too long.

  Nita held up s
omething in a bottle. “If she doesn’t wake up when I put this on the abrasion, we’ll consider other methods. You got her face all cleaned?”

  Marcus had taken his time and wiped every drop of blood off her stunning face. “Yes. Although she still has some blood in her hair and on her clothes.”

  “She can deal with those later.” Nita looked up at him. “This is going to hurt her a lot more than it hurts me.” She quickly painted the clear liquid onto the bullet wound.

  “Jesus Christ, fatherfucker, that hurts.” Tori tried to sit up, but Nita and Marcus shoved her back down. “What the fuck happened?”

  “You got shot, again.” Nita held up three fingers in front of Tori’s eyes. “How many?”

  Tori blinked then closed her eyes. “My head hurts like it wants to explode.”

  “Look at my fingers, Lady Falcon.” Nita’s voice was firm. “Open your goddamn eyes and tell me how many fingers I’m holding up.”

  “Three.”

  “Follow my finger.” Nita went through several other tests for concussion. “We need to get you out of here.

  “I’m not going to argue with that.” She finally returned her gaze toward Marcus. “Take me home and put me to bed.” She reached her hand up and touched his eye, which was already swelling. “Did Lady Harrier check you over?”

  “Not yet. You were my first priority.” Nita glanced up at him. “You look like a bare-fisted boxer who lost.”

  He tried to grin, but his lips were swelling. “That’s appropriate, I feel like a punching bag.”

  “Lay down,” Nita ordered. Grabbing the tablet, she asked, “Let’s start with bones. Any broken?”

  Marcus thought perhaps he may have cracked a rib or two, but he didn’t think they were displaced. Ten minutes later, Nita showed him a picture of two cracked ribs.

  “You’ve been through this before. Lots of ice packs. Limited activity.” She then glanced back and forth between him and Tori. “At least one week before sex.”

  Both of them groaned.

  “Medic,” came a yell from across the room.

  “Gotta run.” Nita stood. “Take care of her, Marcus.” She gave him a small smile. “I’m not just talking about the next few days.”

  Ignoring everything and everyone around them, Marcus pulled Tori into his lap and held her tight. He needed the reassurance that she was alive and breathing.

  “I thought I’d lost you.” His words shook with the mere thought of what could’ve happened to her.

  “Oh, Marcus, I’m so sorry.” She quivered, but inside he quaked. Now that this mission was over, she was going to end their budding relationship. He was such a fool to believe that this amazing woman had wanted him for more than convenient sex. Well, if friends with benefits was all that he would ever have from Tori, then he would be thankful she shared that much of herself with him. He could only imagine what he looked like now. His face swollen, already turning shades of deep purple, more broken bones. No woman would want him.

  “Can you ever forgive me?” Her voice broke. “I tried…”

  He was thankful she hadn’t said the words he knew were coming. She had such a good heart and she had tried to love him.

  Tori picked her head off his shoulder and searched his face before she chastely kissed him on the forehead. Her eyes were filled with tears ready to overflow, but she blinked them away and took a deep breath.

  He tried to prepare for the blow that would not just knock him off his feet but would destroy his world.

  “I’m so sorry I couldn’t get to you faster.” The first tear broke over the rim and found its way down her cheek. “I never would’ve left you if I thought they were going to do this to you.” Her soft lips touched the growing bruise over his right eye. “We would eventually have found the warheads.” She brushed her lips over his jaw. “I know you took this beating for me.”

  “Tori, I would die for you. I would do anything to protect you. I love you.” There. He’d told her. This was neither the time nor the place that he had imagined telling the woman he loved exactly how he felt. On the other hand, their lives seemed to be filled with stolen moments.

  She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. He didn’t need to hear the words returned. He would happily take anything she would give him and savor even the smallest gesture.

  Sniffing, she pulled back and faced him. “I was afraid they were going to kill you. I love you, Marcus. I couldn’t handle it if…I’m not going to let you out of my sight from now on.” She touched his swollen lips with hers and kissed him gently.

  When Marcus ended the kiss, Tori’s soft hands cupped his puffy face. Her touch was so light yet filled him with warmth.

  “I love you, and always will. I’m the one who’s never going to let you go.” Tori’s words filled his heart completely with her love.

  “Ladies, we’re moving out.” Katlin’s voice came through his ear bud loud and clear. “Black Swan teams one and two, we need to be gone before the El Salvador Army arrives.”

  Tori tried to get up, but Marcus stood with her draped over his arms. He winced but held her tight. “You are staying right there. Lay your head on my shoulder.”

  “You’re kind of bossy,” she quipped but laid her head down. “I think I like this side of you.” She hesitated only a moment, then added, “Nope. I love every side of you.”

  Epilogue

  “I told you two you had to wait one week before you had sex.” Nita stood in front of Marcus and Tori with her fists on her hips.

  “We considered that a suggestion, not an order.” Tori gave her friend an eat-shit-and-die grin.

  “It’s only been three days since you were shot.” Nita didn’t need to remind Tori. Her head still throbbed, but her need for Marcus was off the charts.

  Everyone involved in the nuclear warhead mission were gathered at Katlin’s condo in Washington D.C. Once again, Katlin had outdone herself with an absolute fabulous meal. Stuffed to the gills, sipping wonderful wine and drinking craft beer, both Black Swan teams, and the men from Guardian Elite were lounging around in the large living room.

  Suddenly a thought struck Tori. “Did the Deltas get princess out? Are they still in El Salvador dealing with the warheads?”

  “Yes, and yes.” Lei Lu gave the group a coy smile. “I might have peaked into some classified files.”

  Katlin shook her head, smiling. “If General Lyon finds out you were in SOCOM’s files, it’s your ass on the line, not mine.”

  “You know me better than that. I don’t leave a trace.” She shrugged. “Besides, I’m not going to be able to do this special operations shit all my life. I can, though, utilize my computer skills forever.”

  Tori hadn’t thought about any life beyond tomorrow. As Marcus snuggled her into his side, the first time she wondered how much longer she would continue her active duty service. She still had another two years on her contract and was sure they would tempt her with the rank of major. But what if she got out? She’d think about that later. For now, she would just enjoy her time with Marcus, Black Swan team one, and whatever missions come their way.

  “Back to your question, Tori, Christela is home safe and sound with her father, Cesar. Now, I didn’t get this part from government files, but I did happen to find out that grandpapa Osmin had asked Christela to go undercover in SV-16 to try to find out who was behind the grandiose plan. Grandpapa had assigned Carlos Gomez as her body guard but we know what happened to him. In case anyone wants to know, Eduardo didn’t last long in the El Salvador Army jail. He got shot trying to escape.” Lei Lu lifted one shoulder. “It seems his Colonel didn’t like traitors. Imagine that.”

  Alex pulled Katlin into his lap as she walked by. “Out of curiosity, how are they moving the warheads back to the U.S.?”

  Lei Lu gave him a smile that said I have that answer, too. “You’re going to love this one. They used the same trucks that carried the warheads from the port to Santa Ana. They were loaded on a U.S. Navy ship, ha
ndled only by the Navy crew, personally overseen by the ship’s captain. They are currently on their way back to Kings Bay, Georgia, their original destination.”

  “Any other questions where I can demonstrate my brilliance?” Lei Lu asked of the group.

  “Another job well done,” Katlin declared.

  Tori stood up. “And on that complement to everyone, I’m going to go home and rest my aching head.” She held her hand out to Marcus. “Get me home and take me to bed.”

  “We are running at six o’clock in the morning,” Katlin announced as more people stood to leave. “Black Swan team two, you’re welcome to run with us.”

  “I wish we could, but we have training tomorrow at Langley.” Kayla sashayed across the floor to Jonathan and ran her hand down his chest flirtatiously. “We’re studying subduction techniques.”

  Jonathan grabbed her wrist and lifted it off his belt buckle. “Sweetheart, I think the lessons are working. But I’m going to go back to my room at Guardian Security D.C. Center and call my wife. Looking forward to being home tomorrow.” He looked over the other Guardian Elite men. “You ready to roll?”

  “Jonathan, you know I didn’t mean to truly tease you.” Her apology was sincere. “It’s part of our training. Please note that when we work together, I am completely professional.”

  He laughed heartily. “Kayla, I know you are a professional. About fifty hours ago I watched you hurtle a twelve-foot fence topped with concertina wire then cut the throats of three terrorist guards. Trust me, lieutenant, I am well aware of your professional skills. If you want to know the truth, as a woman, you scare the fuck out of me. You can have my six in the day. It’s been a pleasure working with you and your team. I’m sure we’ll see other again. Good hunting.”

  Alex rose and shook the hands of his men as they left. The announcement that he was going to spend the night there, with Katlin, went unspoken.

  Nita grabbed Daniel’s hand. “If we hurry, we can be home in time to tuck the kids in bed.” As they passed Tori and Marcus, she reminded her teammate, “No PT for five more days. I’m serious about that one.”