by Sofia Grey
“Are they your guys?” Yanni murmured to Maria.
Were they police? Aiden’s people? Friends of Jack? Or bad guys? “Fuck. I don’t know.”
The two men stepped forward, moving apart, to flank Maria and Yanni. “Summerton, IG-6.” The tall guy held up an ID card.
It could have said anything. He could be holding up his driving licence, for all Maria knew. She hesitated. IG-6. Were they something to do with Aiden? Summerton had a crisp English accent, like Aiden. He didn’t look or sound Russian, but she didn’t know.
Yanni looked at her, his eyes glittering. “Let’s do our thing.” It was a whisper, intended only for her. Sliding his arm securely around Maria, he moved so she blocked his body, raising his gun to press it into her throat. “Take one step closer,” he said aloud, “and she dies.”
*
“He has a gun on her. Stay back.” The message in Jack’s ear came from Ash.
Tanner and Jack stood on the edge of the car park, watching helplessly as Yanni threatened Maria, using her as a pawn for his own miserable skin.
“Fuck that,” snarled Tanner.
Jack grabbed his arm, but Tanner shrugged him off.
“He’s pulled a gun.” Juli’s voice was frantic over the radio.
“Yeah,” Tanner replied. “I’m gonna loop around and take him from behind.”
“No. It’s the biker. The biker’s pulled a gun,” said Juli. “Watch out.”
Fuck. The biker had taken up a position on a patch of rough grass overlooking the harbour. He had a different angle on Maria and Yanni, and it was quite possible that Summerton and Ash hadn’t seen him yet.
All three groups were in a line. The biker at the bottom, Maria and Yanni in the middle, and Summerton and Ash directly on their other side.
Jack and Tanner were too far away, and with too many holidaymakers between them, to take a viable shot.
*
The IG-6 guys paused at Yanni’s warning, but their guns were still aimed in Maria’s direction. Yanni nudged her, and together they inched crab-like along the path, heading towards the dock.
The bang nearby was loud.
Did Aiden’s guys open fire on Yanni?
Maria didn’t have time to be scared. Self-preservation instincts cut in. The two possible-agents dropped to the ground, their focus behind Maria and Yanni.
Okay, so it wasn’t them. Yanni’s grunt of pain as he staggered to the side confirmed it. Someone had fired on them from behind.
“Come on,” Yanni yelled at her. Ignoring the two strangers, he hauled her down the path, running fast, with blood trailing from his leg. “Hurry.”
She ran with him, ducking her head. Another bullet whistled past them. This guy meant business. Where was Tanner when she needed him?
The young guys with the boat got in their way again. Yanni and Maria charged through them, as another bullet hissed past and destroyed a crate of beer.
The rain lashed down, and the path was slippery underfoot. Maria was beyond terrified. The kids shouted, and someone yelled in the near distance.
“Keep going.” Yanni’s command was rough, and Maria felt him slowing, his feet stumbling on the wet stones.
They were nearly at his boat. Only a few yards to go. Would they make it? Her heart pounded so hard she felt sick. What were the chances of them escaping?
“Put your weapon down and your hands up. You’re surrounded by armed police.”
Maria looked up, to see a police cruiser a few boats away. Three armed police officers were pointing guns at them. Holy shit, there was nowhere to go. But at least this was the police. The plan might work.
“Show time.” Yanni relaxed his hold on her. “Make it look good.” He pressed the briefest of kisses on the back of her neck.
Taking a gulp of air, she dragged the pistol from his hand and spun around, making it look as though she fought him off. As though she tried to escape.
With the police, the Russian biker-assassin, and the two possible-agents watching, Maria shot Yanni.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Three shots at close range.
Aimed at his chest.
*
Juli watched, frozen, as the biker opened fire. Her directions across the radio meant Jack and the others were okay, but Yanni was hit in the leg. He stumbled to the side, then took off, still hanging onto Maria.
Tears poured down Juli’s cheeks, as she watched Yanni drag Maria along, ignoring the gunfire around him. Summerton and Ash returned fire on the biker, which meant Maria had a moment of respite.
Or not. Summerton was down, Ash crouching low over him.
Tanner ran full pelt across the road, heading for the biker, Jack right behind him.
And then, when it looked as though they were surrounded, Maria broke free.
Juli gazed open mouthed, as Maria shot Yanni. Three times.
A vivid red stain bloomed and spread across his chest.
His body slumped. He staggered back and toppled over the edge into the water.
Maria stood alone on the dock.
Juli’s hands shook. “Did you all see that?” she managed to whisper.
It was over. Yanni was down. Maria was free.
Juli sat back in her seat, aware of Charlie and Daisy, watching silently next to her.
Maria killed Yanni.
Juli had trusted him. She and Maria planned to help him escape. He must have done something terrible for this to happen. Her mind raced in tiny circles. What must have happened to Maria, for her to do this?
The police were tying up their boat to the dock. Any minute now, and Maria would be taken into their safe keeping, while they fished Yanni’s body out of the water.
Juli closed her eyes. She couldn’t watch that.
Daisy’s gasp caught her attention.
Christ. She’d forgotten the biker. He fired his gun again—at Maria.
*
Maria bent down and placed the gun on the dock. She kicked it away into a puddle, before standing up to face the police, and raising her hands. The rain continued. Her hair was plastered to her face, chilled drips working their way down her spine. She’d be glad to go inside and get dry clothes on. She stepped toward the police boat, more than ready to surrender.
Pain jolted her leg. What the…?
Did the police shoot her? No, she was looking at them. She’d have seen them use their weapons.
It fucking hurt.
Her leg folded beneath her, and she stumbled, trying to stay upright.
There was another jolt in her chest—a sting like a hundred wasps.
No. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t part of the plan.
Her leg gave way completely, and more searing pain tore through her shoulder. Pain, dark and hungry, ripped across her body. Crying out was too much. There was a single moment of clarity, as she watched her blood spraying out.
Christ. That really fucking hurt.
Someone was screaming. It sounded far away, as though from the depths of a long tunnel. Maria couldn’t move. She lay helpless on the dock, her face cold against the wet stones. If he fired again, she was dead.
This was it. She was going to die.
Maria braced herself for the next shot, hardly caring whether it came or not. This hurt so much, dying had to be better.
A splash next to her. A wet body covering hers.
“Shush. I’ve got you.”
*
“No.” Juli howled down the comm system. No, no, no, no. Please, God. No.
Tanner sprinted forward, ignoring the biker gunman, but it was too late. Maria lay on the dock, a pool of blood spreading across the stones.
Daisy sobbed quietly.
Juli couldn’t watch any more.
“He’s not dead.” Charlie whispered at her side.
What? Who? Juli looked up, to see Yanni hauling himself out of the water and covering Maria’s lifeless body, shielding her from the gunman.
Were they hallucinating?
&nb
sp; No. This was real. The gunman fired again. Blood arced into the air, this time from Yanni.
Juli couldn’t speak. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t make any sense of what she saw.
*
The biker stuffed the gun into his backpack and scrambled onto his bike, just as someone—either Aiden or Davey—blew his tyres out.
Jack left the other two restraining the biker, and ran along the dock, splashing through the puddles, and chasing after Tanner.
What the hell just happened? Maria shot Yanni three times; they all heard the shots. They saw him fall. And yet he managed to drag himself back out of the water to protect her, quite possibly saving her life.
Jack dropped to his knees next to Tanner.
Blood poured from Yanni’s leg and back, a police officer working on him, while Tanner desperately tried to stem Maria’s bleeding.
There was so much blood. It spread out in lazy circles across the stones, swirling into the rainwater and soaking their clothes.
“Maria Sanchez, don’t you dare quit on me,” said Tanner. “You hear me?”
It was chaos. Sirens approached, and police swarmed over the docks. Aiden and his guys were yelling instructions, and Juli was talking in his ear, her voice increasingly urgent.
“Is Maria okay?” she asked. “Jack? Tanner? Is she okay?”
Tanner’s face was white, his lips a thin, tight line, his eyes huge and dark. “Come on, Maria. Stay with me. Maria, baby.” He crooned her name, resting her head in his lap. Shielding her from the worst of the rain.
“We don’t know yet.”
*
Through a veil of fog and pain, Maria heard a voice calling her name. It didn’t sound like Yanni. She didn’t want to open her eyes and let the pain swamp her again. It hurt too much.
The voice became insistent.
She cracked her eyes open. God, that hurt.
Tanner stared at her, his eyes wet.
She opened her mouth and forced her leaden tongue to move. Everything took an immense effort. Did she have the energy for this?
Her brain processed it again. This was Tanner. Tanner.
“You came.” It was supposed to be a joyful cry. It came out a faint whisper.
His mouth wobbled. Was he holding her? Yes. He cradled her head, one hand brushing the hair away from her face. “Yeah, Sweet-Cheeks. Look at what happens when I leave you on your own.”
“Don’t call me Sweet-Cheeks.” Did she say that aloud? She was shivering now—so hard. Separate fires raged in her leg and her shoulder. She wanted to go to sleep, but Tanner was talking to her, his voice intoxicating.
“Hang in there for me.”
She sighed, her eyelids drooping.
“Don’t go to sleep, Maria. The ambulance is on its way. Stay with me, baby.”
She swallowed. There was something she had to tell him. Something to do with Yanni. What was it?
Tanner was still talking. “I love you, Maria. You’re not leaving me. I won’t let you.”
She wanted to laugh with the irony of it. These were the words she longed to hear, but when every breath felt like lava boiling in her lungs, speech was next to impossible.
Tanner’s face was only inches away, those delicious lips almost close enough to reach. She summoned every last ounce of energy and hissed through the agony as she pushed up to close the gap.
If she was going to die here, she wanted her last sensation to be kissing the man she loved.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jack was exhausted. There was nothing more he could do here, apart from holding Juli. Maria was on her way to the hospital with Tanner at her side, and Yanni was in a separate ambulance, under armed guard. Summerton just had a flesh wound. He was lucky.
Much as he wanted to sit down and sleep, there was something Jack had to do first. He went back to the van, to find Daisy and Charlie. “We’re going to be here a while longer,” he told them. “I’ve called Alex and asked him to come pick you up.”
Daisy wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight. “Thank you, Jack. You rescued me. I won’t ever forget that.”
He laughed softly, and then released her. “We’re all good. We just need to figure out what to do with Irina, but she’s safe, and that’s the important thing. Aiden gave me an update on Nathan for you. The police found him a short distance from the van. He’d lost a lot of blood and was concussed, but he’s in the hospital now. He should be okay.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. She looked overcome.
“Hey.” Charlie enfolded her in his arms. “Don’t cry, babe. It’s all over.” He spoke to Jack. “I can’t thank you enough for bringing Daisy back safely. I know we’ve had our differences, but thanks.”
As soon as Jack and Juli could leave the scene, they made their way to Bangor Hospital. Aiden and Davey went with them. As yet, there was no word on either Maria’s or Yanni’s condition.
They caught up with Tanner as he waited for Maria to come out of surgery. The relief on his face was heart-warming. “They’re stitching her up now. She’s gonna be fine. No major organs damaged, and the bullets came out cleanly.”
“Thank God.” Juli sat in the nearest chair and sunk her head into her hands.
Yeah, that was how Jack felt. “What’s happening with Yanni?”
Tanner pulled a face. “Not so good. He took a bullet near the base of his spine, and it’s a little tricky to remove. They sounded positive, though.”
Juli’s head shot up, a look of horror flashing over her face. “In his spine?”
“Near his spine,” corrected Tanner. “They have a specialist operating on him. We’ll know more within the hour.”
“That bullet was meant for Maria.” Juli’s face was paper-white. “If he hadn’t been in the way…”
“I know.” Tanner looked uncomfortable. “And we need to talk to Maria when she wakes up. This isn’t how it looks.”
Too many days with not much sleep. Weariness stole over Jack, and he fought back a yawn as he sat down. “No shit. How the fuck did Yanni come back to save her?”
“They gave Maria pain relief on the way here, and she started babbling. And get this.” He bit the words out. “He claims to have been working with Rico. With him.”
Jack stared, a disbelieving smirk falling into place. “You’re shitting me.”
“Nu-huh.” He shook his head. “So, like I said, add in the weird phone calls from Maria, and it starts making sense. I’ve been going over it in my head, waiting here. The reference to Lucky? She wanted to fake Yanni’s death.” Tanner huffed a sigh. “I think they staged the whole thing, apart from the Russian gunman. When Maria supposedly shot Yanni, she used blanks. They were both wearing Kevlar vests. And the blood on Yanni’s chest? Red paint, from one of those paintball pellets.”
“Why bring Rico into this? Sure it wasn’t just the pain meds kicking in?”
“Yanni gave her names. Stuff he can’t have known without getting it from one of us.”
“Like what?”
Tanner’s gaze flicked to Juli, then across the room, to Aiden and Davey, who also watched the discussion.
“The ambush at Nasiriya.” Tanner paused. “What happened to Sayed. And our freaking names. He knew Rico called you Donny and me Bones.”
Jack’s head was spinning. “We only ever used those names with Rico. Everyone else called us O’Donnell and Tanner.”
“I know.” Tanner stared out of the window for a long moment, before he spoke again. “Much as it pains me to say it, we need to give Yanni the benefit of the doubt. We have to at least talk to him, before Aiden’s guys drag him off in chains.”
*
Maria felt pressure on her hand. With her eyes closed, she tentatively stretched her fingers, trying to work out what was clamped around them. It was warm and firm, and it squeezed as soon as she moved.
Startled, she cranked her eyes open a notch. Her lids were crusty and heavy. It took effort to let the light in. To let the world back in. C
hrist, it hurt. As she absorbed the twin sensations of daylight on her face and somebody’s hand in hers, she tried to breathe through the pain.
“Hey, Sweet-Cheeks. How do you feel?”
She closed her eyes again. Tanner. She couldn’t hold back her smile. “I told you, don’t call me Sweet-Cheeks.” It came out as a raspy whisper, but he laughed softly. Warm lips brushed across her knuckles.
“Right now, I can call you anything I like. There’s no way you’d catch me.”
She opened her eyes all the way this time. Tanner’s lovely face swam into focus. His lips pressed against her hand again, his eyes softer than she’d ever seen them. Was that a tear, oozing out of one corner?
She stared, amazed, and sought her voice again. Nope. It was missing. She’d have to whisper. “Are you crying, Tough Guy?”
There was a long pause, then his glorious smile appeared. She could see the ocean in his eyes. Feel the heat radiating out of him.
“If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I swear I’ll put you over my knee,” he said.
Her heart sank. He was back in big-brother-mode. She gazed at the bed and tried to focus on something else, to stop her own tears from appearing.
Shaking her head sent a ripple of pain down through her neck. She stiffened and sucked back a whimper.
He kissed her fingers again. “Here’s the button for another dose of morphine. Press it when you’re ready. And there’s something I need to say.”
Her thoughts were muddled. She wanted to stop him. She preferred the fantasy Tanner, rather than the real one, if he didn’t want her the way she wanted him.
“In case you didn’t hear me earlier, I love you, Maria. I’ve loved you for years. I can’t ever be good enough for you, but I wanna try. Coming this close to losing you, man, I’ve had my head stuck up my ass. It’s long overdue, baby, but I’m sorry,” said Tanner. “I’ve been a jerk. I will take you out for that fancy dinner I promised you. Just as soon as you can get outta here and get some clothes on, instead of that paper gown.”