Sweet Hart

by Rae Marks

  “Target’s on the move,” Max said when he picked up the phone.

  “Where’s he going?”

  “He ran to a coffee shop around the corner. He’s on his way back to you.”

  “Thanks, Sin. I owe you about a million after this adventure.”

  “Just get home safe and we’ll call it even.”

  “Not even close,” Bray said before disconnecting the call.

  Bray had the hood of his sweatshirt pulled low over his head. He wasn’t sure if any of Mase’s associates also lived in the building, so he wanted to stay under the radar. His brother rounded the corner, a cup of coffee in one hand and a bag in the other. Bray pulled back his hood just enough that Mase saw his face.

  Mase’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but before he could do or say anything else, Bray’s gaze slid over his shoulder to the familiar man trailing behind him, the man who was reaching under his jacket. Bray had distracted Mase or he probably would have been more aware.

  Without a word, Bray crouched low as he ran forward. He pushed Mase out of the way just as the quiet pfft of the suppressed round broke the silence of the early morning. Bray’s left shoulder exploded in pain and he tumbled to the ground.

  He scooted himself until his back pressed against apartment building and looked up to see the man, Fed-something, aim his gun at Mase. Groaning and pretending to writhe in pain, Bray reached around his back and wrapped his hand around the butt of his gun.

  “Why am I not surprised, Fedir?” Mase said.

  “Wait until I tell Andreiko who helped steal back Wheeler’s little fag.”

  Bray didn’t know how high he was going to be able to raise his right arm, because the pain from his left shoulder radiated across his chest, but he lifted it as much as he could and squeezed the trigger.

  As soon as Fedir crumbled to the ground, Mase threw his coffee and breakfast into the street and pulled his weapon. He took Fedir’s weapon, shot three more suppressed rounds and Fedir was dead.

  “Bray. What the actual fuck?”

  Bray opened his mouth. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he’d planned to say once he had Mase’s undivided attention. All that came out was a groan.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Mase chanted as he pulled Bray up and wrapped his good arm around his neck. “You were pre-med, right? Was anything valuable hit?”

  Bray’s head was swimming, his vision a little blurry, but somehow he realized that Mase shouldn’t know what his major had been in college. He wouldn’t know unless…

  “Mase,” was all Bray was able to get out before emotion clogged his throat.

  Mase must have taken emotion for pain, because he lifted Bray completely off the ground and started running. He set Bray in the back of a car. Bray groaned at every turned corner. The ride seemed to last forever and yet he couldn’t pull up the words he wanted to say. The pain was too sharp.

  * * * *

  When he woke up, he was alone in a hospital bed. Everything came flooding back and Bray reached up to touch his shoulder. His left arm was in a sling. The pain wasn’t bad, but they probably had him shot up with all kinds of painkillers. He slid off the bed. When his legs supported his weight, he walked slowly to the only other piece of furniture in the room, a wardrobe.

  His pants were there and a shirt that he didn’t recognize but would probably fit him. A plastic bag was hanging from a hook. Bray pulled it down and looked inside. His gun was gone but the burner phone was there, along with his socks and shoes. Only having one usable arm, Bray set the bag on a tray near the bed and dug out the phone.

  First, he checked the time, ten-fourteen a.m. Next, he texted Max that he was alive. Of course, Max texted back that he knew it and he wasn’t happy Bray had been careless enough to get shot. Bray snorted at his friend’s response as he settled back in the bed.

  When the door to his room opened, Bray tucked his phone under his pillow. He didn’t know who he could trust. A nurse walked in and tutted that he was sitting up in bed. At least that was what he thought she was upset about, since she was speaking Ukrainian, and gently but firmly pushed him back until he was lying on the pillow. Bray tried to explain that he didn’t speak Ukrainian.

  “Doctor come,” she said with a thick accent. “He speak.”

  Bray hoped she meant the doctor spoke English. He didn’t have much time to worry about it, because the door opened again. In walked a man in scrubs. He was wearing a surgical cap and mask, but as soon as Bray saw his eyes, he gripped the nurse’s arm.

  Chapter Thirty

  Sam

  Sam was driving like a bat out of hell when he got an alert on his phone. The vibration caused his pulse to quicken. Even as he sped through the streets at Kozak’s direction, he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

  His heart seized in his chest when he saw the notification. There had been a security breach at the safe house. His first thought should have been for Ax’s safety. Ax was his teammate.

  His wayward mind went directly to the man he’d known less than a week. He could tell himself that it was because if anyone were in danger, it was Bray, but it would be a lie. He cared about the kid. He cared a lot more than he was comfortable with.

  “Here,” Kozak said.

  Sam made a quick right to where Kozak was pointing. He pulled in, parked and looked up at the sign over the door.

  “A veterinarian?”

  “She’s saved my life more than once,” Kozak said as he struggled to open the door.

  “I’ll come help you.”

  Sam jumped out of the car and dialed Ax as he ran around the hood. Every ring that went unanswered had Sam wanting to dump Kozak on the doorstep and get back to the safe house. Finally, when the young veterinarian rushed Kozak into some back room, Sam had a chance to call again.

  “He ran,” Ax panted when he answered.

  “Bray? Bray ran?”

  “Fucking kid. I thought he was asleep, but apparently he was just biding his time. I literally went to take a piss and came out to the alarm going off.”

  “Did you catch him?”

  “No. There was a car waiting on him. He jumped in and they took off. I don’t exactly have a car to give chase.”

  “Fuck. I’ll…” Sam had his hand on the door when he remembered Kozak.

  The man was severely injured and unprotected. Bray, on the other hand, had made his own mess. Not that Kozak hadn’t as well, but Kozak was actually Sam’s job. Bray was just… Bray was a huge distraction.

  “I’m not exactly in a position to go chasing after him either. A lot’s going down right now,” Sam said. “I have a pretty good idea where he’s going.”

  “We both do, but it’s not like we can just call Mase up and warn him.”

  “Let me see if his friend can find him.”

  “Find him? His friend probably made all the arrangements.”

  Sam snorted his agreement and disconnected the call. He had never felt so torn in his life. They’d invested years in getting to this place with Kozak’s organization. He’d saved Kozak, but others who were loyal to Andreiko and even Bagan’s men might know exactly where Kozak would go if he was hurt.

  Soon, more men would show up at that compound. They’d find Andreiko and his men’s bodies. They’d see evidence of other people coming and going. They might come looking for Kozak to protect him or to kill him while he was vulnerable.

  Bray was being reckless, and this time Sam couldn’t afford to drop everything and save him. As much as he wanted to protect the little shit, he also had to stop chasing him down. There was someone who might be able to give him a little peace of mind.

  “It wasn’t my idea,” Sin said as soon as he picked up.

  “So you did order the car?”

  The only answer was a faint clicking sound of the keys on a keyboard.

  “Tell me he’s all right.”

  “He made it to Mase’s apartment building. I assume they’re talking about now or Bray would have called me to order anoth
er car.”

  “Where would he have gone if Mase had turned him away?”

  “The airport?”

  “With no passport?”

  “I might be able to help him work around that.”

  “Of course.”

  “Look, Sam. The burden’s off your shoulders, okay? He’s a big boy. He’s made it through a few tours. He’s seen combat. He’s not as helpless as you seem to think.”

  “I don’t think he’s helpless, but he’s sure as fuck not prepared for what he’s facing here. It’s much more subtle than in-your-face combat, but just as dangerous. He doesn’t speak the language. He has no money, no ID, no clothes, nothing.”

  “And yet he’s made it this far.”

  “With help,” Sam yelled, then took a deep breath.

  “We all have help. I’m sure somewhere you have some guy just like me keeping track of you. You have backup, you have someone to call if things go to shit and you need a safe place. I’m that for Bray.”

  Sam couldn’t argue any of those points except one.

  “I don’t have anyone on my team who can do the things you do. I’d feel a lot more confident with you watching my six. Maybe that’s why Bray’s overconfident.”

  “I’ll take that as the compliment it was meant to be.”

  Sam didn’t know what else to say. He wanted to tell him to call if Bray needed help, but that was the worst idea in the world. He wished Sin could imbed some sort of tracker under Bray’s skin so he could always be found.

  “Look, Sam. I appreciate you protecting him. He’s always protected me. If you… If you ever need anything, keep this number.”

  “Thanks, Sin. Just watch out for him, all right?”

  “Sure.”

  Sam disconnected the call and stuffed his phone into the pocket of his tactical pants. His clothes would probably invite some questions. He hadn’t planned on confronting anyone but Andreiko.

  After pacing the halls outside the surgery room in the vet’s office for over an hour, Sam’s phone rang. Normally, he would have let it go unanswered, but when he saw it was Mase, he rushed outside, pressed the green button and hoped the conversation wouldn’t be overheard.

  “Is he with you?” Sam asked.

  “Yes and no. We’re at the hospital.”

  “What happened?”

  “He fucking saved my life. I mean, I wouldn’t have been so distracted if I hadn’t seen a hooded guy loitering by my building. When he pulled his hood back and I saw who it was, I froze. Someone was behind me.”

  “Who?”

  “Fedir. Bray shoved me out of the way and took one to the shoulder.”

  Sam felt all the muscles that had been strung tight release and he almost fell to the ground. No wound was a walk in the park, but a shoulder wound was one a soldier could pull through easily.

  He was dizzy with relief. The strength of his reaction made him uneasy. He’d be happy any of his teammates were alive. But the sheer terror he’d felt for that moment and the joy he’d felt when Mase had named the wound was too much. It was all too much and he had no idea what to do with that.

  “What happened?” Sam demanded.

  “I had a crushed coffee cup in one hand and a smushed bagel in the other, so it wasn’t like I could reach for my gun without being obvious. He would have gotten a shot off before my cup hit the ground. Luckily, Fedir chose that moment to gloat instead of shoot. Bray got him in the knee and I took care of the rest.”

  “The knee? What is it with him and shooting people below the waist?”

  “He was on the ground. He just lifted his hand enough to squeeze off a round and distract him.”

  “What’s the damage?” Sam asked.

  “It looked like a clean wound. They’re stitching him up now. I was… I can’t stay here watching over him forever. Can you take over or send Ax?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, Of course. It’ll have to be Ax, though. Andreiko shot Kozak, so I’m standing guard over his surgery room. Andreiko's dead.”

  “Fuck. I should… Just let me have a few minutes with Bray once he wakes up and then I’ll be wherever you need me. It’s my job to watch Kozak.”

  “We’re gonna talk,” Sam said.

  “Dude, we are talking.”

  “No. I mean we’re gonna talk about how you never answered any of your brother’s emails and so he got so desperate to talk to you that he followed me.”

  “Way to pile on the guilt, Magnum. I’m not happy about what happened either, but there’s no one else I’d rather have at his back, y’know? I didn’t know… God, I had no idea he still cared so much.”

  “We’ll talk,” Sam said again.

  There were things Mase needed to face. Some of those things had been out of his control, some not. He needed to take a look at the truth either way.

  “I have to get back. I need to make sure no one gets to him,” Mase said.

  “I’ll send Ax. Text me the hospital and room number. He’ll be there in less than thirty minutes. I’ll make arrangements to get Bray home as well.”

  “Thanks.”

  As soon as he pushed the button to end the call, Sam was dialing another number and planning a way to get Bray safely out of the country.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Brayden

  Mase didn’t pull down his surgical mask, but he said something to the nurse. She nodded and went about taking Bray’s vitals.

  “The bullet went clean through, so there are just some stitches, four in front, six in back.” Mase spoke with a fake Ukrainian accent.

  “So am I free to go?”

  “No. You will be released soon. You have family to come get you?”

  “No. No, I came here alone. I was looking for—” Bray almost said ‘you’ but stopped himself at the last moment, his eyes darting to the nurse.

  “I came looking for my brother,” Bray said instead. “My family situation is complicated. Technically I’m not sure you can call us a family anymore. I mean, I’ve barely spoken to my father in years until recently. My brother Nick and I… I think we’re finally good again. My mom… She’s the reason I’m here.”

  “Here in Ukraine?”

  “No. I meant she’s my rock, the only person who’s never let me down.”

  Bray saw something flicker in his brother’s eyes. Guilt, maybe shame, he wasn’t sure—but that wasn’t what he’d been aiming for. This was all going wrong. The words started to flood out unchecked since he didn’t know how much time he’d have with Mase.

  “My dad gave me my walking papers when I came out. I was almost eighteen. He’d done the same to my brother. I guess he hadn’t really learned his lesson yet. He did finally learn since he went easier on Nick, but it was too late for me by then. Nick couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t talk to my father, so…we drifted apart.”

  “And your mother?”

  “She’s a saint. She tried to pull everyone back together. When my dad wouldn’t budge, she left. They’ve been divorced a long time now. She met someone else a while back. He’s really great. I don’t know how she forgave Dad for tearing the family apart, but she did. He just became a bitter old man, even though he’s not that old.”

  “And Nick… He’s ill?”

  “No. No, that was a, well, a little manipulation on my part. I made two statements that separately are true but can be misconstrued when strung together.”

  Mase’s eyes darted around the room as he thought about what Bray had said, what Sam had passed along—probably verbatim. He shook his head.

  The nurse said something to Mase then patted Bray’s hand and left the room.

  “So the old bastard’s dying, huh?” Mase said as he paced the room.

  “It looks that way.”

  “And you came all this way, risked your life so he could have a deathbed moment with the prodigal son?”

  “I’m here just as much for myself and Mom. She doesn’t understand why you won’t even give us a chance. I don’t really, either. I tried to c
ontact you eight years ago, then again four years ago when I was officially in the army—and almost three years ago when we found out you’d been discharged. Mom will never forgive herself for not sitting behind you in that courtroom.”

  “I guess I’m as bitter as the old man.” Mase turned and walked to the small window in the room.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I wasn’t quite eighteen when I came out to Dad. Technically, I didn't come out. He heard a rumor about me kissing a guy. But when he confronted me, I didn't deny it. He threw down an ultimatum and I walked away, but I kept waiting for him or Mom to reach out and say it had been some terrible mistake, some gross overreaction.”

  Bray snorted. “I knew damn well that wasn’t coming after I figured out that was why you left too.”

  Mase turned back to face him. He put his hands on the windowsill at his hips and leaned back. His shoulders sagged like he was tired or overburdened, maybe both.

  “I was sure it was coming. Then, on my eighteenth birthday, he had me served with papers disinheriting me. I was shocked and gutted. I didn’t know that he knew where I was staying, and believe me when I say it was not a nice place.”

  Bray automatically pictured the apartment building where he’d first met Sam. The stained carpet in the hallway, the sour smell of rotting food, the paper-thin walls that didn’t insulate any noise. How long had Mase had to live like that?

  “He had no problem finding me to twist the knife, even as I hoped for an olive branch. So I joined up. I was looking for a place to belong. The paperwork he sent said I wasn’t to contact any of you. Mom…”

  Mase took in a deep breath. When the air came out, there was a shaky quality to it. Bray tensed. It caused a twinge in his shoulder, but he couldn’t relax until he heard what Mase was going to say about their mom.

  “Her name was on the papers. I wasn’t to contact her either.”

  “Did she sign them?” Bray demanded.

  “I was a kid, a sheltered, spoiled kid. I didn’t know to look for anything like that. You were all named in the document. I didn’t even read completely through them. When I realized what they said, I burned them. I fucking burned them until they were ash. Then I left for boot camp. I met Sam and Kota, then Jazz and Mitch and finally Wade. I formed my own little family and I never looked back.”