Exchange of Fire (27 page)

She gingerly sat up, letting go of Talon’s hand, then gripped his. The electric shock from the contact jolted him and helped ease some of the stinging. “He wouldn’t have had time to trek through the woods, climb the tree, position the gun, verify the range, and sight through the scope if he had been following me.”

Fuck.
She was right. Damn it, no matter how hard he tried, he still got sucked into the war.

Victor hit redial for the third time. The speakerphone blared the annoying sound of ringing, then the connection opened. He leaned toward the microphone and bit out, “Mars—”

“You have reached area code five—”

He growled at the computerized female recording and jabbed the disconnect button.

“I’m not leaving a goddamned message.”

Where the hell was Mars? The assassin had missed two check-ins. The tiny curl of dread rose from his gut. He should’ve sent another operative when he had the chance. Being one of Victor’s personal assassins meant
never
dropping off the grid. Each member agreed to always answer the phone when Victor called, no matter what.

This could only mean one thing.

Victor prowled the first floor office. He marched the same amount of steps as yesterday, but now the walls felt closer, looming overhead. He needed air. He tried to unbutton his polo, but the shirt was already undone.

Warning bells clanged in his head.

He turned the phone and pressed speed dial for his nephew. His skin itched as the phone rang, and he balled his fingers into fists to keep from scratching. He would not swat at imaginary ailments like a loony person.

Ted’s recorded message burst from the speaker. Son of a bitch.

He could no longer ignore his instincts. Mars was most assuredly dead. Ted had definitely gone on the run. Cappy suddenly had some kind of evidence to take him down.

He needed to get out of the country. There, he could regroup and figure out how to make Delta Squad pay.

***

Lighter rain than earlier this evening rolled off Grady’s hood. He glanced at his watch: 12:58 a.m. From the middle of the clearing, he jammed his hands in his coat pockets and took in the back of his house. Countless bullet holes pierced the windows, with cracks spiderwebbing out.

Every cell in his body vibrated.
Son of a bitch.

Ted had begged off telling them anything more, claiming he’d been up for two straight days. When Cappy challenged the guy about running out of time, the IT nerd claimed he had built in a safety so they could get a good night’s sleep and that his uncle wouldn’t have had enough time to discover Mars’s death and make a move before dawn. Ted had then grasped his suitcase and trudged to one of the spare bedrooms.

Guess they’re all staying here.

He roved his gaze over the destruction. Overturned dining room chairs, stuffing protruding from the living room furniture, and, of course, the shattered rails along the deck. His pulse pounded and blood roared in his ears as he paced the length of his home. No matter what angle he viewed, his house resembled a casualty in a goddamned war zone. The very war he’d tried so hard to keep out of.

“You egotistical bastard,” a male voice bit out just as Grady’s head snapped to the side, pain flaring from his jaw. “You let her get hurt!”

Grady blocked a strike aimed for his head and countered with another jab, connecting with Talon’s ribs.

“Do you know why she froze in the woods?” Talon snarled, nailing Grady in the chest. “Why she couldn’t take the shot?”

Finally, a productive way to relieve this maelstrom and have fun doing it. “The fourteen-year-old.”

Talon slammed his fist into Grady’s kidney. Shit, he’d be pissing blood for a week.

“Damn right, the fourteen-year-old, but it’s more than that; she was fucking
reliving
it,” Talon growled.

Grady jumped to the side, avoiding a knee. He kicked out and landed a blow to Talon’s leg. Talon stumbled and Grady closed in, punching the prick in the face. A trickle of blood splattered from the guy’s lip and he spit a stream to the side.

“She saw every goddamn second of that mission to end a sex-slave ring.” Talon circled.

Grady matched his moves, looking for a weakness to exploit.
Keep him talking, take him off guard
. “You guys are assigned those kinds of missions?”

“Those or worse.” Talon leapt forward, but Grady was ready, blocking his strikes. What he didn’t count on was the lightning-fast twist, finding himself in a half nelson. Prick was half boxer and half dirty street fighter.

Grady drove his elbow into Talon’s gut three times. The third time, the hold loosened and he wrenched free. Neither one could speak for who knew how long while they traded blows. Blood poured out of Grady’s nose, and he felt satisfaction at Talon’s swollen eye. More cuts and welts dotted his arms, but he refused to back down. He channeled all his hurt, anger, and confusing emotions into pummeling Talon.

The three-headed spiraling dragon popped free of Talon’s T-shirt and Grady’s resentment rose. “Those necklaces like your secret handshake into your exclusive club?”

“You only wish you were fortunate enough to own one,” Talon sneered. Punch. Block. “To belong to a team that’s tighter than family.” Punch. Score. “Where you put your life in their hands and they trust you enough to put theirs in yours.” Knee jab. Sidestep. “When you don’t hesitate to act just to keep them from harm.” Hit. Pain. “Imagine five years’ worth of that. You have no idea the types of missions we’ve been on or the things we’ve had to do to rescue people or keep the public safe.”

Talon tangled his legs into Grady’s, and they landed hard in a puddle of water. Grady twisted, rolling until he had Talon’s arm against his back. He leaned down. “I’m a former Marine, asshole. Of course I know what you’re talking about. Why the hell are you telling me all this if you want me out of her life so badly?”

Talon reversed their positions and shoved Grady’s face into the mud. “I promised to kick your ass; thought I’d be nice and fill you in on why.” Talon punched Grady in the head and he blinked spots.

Grady managed to get to his knees and pushed up from the ground with the leech still on his back. “That’s not really why we’re doing this and you know it.” He held Talon’s arms together and ran backward, slamming the man into a tree.

“
Oomph.
You don’t deserve her.”

Grady drove his elbow into Talon’s gut. “And you do? Is that why you’re pawing her in front of me?” Grady’s inner caveman demanded a pound of flesh for that insult. How dare this asshole touch his woman?

Renewed rage poured through his veins and he tossed the bastard off. He’d barely allowed Talon to get his balance when he roared and ran forward. He wrapped the asshole around the chest and tackled him. With each punch he threw, he visualized every hold, touch, and comfort he’d witnessed this prick giving her.

“I’ve been in love with her for years. Kept her safe in all that time. She’s only here a few months, and you allowed her to get shot!” Talon yelled, blocking the last strike and jabbing straight up. Grady’s chin snapped up, and Talon rolled them and sat on Grady’s stomach, his face a bitter, hard mask. “She got hurt trying to save your sorry ass. She tried to fight against the demons of her memories even though she’s terrified to touch a gun again, and look what happened.”

Talon’s hands encircled Grady’s throat. Grady punched the bastard in the jaw and used his legs to force the prick off of him. They both scrambled to their feet, but Talon didn’t advance. He brushed at the clumps of mud and grass clinging to his ruined clothes.

“I said it before, but it bears repeating.” Talon’s icy emerald eyes narrowed onto Grady. “
I’ll
be there to comfort her and pick up the pieces when we leave town. Remember that as you sit here in your kingdom staring down at the peons you’re so hot to protect.” He sauntered forward with a limp. “I wonder, will
they
keep you warm at night or protect your back?”

Grady’s vision tunneled. He drew back and slammed his fist into Talon’s temple. The bastard whiplashed like a rag doll and fell to the ground.

“You fucking keep your hands to yourself and stay away from her,” Grady snarled, stepping over the asshole’s prone body and heading for the house.

Sandra tucked deeper into the shadows. She swiped at the tears flooding her cheeks. She couldn’t hear every word they said, but caught enough to know they were fighting about—no,
over
her. Oh God, why hadn’t she seen it before now? Love was such a foreign concept when applied to her teammate; she’d never realized he could have that feeling. Talon in love with her? Challenging Grady like they were back in medieval times and she was the prize to be won? The air collapsed out of her lungs. How did she handle this? She was filled with too much agony over having to give up Grady; she couldn’t imagine ever loving someone again, let alone her best friend.

She turned, but paused at the thumping on the steps.
Damn.
Too late to get away unseen. She had filched one of Grady’s raincoats and snuck out here, hoping to talk to him, but wow, she got a lot more than she’d bargained for.

The vibrations against the wooden deck stopped briefly, then Grady’s Carolina drawl asked, “I guess you heard most of that?” He crossed the distance and paused near the outer railing, his face angled just enough for her to catch the bruises sprouting on his cheek in the back porch light. Thankfully his lips had been spared, but a small trickle of blood dried near his hairline. He winced as he pulled his hood back up and leaned against an unharmed section.

Sandra nodded, moving forward and placing a hand against the wood. “Not everything, but most of it.”

“By the look on your face, you had no clue about how Talon really felt, huh?”

She shook her head and said softly, “None. I get now why you call him my lapdog.”

Grady’s mouth turned down and his posture stiffened. He asked warily, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Her gut clenched. “Not really, though it explains why he had such an instant loathing of you. I’ve never seen him care enough to have a reaction before, let alone have someone match him in a fair fight. He’s usually dirtier than that.”

“Yeah.” He shifted and cleared his throat. “Ah, um, I’m not really sure what to say—”

“You don’t have to say anything.” She touched Grady’s coat-clad arm and raindrops coated her hand. “I’m just shocked. Still trying to figure out how I missed it, that’s all.” She lifted the side of his hood away and peered at his face. “I hope your freezer’s full. You’re going to need a slew of vegetable bags to cover everything from Mars earlier and now this.” She waved at the backyard.

A silhouette sat up near the edge of the clearing, then rose unsteadily. Sandra breathed out and watched Talon’s progress across the yard until he disappeared on the other side of the garage.

Grady snorted. “I know why you missed the signs. You have a big heart.”

Her breathing stuttered and hope flared from the traitorous organ.

He turned and faced her, leaning one elbow against the wood. “I think I get it now. I’m still pissed as hell, but I’m beginning to understand.”

Sandra clutched at her pendant through the partially zipped coat. “Get what?”

“Why you lied. Why you went into hiding.”

The little girl’s face flashed in her mind again, and she couldn’t stop the movie reel in her head as it replayed the horror. Her rifle kicked back into her shoulder just as Doughboy knocked into the girls, which in turn pushed the—

A warm hand wrapped around hers, snapping her back to the present to find Grady’s face inches from hers. Concern and empathy blazed in his beautiful blue eyes. Emotions she never thought she’d see from him again. To her mortification, she burst into tears. He pulled her into his chest. She curled into him and clung to his jacket. Months of pent-up emotions poured out, and she couldn’t find the strength to stop it.

“Go ahead, get it all out,” Grady’s voice rumbled against her ear.

She was so embarrassed. A grown woman in the middle of a crisis should not break down this way. Especially one who had as much training as she did and knew how wrong it was to accept comfort from the man she had to walk away from.

“Stop thinking,” he commanded. “I bet this is the first time you’re letting it out since this began. You’re human, not a superwoman.”

She gave a watery chuckle. “I don’t want to be human. I like when I’m a superwoman.”

“I bet you do. But you have to recharge your superpowers somehow, and this will do it.”

Sharp pains lanced out of her shoulder, but she refused to move an inch. This would probably be the last time she ever got to hold and be held by him again.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Her unexpected warm feeling dried up.

“Don’t retreat. Talk to me.”

“You’re going to think so much less of me when I’m done.”

“Got a crystal ball hidden somewhere, do you?”

“How could you not?” She pulled back far enough to look him in the eye. “I killed a fourteen-year-old girl.”

Not a flicker. His eyes remained open and expecting. A slice of pain slashed her heart. Magician was right, Grady was amazing . . . she could never deserve him. She swallowed at the lump in her throat. Whoever he chose to settle down with—

“So,” he finally said, cutting into her thoughts, “you just randomly walked into town and shot that girl, huh?”

“Of course not,” she retorted.

“Thought not. Give me an overview. Set me up so I can understand.”

She sighed; he had the right to know. Maybe it would be easier for him to move on if he knew how badly she’d screwed up. “We were tasked with shutting this sex-slave ring down. After six months of close calls, Cappy and Magician came up with a plan where she allowed herself to be captured so we could trace the ring to their final destination.”

Grady whistled.

“Yeah. She’s the bravest woman I know. Anyway. By the time we tracked them to this shithole in Mexico, Magician had been beaten to the point she could barely walk or see.” Sandra’s gut clenched. “She never talked about it to me other than a line here or there, but it was bad.”

“Got it. So you guys are now set up to take them down.”

She cleared her throat and described the entire mission in detail. After she finished, she surprised herself by admitting, “I was so worried, so caught up in making sure that bastard didn’t escape, I didn’t trust my team. Didn’t think about them when I pulled the trigger—even with Cappy shouting in my earpiece to back down. That girl paid the price for my vanity, my ego.”

She tightened her grip on him. “After I watched that crimson stain spread across her chest, I shut down. Talon told me later he pulled me off the roof and bundled me in with the other women. Like I was a victim.” She stared at his zipper, unable to hold his gaze any longer. “As if I remotely went through what those women did. What Magician did when she sacrificed herself to bring down the ring.”

Oh God, she wasn’t worthy to breathe the same air as any of them.

She confessed in a whisper, “Until today, I hadn’t touched a gun since I walked away from SBG.”

Grady disentangled his hands, and a callused finger lifted her chin. Like a lover would caress his sweetheart, which she was far from.

His blue eyes searched hers, but she couldn’t fathom their expression. Then he gently lowered his head and kissed her. At first it was a light, pleasant brush of his lips on hers. Then he pressed his mouth firmly and tilted his head. His tongue slid along the seal of her mouth and she opened. He plunged inside. Within a blink he stoked the passion in her and she grabbed onto his coat, pulling him closer. He cupped the side of her face and deepened the kiss.

This is so wrong and so right at the same time.
She shifted even closer, never wanting this moment to end.

He broke away and straightened.

She couldn’t catch her breath, but tried to speak anyway, unable to hold the words in any longer. “I’m so sorry I put you through this. Brought this mess to your door.”

He stroked her cheek with his thumb, then dropped his hands, stepping back.

Coldness seeped into her bones even though it was eighty degrees.

“I believe you didn’t mean for this to happen. But it did.” He looked toward the woods. When he faced her again, his eyes were solemn. “Remember when I told you about the kid I witnessed get hospitalized by a bully?”

“Yeah.” Sandra’s blood sped up. Where had that question come from?

“Her name was Ashlyn, and she had been my best friend up until she died in that hospital at eleven years old over a damn music player.”

The air in Sandra’s lungs caught.

“Wiping the blood from Ashlyn’s face after I chased the bastard off of her, I had made a vow that I would always trust my instincts and never allow anyone to be bullied again. And for most my life, I waged a war on it. But I’m a protector now. I gave up going after the fight when I left the Marines.”

Her stomach seized as if he’d punched her. No less than she deserved. “And I’m torn between both those worlds.” She placed her palms up as if weighing two items on a scale. “Sandra the protector or Wraith the fighter. Neither fit me anymore, but I don’t have a third option.”

Her heart slammed into her chest, and it took her two tries to swallow enough to say, “I do know it wouldn’t be right for me to stay.”
NO!
her traitorous organ yelled.
Take it back!

His eyes flashed. She caught pain, regret, and acceptance in the maelstrom that passed through them.

She reached to touch him, but stopped before she made contact.
I don’t have the right anymore.
She drew in a shuddered breath and forced the words she really didn’t want to say out. “I can’t keep putting you in danger. Even if we neutralize this threat, another could be right around the corner.”

He nodded and said stiffly, “I agree.” His Adam’s apple bobbed and he shifted, his face transforming into a heavy mask. “Are you going back into the life, then? Be the fifth member of Delta Squad again?”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she answered honestly. That very question had been gnawing at her since Talon and Romeo broke into the cabin. “But I’ll definitely include them in any decision I make. I won’t run away and disappear again.” She met his clouded eyes. “They’re my family and will always be a part of my life no matter what I do.”

Grady slid his hand against her cheek again and moved closer, their bodies now within inches of each other. Would he kiss her again? Ninety percent of her prayed for yes, while the other ten percent knew she couldn’t handle it if he did.

“Your team can stay here if they need to, and I’ll help you any way I can.” His other hand framed her face. “But I can’t be with you other than professionally. It’s just too hard. I—”

“I understand.” Tears cascaded from her eyes at hearing out loud what she already knew.

“I shouldn’t do this, but I can’t stop,” he whispered, dipping his head. She rose on her toes. Their lips clashed together, and their tongues intertwined.

Just as she feared. She couldn’t handle saying good-bye to her dream life. Dream man. The future. But she tried to convey it all in the kiss anyway.