Blade (The Alpha Elite #11)

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Juniper

T he windows shattered, bullets sprayed, and a SEAL dove for me.

Grabbing me in a running tackle, whipping us around midair, the momentum of his huge body sailed us behind the counter. Taking the brunt of the fall, his back smacked against the concrete floor, and I landed on top of him. Then he rolled us to our sides, grabbed his gun with one hand, and gripped the back of Hailey’s shirt with the other before yanking her closer to us.

“ Stay ,” he barked over the storm of gunfire right before he stood.

I lost it. “Blade, NO!”

I reached for him, and Hailey reached for me, but I was too late.

Already firing, Blade moved across the shop and out the door with lethal precision.

Screaming, gunshots, screeching tires—the terrifying chaos erupted all around us as a shaking Hailey held on to me while I watched the windows on a fleeing SUV get shot out before it turned a corner.

Then a six-foot-four SEAL, gun in hand, was striding through destruction and crunching over broken glass with his cell phone to his ear and his eyes pinned on mine as he spoke rapid-fire.

“ID number seven-seven-one-two-five. TIC, drive-by, Del Cielo. Two shooters, license plate Alpha-Niner-One Three-Foxtrot-Lima. Exfilling scene. Target secure. Requesting backup and full sweep STAT. Copy. Oscar Tango Mike.” Shoving his phone into his pocket, he leaned down, grabbed me around the waist, brought me to my feet, and pulled me against his front. “We’re moving.”

“Hailey,” I rasped.

Wordless, tears in her eyes, she reached up with my cell phone in her hands.

The phone I’d given her to hold because I knew I’d have no self-control against the Navy SEAL currently holding me tight against his chest.

A thousand pounds of guilt ate me alive.

Taking my cell, Blade spared Hailey a glance. “You’re fine. Cops are on the way. Building will be secured after they leave. Call the number on the card I gave you if you have any issues.”

Hailey nodded, and I opened my mouth to apologize, but we were already moving.

It wasn’t until we were rounding the back of the building that I realized what he’d said on the phone.

Target secure.