36. Elliot
CHAPTER 36
ELLIOT
“B e careful,” I tell her, having to fight to keep my tone level as my fear hits an all-time high. She and Crew are two against who knows how many, and they’re unarmed. Even if he wasn’t injured, those are terrible odds.
“She still good?” Riley asks from behind the wheel.
“For now. She got the keys from Brett and released Crew.”
“That’s great,” Tucker replies from the backseat. “We’re only twenty-eight minutes out now.”
Twenty-eight minutes may not be a long time, but it’s a lifetime when the woman I love is trapped in a house full of armed enemies. “How far out is Loyotta’s team?” I ask Bradyn.
“He just checked in. Their ETA is 11:17,” he replies.
I check the clock on the dashboard. Thirty-one minutes out. Which means we’ve made up some of the headway they had on us, and we’ll have less than five minutes to get into the house and secure Nova and Crew before the sirens arrive and it turns into a hostage situation.
That’s not a lot of time, and we’re all operating on little to no sleep—I’m in the latter category. Since the call came in so late last night, most of my brothers had only just gotten to bed themselves. I know that there have been times over the years, during and after we were out of the service, that we’ve operated on days of no sleep, but it’s never a recipe for success. More of a “let’s hope the adrenaline carries us through.”
Echo whimpers at my feet, so I absently pet his head.
“Take this,” I hear Nova say through the phone. “The door is locked, but when he comes in, you swing the chair, and I’ll go for his weapon.”
Every word she says is another moment of panic because it’s a reminder that she’s alone. One split second, and her life could be over.
A single gunshot and the light forever out of her eyes.
God, please.
“Faster,” I urge Riley.
“Dude, if we get pulled over with all the heat we’re packing, it’ll raise more questions than we have answers for at the moment. I’m going as fast as I can.”
I know he’s right. The last time we got stopped, it took Gibson, Loyotta, and four hours to get us back on the road again. We don’t have that kind of time. But every minute is torture.
Absolute torture.
* * *
The house Nova is being held in is nothing impressive. At least, not compared to the compound Ivan abandoned. Likely, it’s a staging place for him to gather the evidence from Nova then disappear.
She’s been silent in the earpiece, though silence is a good thing when she’s in a locked room. It means I have more time to get to her. And maybe us breaching the house is what will distract them from going for her at all.
Or it could have the opposite effect.
Either way, I’m not waiting around to find out.
“Elliot will take the back with Echo, Riley, and Romeo,” Bradyn says. “We’ll go in the front with Bravo, Tucker, Tango, Dylan, and Delta. Our job is to draw attention so Elliot and Riley can get to Nova and Crew. Sound good?”
We all offer him nods. Taking a deep breath, I hold my weapon at the ready and wait for Riley and his dog, Romeo, to fall in line behind me. Normally, we’d all go in on the same side, but with such little time and no clue which side of the house Nova is being held on, we’re having to take the risk of splitting up.
“We’re coming in, Nova.”
“Okay. Elliot—” She trails off.
“I’ll be seeing you soon,” I promise her.
“I’m going to hold you to that, cowboy.”
I smile then start toward the house, doing my best to keep out of sight by sneaking through the tall oak trees bordering the property. There’s no one out patrolling, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have people posted inside, watching.
“Someone’s at the door,” Nova says.
My heart begins to race.
“Ready?” she asks Crew. I can’t hear his response, but I do get muffled movement.
“Tell me how many,” I tell her. “As soon as you can.”
She clears her throat in response. I hear a door crack and muffled yelling.
And then—a single gunshot.
“Nova!” I whisper loudly then pick up the pace.
“Keep your head,” Bradyn warns through the earpiece. We’re all linked though, so I know he heard that shot too.
“Nova, talk to me!”
Nothing.
“Nova!”
I make my way around the side of the house and toward the back door. After peeking in the window, I wait for Bradyn’s signal even though I want nothing more than to kick the door in now.
But there are five of us on this team, and any wrong movement could lead to the plan falling apart and someone else getting shot. The lives of my brothers are on the line too, and I won’t risk them further by going off half-cocked.
Nova, please talk to me.
“Breaching in three, two, one—” Bradyn says. “Go!” I wait a single heartbeat so all attention will be at the front—then nod at Riley before slamming my boot into the door. It splinters and we rush in, dogs between our legs.
“Clear,” Riley says.
“Clear this way too.”
A gunshot.
Then another.
“Get her!” Bradyn yells. “We’re drawing fire. Ten hostiles that we can count.”
“Likely more upstairs,” I say.
Riley nods and falls into step beside me. We head for a set of stairs off the kitchen. We’re not two steps up when a bullet whizzes past my ear. “Contact!” I call out then come out with my rifle.
One shot.
Enemy down.
I keep moving up, stepping over the body as I make my way higher.
“Two down!” Dylan calls out.
“Another!” Tucker adds.
“We’re heading up the stairs. Man down in the stairwell,” Riley adds.
Nova, come on.
We reach the top and push out into a hallway. It’s empty. As quickly as possible, we make our way down the hall, checking door by door.
I stop at the last door on the right and nod at Riley.
He repeats the gesture, letting me know he’s ready. Gripping the handle, I shove it open.
My heart stops beating.
Or, at least, it feels that way.
Because on the other side, Brett has a gun to Nova’s head. Blood soaks the left leg of her jeans, and she’s not putting any weight on it. Her face is scraped up, her lip bloody. Crew is on the ground, and Ivan is standing over him, a gun in his hand. Ivan’s bleeding too, crimson staining the front of his white cloth shirt.
“Drop it, or I’ll put you down,” I tell Brett.
“Same for you,” Riley warns Ivan.
“Not before I can pull this trigger,” Brett says then gently squeezes. “I’ve already shot her twice now; it really wouldn’t be too hard to do it again. Practice does make perfect, after all. Third time’s the charm.”
“I will kill you,” I tell him.
Echo growls from his stance between my legs. The dog is ready to attack, and if I weren’t so worried Brett would shoot her or my dog, I’d send him after the coward now.
“You won’t kill me if it means risking her,” Brett sneers.
Nova remains silent, but her piercing gaze is on me, and in it, I see permission to take the impossible shot. Just as I’d trusted her to save us back in those woods, she’s placing the same faith in me.
Her gaze flickers from me to Crew then back to me.
She smiles.
Then slams her elbow into Brett’s gut.
“Echo, fahs!” Echo lunges for Brett, who’s bent at the waist. Nova falls to the side.
“Romeo, fahs!” Riley orders. His dog goes for Ivan, latching onto his arm.
I sprint forward, grabbing ahold of Brett as he goes to raise his gun against my dog. I hit him with the full force of my body, taking him to the ground. The gun clatters off to the side. We roll, and I pin him then slam my fist into his face.
Bone crunches, and blood spurts from his nose. He roars in pain, and it takes everything in me not to hit him again. Again. Again. Until there’s nothing left.
But vengeance is not mine.
Stopping this violence is my job. And he’s no longer a threat.
So I leash the feral rage shooting through my veins and, instead, flip him over and zip-tie both hands behind his back.
By the time I straighten, Riley’s done the same to Ivan.
Nova is on the ground by Crew, looking him over. She turns to me, and the world comes to a stop. Tears fill her eyes, and she pushes to her feet. Limping, she makes her way toward me, but I eat up the distance in two long strides. She wraps her arms around me, and I hold her, clinging to my lifeline.
Because that’s what she is.
Nova is everything to me.
“Are you okay?” I pull back and kneel so I can check her leg. She keeps herself steady by placing both hands on my shoulders.
She nods. “The bullet grazed me.” I grip the bullet hole in her jeans and tear just enough to get a good look. It’s not deep, but it’ll likely need a few stitches.
Gripping the bottom half of my black long-sleeve tactical shirt, I tear it and wrap the fabric tightly around the wound. She hisses through clenched teeth.
“Where are we at, Bravo?” Riley asks through the coms, using Bradyn’s code name.
“All good down here. Loyotta arrived, and they’re wrapping things up. Where are you?”
“Top floor. Last room on the left.”
“All good?”
“Nova and Crew are both alive. Ivan and Brett are secure. Send some of Loyotta’s boys up to grab them.”
“You got it. Ambulance is on the way. Should be here any minute.”
“Great. Nova’s been shot, and it looks like Crew has too.”
“So have I!” Ivan screams.
“You’ll live,” Riley tells him. “Maybe. Either way, buddy, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not top priority.” He bends down and helps pull Crew to his feet. “Can you walk?”
“I’ll manage. My family?—”
“They’re fine. My brother got to them just in time.”
“Thank God.”
I don’t even ask Nova if she can walk. Because her answer doesn’t matter. I scoop her up into my arms, and to my relief, she doesn’t argue. With one arm draped around my neck, she rests her head against my chest and lets me carry her out of the room.
We’re just stepping into the hall when two of Loyotta’s men come into the room. They offer us nods as they head in to retrieve Brett and Ivan.
“You know, life would be boring if you stopped saving my life,” Nova comments.
I start laughing, her words catching me off guard. “I wouldn’t mind a little boring once and a while.”
“Fair enough,” she replies with a smile then rests her head against my chest again. “Thanks for getting here so fast.”
“Thanks for fighting.”
We reach the bottom of the steps, and Bradyn holds open the front door for us. We’re just stepping outside as the second ambulance arrives. Paramedics rush out and pull open the back.
They take Nova from me while Riley guides Crew over toward the other waiting paramedics.
Everything begins to move at an impossibly slow speed as the adrenaline surging through my system slows.
She’s alive.
She’s secure.
I turn back toward the house as Ivan and Brett are walked out. Brett’s expression is murderous while Ivan is clearly terrified. Cowards.
“You boys are going to get me more raises than I know what to do with,” Frank Loyotta comments as he comes to stand beside me. “I’ll own the company before the end of it. They’ll just hand over the keys,” he jokes. While he’s not officially a member of the police, his program has rescued more trafficked people than any other government organization.
Because of that, he has permission to operate on an as-needed basis. So when things go wrong and we need backup without alerting the authorities, he’s who we call. Vice versa, too. We’ve worked quite a few missions alongside his people.
“You deserve it,” I tell him, offering my hand.
“And I appreciate that.” He returns my handshake. “You know, I told Bradyn, you boys ever want to come work for me, I’d love to have you.”
I smile at him. “As much as I appreciate that, we’re happy where we are.”
“Yeah, that’s what he said too.” He grins. “Good seeing you, Elliot.”
“You, too. Thanks for the assist.”
“Thank you. The FBI’s been after Ivan for a while now. I’m happy to be the one to turn him in. Turns out he’s knee-deep in trafficking himself. Drugs and weapons mainly, though according to that intel Tucker emailed over, he was getting ready to expand into people. You boys brought him down before he could do that.”
Thank you, God. Pride swells in my chest as I look over at Nova. “Nova O’Conner did all the work on that,” I tell him. “She risked her life for this.”
“Then maybe she’s who I should offer a job.” He winks. “I’ll see you around, boys.”
“See you around,” I reply.
I take a deep breath then watch, amused, as he heads over toward Nova. Undoubtedly to do just what he said and offer her a job.
“He try to get you to come work for him?” Riley asks, coming to stand at my side.
“He did.”
Riley chuckles. “The man sends Tucker weekly emails. If I didn’t appreciate his help, I’d be offended that he’s trying to break up a brotherly bond.”
“He’s harmless,” I say then head toward the ambulance.
“You going to the hospital with Nova?”
“Yeah. Can you take Echo back to the house?”
“Sure thing. We’ll see you there, brother.” Riley shakes my hand then pulls me in for a hug. As soon as he’s released me, I offer a wave to Bradyn, Tucker, and Dylan, who are off talking to some of the local police Loyotta alerted after things were wrapped up.
They return the gesture, so I head over toward the ambulance.
“You let me know,” Loyotta says then offers Nova a wave and me a smile.
“Room for me?” I ask.
“Always.” She smiles, so I climb up into the ambulance, sitting off to the side as the paramedic climbs in and sits opposite.
“Let’s head out,” he says to the driver.
I reach over and take Nova’s hand. “So what did Loyotta offer you?”
“A job,” she replies with an exhausted smile. “Says he’s been trying to get the Hunt brothers for quite some time now and you all keep turning him down.”
“Why break up a good thing?”
“So true.” She chuckles and turns her head to look at me. “Hey.”
“Hey.” I lean forward and run my free hand over her forehead. “What did you tell him?”
“That I already have a job, I think. And that things are messy right now, so accepting something new isn’t on the table.”
I try not to let her words sting, especially since she’s talking about a job and not me, but they burrow deep within my heart anyway. I hadn’t given a whole lot of thought to what comes next, but it’s true.
Nova does have a life that has nothing to do with me.
A career.
An apartment.
Just as I have my own life that I can’t leave.
What if, even after all of this, even after all of the promises we’ve shared, we still don’t get a happy ending?