Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
Tex had no idea if it was day or night. No one had opened the box he’d been locked in for…hours? Days? He was hungry and thirsty. He’d finished the water that had been left for him quite a while ago. His lips were chapped, his calf hurt like hell, and he couldn’t see it to assess the damage done by the bullet. He wasn’t happy with how hot his leg felt though. And he could no longer stand. He’d tried.
Shooting pains had dropped him on his ass the last time he’d tried to grin and bear it and put weight on his leg. As much as he hated to admit it, his kidnapper had effectively taken Tex’s ability to escape off the table. If the men returned and left the door to his box wide open, Tex wouldn’t even be able to hop.
Gritting his teeth, he vowed that if the chance arose, he’d crawl to safety if that’s what it took. He wouldn’t give up, no matter how weak he’d become. The only easy day was yesterday, that was the SEAL motto, and he’d been in worse situations than this in the past. He simply had to hang on one more week, day, hour, minute.
The asshole who’d taken him wanted something. Tex had yet to figure out exactly what that was. But he’d been taken for a reason, just as Melody had been let go for a reason. He’d racked his brain over and over trying to figure out who the man was…the one who’d shot him on tape. By now, Melody had probably received the recording. And if she’d listened to it, she was probably a complete mess. Not that he’d blame her.
He remembered the audio they’d received when Caroline was taken. The asshole responsible had recorded himself beating the crap out of her. How hard that was for Wolf to listen to. Hell, it had been difficult for Tex to hear, and he wasn’t in love with the woman. He hated that Melody was in the same situation now. He prayed she’d understand that the shot hadn’t been fatal. If she thought he was dead…
He couldn’t finish the thought. It was unfathomable. If the roles were reversed, Tex wasn’t sure he’d be able to function. But his Melody was a rock. She’d power through any emotions the tape evoked and she’d plan. Or at least help his friends plan.
For the first time in his life, all Tex could do was lie there and wait. He couldn’t participate in rescuing himself. Well…that wasn’t exactly true. He could stay alive. That was his job right now. To keep breathing. To keep his heart beating. It was a weird position to be in, especially for someone who was used to being at the heart of missions to find people.
But he wasn’t embarrassed.
Wasn’t ashamed.
That was victim-blaming behavior. And he hadn’t done a damn thing to put himself into this situation. Sometimes bad guys had the upper hand. But his kidnapper’s time would come. He’d go down, along with everyone who was helping him. If not by his own hand, by the many men and women Tex knew around the world.
No one would rest until they found Tex…dead or alive…and made the people responsible pay.
Believing in that, bone deep, was helping Tex cope. He wasn’t really alone. Physically, yes…but the knowledge that people were right that second turning over every rock and checking every scrap of digital information for those responsible for abducting him, was what kept him going.
Tex took a deep breath.
Then another.
He ignored the way his belly cramped.
The way he felt his heart felt like it beat in his calf.
The phantom pains in his missing leg that he hadn’t felt for years.
Help was coming.
He just had to be patient.
Annie Fletcher clenched and unclenched her fists in anticipation and to make sure they stayed limber. She was more than ready for this. Making it through training to become a Green Beret had already been the most difficult thing she’d ever done in her life. If it hadn’t been her instructors trying to make her quit, it was her fellow soldiers. She could more than handle a few lowlife kidnappers.
Many people didn’t even believe women should be in combat, let alone become special forces soldiers. But screw that. She’d showed them all. And one day she would be in charge of her own platoon. She’d have soldiers who respected her and her abilities. She’d be the best leader they’d ever known.
There were a few people who’d always believed in her. Her parents, of course. They’d been behind her one hundred percent. Telling her that she could do anything, be anything.
Frankie…the boy she’d loved since she was seven years old. She was going to marry him someday, but first she’d needed to prove to herself, and the world, that she could make it as a special forces soldier, just like her dad and their friends.
Speaking of which, every single one of her dad’s former teammates—they were all retired now—were also her cheerleaders. They’d tirelessly gone through obstacle courses with her, grilled her on the stuff she had to memorize, and generally lifted her up when she was feeling down about the path she was on. Truck and his wife, Mary, had been her staunchest supporters. Sending care packages and emails, always there when she needed someone to bitch to about everything she was dealing with.
And then there was Tex.
She hadn’t seen him in years, but she still remembered how much of a badass he was at her parents’ wedding reception, when some… uninvited guests showed up. She’d always admired him and trusted his advice. When she’d been on the verge of quitting the Green Beret program, it was Tex who’d talked her out of it.
The man had also given her many trackers over the years, and she’d had no qualms whatsoever in keeping one of them on her person at all times. Tex was like her own personal guardian angel, and there was a huge comfort in knowing he could see her whereabouts any time of the day and would always be there if she needed him, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
So when she’d heard he’d been kidnapped, Annie hadn’t hesitated in requesting—no, demanding leave, so she could get to Pennsylvania and offer any assistance she could. She was no computer genius, but she was more than capable of using the skills she’d learned over the years to infiltrate a hideout and both rescue and protect Tex, if it came down to it.
She was extremely grateful to Wolf for pairing her with Truck tonight. No one knew if any of the three spots Ryleigh and Beth had come up with would prove viable. If Tex would be found at any of them. But she prayed that if he was…it was at the house she and Truck were going to check out.
It didn’t seem likely. Who would stash a kidnap victim in the middle of an active neighborhood, where anyone might overhear or see what was going on? True, it wasn’t likely the neighbors would call the cops, as they weren’t exactly upstanding citizens and most had their own history with authority figures. But the chance wasn’t a total zero.
Truck parked his rental SUV behind a sketchy-looking gas station at the entrance to the neighborhood. “I’m gonna go in and tell them not to fuck with my car,” he said.
Annie wanted to roll her eyes. As if telling someone not to mess with his shit would make them not mess with his shit. But, then again, Truck was pretty intimidating. If it wasn’t his six-foot seven-inch height, it was the scar on his cheek that pulled his lips down into a perpetual scowl.
She didn’t give a rat’s ass about his scar; her dad and others in his circle still loved to tell the story of the first time she’d met Truck, when she was a little kid, and how she’d put her tiny palm over his scar and asked if it hurt when it happened.
“Stay here,” Truck ordered, before climbing out of the SUV and slamming the door behind him.
Annie did as he asked, simply because she was going over different scenarios in her head as to how the next few minutes might go. What they might say if they ran into anyone while checking out the place Ryleigh and Beth had pinpointed as a potential stash house. How they could gain entry.
What they’d do if they actually found Rook or Tex or anyone else inside.
Truck was back in less than a minute, and Annie got out of the passenger side of the vehicle. She checked her pistol, making sure it was secure in its holster at the small of her back. Then she checked her KA-BAR knife in the sheath strapped to her thigh. She pulled out the pair of night vision goggles she’d packed at the last minute, just in case. And lastly, she patted the small knife tucked into a pocket she’d sewn onto the strap of her sports bra. She’d practiced throwing it until she could hit a target dead center at fifteen feet or less.
Without a word, she and Truck faded into the trees surrounding the parking lot of the gas station. Truck led the way, walking silently through the trees and underbrush. For such a large man, he could move as quietly as any deadly predator. Annie watched him carefully, using this as a learning experience for herself as much as a potential rescue mission. She always had more to learn, and who better to learn from than the best of the best?
They passed a couple of houses with loud music coming from inside but didn’t slow down. They interrupted what Annie assumed had to be a drug deal, but when she and Truck didn’t even look twice, the two men continued what they were doing. This wasn’t a neighborhood for children, and thankfully, she didn’t see signs that any lived there. The smell of pot was thick in the air and there was a feeling of anticipation that felt unnatural and sinister. As if everyone who lived there was simply waiting for something bad to happen.
As they approached their target, Truck led the way around to the backside of the supposedly abandoned house…
Except there was a light coming from inside. It wasn’t bright, but it was a light all the same.
“Truck,” Annie said, reaching out and holding onto his arm with an iron grip.
“I see it,” he said in an almost silent tone.
He pulled out his phone and shot off a quick text. Annie could only assume he was getting a hold of Wolf.
“I told him to be ready. That we hadn’t found anything yet. It could be a squatter, someone shooting up, or someone having sex with a prostitute,” Truck said in that same deathly quiet voice.
Annie nodded. But every nerve ending in her body was telling her that whoever was in that house wasn’t doing any of the things Truck had mentioned. Tex was in there. Her gut was screaming that she was right.
“I’ll go around the back. Check the windows,” she told him. She hadn’t perfected that toneless whisper he did so well, but he didn’t seem perturbed that her voice was a touch louder than his.
“All right. If you find anything, text Wolf, then me.”
Annie nodded and pulled out her phone. She pulled up the messaging app and clicked on Wolf’s name. She typed out, he’s here , but didn’t send it. If she found Tex, all she had to do was reopen the app and click send. Not waste more time typing out the message.
“We’ll go in together if he’s there,” Truck continued. “You from the back, me from the front. If shit goes sideways, protect Tex. Get him out of there.”
“What about you?” Annie asked. She felt a fire inside, knowing that Truck was trusting her with Tex’s life. He could’ve easily tasked her with subduing whoever had that light on in the house, but instead he was asking her to save Tex. That meant the world to her. His trust and belief in her abilities made her forget every instructor who told her she’d never make it. Every fellow applicant who said she’d never be a green beret special forces soldier.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done this, but no one fucks with Tex.”
It wasn’t really an answer, but then again, it was. “We need answers,” Annie reminded Truck.
“I know.”
Mentally, Annie shrugged. She didn’t give a fuck what Truck did with whoever was in that house. Her only concern was Tex. She had no doubt Truck could take care of himself. Even if there was more than one person in the house, even if the kidnapper had a whole contingent of bad guys in there with him, having a damn orgy or something. Truck would deal with them.
“Be careful,” he said, right before they split apart. “Fletch would never forgive me if I got his baby hurt.”
Annie rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about me. Worry about you…old man,” she teased.
Truck grinned at her, then turned serious once more. “Time to get our friend back.”
“A SEAL never leaves a SEAL behind,” Annie recited. Neither she nor Truck were SEALs, but Tex was. And they weren’t leaving him behind. Not a chance in hell.
Truck faded into the darkness. One second he was there, and the next, Annie was standing alone. It was almost uncanny how silent Truck was, considering his size, but she had no time to contemplate how he did it.
Doing her best to stay in the shadows, Annie crept toward the back of the house in question. The weeds and grass were long on the backside of pretty much every house in the neighborhood, providing the perfect coverage. Moving quickly, she made her way directly behind the house that should’ve been abandoned. No light came through any of the windows at the back of the house. Pulling the night-vision goggles over her eyes so she could see in the dark, Annie moved like a shadow to the first window.
Peering in, she saw what looked like a bedroom. She could just make out boxes stacked up on a crooked bed frame. There was trash strewn about the space and what looked like feces on the floor as well. She didn’t stop to wonder if it was human or animal. Shit was shit.
Moving to the only other window, she attempted to look inside. To her surprise, all she saw was the faint reflection of her face staring back her. Blinking in confusion, Annie realized this room had some sort of curtains over the window.
Her gut stirring with nerves and excitement—because there was absolutely no reason for curtains to be closed in an empty house, especially one that looked as if it was used by anyone who happened to need a place for their nefarious activities—she pulled out her phone.
She quickly sent the text she’d typed out to Wolf. She was certain, even without seeing absolute proof, that Tex was on the other side of those curtains. She’d bet her reputation as a green beret on it. She then sent a text to Truck.
Yes.
One word. That’s all she took the time to say, but Truck would understand. She was pretty sure he was already thinking the same thing she was—that Tex was there.
Annie had some options here. Break the glass and alert whoever was in the front of the house that someone was possibly trying to rescue their captive, making all their lives more difficult. Or cross her fingers and hope against hope that before the curtains were pulled tightly across the window…whoever had done, so hadn’t bothered to check the lock.
Holding her breath, Annie pushed up on the window.
To her amazement and delight, it moved up.
Idiots! The window was unlocked!
On the heels of that thought was worry. If the window was unlocked, and Tex was inside, he could’ve gotten out at any time. Even if he had been bound, or hurt, he was a SEAL. Yes, he was old—her dad would kick her ass if he ever got wind that she’d thought of Tex as old , because he wasn’t far from his age—but there’s no way he would’ve simply sat around waiting for rescue if he could’ve gotten out himself.
But the fact that he hadn’t gotten out already wasn’t a good sign. Even she knew that. He was probably incapacitated in some way. Which made her want to vomit, but she forced those feelings away. She had a job to do here and she wasn’t going to fail.
Annie doubted her instincts for the first time and regretted sending those texts until she was completely sure Tex was inside. It was too late now. The only thing she could do was move aside the curtain and see for herself if her gut, and training, was right.
She went to push the curtains aside and realized they were somehow attached on the sides and where they met in the middle. She pushed harder and realized they were taped to the window frame. But the bottom wasn’t secured like the sides were.
Moving as fast as she dared while still attempting to not make a sound, Annie peeled the tape off of one side of the curtains, away from the wall, and looked inside the room for the first time.
She was confused. It was empty. No trash on the floor like the other room. No boxes. No furniture except for a chair in the very middle of the space. As she stared at it a bit longer, Annie could see zip-ties hanging off the back slats.
Motherfucker. She hadn’t been wrong. Tex was here. Or he had been at one time. Likely secured to the very chair she was looking at. The door to the room was shut and she took the opportunity to push herself up into the window and slide into the room. Crouching under the window, Annie paused, waiting. Listening.
To her confusion, she heard music coming from somewhere. It was faint, but now that she was inside the room, much more clear than when she was on the other side of the curtains outside.
And now that she was inside, she could also see what she hadn’t before. Someone had built a false wall.
No, it wasn’t a wall. It was a box.
Her eyes widening, Annie moved without thinking about the consequences. She wasn’t trying to be stealthy anymore, she was horrified at what she was seeing. The wood of the box had been painted black, which was why she hadn’t immediately recognized what she was seeing. It blended into the darkness of the room. And also, now that she was right next to it, she could hear the music easier. It was coming from inside the box.
Fuck! She had zero doubt now. This was Tex’s prison—and she was getting him the fuck out of there. But how to do so and not alert whoever was in the other room? They’d hear the music the second she opened the box.
A noise from outside the door had Annie spinning around, weapon in hand instinctively as she knelt and pointed it at the door. But seconds later, she realized whoever she heard wasn’t anyone about to come rushing in.
That sound was Truck, fighting with whoever he’d encountered.
Now was her chance. While Truck was busy with whoever was on the other side of that door.
Holstering her pistol, Annie turned back to the box. There were two padlocks on the small door, holding it shut at the top and bottom. Piece of cake.
Reaching into one of the cargo pockets of her pants, she pulled out the lock-picking tools she always carried and had learned to use almost as easily as others used an everyday key. She made quick work of the first lock, then knelt to pick the second. Twenty seconds had probably passed, which felt like an eternity for Annie.
She wanted to make sure Truck was all right, help him if need be, but her responsibility was Tex. Protecting him and getting him the hell out of there. Truck would never forgive her if she didn’t do her job.
Wrenching the door open, the music that was barely audible from outside the box seemed especially loud now. Wincing, Annie strained to see into the darkness. There were no lights inside the small area, and it took her a moment to understand what she was seeing.
Tex.
He was lying on his side, curled into a ball at the back of the space. He was completely naked and was missing his prosthetic. But it was the fact that he didn’t move when she opened the door that had Annie concerned.
She could see dark splotches on the floor and smell the bucket of waste that Tex had been using for his bodily needs. But she ignored those as she crouched slightly to step into the cell.
“Tex?” she whispered, but there was no response from the man on the floor. She realized as soon as she spoke that he wouldn’t hear her over the sound of the music anyway. She didn’t really need to be so quiet. No one would hear a damn thing going on in this room, just as Tex wouldn’t be able to hear anything going on outside of it.
Hatred rose up within Annie. The sight of her idol lying motionless and injured made her want to fucking kill those who’d done this to him.
“Protect Tex. That’s your job,” she muttered to herself.
She needed to get him out of here. Away from this hell. Then she could do a medical assessment. See what needed to be done to help him.
Without hesitation, not thinking twice about his lack of clothes, Annie took a deep breath—regretting it instantly, as the air in this box wasn’t exactly fresh—and leaned over the larger-than-life Tex. Except he wasn’t larger than life at the moment. Even Annie could tell he’d lost weight during the days he’d been missing. Something else to hold those bastards accountable for.
As she’d done so many times before in training and in the hell that was green beret qualification, she hefted Tex over her shoulders in a fireman’s carry, his head at one shoulder and his torso resting on her upper back, his leg dangling on her other side. He actually weighed less than the dummies and men she’d been required to prove she could carry while in training.
Annie cautiously moved out of the box. Her hands were full, and it would be difficult—not impossible, but difficult—to protect them both if someone burst into the room right about now. But the door stayed shut. Annie moved toward the window.
“Sorry about this, Tex,” she said, before leaning out the window and basically dropping him onto the grass below. It worried her that he hadn’t come to yet. She had no idea why, but she knew he wasn’t dead. His body was warm. Almost too warm.
She quickly climbed out the window and once more picked up Tex and put him over her shoulders.
The relief that swept over her when she felt Tex stir as she moved back toward the cover of the trees lining the neighborhood was immense.
“Tex?” she asked, in a tone that was louder than she’d like, but still only above a whisper. “It’s Annie. I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
“Annie?” the man over her shoulders croaked into her ear. The word was too loud. The music that had been blaring into that box had fucked with his hearing, and he probably had no idea how loud he was speaking.
Annie eased him to the ground and slammed her hand over his lips, frowning at him and shaking her head.
He nodded in understanding. Then said in a voice that was almost too low for her to hear, “Thank God they sent the best of the best.” He’d obviously understood the need to be quiet, but was still unable to regulate his speech because his hearing was so messed up.
Regardless, Annie couldn’t stop the grin from forming on her lips. Leave it to Tex to stroke her ego in the middle of his own damn rescue.
She thanked him using sign language, not wanting to risk anyone overhearing if she spoke.
To her delight—it shouldn’t really have surprised her, yet it did anyway—Tex signed back, How’s Melody?
She began to respond, but gunfire erupted from the house they’d just left behind. Annie wasn’t sure what was happening, and she didn’t want Tex to be struck by a stray bullet. It would suck to be kidnapped and held captive for days, only to be shot accidentally during your rescue.
There was no way Annie was bringing Tex back to the gas station right now, as was her original plan. She wanted to make sure the area was safe. That no one was waiting in ambush for them. She’d just hunker down right here and wait for Truck, or Wolf, or someone to text her to give her the all clear. And she had no doubt that’s what would happen when they couldn’t find her or Tex in the house or immediate vicinity.
More shots sounded, and Annie crouched in front of Tex with her pistol out and pointed in the direction of the shots. Over her dead body was anyone taking Tex again. Not fucking happening.
Her attention was split between the direction of the house and her immediate surroundings. It wasn’t likely anyone would be able to sneak up on her, but the possibility was there. She missed having someone at her six.
As soon as she had the thought, she felt her KA-BAR knife being slipped out of the sheath on her thigh. Since she heard Tex grunting with the effort it took to move, she knew it was him. Warmth shot through her. She’d just been wishing someone had her six, and there was Tex…having her six.
She’d thought he was too out of it. Too injured. Too weak to be able to be much help. What an idiot she was. Tex was a warrior through and through. The only way he’d be too weak was if he was dead, and even then she guessed he’d find a way to be of some assistance.
A minute or so passed, and neither Annie nor Tex moved. They were both at the ready, waiting for something to happen. When her phone vibrated in her pocket, it scared the hell out of Annie. She wanted to laugh at herself. Some special forces soldier she was…terrified by a damn cell phone.
Moving slowly, she reached with her free hand to her back pocket and pulled out her cell. Looking down, she saw a text from Truck.
All clear.
Relief swam through her veins. She had no idea if he was hurt, if Wolf and the others had shown up, or even if the person who’d kidnapped Tex had been taken into custody. But if Truck said the coast was clear, it was safe to get Tex some medical attention.
Annie debated for a beat on whether to go directly to the SUV or back to the house where Tex had been held prisoner. Truck helped by sending another text.
Meet you at the SUV.
Perfect.
Turning to Tex, Annie signed, Truck says it’s clear. We’re going to the vehicle to get you some medical attention.
Without missing a beat, Tex signed back, Truck is here?
Annie grinned and nodded. And Wolf. And the rest of his crew. And Baker. And Beth and her husband.
“Damn,” Tex said out loud, his voice much more moderated. The time away from the blaring music had done him some good, and it looked like his hearing was returning to normal.
“Can you walk if I help?” Annie asked. She hadn’t gotten a good look at his leg yet. She’d been more concerned about a tango coming through the trees to steal Tex back. It was also still dark, with only enough light to barely see each other in order to communicate via sign language.
“No.”
Tex didn’t look happy about his answer, but Annie was relieved he was being honest with her.
She nodded, put the pistol back in its holster at the small of her back, then stood. “You want to keep that?” she asked, nodding toward the knife Tex still held in his grasp.
“Yes.”
“All right. Just don’t accidentally stick me with it. It’s fucking sharp,” she told him.
Tex grinned. “Good girl.”
She rolled her eyes. Leaning over, she picked up one of the men in the world she admired above all others and easily hefted him back onto her shoulders. “Hang on,” she told him unnecessarily.
Moving quickly but silently—although not as silently as Truck could move—Annie headed back toward the gas station where they’d left the SUV. As she neared the area through the trees, she could see several people waiting for her.
Baker was there, as were Benny and Mozart. Truck wasn’t anywhere that she could see. He must still be at the house. Just as she had the thought, she heard sirens in the distance…getting closer.
Baker saw her and Tex first. He peeled off from the others and came at them hard and fast. “Sitrep!” he barked.
“I’m okay,” Tex answered before Annie could. “Gunshot in my calf that’s infected. Dehydrated, beat all to shit, probably some bruised ribs that aren’t hurting much right now, thanks to everything else. Hungry and weak as hell, but alive…thanks to Annie.”
“I’ll take him,” Mozart said. He and Benny had followed the older man.
“No. I’m fine where I am,” Tex said firmly.
Once again, warmth shot through Annie. Tex trusted her to finish what she started. She didn’t need anyone to take over for her. She could carry Tex for at least another couple of miles if she had to. She’d trained for this kind of thing, and she was grateful he understood how disrespectful it would be if the men tried to take over.
“Tex? You know you’re naked, right?” Benny asked, humor lacing his words.
“I am? Wow, thanks for letting me know,” Tex said sarcastically.
“Fucking kidnappers,” Mozart said under his breath.
“Took my leg too. I’m more pissed about that,” Tex said, as if they were having a conversation over coffee or something. “If anyone can find it, I’d appreciate it. That thing wasn’t cheap.”
“On it,” Baker said, his thumbs moving over the screen of his cell as they all walked toward the SUV.
“What happened at the house?” Annie asked, her curiosity getting the better of her, now that Tex was safe.
“Truck happened,” Baker said, his lips twitching upward. “And it was Asher Rook, by the way. Thank fuck. Because the last thing I wanted was to go toe-to-toe with the fucking Mafia. I would’ve, but it’s good that I don’t have to. Asshole was sitting in the dark with only a small light illuminating the area, playing a fucking video game. As if he didn’t have a human being locked in a box in the room behind him. He was so sure of himself, that he wouldn’t get caught, that he was nonchalantly playing This is War .”
“Ballsy. Harley will be pissed when she hears that,” Annie said, knowing exactly how the wife of one of her dad’s Delta buddies would feel when she discovered the man who’d kidnapped Tex, had learned some of his tactics from the video game she’d helped design. It would infuriate her to no end.
“And the gunshots?” Tex asked. “Anyone hurt?”
“Rook had a pistol next to him, and when Truck kicked the door in, he picked it up and shot blindly,” Baker informed them.
“Amateur,” Mozart muttered.
“Missed by a mile,” Benny agreed. “But it gave Truck a reason to shoot back. Asshole went down like a rock…crying like a baby, insisting he needed an ambulance.”
Benny’s words made Annie furious. “Oh, sure. He wants medical attention, but when he shot Tex, he didn’t give a shit. What a sad excuse for a human being. What about the other men who helped with the kidnapping? None of them were there?”
“Nope, just Rook,” Baker confirmed.
“Although the guys are there now, finding out who they were…names, addresses…everything they need to know to find them and make sure they pay for what they’ve done as well,” Mozart said.
Just then, three police cars went flying past the gas station, their sirens blaring and the lights brightening up the area around the SUV momentarily before the area went dark once more.
“Shit. Are they gonna be in trouble?” Annie asked, staring after the cars. They could all hear the sirens turn into the neighborhood where Tex had been held.
“Nope. Truck was wearing a body camera. Self-defense,” Baker said.
“But what about the interrogation?” Annie insisted. There was no way Truck, Wolf, and the others wouldn’t use any means necessary to get the intel they wanted. They might be retired, but they were the best of the best when it came to getting information out of people. She should know; she’d never been able to lie to her dad growing up. He was always able to get her to spill her guts when she did stupid shit like lie about where she was or who she was with.
Baker raised a brow. “You think they’d be dumb enough to record that?”
Annie chuckled. “Right. No.”
“You guys think you can get me to the hospital sometime soon?” Tex asked, as if he was inquiring about the time.
“Fuck,” Baker said, reaching for the handle on the backdoor of the SUV.
Annie felt just as guilty. She’d been so hungry for information about what went down at the house, she’d almost forgotten she was standing there holding a butt naked and wounded Tex.
She lowered one shoulder and managed to get him into the backseat. Benny stripped off his T-shirt and Tex draped it over his lap, nodding his thanks. Mozart ran around to get into the backseat next to Tex.
“Get in,” Baker ordered Annie, motioning to the front seat with his head.
“I was going to go back to the house,” she protested.
“Nope. You’re going with us to the hospital. Truck wants to downplay your association with this as much as possible.”
Annie nodded. It wasn’t against any military rules for her to participate in the rescue of a civilian, but she didn’t really want to bring any more attention to herself if she could help it. Life as a female green beret was tough enough as it was.
“Because you’re still active duty. No one wants a spotlight on you.”
That made sense. The last thing Annie wanted was the Army somehow using this against her. She had nothing to do with the shooting, so it shouldn’t matter.
“Get in, Annie,” Tex said firmly. “I need you to call Melody for me. Tell her that I’m okay. Be there with her when she gets to the hospital.”
“Yes, Sir.” She jogged around the SUV and got into the front seat. “What about you, Benny?” she asked.
“I’m headed to the house. I’ll keep you all informed about what’s happening.” And then he was gone, disappearing into the same trees Annie had exited.
Baker got in behind the wheel of the SUV and pulled out from behind the gas station so fast, Annie had to grab the oh-shit handle above her head to keep from flying across the vehicle.
“Hang on back there. I’ll have us at the hospital in three minutes,” Baker informed everyone.
No one said anything for a long moment. Mozart was busy trying to assess Tex’s bullet wound, which wasn’t easy in the dark and with the way Baker was driving.
Tex’s voice broke the silence surrounding the occupants.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice full of emotion. “Feeling helpless is not something I’ve experienced much, and not something I want to experience again anytime soon.”
“Holy fuck, did Tex just say thank you?” Baker asked under his breath.
Annie was thinking the same thing.
“I did. And I’ll say it again. Thank you. I owe you all, huge.”
“No, you don’t,” Mozart countered sternly. “You’ve helped countless people out of the same kinds of situations. You’ve helped me, Baker, Wolf…and hundreds of other people. It’s an honor to return the favor.”
“Still, I feel as if I can’t thank you all enough. Th?—”
“ No ,” Mozart interrupted. “No more. We’ll start thinking this entire experience damaged you mentally if you go around thanking everyone all of a sudden.”
Everyone in the car chuckled, including Tex.
“All right. Message received.”
“Besides, if you attempted to thank everyone who sent you money, it would take you months…years even,” Annie informed him.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“There’s a lot that happened since you were taken,” Baker informed his fellow ex-SEAL. “Starting with the fact that the asshole who took you asked for a ransom of a billion dollars.”
“The fuck?” Tex exclaimed.
“Yup. And once people heard you needed money, they sent it. In droves.”
“Holy fucking shit,” Tex swore again.
Annie did her best to stifle a giggle. Then she sobered. “You’re so loved, Tex. People all over the country, the world , are aware of what you do for others. They wanted to return the favor. And when they heard the one and only Tex needed help, they were all too happy to do what they could.”
“I don’t want or need any of that money. It’s going back,” he said firmly.
“You’ll hurt the feelings of the people who donated it,” Mozart said easily.
“And for the record, Melody said the same thing,” Baker added. “The two of you will have to figure out what to do with it. How to use it to help others who are taken from their loved ones. Soldiers. Sailors. The missing and exploited. Start a foundation. Scholarships. Wipe your ass with it. Whatever you want. But you can’t give it back. Not after people were so eager to help the way you’ve helped them or their loved ones.”
“But…a billion dollars?” Tex whispered.
“Talk to Ryleigh,” Annie suggested. “She’ll have some ideas on what you can do with it. From what I heard from Beth, she’s made her fair share of charitable donations.”
“Yeah, she has,” Tex said absently.
“We’re here,” Baker announced as he pulled into the emergency entrance to the hospital.
“Think one of you can find me a wheelchair so Annie doesn’t have to carry me in?” Tex asked. “I’m sure no one in there wants me to flash my naked ass at them.”
Annie was so relieved to hear the Tex she knew and loved. When she first saw him in that box, she’d been terrified. Not so scared she couldn’t do her job, but now that he was safe, the kidnapper caught, and Tex sounding more like himself, she could admit that this was the scariest thing she’d ever done, simply because it was someone she loved had been in danger. It was probably good experience. Would toughen her up in case something like this ever happened again—God forbid.
“Call Mel,” Tex told Annie, as he transferred himself to the wheelchair Mozart had run into the ER to get and brought back to the car. “Tell her I’m fine. Upright, talking, ornery as ever.”
“I will,” she reassured him.
For a moment, she couldn’t move as Mozart practically ran back into the ER, pushing Tex in front of him. She began to shiver as everything that happened finally sank in.
To her surprise, Baker’s arm went around her shoulders, and he tugged her into him, giving her a tight, warm, comforting hug.
It was exactly what she needed at that moment. Baker wasn’t exactly the man she thought she’d get it from…but she should’ve known better. She’d seen him with Jodelle. How concerned he was for her, how attentive. He didn’t miss much. And while some people might be embarrassed at their almost-break down, Annie wasn’t. Her dad had told her time and time again that soldiers were people too. That she’d need to find a way to decompress after an intense mission.
“Thanks,” she muttered into Baker’s chest.
“Better?” he asked.
Annie nodded.
“Good. Now, get inside and call Melody like Tex ordered. I’ll park and be inside in a moment.”
Now this was the bossy Baker she’d gotten to know over the last few days.
She backed up and pulled out her cell, not bothering to watch Baker drive off in the SUV as she headed for the waiting room of the ER. It was about to get very crowded in there. Annie wondered if she should warn the staff how many people were about to descend on the hospital, but Melody answered the phone, distracting her.
“We found him. He’s fine. Bossy and irritating as usual. He’s here at the ER to get checked out. We’ll see you soon and tell you everything when you get here.”
Melody immediately burst out crying and couldn’t talk.
Caroline took the phone from her, found out where they’d taken Tex, and said they’d be there soon.
After hanging up, Annie took a moment to close her eyes and simply breathe. The last few days had been horrific. But she felt like a changed person. Tex was all right. His family was okay. No one had been hurt. It was a good ending to a horrible nightmare.
Opening her eyes, she stepped forward, entering the chaotic emergency room lobby. There was still a lot of intel to learn regarding the entire situation, but Annie felt good about the outcome, her role in it, and about the path she was on in her life. This was what she wanted to do. Keep people safe. Protect. Rescue.