Chapter Twenty-Five
“N ow what?” Sera asked, peering over the edge. There was no way they could jump safely. They were three stories up and it was a straight drop down.
Corey leaned over, his eyes zeroing in on the chimney that ran down the length of the house. “Could you hug the chimney and scale down it?”
“Are you kidding me?” she asked a little hysterically and lifted her arms, showing him her lack of muscles. “My dad used to call them bendy straws.”
They probably would’ve laughed if the situation weren’t so dire.
“We need to somehow climb down the side—” His voice abruptly cut off, his gears turning.
“We could go back to the bedroom. Knot sheets together?” she suggested. But one look back in the conservatory, and she couldn’t miss the smoke already pouring out from the passageway.
“Too dangerous to go back.” Corey frowned hard. “I have a better idea. Wait here.”
Wait here? Hugging herself and feeling trapped, she watched Corey sprint back into the hazy conservatory. In less than twenty seconds, he came running back out, hefting a heavy-looking, coiled garden hose.
Her jaw dropped. “You’re brilliant!”
“Only if this works,” he stated dryly. “I already tied it off around a pillar inside.”
He tossed the thick length of hose over the side.
“I’m going to go first, but I’ll be right beneath you. If your arms get tired, I want you to step onto my shoulders. Just hang on tight, okay?”
“Okay.” She forced a short, quick nod and felt like throwing up.
Corey grabbed her face in his hands, his electric-blue eyes locking onto hers. “You’ve got this, sweetheart.”
Then he pressed his lips to hers, infusing her with strength and reminding her that she had so much to live for.
“Let’s do this,” she whispered, trying to sound more courageous than she felt.
“That’s my brave girl.” He grabbed the hose in his gloved hands and levered himself over the edge with an ease and strength she wished she possessed. He exuded intense warrior vibes, and she watched in awe as he scaled down a few feet, giving her plenty of room to follow.
Stopping, he looked up. “C’mon, sweetheart. Grab the hose, get a good grip, and come down to me.”
Heart in her throat, she wiped her sweaty hands on her thighs, praying she wouldn’t slip, bump into him and take them both down.
Wrapping her hands around the rubber hose in a death grip, she dropped down onto her butt and scooted right over the edge before she could think too hard about it and let the fear consume her.
No way was she letting herself or Corey down. They were too close to escaping this hellish place, and she wasn’t about to lose her shit and destroy their only chance of getting away. Time to dig deep, lock down the terror and move her ass.
Corey stayed close beneath her like he said he would, waiting for her to reach him, then lowering himself a little further.
Halfway down, her arms began to burn like crazy, but she refused to add extra weight to Corey’s shoulders unless she thought she might actually fall.
She did, however, vow to start working out again and beef up her spaghetti noodle arms.
Staring at the wall, praying she could hang in there, she focused on the motions. Hold tight, keep your legs wrapped firmly around the hose, slide a little. Feel Corey’s touch on your ankle. And repeat.
She wasn’t sure if it had been one minute or ten, but when she felt firm hands grip her waist and tug, she squeezed the hose tighter. She couldn’t fall. They were so close now.
“Sweetheart, let go. You made it.”
Relief poured through her and she released the hose, falling back into Corey’s embrace.
“You did so well.” He tucked her into his side and lifted his gun, quickly surveying the area. Nodding to the rear hedges, he said, “Almost out of here.”
God, she hoped so.
Halfway across the lawn, a huge explosion tore through the house.
Corey grabbed her as they flew forward, jerked right off their feet from the powerful blast. He turned as they hit the ground, his body taking the impact, then rolled over top of her, shielding her from the massive wave of heat and debris pouring over them.
◆◆◆
Holy shit.
José Barrera and his house were gone. Corey was helping Sera up off the ground when Brand blasted through his comms unit, demanding to know their location.
“We’re safe,” Corey reported. He scanned Sera from head to toe. She appeared a little shaken and smudged with dirt and grime, but she was beautifully, wonderfully alive and well.
The rest of the team checked in one after the other. Except for Xander. Corey’s gut did an awful twist, and he hoped like hell the other man had gotten out, but he had to focus on getting Sera to the SUV.
Most of the action had occurred in the front of the house, and they jogged across the back lawn without further incident. Whatever guards the Motley Crew had missed taking out, the Villarreal clan or the explosions had eliminated.
José Barrera had escaped, but they could worry about that another day. Their priority had been to rescue Sera. Mission fucking accomplished.
When they reached the cement block wall, Corey boosted Sera up. She carefully moved past the cut barbed wire. Brand and Chaz waited on the other side, and Corey urged her to jump. They caught her with ease, and Corey leapt down beside them.
Taking her small hand in his big, gloved one, Corey helped her through the hedges and straight into the waiting SUV. His gaze took in the rest of the Motley Crew who shared worried looks.
“Hawke didn’t report,” Brand stated in a flat voice.
“He pulled his comms out right before he took off,” Corey said. “Even if he survived the blast, he wouldn’t have heard you.”
“No one survived that blast,” Chaz said grimly, giving voice to what they all feared.
If Hawke had gone up in a blaze of glory, there was nothing any of them could’ve done.
“Fuck.” Brand raked a hand through his hair. “Fucking Hawke. Why did he go rogue?”
No one had an answer. Corey wished like hell Xander hadn’t deviated from the plan. But what happened was no one’s fault. Xander had chosen to take off without an explanation. Without sharing his plan with the rest of them.
A heaviness hung in the air as Corey slipped into the backseat with Sera.
“Xander?” she asked quietly, and he gave his head a slight shake, pulling off his gloves. “Oh, no.”
She covered her mouth with her hands, eyes brimming with tears, and Corey wrapped his arm around her, pulling her against his side.
His heart hurt. As happy as he was to have Sera back safely, they may have lost a member of the Motley Crew.
The hardest part was not knowing. Had Xander made it out?
Or had the worst-case scenario happened?
On the drive back to the private plane, Brand called Mitch. In a low, sorrowful tone, he told their handler how Xander had gone rogue, they’d lost contact with him and he’d never returned to the SUV after the Villarreals leveled Barrera’s house.
“Do you want us to go back and”—he sighed heavily—“search the rubble?”
For a moment, the line was quiet. “No,” Mitch finally said. “I want you to get on that plane and return home. I’ll send a team to look for Hawke.”
“Roger that,” Brand responded.
After disconnecting the call with Mitch, they rode in gloomy silence. Corey’s thoughts became heavier and guilt began to press down on his shoulders. If Sera hadn’t been taken, Xander wouldn’t have been down there in the first place.
Once again, he felt the crushing weight of losing a teammate. It never got any fucking easier.
But this time, he’d completed the mission and saved the asset. Sera sat beside him, safe and unharmed. Leaning into her as much as she was leaning against him, he buried his face in her hair and tried not to blame himself for what happened.
◆◆◆
On the flight back to Montana, Sera could feel Corey sinking into himself. And it absolutely broke her heart. She knew he felt responsible for losing Xander. But she was the reason they’d gone down there. If anything, it was all her fault.
“I’m sorry,” she said, looking up from her clasped hands and addressing the silent men surrounding her. “If Joel hadn’t taken me, you guys never would’ve—”
“It’s not your fault,” Brand interrupted. “Hawke chose not to follow protocol. No one forced him to take off like a loose cannon which, in fact, endangered the entire mission.”
“It’s no one’s fault,” Wes added, looking pointedly at Corey. “Brand is right. Hawke made a choice to go off on his own.”
“This fucking sucks,” Chaz grumbled, “but they’re right. Hawke made a bad decision.”
“Why, though?” Lex asked. “It makes no damn sense. Why would he run off alone? That was fucking suicide.”
No one said anything.
“Unless…” Everyone looked at Wes who shrugged. “Maybe he wanted to get caught.”
“Why would you want to get caught ?” Jayson asked, looking bewildered.
No one had an answer. But Corey reached for Sera’s hand, and her heart soared at the touch. Their eyes met, and she knew he understood that his team didn’t blame either of them. Then he pulled her onto his lap, wrapped his arms around her and whispered, “Rest.”
Curling up against him, happy the tactical vest and gear were gone, she placed her cheek against his firm chest and drifted off, lulled into a light sleep by the plane’s engines and the strong, steady beating of his heart.
After safely landing, they split into two groups and wearily climbed into the waiting SUVs. The drive back to Cielo Springs went quickly and, even though it had been less than thirty-six hours since she’d been kidnapped, it felt like she’d been gone for a week.
When they reached town, Brand, Chaz and Lex headed one way while Corey, Sera, Wes and Jayson turned in the other direction.
The minute the SUV pulled into Wes’s driveway, Ellie hurried outside to greet them.
Wes caught her in a hug, lifting her right off her feet.
After kissing her soundly, he grabbed the SUV’s door and leaned down.
“You gonna be okay?” he asked Corey.
Sera pulled Corey’s big, callused hand onto her lap, tangling her fingers with his. “He’s going to be just fine,” she assured Wes. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Wes nodded, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Good. I like you two together.” He straightened up and patted the SUV’s roof. “Take care of each other.”
“Thanks, Murph,” Corey said. “We will.”
After closing the door, Jayson drove to his house. They drove down a graveled driveway and Sera scoped out the attractive farmhouse, split rail fencing that marked corrals and a big red barn.
“Do you have horses?” she asked.
“My daughter Emma does, and she keeps them here,” he answered. “If you and Cor ever want to go riding, we—I mean, I —have a lot of trails. Emma moved out earlier this year, so it gets kinda quiet around here.”
The moment the words left his mouth, loud rock music came blaring from next door. There was plenty of land between the homes, but they could hear it loud and clear. They all turned to look, and Jayson frowned.
“So much for quiet,” Corey said.
“New neighbor,” Jayson muttered. “We haven’t met yet, but I think we’re about to if she plans on continuing to blast that shitty music.”
“Easy, Jay. Not everyone appreciates O.G. rap like you,” Corey teased.
“I don’t care what she listens to as long as it’s played at a reasonable volume.”
“Hear, hear, Grandpaw.” Corey’s lips twitched, and it made Sera’s heart swell.
“Some of us go to bed early around here. Besides,” he quickly added, “I don’t want it spooking the horses.”
“Makes sense,” Corey agreed as he slipped into the driver’s seat and Sera moved into the passenger seat.
Jayson hefted his gear bag over a shoulder and scowled at his neighbor’s house. “See you guys later,” he mumbled, eyes glued to a window next door.
Coery and Sera said goodbye, and he turned the car toward the mountain. She couldn’t wait until she had him all alone. It was time to tell him how grateful she was for him coming to her rescue and, most importantly, to let him know how hard she’d fallen for him.
Because Sera was madly in love with the former SEAL. She just hoped he felt the same.