Chapter 34
When they made it two hours from Seattle, Hollywood picked up his phone and dialed Doc’s number.
“Hey, Liam. I’m hoping you’re calling me with good news.”
Glancing back at his teammates, he replied, “Doc, we’ll be at the private airfield in two hours. We need medical attention, and I need you and Kassie to come alone.”
Silence hung in the air for a moment before Doc spoke again.
“Tell me what you need,” he ordered.
“Knight has a GSW to the leg. They operated on it, but we needed to leave. Cole has a shoulder wound and has run a fever for the past two hours. We need Jake, too. Ice took a bullet. Sparky’s banged up a bit, and we have another passenger named Kerrigan.
They beat her badly, and she has a concussion.
I’ve done everything Patch told me to do, but I’m not gonna lie. I’m worried.”
“We’ll be there when you land with back up. Where’s Leo?”
“The connection’s bad, Doc. Meet us there in two hours,” he said before hanging up.
Cole glanced over at Sparky. She never let go of Ice. “We’re almost there. Jake’s the best vet around. He’ll take care of him.”
“I’m counting on it,” she said quietly. “I’m leaving him with Jake while we go back for Leo.”
Hollywood hung his head. “You heard Saint. We don’t know what charges they’ll try to pin on you. It might be good for you to stay low right now.”
“It’s not like they don’t know where I’ll be,” she argued. “They can arrest me here as well as there, and Leo took me to translate and tell them about the village. I only rode along because of Ice and Kerrigan saved my life. If you leave without me, Hollywood, I will pound you to the ground.”
“She’ll do it, too,” Cole agreed. “She nearly sent me puking, and my head throbbed for hours. How’s Knight?”
“I gave him the shot like Patch told me. He went back out. I’ve checked his pulse, and he’s not running a fever,” Hollywood reported. “Has the acetaminophen kicked in yet?”
“Not yet, and my head hurts. Leo still must have his radio. Why hasn’t he reached out?” he asked. “I’ve gone over it a million times.”
“We all have. We may never know the answer,” Hollywood replied. “I’m having Doc check my ear and then heading right back. Sparky, I want you checked out before we go. You have a huge bruise around your neck.”
“Hayworth tried choking me,” she confided. “Leo taught me how to get out. He can’t be dead. Poor Catherine,” she cried quietly.
“We’re not giving up,” Hollywood said.
The plane descended, and he saw the vehicles waiting at the end of the runway. Doc went all out when he called for backup.
As soon as they stopped, he opened the door, and Chase ran up the stairs and scanned the occupants. Jake brought a gurney for Ice. “How about we get him off first, and Kassie can help Sparky down. Then, Hollywood, you help Cole off. Then we’ll take Knight and Kerrigan.”
“You got it, Doc,” Hollywood said as Jake and Ivan entered the plane with a makeshift cot.
Jake saw the injured dog and Sparky clinging to him for dear life. “It’s all right, sweetheart,” he said. “I’ll take good care of him.”
“He hasn’t moved since we left. He’s too still,” she said as a tear ran down her cheek.
“Sometimes, it’s better for the wound to keep them heavily sedated,” he explained gently. “I’m lifting him off you with Ivan’s help, and I’m taking him to my house for a good examination. When I finish, I’ll let you know how he’s doing.”
“All right,” she said, blowing out a breath.
The two men took the dog off the plane, and Kassie appeared, teary-eyed. “Sparky,” she said softly. The two women hugged tightly, and Kassie ushered her off the plane.
Hollywood helped Cole off while Chase took Knight’s vitals and gave orders to his crew. Then he checked Kerrigan.
“Take her straight to radiology for a CT scan. Set up a trauma room for Knight and Kerrigan. Bear already pulled the hospital records from surgery. When did you give him the last pain medication?” Doc asked Hollywood as they loaded into the vehicles.
“Four hours ago,” he informed him.
“Ride with us and tell us everything,” Doc ordered, pointing to the SUV Kassie helped Sparky into.
As soon as Doc started the engine and put the car in drive, Kassie peppered him with questions. “Where’s Leo? What about the rest of the team? Do you know if they sexually assaulted the woman?”
“They beat her after they took us to jail. They held us for shooting four soldiers, but they broke into the barracks. We didn’t have a choice. During the scuffle, Ice got shot. I alerted Leo they set a trap,” Sparky told her.
“After the attack, we lost Leo. We searched until nightfall and retrieved our wounded. They’re searching for him at first light. We found a puddle of blood and assumed he got wounded. There’s no sign of him,” he broke the news.
Kassie picked up her phone and called Victoria. “Leo’s injured and missing. We need men.” She listened to Victoria and then hung up. “She and Ivan will leave within the hour. We’re taking in Nick until they return.”
Doc held his wife’s hand. Liam watched as the two exchanged worried glances.
“Where’s Catherine?” Doc asked her.
“I sent her home early today,” Kassie said. “We’ll keep everyone in one area until we know more. At least she won’t be there this evening.”
“Where’s Addy?” Hollywood asked.
“She covered a shift last night. I gave her the day off. Do you want me to have her come to the ER?” Kassie asked.
“No. If you don’t mind checking my ear, I’ll ask for a ride to her house.
“Call Whiskey. He needs to know about Leo,” Chase said softly.
“We’ll have him meet us at the hospital,” Kassie said. “We won’t be able to keep this from Catherine long. I want us to at least talk to Saint.”
“You’ll have to call from the facility,” Hollywood reminded her. “I know they planned to start where we last saw him.”
“Hollywood, how about we drop you off, and we can pick up Whiskey? You can ride up with Addy.”
“Do you mind if I stay long enough to shower?” he asked.
Chase glanced at Kassie and smiled. “Take your time. We’ll have to do some tests, and I’m sure Victoria and Ivan will want to speak with you before they leave. They’ll gather their men first.”
Anticipation hit him as they turned down the road to Addy’s house. His heart raced as they pulled into the driveway. He saw Addy glance out her living room window. She slowly opened the door.
“I’ll come up as soon as I can,” Hollywood murmured as he opened his door, let Apollo out, and shut it. He walked toward her as Addy let out a cry and started running.
“Liam,” she said as she slammed into his chest. Her arms gripped his neck as she sobbed into his shoulder. He didn’t know when Doc pulled out of the driveway as he crushed her to him, needing the connection.
“Addy,” he whispered.
Zeus barked from the doorway, and Apollo whined, making them break apart.
“Did you decide to surprise all of us?” she said, smiling through her tears.
“No,” he informed her. “Let’s go inside.”
He signaled for Apollo to follow as they walked into her house. The two dogs sniffed each other, and Addy let them outside in the backyard, where they watched them play with the balls.
“You’ve been away for three months. Why did you need supplies now?” Addy asked, putting the puzzle together. “What happened?”
“We got too close to interfering with someone operating illegally. I brought Sparky home, along with Knight and Cole,” he explained. “We brought another woman who gave us information for our investigation.”
“Oh my gosh. Do they need me to come in and help?” she asked.
“I told them I’ll be there in a little while. I want to take a shower and hold you in my arms for a minute,” he confessed.
“You’re not telling me something,” she said. “Something’s wrong. I can tell by the tone of your voice.”
“They jammed our coms, and we didn’t hear Leo telling us about the trap. He ran down the mountain and got shot. When we went to find him, he was gone. We only found a pool of blood and some spatter. They’re searching for him now.”
“Oh, no. Poor Leo,” she whispered. “Oh, Catherine,” she said, clutching her chest.
“We don’t know anything yet. We flew for hours and waited for the plane to refuel. They might’ve located him by now. Kassie’s calling Saint for an update, and then she’ll tell Catherine.”
Noticing the wall color, he turned to Addy. “You’ve stayed busy.”
“I call it the Addy 2.0 edition. I’m focusing on what makes me happy. I love color,” she said softly.
“It makes it feel warm and welcoming here,” he said, opening the door and calling Apollo and Zeus inside.
“I need a shower and then check on my teammates. Will you come sit with me?” he said, holding out his hand.
Addy smiled and placed her hand in his. When they reached the primary bedroom, he stopped to admire her work. “It’s beautiful, Addy. Very calming.”
“Thank you,” she murmured as she tugged him toward the bathroom. Turning on the water, she walked toward him, lifting her shirt and tossing it to the floor. His finger ran down the silky material of her bra, and he sighed. “I want to make love to you, Addy. They put me in charge—”
“Shhh. Let me take care of you,” she said, unbuttoning his gear. He placed his weapon on the counter as the two dogs entered. He signaled for Apollo to lie down.
Addy unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off him. She continued with his pants and boots. The weariness of the last few days seemed to take hold as he allowed her to undress him and then herself. Leading him into the shower, she wet his hair. Addy noticed the cotton in his ear.
“Why do you have this?” she asked hesitantly.
“Leo yelled for me to move, and a missile exploded. Patch sent me back to have my implant checked.”
“Oh, Liam,” she said worriedly as she covered his ear and leaned him into the water. Squirting shampoo in her hand, she scrubbed his scalp, massaging it. He placed his hand on her hip, needing to touch her. He rinsed his hair and grabbed her sponge, scrubbing his body from head to toe.
“I’ve missed you, Addy,” he murmured as she knelt to wash his feet. “You don’t have to do this.”