8. Fuck Worthy
8 FUCK WORTHY
Lanie
“Well, shit.” I looked down at the blood coating my fingers, then to where it was beginning to spread across one of my favorite shirts.
Son of a bitch!
I’d never been shot before and—for the record—I’d prefer it didn’t happen again. Pain, I could deal with, but having a bullet pierce my skin was pure agony. It felt like someone had taken a blowtorch to my side.
“Here.” Noah pushed a towel from the bag onto the wound, then replaced his hand with mine as he took my gun and slid it in the back of his pants. “Keep pressure on it.”
Another blast ripped through the air, kicking up dirt two feet to our left. Noah peered around the tree, popping off two rounds in the general direction of the shooter.
“We need to move. We’re sitting ducks here.” I stepped closer, crouching low next to him.
“Can’t take the horses.” He nodded toward the spot where we’d tied them up. The now empty spot. In all the chaos, I hadn’t thought to set them free, but it seemed they took care of that themselves.
“Good. We’ll stand a better chance moving through the woods on foot anyway. They’ll head straight back to the farm, which will alert Dad and Leland. They’ll come looking for us.”
Noah’s head jerked back when he realized what I was suggesting. “You were shot, Lanie. You need a hospital, not a hike.”
“I’m not bleeding out, for Christ’s sake.” Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. He let loose a growl which rivaled a grizzly. “Listen, we don’t know how many assholes there are out there, right?”
He didn’t agree or disagree, just stared like I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had. Between the adrenaline coursing through my body and the blood dripping out of it, I didn’t see another solution, so I continued with my line of thinking.
“We’ve got the upper hand here. I know these woods better than anyone. If we can get to them without being seen, there are a couple of caves where we could hunker down.”
“Hunker down,” he repeated slowly.
A fourth shot sounded. This one smacking into the oak tree we were behind; dead center. It was enough to get us both moving. Noah slung both our bags over his shoulder, tagged my hand, and blindly fired three shots behind us, providing a bit of cover as we ran.
Too focused on putting one foot in front of the other, I lost track of the number of bullets we dodged while we zigzagged through the forest. It could have been three or thirty. Noah stayed two steps behind me the whole way as I took us east toward the closest cave, which also happened to parallel the farm. Once we were there, we could call for help. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the best I could come up with on the fly. Leland would be able to lead a rescue team straight to us, since we used these caves as a clubhouse when we were younger.
Despite the adrenaline pumping through my veins, the burning in my side worsened with every ragged breath I took. I did my best to keep the towel pressed to the wound, but it was almost impossible to do while running for your life. When my head started to spin from the pain, I squeezed the hand still firmly holding mine.
“What’s wrong? Shit.” Noah grasped my elbow to steady me when I swayed sideways. Scanning our surroundings, he led me to a fallen log, easing me onto it. “Sit before you fall.”
“We can’t stop.” I closed my eyes briefly.
“Bullshit. There hasn’t been any gunfire in about five minutes. We either lost them or they’re regrouping.” Noah knelt in front of me. “How far are we from the cave?”
“Not far.”
Pain sliced through my side when he eased up the bottom of my shirt, gently probing my battered flesh. Slow, deep breaths helped to stave off the sudden nausea, but I couldn’t stop the flinch when he touched a particularly sensitive spot.
“Sorry,” he grimaced. “Looks like the bullet grazed you. I can’t be positive until I get it cleaned up though.”
“Then we better keep going.” I pushed to stand.
“Whoa.” Strong arms caught me around the waist when my knees buckled, the dizziness having returned with a vengeance. “New plan.”
To say I wasn’t a fan of Noah’s plan was a gross understatement, however, arguing with the incensed male didn’t seem like a good idea. So after he swung his backpack around to his chest, I tucked my displeasure away and carefully climbed onto his back.
Less than ten minutes later, we reached the mouth of the cave. The outside was covered in a thick patchwork of vines and was surrounded by an overgrowth of bushes and plant life. Unless you knew what you were looking for, it was almost impossible to locate. It was the perfect place to hide.
“There.” I pointed.
“Do you think you can stand?”
“Yeah. My head’s better.”
“It’s not your head I’m worried about.”
Noah eased me off his back, holding on to my arm until he saw I was steady. Unzipping the bag on his chest, he dug around inside, pulling out the burner phone.
“Maybe we should just keep going,” he mused. “I’ll call Waverly and get her to alert the local PD. They can meet us at the farm in a few hours.”
“That’s not gonna work.” I tilted my head back, peering up through the treetops at the quickly darkening sky, just when the first raindrop splashed onto my forehead. “Storm’s moving in.”
Noah frowned. “Fuck.”
“Welcome to springtime in Colorado. If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.”
“No, I meant fuck because there’s no signal to get a call out.”
“Oh.” My shoulders dropped. “That is fuck worthy.”
An incoming storm, no way of communicating with the outside world, not to mention the unknown number of Russian hit men tracking us through the woods. Oh, and I had a freaking bullet wound. Things were looking bleak, until I remembered something important.
Pushing up my sleeve, I looked at my watch then grinned from ear to ear.
“It’s four-thirty.”
“And that’s relevant to our current predicament, how?”
“I’ll bet you a hundred bucks, Waverly already has the team mobilized.”
He returned my smile with a brilliant one of his own.
“Does it make me a bad person to hope your dad greets them in the buff too?”
“Noah!”
“What?” He smirked. “I shouldn’t be the only one traumatized.”
Being extra cautious not to disturb the area surrounding the cave, we made our way inside. We’d no sooner cleared the entrance when the skies unleashed an impenetrable curtain of rain, followed by a rumble of ground-shaking thunder.
The front part of the cave was small, much smaller than I remembered, but it would have to be enough to hold the two of us for the night. We were out of options. On the bright side, we had a good vantage point to see if anyone or anything approached.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I prefer the yurt,” Noah commented, hunching over to avoid hitting his head on the rocks above us.
“At least it’s dry,” was the only response I could come up with.
“Come on. ”
He grabbed my hand, leading us a few steps farther in. Lighting was sparse, with only a smattering filtering in from outside, so once we were situated on the dirt-covered ground, Noah used the flashlight app on the phone to search the bags. My body sagged in relief when he withdrew the small cooler from the larger bag. In all the chaos, I’d completely forgotten we put it there for our hike back to the horses. Inside were a couple bottles of water, an extra sandwich, and a bag of jerky. Luck—it seemed—might finally be on our side. We wouldn’t starve.
Cracking open one of the waters, Noah gestured. “Lean back. I need to clean out your wound before we lose what little light we have.”
Resting against the rock wall, I pulled my shirt up to just below my breast. The bullet struck below the bottom of my rib cage, in the fleshy part of my side. Underneath the dried blood, a gnarly bruise had begun to bloom, spanning the width of my ribs and extending down to my hip.
“Deep breath, Lanie. This may hurt.”
He was wrong. Agony was a better description. Hell, a swarm of bumble bees using my flesh as a pincushion would’ve felt better than when the first splash of water hit the wound. Clenching my jaw, I ground my molars hard enough to crack as Noah used a towel to clean away the sweat, dirt, and blood. I tried to stay strong, but when he skirted the edges, I broke against the pain. Tears dripped off my chin and a muffled whimper slipped through my gritted teeth.
Anguished sapphire eyes snapped to mine. “I’m so sorry. Do you need a break?”
I shook my head. “How much longer?”
“Not much.”
“Keep going.”
Two minutes later, it was over .
“It could use stitches, but…” His voice had an edge to it that wasn’t there moments ago.
“What’s wrong?” I reached for him, but he fell back on his ass, knees bent with his feet planted firmly on the ground. He was putting distance between us; the question was, why? Something was off.
“You’re gonna start bleeding again if you keep moving around.”
His words were clipped, almost harsh, like he was on the edge. My Noah was the king of control, but right then he appeared seconds away from snapping like a twig. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.
“Wait. Are you mad?” He stared at his fingers, tinged red with my blood, where they dangled between his knees, flexing and releasing, all while refusing to look at me. “Noah?”
“I. Am. Furious.”
“At me?” I croaked.
When his head lifted, the air whooshed from my lungs. There was a hint of fear, but it was hidden far beneath the sharp edges of anger, which made the muscle in his cheek twitch. I never wanted to see that look on his face again as long as I lived.
“You threw yourself in front of a bullet, Lanie,” he seethed, tearing his fingers through his already messy hair. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
“I—”
“Don’t ever put yourself in danger for me.”
“It—”
“Jesus Christ.” He smacked his hands against the dirt. “A few inches higher and we wouldn’t even be having this conversation, Lanie. You’d be dead.”
“No— ”
“You have no idea how much I want to redden your ass right now.”
“For fuck’s sake, Noah, will you let me talk?” I groaned, immediately regretting my outburst since the action pulled at my wound.
“Shit.” He scrambled to my side, pulling at my shirt. “Let me see.”
Smacking his hands away, I scowled. “Knock it off.” Within seconds, a warm hand rubbed small circles on my back as I hunched over to relieve the sharp throb.
He was scared. I got it. Lord knows if our roles were reversed, if Noah had been the one who was shot, I would’ve reacted the same way. He was more than my partner; he was my heart and soul. Our physical relationship may have been a new development, but the foundation was already there. We’d laid it out and built it up over years of friendship.
“It was instinctual. I heard the shot and dove for you.” Even though I heard his swift inhale, I kept going. “I’d do it again without blinking an eye, Noah.”
“My heart stopped when I saw the blood on your hand.” His lips pressed against my temple and stayed there. “I’ve never been more terrified.”
“Me too.”
We’d seen some fucked-up shit in our job, but we’d always made it through to the other side together. This time would be no different. Noah and I were alive and we were going to stay that way, even if I had to bargain with the devil.
“Close your eyes, Lanie.” I lay against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “We’ll figure everything out in the morning. ”
Noah
Once I felt Lanie’s breathing even out, my eyes never strayed from the cave entrance and my Glock was inches away from my hand. Thankfully, there’d been no indication we were followed, though I wasn’t na?ve enough to think whoever it was had given up. I just prayed for her family and our team to reach us before the assholes got any bright ideas.
The storm continued to roar outside, while a different one raged deep in my bones. No matter how many times I reminded myself throughout the night that Lanie was safe in my arms, I couldn’t unhear the crack of the rifle or unsee the blood on her fingertips. It was playing on a never-ending loop inside my head, taunting me.
For hours, I did nothing except think and plan. Whoever shot at us was going down, it was just a matter of when and where. By the time sunlight began to penetrate our dark haven, I’d reached one conclusion. We needed to go home. We were too exposed in Colorado and we didn’t have the same resources that were available to us in Huntington. Mainly our team…our family. They were the best chance we had of getting through this hell unscathed.
“Morning.” Hazel eyes, still cloudy with sleep, peered up at me as she lifted her head from my chest.
“Morning, Darlin’.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “How’s the pain?”
“It’s there, but it’s more of a dull ache.”
Our heads snapped to the entrance, my gun raised, when a branch broke outside, followed by a rustling of leaves. Lanie reached to the side, picking up her weapon as I quietly got to my feet. Motioning for her to watch my back, I slowly crept along the wall, staying as low to the ground as possible .
When I approached the mouth of the cave, I heard voices, as in more than one. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, though it didn’t matter at this point. They were too fucking close and getting closer by the second.
A shadow crossed in front of the threshold. We were out of time. The instant the figure cleared the entryway, I didn’t think, I acted. Pushing off the wall, I barreled into them, knocking us both to the ground. Scrambling for control, I straddled their chest, cocked my arm back and was poised to throw the first punch when I heard her.
“Stand down, Noah.”
Waverly. If she was here then…
Looking down, my answer came in the form of a shit-eating grin on Koen’s face. Since the fucker scared the piss outta me, I planted my fists on his chest, giving him all two hundred twenty pounds of me as I pushed to my feet.
“Asshole,” he grunted.
“We need to get Lanie to a hospital.” I gave him a hand up as Waverly, Leland, and Percy squeezed into the small space. Unfortunately, at six feet six inches, the only way Duncan was coming all the way in was on his knees, so he stayed at the entrance.
“I don’t need a damn hospital,” she complained.
“You were shot.”
All at once our rescue party erupted in a litany of curses and questions, none more prevalent than Percy’s growled, “What the fuck?” He was across the space and kneeling at her side in three steps, followed by Lee.
Waverly raised a brow when they were out of earshot. “How bad?”
“The bullet grazed her side. I cleaned it out, but she may need stitches. How’d you all get here so quick anyway?” I asked. “I know the FBI didn’t cough up the cash for this trip.”
“When you didn’t call, we were on the road to the airport by four thirty.”
She didn’t exactly answer, however, Koen’s next statement cleared everything up.
“It pays to have someone with access to a private jet in our ranks.”
Keaton. I should’ve known. The only member of our team not present also happened to be the silent owner of a multimillion-dollar security company. He didn’t handle the day-to-day operations, but his bank account benefited from its success.
“Where is he anyway?”
“Someone had to stay with Henley and Jade,” Waverly began, “and since Henley’s pregnant, Keaton was the obvious choice. Enough stalling, tell us what the hell happened.”
I kept Lanie in my line of sight while giving my team a rundown of yesterday's events, minus the sex, of course.
“How the hell did they find you so fast?”
Koen’s question was one I’d asked myself repeatedly. Either the Russians hired an incompetent hit man, or there was someone else with nefarious intent. I wanted to be wrong, for Lanie’s sake, but there was only one way to know for sure.
“I don’t think they did.”
Duncan pursed his lips, then gave a slight nod. “Explain.”
While her family packed up our belongings and fussed over Lanie, I did just that. Even though it wasn’t my story to tell, under the circumstances, I didn’t think she would mind .
Koen whistled. “That’s fucked up, man.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Lanie was murdering me with her eyes from the back of the ambulance where the EMT had just finished properly cleaning and bandaging her side. The bullet wound was deep enough to need stitches and she was going to the hospital, despite fighting us tooth and nail. In the end, all it took was a pleading look from her mother before Lanie agreed. That didn’t mean she wasn’t giving me hell, hence the evil glare she was trying to perfect. Little did she know, her attitude just made me want to spank her ass and fuck her senseless.
Christ. I had to get myself under control. The woman took a bullet for me. Figuring out who took potshots at us out in the woods should be my only priority, not daydreaming about different, more enjoyable ways to use my cuffs. Yet, that’s exactly what I was doing.
“Glad to see you took my advice and screwed your head on straight. You’re riding with her, I assume?”
“I’m not leaving her side, Duncan.”
I hadn’t heard him approach, but then again, no one ever did. The man was like a ghost; here one minute, gone the next. He could also kill you nine different ways with his pinky finger. I wanted to be him when I grew up.
“Figured as much.” He rubbed his scruff-covered chin. “Koen and I will stay here. The Denver office is sending their crime scene unit. They should be here within the hour. We’ll take them out to comb the woods for evidence.”
Waverly had flipped into RAC Mitchell mode as soon as we’d returned to the farm. She planted herself in front of Lanie, like a mama bear protecting her cub, then went head-to-head with the local sheriff. The guy had been waiting along with six of his officers, demanding answers he wasn’t going to get. His show of force was overkill and an obvious intimidation tactic. Unfortunately for him, my boss didn’t cower to bullies, she came out with both fists swinging. In one phone call, Waverly took jurisdiction over the case, sending Sheriff Dickwad and his cronies packing with their tails between their legs. It was a sight I wouldn’t forget anytime soon.
“Thank you. And, Duncan.” He’d started to walk away, but pivoted. “We’re coming home as soon as this is wrapped up.”
“Good.”
He wasn’t a man of many words; however, he was the one you wanted in your corner when shit went south. We only knew the pieces of his past which weren’t heavily redacted by whatever agency he worked for before joining the FBI. There was a deeper story there than someone whose cover was blown on an op. Maybe one day he’d deem us worthy enough to share it.
The EMT jumped down from the back of the vehicle, motioning to his partner that they were ready to head out. Ignoring the small crowd milling about, which included her not-so-pleased family, I double-timed it to my girl. It had taken a group effort to convince the three Biggs to remain at the farm instead of coming to the hospital, but in the end, they listened to reason.
A knot lodged in my throat at the sight of Lanie lying on the gurney with her eyes closed. Inches . Less than six inches and I could’ve lost her. The thought was both nauseating and infuriating.
“You gonna stand there all night, Cowboy? ”
Glassy, hazel eyes gazed at me. Her words were slurred and she seemed much less irritated than when I’d left her ten minutes earlier. It all made sense when I noticed the IV taped to her right hand. Bending down, I brushed a kiss across her lips then took a seat on the side bench.
“They gave you the good drugs, huh?”
“Yeah. Morphine is the shit.”
Picking up her hand, I held it between both of mine.
“That’s good, Darlin’.”
“Noah?”
“Right here, Lanie.”
She blew out a breath. “I don’t think this was the Russians.”
Not surprising, she’d reached the same conclusion I had. Lanie graduated at the top of her class at Quantico for a reason. She was damn smart.
“Me either.”
She blinked slowly, then blinked again, except her eyes stayed closed the second time.
“I’m gonna kick their ass.”
I chuckled. My girl was tough to her core, but I knew when the truth came out, it had the potential to cut her deep. And that’s not something I’d ever allow.
“You’re gonna have to stand in line.”
“I want to go home.”
“We will,” I promised.
She didn’t talk anymore, but she did start snoring.
Morphine was indeed, the shit.