22. Man Down
Chapter 22
Man Down
M arcus kept his eyes locked on Elina. They only needed a moment for that knife to be off her throat. Troy would be in position now, and the others would be only minutes away.
He might not have minutes. He might not have seconds.
With the placement of the knife, Marcus knew this man had experience killing, specifically, in slashing throats. Even if he or Troy took a shot now, the man would have time to force the knife into her artery, killing her instantly.
Hoping she could figure out his signal, he flicked his eyes toward his left hand. Not the one holding his weapon.
He wiggled his fingers slightly. Hopefully, not enough for Asshole to notice, but enough for Elina to realize he was sending her a signal.
“You shouldn’t have been there. You and your men should have died that day with her.”
Marcus kept part of his brain on the rambling, making sure he wouldn’t miss a part where he was supposed to acknowledge the threats. But Asshole was mostly past caring. He was hyper-focused on Faadir and how he was going to get back in the man’s good graces.
When Elina’s gaze flickered to his hand and back, he nodded slightly. Her fear was palpable, but she didn’t panic. Didn’t give away that they were communicating.
He held his index finger out, indicating she was to wait.
A flicker showed she understood. Good.
“All you had to do was leave us alone, but you Westerners interfere where you don’t belong. Your arrogance and your heathen religions have no place in my home.”
Marcus held his patience. While he was ranting, he was focused on the injustices he’d suffered, not Elina. That gave his team more time to be in place. He knew they would understand his signals, too.
Holding his gun up meant one of them would take the shot. Or more than one. At least one would watch his signals, but most of their attention would be on Asshole and his knife.
He just needed a few more minutes to ensure enough backup had arrived.
“Maybe I’ll gut you first, and then while you’re dying, you can enjoy watching how a real man takes a woman.”
Hell, no.
His body tightened, but he kept his focus on Elina. Her body had to be trembling with the latest threat but she didn’t react outwardly.
Asshole started spewing the vile things he’d do to Elina, and Marcus had had enough. Even if no one else was here, he and Troy would take Asshole down.
He straightened his fingers and watched Elina’s eyes widen. Her gaze returned to his, and she blinked slowly to acknowledge she knew something was about to happen. He hoped she understood the rest.
He pushed the pinky forward to indicate five.
Ring finger, four.
Three.
Two.
He waited for the rant to intensify, for the knife to move even a bit.
One.
He flattened his hand the same way Owen had done when teaching the dogs to lie down.
Elina’s eyes widened again, and in an instant, her entire body softened, and she wilted. If he hadn’t been prepared, it would have scared the shit out of him.
As soon as she was away from the knife, Marcus brought his gun down and aimed. It wasn’t necessary as two bullets fired before he moved. One landed in Asshole’s thigh and the other in his shoulder. That shooter was behind Marcus, so the blow had Asshole falling away from Elina, keeping her out of the line of danger. The knife flew out of his hand as he fell.
Marcus moved to cover Elina, even as Finch did the same. The mutt had growled throughout the confrontation but had seemed to sense staying still was the best way to help Elina.
Marcus put himself between Elina and the man. Troy, Levi, Sean, Heath, and Garrett bounded out of the woods, weapons all trained on the asshole.
Marcus holstered his gun and turned to Elina. She sat on the ground with Finch in her lap, licking her face. Marcus did a quick scan for injuries, then wrapped her in his arms. “You’re okay. Are you okay?”
One arm wrapped around him while the other hugged the dog. “I’m okay. I knew you’d get him and I only had to stall for time. I’m okay.”
He buried his head in her hair and breathed her in. For a long minute, he let his team take care of things while he held her. She’d known he’d keep her safe.
Asshole continued to rant and howl in pain. His team hadn’t shot to kill. They’d targeted areas that would ensure he couldn’t hurt Elina and couldn’t fight back. Once he was in the cell, they’d have Lia assess his injuries, but he was in no danger of bleeding out or dying. They all wanted him to rot in a cell for the rest of his life where he could stew in his own hate.
Finally, Marcus stood and helped Elina to her feet. He wanted to carry her but knew she’d want to walk. She was the strongest woman he knew, and wouldn’t want to show weakness in the face of Asshole. He kept his back to Asshole so she didn’t see him and cupped Elina’s face.
A few tears leaked over, but her eyes were clearing. She smiled and whispered. “Thank you.”
He brushed her tears with his thumbs and rested his forehead on hers. “You’re so damn brave.”
She choked out a laugh. “I’m shaking like a leaf.”
“Doesn’t matter. You raced ahead into danger. You traded yourself for Owen without a thought. He held a knife to your throat and threatened you with vile things, but you didn’t panic. You gave us time to get into place. You figured out my signals and helped us get him. That’s bravery.”
Her eyes misted again. “I love you, Marcus.”
He felt tears of his own threatening. “I love you, too, Elina. So damn much I think my heart’s floating half the time.”
Her smile brightened the day. “Me too.”
Behind them, Garrett cleared his throat. “You lovebirds mind if we get our first client into the cell at Phail Jail?”
Marcus rested his forehead on Elina’s. “That name’s going to stick, isn’t it?”
“Sure is. And I don’t think you hate it nearly as much as you pretend.”
He kissed her lightly. “Doubtful.” But he was lying. Anything that made her smile was worth it in his book.
With her hand in his, he turned to find the team surrounding the man. Asshole sat on the ground, looking every bit as defeated as he should.
“Good job, team.” His voice was gruff, but it couldn’t be helped. These men were more than friends. They were family.
E lina let Marcus lead her to the side of the trail, away from where the man who’d attacked her sat on the ground, cursing in Pashto and English. Elina was glad to have Marcus’s hand. His touch grounded her, reminded her she was safe.
Garrett knelt beside the man and used zip ties to secure his hands and feet. Then he pulled out a first aid kit and started dressing the wounds.
Sean, Troy, and Levi melted into the woods. Heath stayed beside Garrett, splitting his attention between their group and the woods.
Fear rippled through Elina. “Do you think someone else is out there?”
“I don’t think so, but we’re not taking chances. Not with you.”
“Or you.”
He grinned. “He does seem to be pissed at both of us.” They’d get the rest of the story once Lia had seen to his wounds.
He squeezed her hand and then released her. “I’m going to text Lia and Mitch to meet us at Doc’s. After we get him treated, we’ll get him in a cell.”
That worried her. “They can’t do it in a cell?”
He shook his head. “Not with two bullet wounds. The one on the leg is a graze, but the shoulder is a through-and-through. They both need to be cleaned properly.”
She frowned. “How do you know that much about his injuries? You didn’t look.”
He grinned at her. “I’ve seen a lot of bullet wounds over the years. Plus, I know how my guys would shoot. Not to kill unless it was necessary. They shot to keep you safe.”
These truly were amazing men.
When his phone beeped, Marcus looked down and smiled. “Joe and Mitch are heading down the path with a gurney. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
Garrett nodded. “He’s fine to transfer. Not much damage. He could walk, but I’d rather the doctor check it out first.”
The man on the ground scowled, but his ranting had stopped. Instead, he glared at her and Marcus, making her wish she was somewhere else.
Garrett rose and stood to block them from the man’s view while keeping his eye on him. She wondered if the army had trained them to be psychic as well or if their observational skills were that good. Probably the latter.
Marcus squeezed her hand. “Stay right here. I need to do a search for his other weapons.”
“Other weapons?” That hadn’t occurred to her.
“He’ll have backups. I want them off of him and into evidence before the doc has a look.”
He produced evidence bags and moved forward. The man swore and tried to kick at him. With his limbs bound, he flailed like a fish.
“Keep your filthy hands off me.”
Marcus ignored him. In only a minute, he’d removed two more knives, a pack of Afghan cigarettes, several zip ties, a bandana, a set of keys, and a gun.
Had he planned to gag her with the bandana? Or cover her eyes so she couldn’t see? She shuddered at the memories that induced.
Marcus locked eyes on her as if he knew her thoughts. Heath moved over to stand beside Garrett, but he kept his attention on her and blocked her view. “We’ve got him contained. Try to think of something else.”
That made her smile. “Pretty sure that’s not possible, but I’m okay.”
Heath nodded. “You are. And so’s Marcus. We’ve got the asshole, and now you’ll be able to settle into town properly.”
Garrett nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Marcus and their captive. “Yep. You can focus on the two of you.”
Her face flushed, and she was glad when Troy, Levi, and Sean returned from the woods. Troy spoke loud enough for the man to hear. “Found a rental car on the road, and I bet it matches the set of keys I see in that evidence bag. You should be able to have his name once you’re back at the office. Unless he’s been forthcoming?”
Marcus didn’t so much as shrug, making Troy grin. “Shocker.” Then he leaned down and studied the man on the ground. “In case they didn’t tell you, your time is up. We’ve collected all the evidence we need. You’re never going to be free again.”
The man tried to spit at Troy, but he moved to the side with an eye roll.
Joe and Mitch rounded the corner with the gurney. Both men looked over everyone and nodded when they found them all uninjured. Only then did they turn their attention to the man on the ground.
Moving in sync without the need for words, the group lifted the man onto the gurney and attached the straps to keep him from falling. Oz, Scooby, Slick, and Mitch walked beside the gurney and lifted it over any rough patches.
Joe led the way, leaving the rest to follow.
As the group moved ahead, Marcus took her hand, and they followed. Finch trotted along beside her, and Troy and Sean moved in behind them. She didn’t question their position because she knew that even if they believed they were safe, no one was taking chances.
Her body still trembled, and her knees wanted to collapse, but she kept walking. She needed to move past the fear and the memories as quickly as they moved past the trees.
When they got to town, no one loitered on the street. No one popped out to see what was happening. “Where are Rachel and Owen? And Piper? Are they all okay? I didn’t even ask.”
Troy laughed. “You were a little busy. They’re all good. They went to Yoganna Love It. You can see them all later if you want.”
She wanted to see for herself that Owen was okay. That he hadn’t been harmed. That he was going to be able to deal with the trauma of what had happened to him.
When they reached Phail Jail, Marcus pulled out his keys while the rest of the group moved to Doc’s. “Shouldn’t you be with them?”
He shrugged and opened the door, tugged her inside, and then reset the security system. “They’ve got it all under control. I’ll head there soon.”
She nodded. “You need to look up the license plate and find his name.”
Another shrug. Then Marcus pocketed the keys and wrapped himself around her. His strength and love surrounded her and seeped in.
“I’ve never been so scared in my life. Nothing has terrified me like watching you rush toward a man holding a knife who wanted to hurt you. Nothing.”
His gruff voice and hard swallow had her tears loosening. “I couldn’t let him hurt Owen.”
“I know. One of the many reasons I love you.”
“I love you, too. I knew you’d get him before he hurt me.”
His gruff laugh had more tears falling. “I wasn’t so sure myself. My heart nearly keeled over.”
She squeezed him hard. “You did it. You kept everyone safe.”
“We all did.”
“You have a pretty great team.”
He leaned back to look at her and brushed away the tears sliding down her cheeks. “We do, and you’re a vital part of it. Part of us. I’m so damn proud of you, Elina. Your bravery and faith humble me.”
“You’re an amazing man.”
He shook his head slightly, and then his mouth descended on hers.