Chapter 5 Shep
SHEP
IHELD MY gun steady as the fucker with a death wish fell forward, the fatal shot hitting its mark between his brows. He never even knew I was there. Didn’t have a clue that something more dangerous lurked in the shadows as he kicked and threatened Theo.
I hadn’t wanted to shoot him. That was too easy, too painless compared to the suffering I wanted to inflict on him before I killed him. I’d wanted to tear him apart and torture him slowly, giving him back tenfold the damage I saw he’d done to Theo.
But then he pointed his gun at my man and I no longer had the advantage of time. I had seconds, and I didn’t waste them. Not when I had a clear shot at the motherfucker’s head.
I didn’t think. Didn’t hesitate. I pulled the trigger, ending his worthless life.
He crumpled instantly, pitching forward and falling down—on top of Theo. For whatever reason, Theo didn’t move out of the way and took his weight, both of them hitting the ground with Theo flat on his back.
“Theo!” I called out, running toward the tangled heap of human limbs. As I skidded to a stop, ready to pull the asshole off my guy, he was shoved off with a heave and Theo’s face came into view.
I fell to my knees beside him, my breathing coming in rapid pants as I scanned every inch of his dirt- and blood-covered face. Then the sexy fucker’s lips curved and his teeth gleamed up at me.
“Damn, Shep.” Theo coughed. “I would’ve taken a dozen roses as a declaration of your feelings.”
“I’ll give you anything you want,” I told him, taking his hand and helping him to sit. But that was still too far away, so I pulled him into my arms, needing him more than my next breath.
“Anything?” he managed, then a gurgled chuckle left him followed by another coughing fit.
I relaxed my hold and brought my flashlight up, shining it over him. There was an angry wound upside his head, several bruises to his face that I could see, and God knew what else beneath his clothes.
“Is there anyone else?”
“No.”
“Where do you hurt?”
“Everywhere?”
I cut my eyes to the lifeless body behind him, and once again I regretted how easily he’d gotten off.
“He deserved a more painful end than that,” Theo said, mirroring my thoughts as he glanced over his shoulder.
“He would’ve gotten it too. If it’d been up to me, he’d be writhing in pain for what he did to you—but I didn’t have a choice. Not when your life was at stake.”
“Aww.” Theo’s eyes came back to find mine, a spark of mischief glinting in them. “That might be the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me, Shep.”
I shook my head, reaching out to run my fingers down his blood-smeared cheek. “How can you be joking at a time like this?”
“I don’t know.” He turned his head to kiss the palm of my hand. “Probably because I never thought I’d get another time like this?”
Jesus. The idea that he’d resigned himself to death made a shooting pain stab through my heart.
I couldn’t imagine a world without Theo in it. Couldn’t imagine my world without him. The idea that I’d almost lost him before I could tell him any of that made my stomach twist around on itself until it was tied into a knot.
“Hey?” Theo reached for my face and ran a thumb over my tight lips. “I’m still here, still alive, and that’s thanks to you.”
I blinked several times, trying to banish the visual of Theo on his knees with a gun to his head. But no matter how hard I tried, it kept playing on a loop.
“I should’ve gotten to you quicker.”
“I’m just glad you got to me when you did. Those cave accommodations were subpar.”
“But if I’d been here sooner—”
“I never would’ve learned some new information.”
That stopped me in my tracks. “New information?”
“Mhmm. And if you’d come in all guns blazing and killing him dead, that never would’ve happened.”
“Are you seriously scolding me about saving your life?”
“No… I’m very appreciative of that fact, but it would be remiss of me if I didn’t point out that it’s hard to question a dead person. Isn’t that what you told me back in Cardiff? So it was good you showed up after I got some intel. It’s obvious nothing was going to stop you from playing my hero.”
He was out of his damn mind. Whatever he’d been hit with must’ve knocked a few brain cells loose from his head, because if I hadn’t done what I’d done when I showed up then he would be—
Theo grinned at me.
You cunning, knowing shit.
He’d just said all that on purpose. He was trying to get me out of my head, past my guilt and worry from earlier, and damn if it hadn’t worked.
“Think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”
“Non.” Theo shrugged. “I just know you, and I know exactly what you’re thinking. But if you don’t mind, could we please get the fuck out of this jungle?”
I got to my feet and reached for his hand, gently cupping his elbow as I helped him to stand. “That we can do.”
I aimed my flashlight in the direction I’d come, showing the cleared path I’d carved out of the vines. It was a difficult trek during the day, but in the starless night under the dense canopy of leaves with Theo’s injuries, it was going to be quite the trip back.
“Do you need me to find something for you to lean on? A branch, maybe?”
“I’m fine. Any damage he did was from the waist up.”
I grunted at that, not wanting to think about what I’d find when I got Theo back to the safe house and checked him for injuries. But right now I just needed to get him there. With the amount of blood he’d lost and lack of food and water, it was a miracle he could stand on his own two feet.
Which reminded me…
“Here.” I dug into my pants pocket and pulled out a protein bar and a bottle of water. “Get some food and water in you, while I check on him.”
Theo took the offered bar and tore open the packet with his teeth. “Pretty sure he’s dead, Shep.”
No shit. That fucker had gone down like a sack of potatoes. I hadn’t aimed to miss. “For weapons, phones, maybe a wallet?”
“Oh, right.” Theo tapped the side of his head. “Brain’s still a little slow. That happens when it makes contact with a solid object.”
I winced, knowing his head must be throbbing like a son of a bitch. But the fact he wasn’t passed out or unable to talk made me feel somewhat better.
I took a quick walk around the body, checking his pockets for anything that might be useful, but the only thing the asshole had on him was his gun. Not all that shocking, considering the line of work he was in. It wasn’t like he was going to carry ID. But I had been hoping for a phone.
As it was, it looked like he’d been in too much of a rush taking off after Theo to grab it, if he’d had one on him.
“You mentioned something about a subpar cave,” I said. “You wouldn’t by chance remember where it is, would you?”
Theo snorted. “Sure, about two miles on the left there’s a little sign that says: You have to be fucking kidding. It’s pitch black out here, I have a head wound, and was running for my life. I wasn’t thinking about anything other than getting back to you.”
My heart skipped several beats as Theo looked down at me, the words he’d just said highlighted by the emotion swirling in his eyes. I got to my feet and moved over to where he stood, and as I approached, Theo swallowed.
“You were trying to get back to me?”
“With every single breath I took.”
I cradled his cheeks and lowered my forehead to his, then shut my eyes and confessed, “I felt the exact same way. I knew you were out here, knew you were alive, and I wasn’t going to stop until I had you back in my arms.”
Theo took in a deep breath and let it out. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
I nodded and laced my fingers with his. “You got it.”
We headed off toward the path I’d carved out, but then Theo drew me to a stop, and I turned back to see a frown creasing his smeared brow.
“What is it? Are you hurting? Do you need a crutch after all? Should I carry you?”
“Non, non, nothing like that…” I could see the consternation etched into his weary features as he said, “King?”
Oh yeah, in the midst of all my anger, fear, and worry, I’d forgotten to mention him. Of course Theo would be wondering where our leader had disappeared to and what we might be walking back into when we got back home.
“He’s gone back to New York.”
“He… Wait, he fucking left me here?”
“Well…” I grimaced. “We kind of got into a fight and I told him to fuck off.”
Theo’s eyes widened, but I merely shrugged.
“I didn’t need his judgment, okay? This was his fault, so I told him to go.”
Theo took a step closer to me and angled his face up to mine, and every nightmarish thought I’d had of never seeing him again vanished in the face of the pride and admiration I saw staring back at me. “Shep?”
“Yes?”
“Take me home.”