Chapter 24
Maverick
Maverick…
My God. The sweet softness of her voice tickled my inner ear. I spun around in a circle, praying that I’d see her. There were only ugly shadows and flashes of lightning, highlighting ancient trees and moss.
Then another sound, deep and full of anger.
“What the fuck was that?” Hudson snarled.
We all stopped and I did my best to control my breathing. “Sounded like a roar.”
“Yeah,” Kendrick snickered. “A man’s roar. Maybe she got away from him.”
That would account for the obvious sounds of frustration.
I could see her face in my mind. I could almost feel her touch.
She was close.
“I think we have the right place.” Chase was beside me, swinging the light back and forth in the dense swamp.
The area was eerie as fuck, shadows creating false monsters everywhere. I had my weapon and the flashlight in both hands, scanning the surrounding area.
“The damn shed should be right up there if the Google map is correct,” Gabriel said as he stared at his phone for a few seconds.
“Then we keep going.”
I took off again, forced to tear my way through dense foliage and fallen limbs, fighting to get to her.
Run. Run. Run.
That’s what I continued telling myself even as the minutes ticked by and there was no sight of her.
Hope was fading, my mind spinning.
Rage was screaming through my body, the ache in my muscles intense.
I swung the flashlight from right to left, motioning for the others to fan out. We had to cover as much ground as possible.
On alert, I rolled through the trees, running through muck and mud as the storm continued, bolts of lightning flashing across the sky and lighting up the entire area. I wanted to call out to her but feared he would find her if she screamed.
I rushed forward, remembering the formations I’d learned, the training provided by Hudson who’d been in the military for years.
We continued fanning out, but I was headed straight for the cabin.
Another noise, a crackle of something in the distance. I took off running, refusing to back down.
She was here. I could feel her.
I could sense her with every ounce of my being.
Nothing was going to stop me. She was here. And she was in danger.
Pushing harder. Moving faster.
More. Run. Now.
Another roar.
Then something else.
A scream. Her lilting voice.
There was no holding me back. She was close, only fifty yards away. I pushed and clawed my way, lunging through the swamp to the other side just as an alligator snapped at my leg.
Fuck. Dealing with them was the last thing we needed.
Although…
Another jolt of current flashed across the sky, the electric powerful enough to bounce across the forest of trees.
Allowing me to catch movement. With a swing of my flashlight, I caught sight of her just as the monster grabbed her by the arm.
The light blinded him but didn’t stop his actions. He grabbed her around the throat, dragging her backward. In his hand was a machete.
“Over here!” I called, keeping the beam in his face.
Steven was confused, but seconds later when both Chase and Hudson came crashing through the woods, flanking my sides, he roared again. His eyes were wild, blood streaming down one side of his face.
From what I could tell, she was safe, uninjured. Just terrified. But I could also see the gleam in her eyes, the same one I’d enjoyed studying night after night.
Yet it wasn’t long enough for me.
Not nearly enough.
If the bastard believed he was going to take the enjoyment of growing old with her away from me, he could go fuck himself.
“You didn’t play by the rules,” Steven called out.
“You should know by now I don’t play well by anyone’s rules. Didn’t you learn that when we worked together?”
A fucking machete.
I glanced quickly at Chase. There was no need to converse about how to handle this. Kendrick and Gabriel remained out of sight. They were already moving to surround him.
Chase took a step away, but Steven noticed, pressing the blade of the machete against her neck.
Movement caught my eye and I took another step closer. “She doesn’t belong to you, Steven. She belongs to me.”
“No! She doesn’t. She’s mine. She’s always been mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.”
“Yes, she does.” I shifted my gaze toward her.
She’d managed to fight her way free of the bastard a second time.
I’d be damned if he was going to be given another opportunity to hurt her.
“She deserves more than you can give to her. But I’ll keep her safe.
I promise you. She’ll always be safe with me.
Isn’t that what you want? You protected her before. With the job. You kept watch on her.”
I took careful steps closer while Hudson and Chase continued moving to the center point. Steven was lost in a haze, confused as to what he wanted to do. The man’s manic tendencies meant his personality could switch at any moment.
When it did, her life would be in danger. I had to get closer before it occurred.
With solid steps, I kept my eyes locked on both him and the weapon. She had her hands on his arm, her eyes never leaving me. Maybe I needed to change tactics.
“You care about her, Steven. You won’t be able to do so soon.
Why don’t you give her to me to protect while you’re gone?
You won’t be gone forever. Just a few years.
Then I’ll give her back to you.” The ploy was risky and I was no fucking psychological expert, but I did understand human nature.
In his twisted way, he cared very much about her.
Panting, he wasn’t certain what to do, but he could feel us crowding in on him. “Why didn’t you play by the rules? Why didn’t you come alone?” He took a step backwards, closer to the edge of a deeper body of water. The line ran through the property. I’d seen that on the map.
“Because she’s too important to both of us. You don’t want anything to happen to her.” I sensed the others were completely in position. With a nod, he’d be blown away, but it was still too risky given the machete.
So I pushed him even more, taking a decided step closer.
He teetered back and forth, uncertain what to do. A string of blood was bothering one eye and I could imagine the stench was a distinct appetizer to the creatures of the swamp.
“Do you? I know you care about her, Steven. Just let her go. Everything will be alright.” I took another step, and he finally stiffened. He looked at me, slowly allowing a smile to cross his face.
“I always thought you were my friend, Agent Callahan. I admired you and your work.” Very slowly, he loosened his hold, even dropping the machete.
He was ready to die.
I’d seen it before. When a man knew there was no other choice, but it was one he wanted to make.
As soon as he released her, Alexia pulled free, spinning and using both hands to pitch him backward.
Directly into the body of water.
I rushed forward, sweeping her into my arms, immediately kicking the machete away. The others stepped from the thick foliage while I pushed her toward safety.
“Are you okay?” I asked, pushing her back enough to be able to look her in the eyes.
“I’m fine. I knew you’d come. I knew you’d save me. The other girl. She’s close. The trunk of his car. You need to find his vehicle.”
“We’ll find her, baby. Don’t worry. We will find her.”
A loud sweep of water was followed by a horrific scream. As soon as the sound of agony erupted, I pulled her face into my chest, wrapping my arm around the back of her head.
“It’s okay. Don’t look. Just don’t look.”
“Don’t do this. Help him. Help him.” She pushed away, her voice imploring. I shook my head, hissing because I knew she was right. My God, she was the best of all of us. Sweet. Kind.
Forgiving.
“Kill the gator. Kendrick. We need to find his vehicle. We might locate the other girl.”
A single shot pulsed through the darkness, reverberating in my ears.
She clung to me, her breathing shallow.
Steven’s moans were followed by a single plea. “Maverick. Please.”
Fuck me.
I rubbed her face, debating what should be done. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you.”
Chase headed toward me, shaking his head. “He’s asking for you.”
No shit.
With rain still coming down, I peered into her eyes. I had a choice to make. This one wasn’t as easy as I’d wanted to believe.
Yet there was only one choice.
“Stay here, baby. I’ll be right back.” I backed away, exhaling as I did. When I turned around, I took a deep breath and walked straight toward him.
Bloodied and ripped apart by a true predator, he held the same imploring look but for an entirely different reason.
“Take care of my brother for me. Will you? He doesn’t deserve to die for what he did.”
There was a line that had been crossed over a year ago, but up until now, doing so had never been personal. I’d felt a sense of urgency, same as the others, but I’d performed our missions based on friendship, trust, and the need for justice.
Now, all I could think about was how much the lines had been blurred. So much so, I couldn’t recognize myself any longer.
“I was wrong,” he added just before coughing up blood.
“What were you so wrong about?”
“You’re nothing like me. You’re a just man.”
“No. You weren’t wrong, Steven. Not at all.”
Pop!
I stood on the deck of my house staring out at the ocean. The dark stormy night had given way to a beautiful sunrise with the promise of a glorious day. Warm. A light breeze. Gently rolling waves.
Everything that someone would call paradise.
Yet I felt nothing inside. Nothing but a coldness that would take time to dissipate.
I’d saved a life but in doing so, had taken another.
Was I justified in doing so? Some might argue given I was no longer a man of the law that I had no place.
That I should be arrested. There was no way of hiding what had happened with Steven or his mother. Hell, with Jameson either.
The city would soon be rocked by yet another scandal. I could take the heat. I honestly didn’t give a shit. I only cared for a single reason, the beautiful woman whose life I’d saved.