Chapter 31
CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE
DEAN
A hospital machine beeps, and the steady drip of the IV in June’s arm half lulls me to sleep. Cream walls, white bedding, a whiteboard with patient care notes on it.
Thank God the only thing wrong with June is dehydration and shock.
I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to her today. Not today, not ever. But in my line of work, that seems to be a near guarantee.
Selfish. I’m so fucking selfish for wanting to be with her. All I can give her are lonely nights while I travel, working. I’ve seen it too many times, partners left behind, scared and in the dark about where their loved ones went. What they did in the shadows.
June deserves so much more than that life.
The door to the room creaks open and I shoot up, hand on the pistol I refused to part with. The cartel still coming.
They don’t like loose ends.
I watch the door as a brunette bustles in, dressed in slacks and a button-down.
“Charlie? What happened to your hair?” My secret weapon, the most unpredictable member of my team, living up to her reputation, as always. I’d be amused if I wasn’t still pissed at the way she handled the entire situation with Pierce.
“It’s a wig. Wake her up.” Charlie expertly unhooks the IV. “You still armed?”
“Always.”
She nods, and I wipe my bleary eyes. “We need to get her out of here.”
I spring into action, collecting myself. “They’re coming?”
Another nod. A machine screeches, angry it can no longer track June’s heartbeat.
“Pierce is gone,” Charlie says.
“Fuck.”
“You should’ve left him there.” She looks at me.
“You know I couldn’t.”
“I know.”
June sits up, awake, her hair wild, eyes wilder. “He’s gone? How?”
“I left his room for a second.” Charlie looks chagrined. “I assume he had help.”
I smoothed a hand over June’s forehead and she swats it away, glaring at me. “Wait a minute. Why is she still here?”
“You were in shock. You’ve been asleep for four hours,” I say.
“Answer the question.”
I hesitate. “Charlie is part of the team.”
“Obviously.”
“Listen, June, I’m sorry. I know it’s a lot to take in.”
“And I want you to hurry the hell up.” Charlie pats the brown wig.
“You’re upset.” My eyes dip toward Charlie.
“She lied to me. You both have been lying to me. Of course I’m upset.”
“We did what we had to do to keep you safe.” Something I would do again and again if I needed to.
“And find the drugs,” Charlie adds.
“And find the shipment,” I agree, and June’s eyes squeeze shut.
“We have to go. We don’t know if he’s coming back for you.” Charlie’s voice is tight.
“How did he get away? Can’t you track his phone or something?” June undoes the blood pressure cuff, and Charlie’s face remains a blank mask.
“Here,” Charlie says, and puts her field training to good use by quickly taking the IV needle out of June’s arm and sticking a Snoopy band-aid on her.
“I don’t have a court order to track his phone. Yet,” I finally answer, shooting Charlie a warning look.
June swings her legs over the side of the bed, then sags slightly.
“Slow and steady.” My heart clenches at the sight, the fight in her struggling against the bone-deep weariness I feel too. “You have a safehouse for us?”
“Yeah, of course.” Charlie’s lips are an angry slash against her face and I study her, surprise widening my eyes. She’s hurt by June’s clear mistrust and anger.
It isn’t often Charlie gets to work undercover with good people, people like June. Even someone as hardened as Charlie isn’t immune to feelings.
“We need to move. We can’t risk staying here,” Charlie urges.
“If you were better at your job, maybe we wouldn’t have to.” June’s tone is clipped. Angry.
Charlie steps closer, her brows knitting together. “That’s not fair, and you know it. Everything I did, I did because it was the best option. I kept you from getting shot and captured. Yes, I lied to you. Does that mean we weren’t friends?” Her mouth twitches into a frown. “I think you’re the only one who can answer that question.”
“You were always my friend, Charlie.” June’s words are soft. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you. But you lied to me, manipulated me, even, and that hurts. You aren’t who I thought you were.”
“I did what I had to do.” Charlie moves toward the door.
I step closer to June. “None of us meant to hurt you, princess.”
“I think you believe that, both of you. But it doesn’t mean you haven’t, does it?” A sad smile crosses her face.
June stretches, and I reach out to her. My heart swells as she takes my hand.
“Do you have clothes for me?”
I shake my head, a fresh wave of guilt washing over me. All she has on is a hospital gown. She makes it look damn good.
“Here.” Charlie thrusts her purse at June. “I grabbed some things from your house for you... before all this, I mean. When I saw the Jeep wreckage…” Charlie’s throat bobs, and she shakes her head. “You might not want to go back there for a while. June, I meant what I said on the boat. None of us got into this job to hurt good people. Like you.”
June squeezes her eyes shut, and I rub her back. “We’ll get him. We’ll get him and then you’ll be safe.” It’s all I can offer.
Wordlessly, June extracts a pair of beat-up jeans and a shirt that reads, Divers Know How to Go Down. I make myself look away as she tugs on the clothes.
“I’m not staying at a safehouse.” She laces up a pair of sneakers.
“Yes, you are,” Charlie snaps.
“No, I’m not. I’m so tired of hiding. Did you know they kidnapped me, Charlie? When I was a kid. I’ve been hiding my whole goddamn life.” She gestures around, resigned. “And look where it’s gotten me. Nowhere. Trouble found me anyway.”
My stomach falls. That’s what I am to her. Trouble.
I can’t let her down now.
“She can come.”
“She’s not coming.” Charlie tugs on the mouse-brown wig.
“I already called it in, Charlie. Coast Guard should be heading for the site any minute now. We should both be there.” A muscle twitches in my temple. “June should be there. She’ll be safe with me.”
Another machine beeps.
“Coast Guard? You did find the drugs.” June’s voice is small. Full of hurt. “They were by the wreck, weren’t they? That’s where you swam off to.”
She sags back onto the hospital bed, eyes downcast. Her face so sad, so beautiful, it almost breaks my heart. Her palms press into her eyes, a ragged breath shaking her chest.
My heart twists, and I can’t stop myself from moving. The bed protests as I sit next to her, gathering her up in my arms. Her cheek rests against my shoulder, hot tears leaking onto my skin. My shirt soaking them up, but it isn’t enough.
I wish I could soak up her pain.
“He was running drugs. You were right.” The words gasp out of her, barely audible. “I didn’t want to believe it. I am an idiot.”
Charlie turns away, facing the door, giving us privacy. The small but unexpected gesture surprising me.
I rub June’s hair, savoring the silky slide of it against my fingers. “June.”
“No, don’t. You can’t make it better. After they took me, he was so angry. So angry. Because they forced his hand—through me. I can’t believe I didn’t see it. I feel so stupid. Of course he went to work for them.”
“You weren’t stupid. We can all be blind when it comes to the people we care about.” I know that firsthand. My lungs hurt. “You were leverage for the smugglers.”
“Why my dad? Why us?”
I sigh, sending strands of her hair floating into the air. “Access. Your dad was ex-mil, knew the area, knew how to handle himself. You were an easy target. Opportunity and occasion.” I rub her back, holding her close, her quiet sobs wracking her body against mine. “He did it to keep you safe, June. It’s as easy and as hard as that.”
“It doesn’t make it right. None of this makes it right. I can’t believe the stupid shipment was there.”
Words fail me. I have no idea how to make this better. There’s no way to stop her from hurting. Every fresh tear against my skin burns, acid regret.
“I should’ve told you. I tried to.”
Damn it to hell, but I fucked it all up.
Minutes tick by, unaware that I wish time would stand still. That the world around us would vanish, that I could hold her against me, could help her shoulder this pain. Together. Until she was ready to face the future. With me.
Finally, June stands, pushing away from me. She brushes her long dark hair back off her shoulders, fire and fury in her eyes.
“I’m coming with you.” She shoulders past me, pausing at the door.
“You’re coming with us,” I agree.
“No, you will let me come, because the Coast Guard will almost certainly destroy the archaeological site without me.” Realization dawns on her face, her mouth a soft “o” of surprise. “I’m coming?”
I nod once. She’s fearless. It makes me proud; I have no right to be. I had no hand in who she is. Today’s been tough. She’s seen some shit, and she came out even stronger.
She sank her own damn boat to save my ass.
Charlie sighs. “For the record, I think this is ridiculous. She’s a civilian, Evans. A fact you should try and remember.”
“I’m a civilian who blew up a propane tank with one shot and ninja-kicked a shark, Charlie. Call me June Bond if it makes you feel better.”
Charlie snorts.
“Well, are we leaving, or are you two going to stand around all day and argue?” June crosses her arms over her chest.
Charlie grumbles something else about civilians, then pulls the door open and strides down the hallway, her brown wig bobbing as she walks.
June follows behind her and I tuck the pistol back into my shoulder holster, taking the rear position. A second call to the Coast Guard, and they’ll wait another ten minutes to let us board. Thompson and Thorne are already on board.
Ten minutes, and we’ll be back on our way to the site that nearly killed us all.