Chapter 40
CHAPTER FORTY
MAYA
Ana steps out of the secure area, she has on dark sunglasses and a wig.
How did TSA let her travel like that? Oh well, who knows.
It's then that I see the swollen cheek and lip.
I'm going to kill that son of a bitch. I notice two goons round the corner at the other end of the hall.
I jump up, run to her, and pull her down another concourse.
"Hey, gorgeous, looks like I need to kill a fucktard," I say as I take her arm.
"I'm pregnant, Maya," she replies breathlessly.
"Fuck it all. Come on, we have company." I see a third guy come out of the same hall Ana did. Damn, she was followed from London. That's how they knew where I was heading.
"Ana, can you run?" I ask her, looking around for my next step.
"If I must."
"Sorry, sister, you must." We take off at a run. I pull my badge off my belt and flash it to security as we pass by. "Stop them. I'm Secret Service ERT, they're after my high value." I point to the goons following us.
The guards jump up to stop Goon Three, but One and Two are gone. We make it to my truck when Goons One and Two walk up to us. I toss my burner phone to Ana. "Text the person I did earlier these exact words: 911. ERT. Parking lot two. Now."
"What does that mean?" she asks. I don't have time to explain entirely.
"Means I need you in my truck and drive off if they beat me.
Put the vest on. My sidearm is next to the seat and another on the floorboard.
I love you, sister; tell him I love him too.
" I toss her my keys and walk up to the goons.
Give me strength. I've been itching for a real fight for months.
My internal fight song plays in my head as I walk up to them.
"Hello, boys, I need for you to back off.
I'm a DC cop with a secondary badge with Secret Service, I don't think you're being paid enough for the check you're about to write with your asses," I say as I flash my Secret Service badge at them. I peek at my watch. It’s two to four and he isn't here.
I've trained for years to protect the ones I love, as I couldn't before.
I get in my stance as they walk up. I can tell who'll be the aggressor.
He doesn't disappoint when he walks up, leaving the second guy to fall back and see what happens.
Goon One throws a right cross, and I redirect his punch and bend to go for the body.
I give him several gut punches, then finish him with my knee to his chest and pull him back down to put his face into my knee.
He falls to the ground, he's down but not out.
Goon Two pulls his gun and points it at me and fires.
I rush him, pull my knife from the back of my belt, and drop him with it landing in his throat.
He never saw the knife even as it went into his throat.
The blade is buried to the hilt. I'm not getting that one back.
The bullet hits me in the upper left of my vest. I pull back to try to inhale from the shock of the pain.
Goon One is starting to rise and he pulls a gun too. Come on, damn motherfuckers, I'm not letting them have Ana. I grab one of my punch knives in my left hand as I take my second knife from the other side of my back.
"Girly, we didn't want to have to kill you, but you killed my friend, now you need to die.
" I pause at him calling me that. It reminds me of the attack at the gym.
A bullet hits him between the eyes, swishing past me.
I swing around, ready for another attack, as a second bullet hits him.
All I see is Duncan rushing up to me. My breath catches as I lower my knives and he takes me into his arms.
"Oh, bloody hell, baby, did he hit you?" I look down and see the blood from Goon One’s broken nose on me.
"Nope, all his blood." Duncan wraps me tighter in his arms and kisses me like there's no tomorrow. I hear the sirens and the people, but I don't care. I don't tell him about the shot to the vest, I only feel the kiss I've waited three months for.
I hear Ana yelling and it pulls me from my fog.
She stayed in the truck, and she's frantically pointing to Goon Three, whose gun is pointed at Duncan.
I jump in front, feeling the bullet hit me in the chest as I throw my knife at him.
Fuck, that shit hurts. My left arm drops, my grip loosening on the punch knife. I hear it clang to the ground.
Both Duncan and Ana scream as I start to fall, and Duncan's gun goes off two more times.
Oh hell, I can't believe I've been shot.
Dammit! What a way to fuck up a good welcome to America kiss.
I know my brain is flashing some crazy shit right now, but what the hell is wrong with me?
I feel my body go cold and I'm out. Is death really this cold and quiet?
Duncan
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw her beat up the first guy. She was so smooth. I've seen Raul do Krav Maga for years, but I've never seen someone use it so well or make it look like a dance. The fact it was my girl made me proud and scared at the same time, making my gut twist.
When the second guy pulled his gun, I thought she'd stop.
No, not my girl, she killed him with a knife she pulled so fast I barely saw her pull it from her back.
Damn, that's my girl...my baby. Then the first guy came at her again, with a gun, I was finally close enough that I dropped him with one to the chest and one to the head. Not happening, bloody arsehole.
I couldn't get to my girl fast enough. The fact she's prepared to take me down shows her dedication in protecting my sister.
I saw her body recoil after the first guy pulled his gun, so I expected the blood to be hers.
Then what does the woman do after kissing me, she throws herself in front of a bullet meant for me and throws another knife.
I drop him with another double tap, and her knife embeds in his chest.
My girl is in my arms and falling to the ground.
Please let this be a nightmare. My mind flashes back to Christopher when I need to focus on checking on her.
The two bullets I put in that arse aren't enough, I want to get up and unload my mag into him, but my girl is struggling.
We fall to the ground, her in my arms, me on my knees.
I see her struggling for breath, that's when I see the first hit to her upper left shoulder area. The second shot was direct to her heart. The shots are too close, the vest probably failed. My mind is screaming no repeatedly. I won’t lose her now.
My mind flashes back again to losing Christopher, how close this is to that. I shake my head and struggle with the fog. I love this woman. I'll die before I lose her. I reach down, check her airways, and pull the Velcro on the shoulders of her vest through her sweatshirt.
"Baby. Honey, I love you. Come on! NO! I can't live without you. I love you. Say something, baby, please," I scream; my sister is on her knees crying and screaming for help.
Maya lost consciousness as soon as we hit the ground.
I'm hoping it's just from the air being knocked from her.
I can feel the vest under her clothes is still mostly intact.
The only problem I notice is the body armor vest I bought her for Christmas is on my sister, not her.
That was a point-blank shot from a .45 caliber revolver to an already compromised vest.
"Oh God, Duncan, all the blood. Help her, she's dying.
Don't let her die, Duncan, we need her." I start to look for the source of all the blood.
I pull a knife from my boot, slip it down the front of the sweatshirt, and thank God above.
I cut the shirt underneath until I get to her vest. It's destroyed by both hits.
"Come on, baby, it's the shock. Open your eyes. I know it hurts, but open your eyes so I know there's not any internal damage. Please, baby!" I beg and the smells hit me.
I lock down my emotions and the memories before I go back there. The blood, the air, the screaming, the pain of another loss. Please, God, not my girl.
"I'll have you know this motherfucking shit hurts." She gasps and I know exactly what she means. I've taken a couple to my vest too, it hurts. I feel my heart calm.
"I know, baby, be careful, you could have some bruised or broken ribs. You took two to the vest." I make her stay down until the paramedics can check her.
"Bruised ribs, Duncan, she's shot in the chest. She's bleeding! She's dying! She can't die. I need her, I'm pregnant." My sister is yelling.
"What?" I look at Ana like she's got two heads.
"Ana, you need to calm down, the blood isn't all mine. I have a vest on, it knocked the wind out of me, that's all, sister." I see Maya’s look of concern though and know there's more damage than what she's saying.
"Oh, thank God, Maya!" Ana gasps.
"Did my sister just say she's pregnant? And did you really throw yourself in front of a bullet for me?" I try to change the subject from the fact my girl is lying to me about how much pain she's in.
"Yeah, about that...I'm sorry, you were right. I'm sure I want you. I'll live in London or wherever you want to live. I love you, Duncan," she says as she still struggles for breath.
My own breath stops, my heart slows. "Baby, are you sure?"
"I'm sure, I've already spoken to my superiors at both jobs, and Joshua and I spoke yesterday."
"Jobs? You got the job with Secret Service?"
"I'll explain later. Help me up."
"No, stay here until the paramedics check you out."
"Reach into my hoodie pocket, both my badges are there, pull them out." She looks down to see her exposed vest. "Okay, check the ground and see where they fell." I find them, the first is her Metro PD ID with a badge, and the second makes my breath stop again.
"Baby, Secret Service ERT?"
"I told you I interviewed with them, but I'm not a close protection agent, I’m a sniper with them." She struggles to laugh.
"We will discuss this, baby."