Elite Metal-ARE-epub (14 page)

The top deck was open to the sun complete with a pool and a hot tub—ideal for a location to relax in pure indulgence. But the scene Steele came upon as he approached the tops of the stairs stopped his blood cold.

Alayna stood on the deck. She had slipped a tank top over her suit and held a gun in each hand. Before her Korovin and Laskin sat at table with an open laptop between them. From his vantage point, Steele couldn’t see Laskin’s face, but he had a perfect view of Korovin, and the expression he wore was more of speculation than shock or surprise.

“You’ll have to excuse us, Bear, but Mr. Korovin and I must be leaving now.” And with that, she pulled the trigger of the gun in her left hand, shooting a dart in Laskin’s stomach. “Don’t scream, now,” she warned as he started to wail. “Or else I’ll shoot you with my right hand.”

As Laskin slumped in his seat, Alayna gestured with her guns for Korovin to stand. “Pick up the computer, Mr. Korovin. We’re going downstairs.”

Korovin slowly climbed to his feet. “I know you. Why do I feel as if I know you?”

“We’re never met before this weekend,” she replied with a sarcastic twist of her lips. “Now pick up the laptop and let’s go.”

Goose bumps erupted across Steele’s skin in warning a second before Korovin picked up the laptop and threw it at Alayna.

She fired a shot from each gun as she dodged the computer’s flight path. The silencer on the Remington muffled the blast to a dull roar that echoed across the surface of the lake like a firecracker. Red burst from Korovin’s arm as he rushed her, knocking them both to the deck.

Steele jumped from his hiding place to aid her as one of the bodyguards appeared on the top step with gun in hand and his pants hanging off his hips. Before he was able to aim his weapon, Steele fired off two shots, dropping the man where he stood and turned in time to see Korovin straddle Alayna’s hips and land a left hook to her cheek. He grabbed onto her hand holding the pistol and dug his fingers into her flesh.

As the two struggled, the pistol discharged and Alayna screamed out in pain. Steele plowed into Korovin and sent him sprawling to the deck while the ship’s crew barreled up the stairs with shouts for him to get on the ground.

“Time to go, baby.” He holstered his weapon and scooped up Alayna under the armpit with his left hand while reaching into the pack around his waist with his right and drew out a grenade. He gripped the pin between his teeth and pulled, tossing the grenade into the crowd.

“Steele…” Her voice was weak from shock. Pain.

Men scattered in different directions as he ran full bore for the railing, dragging Alayna by his side. “Hold on.” Not breaking stride, he launched them over the side as the grenade detonated, sending smoke and shrapnel into the air.

They hit the water hard, and Alayna sank fast in the murky water. A red trail snaked from the bullet wound above her breast and her eyes were closed. He snatched her around the waist and they swam toward the sunlight, breaking the surface next to the hull of the ship. From this angle it would be impossible to get a clean shot off. And it wasn’t as if he could return fire if he wanted to with a water logged gun.

“You still with me?” he questioned just loud enough for her to hear.

She grimaced in pain but remained quiet as he swam them closer to the bow of the ship. “Yes.” She scowled and sucked in a sharp breath. Then another. “I think. He got. My lung.”

Fuck
.

She wasn’t gurgling when she spoke so he sure as hell hoped she was wrong.

“Hold onto me with your good arm. We’re getting out of here before the Coast Guard shows up.” He looked to the side where the jet skis were docked on the boat. Only one remained. The force of the blast must have jarred loose the Jet Ski he needed. It was a good thirty yards away and in the opposite direction of his boat.

Shit
.

Slowly he moved them toward the boat, trying to keep an eye out for any of the remaining crew coming after them or Korovin himself.

Smoke billowed from the upper deck, and from their right came the wail of a siren and the flashing lights of the lake authorities.

Around them the water vibrated as the big diesel engine roared to life and the boat began to move. “Hold your breath. We’ve got to go under. Hold it.” He took them back under and when they resurfaced, the yacht was about fifty yards in the distance.

From the back of the yacht, the other Jet Ski shot into the water and took off at a ninety-degree angle from the fleeing ship. Thankfully away from them. Steele would bet good money Korovin was on that Jet Ski, leaving Laskin on his own to face the authorities.

Watching his enemy flee should have burned a hole in Steele’s gut, but his only concern at the moment was the woman going limp in his arms. “Almost, there baby. Almost. There. Talk to me.”

“Just. Leave. Me. Dead. Weight.”

“Marines’ don’t leave men behind.”

“Not. Marine.”

She was right but that didn’t change what he knew he had to do.

What he wanted to do.

Save her.

That’s all that mattered.

It felt as if it took him hours before he reached his boat and dragged them both onboard. Acid burned in his muscles as he collapsed to his knees by her side.

“Stay with me, Alayna.” He put pressure on her wound with one hand as he reached for the sat phone in his bag. As soon as the call picked up he barked, “Alayna’s been shot. Where the fuck are your ghosts?”

Poppy cursed. “They landed at Henderson forty minutes ago and are enroute to Boulder now. What’s your exact location?” Her voice trembled, but her tone remained professional which helped him rein in his panic.

“I’m, ah, shit. I’m in the Virgin Basin.”

“I’m pulling up a map now.”

Alayna coughed and her eyelids fluttered.

“Got it,” Poppy said. “Head west back into Boulder and head to the Government Wash Ramp, it’s along the north bank. It’s closed, so hopefully there’ll be little traffic. Ghost team will meet you there. They should arrive the same time you do if not a couple minutes sooner. ETA from your current location six minutes.”

“Copy.”

“And Korovin?”

“Gone.”

He dropped the phone to cradle her face in his hands. “Hold on, baby. Help’s on its way.”

“Ko- Kor—” She broke into a cough.

“Ssh… Save your strength, baby.” He pulled out a medical kit from his bag and tore open a pouch of gauze. “We’ll get him next time.”

“No. Go.” She began to shake so hard he knew shock was setting in. “Import…ant.”

“You’re the important one and I’m the biggest asshole for not seeing it earlier. I’m so fucking sorry.” Fuck, there was so much blood.

He taped the gauze to the wound as best he could with shaking hands then rose to start the engine and set off for the rendezvous point. He wanted to hold her in his arms, or at least keep a hand on her chest to monitor her breathing, but he needed both hands to steer.

A headache formed from clenching his teeth together in an effort to lay off the throttle. The wake was gentle, but he didn’t need to be pulled over for speeding with a bleeding woman at his feet.

Finally the closed boat launch came into view. A few RVs were parked along the shore, but to his disappointment there was no sign of the ghost team.

He slowed down the boat and called Poppy back on the phone as he checked on Alayna. To his horror her cheeks were white and she failed to rouse as he shook her. The pulse at the base of her neck was weak and her breath was so shallow, he was afraid that if he blinked, it would stop altogether.

“Come in, Steele,” Poppy’s voice came across the line.

“I swear to God I’m going to kill every one of those fuckers. Where is the team?” he shouted as panic got the best of him.

“Waiting for you to appear. You should be seeing them any second.”

A black SUV careened around a parked RV. As soon as the driver applied the brakes two men jumped out. Each of the men wore black fatigues and face masks.

“Thank fuck,” he relayed and flipped the phone off.

Piloting the boat he ran the bottom aground, and left the engine running, as he carefully lifted Alayna.

Passed out.

“Let me take her, sir,” said the first man to reach him. His voice had seen better days.

“Careful, man. We need a medic.” He gently lowered her into the man’s waiting arms. Dizziness made his vision swim as helplessness nearly paralyzed him.

“We have one on board.” He turned to head back to shore as the second man climbed aboard.

“Wait up,” Steele shouted and reached for his bag.

“I’ve got it, sir,” the man waved him away. “I’ll take care of the boat, and we’ll handle the removal of your items from the hotel. Transport will take you immediately to the airport, unless…”

Alayna didn’t make it.

Nope, nope. He wasn’t even going to think that way. She had to survive. She. Had. To.

He never believed in love. Not until Alayna Devlin crossed his path. And now he might lose her.

Steele leapt off the side of the boat and ran after the man who carried his life in his arms.

Chapter Twelve

Steele laid his head on the hospital bed and stroked the back of Alayna’s hand. Around her ring finger was a pale circle where her wedding rings had protected her skin from the Las Vegas sun, and the sight made his gut clench.

In the background the soft beep-beep-beep of the heart monitor was both a comfort and annoyance. The doctors said she’d live, but until she opened her eyes for more than fifteen seconds, he was having difficulty believing them.

His eyes burned and his mouth felt as if he’d been sucking on a pillow. The only time he left her side was when she was being treated, and even then it was only long enough to shower off the lake residue. Fortunately the bullet went straight through and didn’t nick the side of her lung. The worst was she had dislocated her shoulder when they hit the water. Her cheekbone was cracked and the bruising increased his desire to hunt down Korovin and kill him ten times over. After Alayna was awake, of course.

“Come on, sweetheart. Wake up.”

Her middle finger twitched in front of his nose. He held his breath and when the rest of her fingers flinched he jacked upright and laid his hand on her forehead.

“Alayna? Sweetheart?” He bit his lip to keep from shouting at her.

Open your eyes, baby. Please.

The copper tang of blood hit his tongue as he watched her eyelashes flutter for what felt like an eternity. Her breathing deepened and finally her lids lifted and she stared at the ceiling.

“Alayna, baby. I’m here. I’m right here.”

With only her eyes she glanced in his direction. She blinked several times and a frown creased her brow. “Steele?” she asked in a whisper.

“Yeah. Just sit tight there, sweetheart,” he added as her legs shifted under the blanket. “You don’t want to rip out anything holding you together at the moment.”

“Where are we?”

“Vegas. Private medical office. Contact of Warbucks’ that doesn’t ask any questions.”

“Why are you here?”

The question was like a punch to the throat. “Because I wouldn’t be anywhere else. What do you remember?”

“The boat. Getting the drop on Korovin. He threw something at me and we fought.” Her eyes darted back and forth in confusion. “Did you…were you there?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

Ah, a punch in the throat followed by a kick to the nuts.

“Because I’m your partner. We’re a team. I will never let you go out, unprotected alone to face danger. Never, Alayna.”

The frown deepened. “But you hate me.”

And there was the knife to the heart.

“I don’t hate you, Alayna. I—” The words caught in his throat as tears stung his eyes. He had to touch her, so he lifted her hand and kissed it, determined to not be an asshole again. “I don’t hate you. I was a dick and threw all my guilt at you. That wasn’t fair. I’m so fucking sorry and I’ll understand if you never want to see my ugly mug again. But I couldn’t just leave you. Not until I told you…”

Several beeps of the heart monitor passed. “Told me what,” she whispered.

One deep breath. “I’m in love with you.”

There it was. The ‘L’ word. Out in the universe. And never before had he been so vulnerable with his belly exposed to the blade of her response.

She closed her eyes and a tear slid down her cheek.

He wiped it away for her. “Ah shit, I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’ll just shut up now.”
Nice going dumbass.

“Steele.” Her hand trembled as she reached for him. “You love me?”

He lifted her hand again and dropped a kiss to the inside of her palm then cradled it against his face. “Yeah, I do.”

There was no denying the squeeze in his chest. He fucking loved this woman and never wanted her to doubt what she meant to him.

“Even with everything that happened?” she asked.

“
Especially
because of everything that happened.”

Another tear fell but a tremulous smile curved her dry lips and she whispered, “I love you, too. For a long time.”

Joy and relief exploded through him and he couldn’t stop his loud burst of laughter. He kissed her fingers, then her palm, then braved a soft kiss to her swollen lips. He lapped at the salt on her cheek and pressed one last kiss to her lips.

“As soon as we can transport you, we’re heading back to Texas and you can heal properly.”

“But no Korovin. I failed you.”

“Stop that right now. If anyone failed someone here it was me. We’ll talk more about this later, but for now, you getting better is my only priority. I’m going to get the doctor and some ice chips for you. I won’t be gone long.” He kissed her forehead and stood, striding toward the door.“ Alayna?” He patiently waited for her gaze to meet his. “I love you.”

More tears gathered on her lashes but she smiled as her eyes seemed to dip low in sleep again. “Love you,” she mouthed back.

He wished he could soften the blow of losing Korovin, but as long as she was in that bed and in any sort of discomfort, he was going to have to wait until she was well enough to take her mind off the mission and onto the future. Their future.