Marked (Hostage Rescue Team Series) (23 page)

That’s my girl
, he thought, smiling in return.

“Stop making eyes at your woman and fucking help me here,” Schroder muttered, digging in his med kit for something to staunch the bleeding with.

Jake tore clothing out of the way and applied pressure to the wound in Xang’s ruined shoulder as the former PJ worked. Right at the designated time the muted thud of rotors sounded in the distance. Jake looked up to find them at his ten o’clock, heading straight to the rooftop. There wasn’t enough room for them to both touch down so they’d have to remain in a hover while they loaded one bird, then the other.

The first one came in, hovered above the deck for a few moments before the crew chief on board lowered the Stokes litter. Schroder finished his initial treatment and stood. Jake helped him lift Xang, who was no longer fighting for anything except the ability to breathe, and together they ran him to the bird.

After loading Xang into the litter and hoisting him inside, the crew winched the others aboard. Safely inside the belly of the helo, Jake glanced back. Rachel was still across the rooftop with her brother and the rest of the guys, waiting for the second helo.

The team leader gave the signal to the pilots and the Blackhawk lifted off. Schroder was back working on Xang, who didn’t look good at all. Bastard deserved every millisecond of pain he suffered, but death would be way too fucking easy. Jake was just glad that Xang wasn’t on the same helo as Rachel so she wouldn’t have to see him again.

They climbed and banked slightly to the left and Jake looked out the open door. Rachel was crouched with another team member, waiting to run to the second helo that had just moved into its final hover position. She glanced up at his bird and shaded her eyes.

Unsure if she could see him he waved, his heart squeezing when she waved back then turned and ran for the second Hawk. As his helo flew away he saw the second lift off and carry the others away from the burning building.

Jake leaned his head back and closed his eyes, thanking God that Rachel was going to be okay. If she’d let him, he was going to spend the rest of his life making sure she never had anything to fear ever again. And he would make sure she knew it as soon as this was all over.

****

The antiseptic and slightly stale smell of the hospital had long since faded from Rachel’s notice. She paused at Brandon’s bedside to gaze down at his sleeping form. He was pale, dehydrated and exhausted, but the surgeons had cleaned up the amputation site and the IV fluids would help him recover quickly.

Physically at least. Mentally and emotionally could be a different story.

Since the nurses had told her he’d be sleeping for the next while at least, Rachel gently brushed her fingers over his forehead and eased the door shut behind her. It took a few minutes to navigate her way through the surgical ward to the elevators and find the neurological ward.

Stepping off the elevator she headed past the nurse’s station and down the hall. She saw right away where the room was because Agent Travers was standing outside it.

He nodded when he saw her. “How’s your brother?” he asked when she got close.

“Sleeping.” But safe, and that’s all that mattered. She glanced at the window in the door. “How is she?”

“Pissed.”

Rachel blinked and looked at him. “About the attack?”

“No, mostly that she didn’t drop the two bastards who came after you. She’ll be glad to see you though. I didn’t tell her you were here.”

“Can I go in?”

“Sure.” He held the door open and allowed her to enter first.

Celida was propped up in her hospital bed with two pillows behind her bandaged head, and even with both eyes swollen and turning black and blue, Rachel could tell she was scowling. Another bandage covered her right cheek, stark against her caramel skin. The woman’s expression transformed into one of relief the instant she saw Rachel through her slitted eyes. “You are such a sight for sore eyes.”

“I’m glad, but they do look pretty sore all right,” Rachel answered, halting at her bedside. God, her face looked awful. “Are you… Can I get you anything?”

Celida waved a hand and Rachel noticed that her other forearm was bandaged. “I’m fine. Just banged up a bit. And this one on my face is just gonna make me look more badass when the stitches come out.” She gestured to the jagged row of stitches closing the wound on her right cheek, eyed Rachel as best she could through all the swelling. “What about you?”

“I’m not hurt. I consider that a major miracle.” Scrapes, bumps and bruises were nothing. Those hours she’d spent strapped to that chair with the grenade in her hands had been the longest of her life. “You should have seen the guys in action when they came in to rescue us,” she said with an awed shake of her head. “It was just like in the movies, except it was happening to me.”

The corner of Celida’s mouth turned up in a half-smile. “Yeah, those guys are badass.”

Almost shyly, she reached for Rachel’s hand. Rachel wrapped her fingers around Celida’s and returned the pressure when she squeezed. “I’m so glad you’re okay. When they got through the door I thought…” She lowered her gaze as though guilt-stricken that she hadn’t stopped them.

“God, no, and don’t you ever blame yourself for what happened,” Rachel said urgently, squeezing her hand harder. “They freaking shot you and bashed you in the head, so you can’t possibly blame yourself, okay?”

Celida shrugged, the set of her jaw telling Rachel that she didn’t agree. “Was Jake there?”

“Yeah. He was in the entry team and was the one to take the grenade off my hands.” She wrapped her arms around herself and staved off a shudder at the memory. “I’m not an idiot—I know what he does on the job, but seeing him in action was an eye-opening experience. He was so calm and in control the whole time.” She glanced at Travers, unsure of how much she could reveal, even though she knew Celida must have all kinds of security clearance for this case.

“Go ahead, she’s gonna find out everything when she gets outta here anyway,” the man said.

“Well, he and Bauer brought down Xang, too,” she continued. “I was terrified when I realized he was heading down the stairwell to get him but it was all over in under a minute.”

“That’s why those guys are the best in the business,” Celida murmured. Her gaze shifted to Travers. “Any word on Tucker? I think he came up to see me before the medics transported me from the hotel.” She frowned as though she couldn’t quite remember, which Rachel thought was understandable considering the concussion and shock she must have been in.

“His team’s been deployed to the primary target,” he said. “Xang gave everything up once they stabilized him on the way back to base. They’d also planted bombs at the Chinese consulate. EOD teams have locked it down as well as the hotel and all the dignitaries have been evacuated with the rest of the guests. If the devices go off, at least no one’s inside anymore. And we’ve got some great leads on the two cell members who attacked you guys. Teams are out hunting them now, so it shouldn’t be long until they’re dealt with.”

“That’s good to hear,” Celida murmured.

“He asked me to get you this, by the way.” Travers dug in his pocket and pulled out a caramel-filled candy bar. “He said it’s your favorite.”

Celida took it. “It is,” she said with a little smile. Rachel was surprised to see the female agent blink fast as though fighting tears, and she was desperately curious about the history between those two. Clearly they were both into each other. And she was glad that the gesture had managed to put a real smile on Celida’s face. That told her all she needed to know about the woman’s feelings for him.

“So, you ready to get out of here and take care of the reports now?” Travers asked Rachel.

She withheld a groan at the thought of answering more questions and filling out paperwork when all she wanted to do was see Jake and sleep for the next two days. “Sure.” She set a hand on Celida’s shoulder. “I’ll come visit you tomorrow.”

“Nah, they’re discharging me in the morning. Just want to keep me overnight for observation, blah blah.”

“Well then I’ll call you.”

Her lips quirked. “Do that. Maybe I can meet up with you and Jake for dinner or something sometime.”

“Sounds great.” Though she didn’t know when she’d see him next. Travers had told her Jake was back at base doing after-action reports and debriefings, so she didn’t expect to see him for the next day or two at least, though she was sure he’d call her when he could. She followed Travers out into the hallway. “Where am I going after the paperwork?” she asked him.

A small smile curved his mouth. “Up to you, but Jake already asked me to take you to his place once we’re done. Unless you have somewhere else in mind.”

“No, that sounds good.” Really good. And now she just wanted this damn paperwork done with so she could be at his place when he got home. Having looked death in the eye today she’d made up her mind not to hold anything back from Jake. She knew what she wanted—him in her life forever. She just hoped he wanted the same.

Jake’s heart was pounding as he parked his truck in his driveway. The house sat dark and silent in front of him but all he could think about was that Rachel was in there. He’d showered and changed as fast as he could at HQ, then raced to get home.

Travers had texted him hours ago to say he’d dropped Rachel off. With Xang in custody—in a shitload of pain, which he considered fucking awesome—and the two cell members who had attacked Rachel and Celida in the hotel dead during a shootout with Tuck’s squad, she’d been perfectly safe alone here. He knew Travers had offered to stay to keep her company in case she didn’t feel comfortable being alone, but she’d turned him down so they’d placed a couple unmarked cars on the perimeter just in case.

Tuck had seen Jake back at Quantico after the op and debriefings, and after telling him Rachel was staying at their place Tuck had offered to crash elsewhere to give them some much needed privacy. Jake was grateful because the way he felt right now, he wasn’t going to be able to tone down his response when he saw her.

His hands actually shook a little as he slid the key into the front lock. Fuck, all night long he’d been thinking about her, agonizing about not being with her. From the moment his helo had flown to a secret CIA holding facility to unload their prisoner, he’d run through everything that had happened over and over again.

But now the threat was over. All the bombs at the primary hotel had been located and rendered inert. The fire at the initial hotel was out. Civilian casualties were minimal and minor, and every single man on the team had come back to base in one piece.

Now it was time for him and Rachel to discuss their relationship going forward.

Right after he got her naked, drove as deep as he could get inside her and made her come until she was too sated to move.

His body was tight as a wire, his cock already hard at the thought. There’d be plenty of time to talk afterward—right now he needed to claim her, mark her on the most primal level. He didn’t care if it was Neanderthal as shit; he just knew he needed to be inside her in the next ten minutes or he’d die.

The alarm beeped softly when he cracked the door open. After disarming it, he closed the door behind him, locked it and looked around as he took his boots off. There were no lights on and he didn’t hear anything. Was Rachel already upstairs asleep? The thought of crawling in beside her and waking her with a series of slow, damp kisses up the length of her naked spine made his cock swell against his fly.

He’d just set his foot on the bottom tread of the stairs to the second floor when he heard a movement behind him. He turned to see Rachel standing in the living room doorway, her hair loose around her shoulders, dressed in one of his T-shirts that hung to just above her knees.

“Hi,” she said softly, smiling at him.

His heart squeezed so tight it seemed to stop beating for a second.

Rather than respond, he erased the distance between them with a few quick strides and grabbed her up in his arms. She let out a deep exhalation and hugged him back. Jake buried his face in the silky mass of her hair. She smelled of his soap, was dressed in his shirt. He couldn’t fucking wait to get her up in his bed, in his sheets and imprint the feel and scent of him all over her.

“I missed you,” she whispered, kissing his temple.

“I bet I missed you more,” he argued, savoring every single point of contact between them. He was acutely aware of the way her trim curves molded to him, her breasts cushioned against his chest and that she was bare-ass naked beneath that T-shirt.

Unable to take it a second longer, Jake cupped the back of her head and claimed her mouth. Rachel made a murmuring sound and parted her lips for the thrust of his tongue. Like a spark to dry tinder, he caught fire. Flames raced over his skin and the only one who could extinguish them was her.

Jake twisted them around and pinned her up against the door, trapping her between the hard surface and his body. A throaty moan answered him and she rolled her hips against him. His clothes were suddenly irritating the shit out of his skin.

Keeping her in place with his hips and one hand between her shoulder blades to protect her from the hard door, he reached his free hand up, grabbed a fistful of cotton and wrenched his shirt over his head. It landed on the floor somewhere behind him but all he could focus on was Rachel and the molten hot look in her eyes as she pulled her own shirt off. Holding her naked body, drinking in the sight and scent of her, Jake growled at the way her hard nipples tightened and her parted sex pressed so provocatively against his covered erection.

Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he crushed his mouth over hers, half frantic to get inside her. He turned them again and made for the stairs, stopping once partway up because he was so distracted by the feel of those hard little nipples rubbing against his skin. He bent his head to take one hard point into his mouth, sucked with a firm pressure and reveled in her whimper as she ground her groin into the covered bulge of his cock.