Page 33 of My Temptation

Kyle squatted next to Skinner, attempting to find a pulse, but when he shook his head slowly, I knew he was dead. “Call it in. Tell them to send an ambulance and the coroner.”

I waited for Kyle to pull out his phone before shifting my attention to Beth. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer, only dropped her eyes to Striker. Kyle jogged over and looked down at him before tearing off his shirt and handing it to me.

I pressed it against Striker’s wound but glanced back at Beth and frowned. “Get her.”

Kyle nodded and stood. I didn’t wait to see him cross the room to her and instead looked down at Striker. His color wasn’t good, and I was afraid he was losing too much blood. It looked to me like this shot tore the stitches he’d gotten earlier, but it was hard to see anything.

A banging sounded above me seconds before the door to the room slammed open again, and Brody raced in, followed by Cam and Jax. Brody came directly to me, looked down at Striker, knelt, and ripped off his shirt.

“You stubborn fucking bastard,” Brody swore, saying exactly what I’d just been thinking.

“I was almost twenty feet away when I saw him descend,” I admitted, disappointed that I hadn’t been with him when he entered the bunker. Part of my job was looking out for the team, and I failed. “Should’ve been right behind him.”

“Wouldn’t have changed anything,” Brody replied quietly. “I was our SEAL team leader, and he did shit like this all the time, even going against orders.” He met my stare. “Nothing and no one was going to stop him from getting to her.”

“He ran in here without backup, knowing Skinner would kill him given the chance.”

“Yep.” Brody looked behind him when the noise around us increased. “EMTs are here.”

We both moved out of the way when an EMT knelt between us. I waited while they slid him onto the stretcher, not surprised to see Beth and Kyle following closely.

I took some time to look around the bunker, impressed with what Rick Skinner had built here. It was well stocked and hidden from anyone unless they knew where to look. I didn’t buy into the idea the world was ending, but if I were, I’d want to have this kind of bunker.

When I heard raised voices, I turned in time to see Brody and one of the cops on the scene get in each other’s faces. Taking a step toward them, I stayed close but only to observe. I knew I couldn’t step in, and Brody didn’t look like he needed any help. However, I didn’t see this side of him often. He was usually one to sit back and observe. I guess this was a lesson not to piss off Brody by talking shit about his friends and family. When I sensed someone had moved to stand beside me, I looked to my right and shared a grin with Nick just before Brody tackled the cop to the ground.

“Son of a bitch.” Nick shook his head and moved closer, and along with Cam, they dragged Brody off the cop.

I stayed behind and watched everyone else climb those stairs before I followed. I heard trucks starting in the distance but hoped Ethan was waiting outside to give me a ride back to the office. I’d seen him but hadn’t had a chance to talk to him before he disappeared with the group after the fight was broken up. I grinned when I cleared the top of the stairs, and he stood a few feet away.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he growled.

The grin slid from my lips when I saw the anger in his expression. “Excuse me?”

He leaned down until his face was close to mine and repeated his words. “I said, what the fuck is wrong with you?”

My back straightened. “What are you talking about?”

He gestured toward the stairs. “You ran down there without any backup.”

“I was trying to be Striker’s backup—” I started to explain, but he cut me off.

“I heard the fucking shot across the field!” he yelled before lowering his voice. “You could’ve been killed.”

“Are you gonna yell like this in Striker’s face? Because he did the same damn thing. Or is this all because I’m a woman?”

“This has nothing to do with you being a woman,” he hissed. “This is because…”

He stopped speaking abruptly, and my eyebrows shot up. “Because?”

He swallowed hard and took a step back. “Because you don’t think. You’re too fucking impulsive, and you’re gonna get someone killed.”

“Wow,” I muttered, but I didn’t want him to see the disappointment on my face, so I looked at the ground. “I didn’t know you thought so little of me. I thought only Striker felt that way.” Looking up, I shook my head. “I guess it’s good this happened, so I know how you really feel.”

I started to walk away when I heard his voice. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

I kept walking but answered him honestly. “It means you don’t trust me, and we can’t work together if you don’t.”

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