Page 52 of Hazard

Hazard swallowed hard, but before he could answer, another deep voice intruded. “Lance Corporal Bradley Shaw,” he said. “If he was here right now, ma’am, he would tell you that what he did for you was part of who we are. We’re United States Marines. First in, last out. He died with honor and courage, and when I attended his funeral in his home state of Massachusetts, I told his parents just that. He upheld every last tenet of our credo. He would also do it again.”

“Semper Fi,” the Marines surrounding him called out, the shout echoing in the room.

Her throat got tight, and her chest filled. She nodded and managed a rough whisper. “Was he married? Did he have children?”

“Yes, he did. His wife Gina and his children Jack and Wade are all very proud of him.”

She closed her eyes, a sharp pain radiating through her chest. Corporal Shaw and his family had made the ultimate sacrifice, just like Jamie had, just like Hazard would do. She closed her eyes at the thought of losing him, trying to come to terms with that inconsolable loss, and she had no idea how she was going to reconcile that reality with how she felt about him. She breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing his name was what she had needed, and even as she grieved for his wife and children, she honored his sacrifice by deciding to live her life to the fullest. “Thank you, Captain. Thank you so very much.”

Without saying anything, Hazard scooped her into his arms, then rose in one powerful move as if she weighed nothing.

He strode out of the room as she nodded to anyone who met her gaze, trying to project her thanks to all of them.

Hazard entered the elevator and took her up to their suite. Once inside he set her down on the couch and dragged her into his arms. For the longest time, he just held her, and she was so grateful for them all.

“I’m sorry, Hazard,” she whispered, cupping his face and looking up into his eyes, a sudden rush of emotion catching in her throat.

“For what?” he murmured, tightening his hold.

“For holding out on you, for not being able to just ask you for your help.”

“Why didn’t you?” There was no judgment in his voice, just a simple question, and that made it even easier to respond.

“I’ve tried to be independent my whole life, it was pounded into me by my mother, and the one time I wasn’t, I got punished for it. I didn’t want to lean on anyone because I thought that would diminish me somehow, but now I know that leaning on someone only makes me stronger.”

She released the tension in her body. She had bottled up so much over the last few days, along with all that terrible stuff about her own life that had led her to a breakdown. It was as if there simply wasn’t room for anything more, and it was finally spilling out, whether she wanted it to or not.

There was a firm knock on the door, and Hazard left her to go answer it. Skull was standing on the outside. “We’ve gotten the go-ahead for Cristo. We’re kitting up and moving out. Iceman wants you to stay with Leigh. We’ve got this,” he said, turning to look at her. “We’re getting one step closer.”

She nodded, still feeling a little shaky, and sat back on the couch. One step closer to Alzate. Soon this would be over, and then she’d have to face the reality about her relationship with Hazard. Separating from him was going to be impossible…or was it?

16

When Bones stopped moving, Skull held up his fist to indicate that everyone should pause. The minister of transportation lived in a very opulent home, gated with wrought iron that had to cost a fortune. He knew because his dad did that kind of thing for a living and it wasn’t cheap, labor intensive, and required a master craftsman like his dad. Nothing moved, but Bones had sensed something, or he wouldn’t have stopped moving.

The fence was at least twelve feet high, constructed of paving-type stones with wrought iron bars at the top, but not high enough to keep out a SEAL team, and their CIA operatives, he thought sourly.

“Keep your head on a swivel,” Iceman said. “Bones is antsy.”

He didn’t want to be aware of Hummingbird, that petite blonde who always seemed like she was laughing about something from the inside. Her eyes sparkled with blue fire, and he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or his hope that it intensified when she looked at him.

Skull pulled out his harness and started to sling Bones into it. Normally, his partner could scale a wall this high, but with the bars on top, it was going to be too dangerous for him to get a good hold. That meant he would have to ride up with his handler. But this was routine for Bones, who jumped out of planes, rappelled from helicopters, traversed rivers, sniffed out IEDs and bad guys, and when he found them, he ravaged them.

The two women didn’t wait for an invitation. Strekoza interlaced her fingers, and with a lithe move, Hummingbird set her foot into the cradle. In one graceful arc, the dark-haired Shadowguard propelled her to the top of the wall. He didn’t want to be impressed with them as Hummingbird reached down and caught Strekoza’s hand as she jumped up. “See you on the other side, Severus.” With that said, she’d scrambled up the wall. Before Hummingbird disappeared from sight, she saluted Skull, shooting him a mischievous look full of delight.

Ice’s pale eyes watched them, and they briefly connected with Skull as if to say WTF? “Boomer,” Iceman said, his tone wry. Boomer didn’t immediately comply. He was watching the Shadowguard. He wasn’t the only one. The whole team was engrossed in the women’s smooth, quick maneuver.

“Boomer,” Ice snapped. He shook himself out of his momentary male lapse and moved forward, seating a ladder contraption with a hook onto the wall. He started up as soon as he deployed a lever for another hook, making the whole thing much more stable. With the help of Kodiak, Skull was ready to go, Bones strapped across his back as he went up the ladder.

“There’s a body down here,” Boomer said grimly. “Civilian…looks like some type of landscape guy. His throat is slit.”

Careful over the wrought iron, Skull navigated to the other side, and using his boots and his arms, he made it to the ground. He waited while Kodiak jumped down, knowing that Boomer was occupied with watching their six. When his teammate released Bones, Skull snapped the leash back on him.

The three of them crouched down while the rest of their teammates moved over the obstacle behind them. The two women materialized, and Skull hadn’t heard a sound. They were dressed in full dark gray bodysuits made out of some really thin but tough-looking material that hugged their forms with mouth-watering snugness. But the only curves he could see were Hummingbird’s.

“I’m surprised you didn’t just apparate you and your little dog. Some master of the dark arts you are,” Strekoza scoffed. Hummingbird giggled softly under her breath.

“I’m surprised you didn’t fly over the wall. What happened? Left your broom at home?”

---