Page 110 of Fire for Effect

But I had to trust what I knew. That she was smart, and strong. She was resilient. Unbreakable.

And very, very much mine.

“I’m coming for you, baby,” I whispered to the grass around me. A prayer, a promise, and gone to the wind as quickly as the steam of my own breath.

Chapter 30

Cobra Bubbles

Taz

I don’t know what happened with the little secure Zoom call they had with the Situation room after Heath rudely knocked me out. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good for me.

When I came to, I blinked my eyes open to see the black boots of the head of the Prodigal Sons standing before me. He had his feet apart, his worn jeans slung loose over his legs, and his cut full of patches that worked like merit badges to these cretins.

His knuckles, emblazoned with the letters of his name: Cobra.

His unusual eyes – dark on the inside, light around the pupils – looked down at me in an inscrutable expression.

Heath stood beside him, smug, like a side kick.

I was less than impressed. Their too-wide stances harkened to a military life where everyone walked around greeting each other with “Airborne!” and “Lead the Way!”

Heath even had his ribbons sewn into his cut.

He’d gone full Hooah! What a tool.

My lip hurt. My right eye was swollen shut. My nose wheezed, broken and tender.

I was still seated on the same chair as before, but my feet and hands were no longer bound. I guess I wasn’t considered a threat anymore.

Hell, I didn’t blame them. I was as limp as an overcooked noodle. Too tired and hurt to do much other than raise my head.

I was pretty sure that Heath broke one of my ribs again, and I was exhausted.

I was so grateful that Griff came home. That he came to see me, that we’d had a couple nights to figure ourselves out. I’d be happy to die, knowing that he loved me and I loved him. If this was it, I knew someone would miss me.

That was a great comfort I had taken for granted.

“I’ll shoot her,” Heath said, his teeth yellowed under the fluorescent lights.

Heath stepped forward, pulling a gun from his hip holster, right as Cobra pushed out his hand to stop him.

“It don’t seem right that you get to kill your ex-wife,” Cobra said. “Wipe that smile off your face. What kind of man are you? Shit, you liked beating your own wife?”

Cobra actually looked appalled. I didn’t hate that about him.

“Let him kill me,” I said, trying to smile even as my lip cracked more. “Make sure they all know he did it. That way, they’ll make his death nice and slow.”

Kai could do it. He could get him into a black site, and torture him over days, weeks… months… If I didn’t get revenge now, then it would be okay. He’d do it for me.

“Who? Your Daddy or your boyfriend? The CIA’s son?” Heath smirked. “Nobody is coming for you, sweetheart. If they were, I’d be keeping you alive. Looks like they think you’re useless too.”

“It don’t seem right,” Cobra said, pushing Heath back, who looked at him with annoyance, but didn’t make a move to defy him. “She might be on the wrong side of this, but you’re still a warrior. She’s one of us. She served her time. She should go out with the same dignity we’d give any other soldier.”

Cobra stepped forward, pulling out his gun, slipping the magazine out, and checking the notch to see if it was full. Satisfied, he reloaded his Baretta, and shook his head.

I stared with fascination as he handled the weapon. The way his thumb seemed to caress it like it was an extension of him.

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