Page 145 of Javier

He blew me a kiss. “Artemis Astor, I love you.”

The words hit me in the chest like a wrecking ball. Had he just told me he loved me? This from a man who’d said he didn’t believe in love. And yet, in my heart, I knew it was true. That same heart broke into a million pieces. He believed he was going to die.

So did I.

Chapter Thirty-six

Javier

Her eyes got so big and wet that I would’ve cried if I’d had time. Her lips trembled with a shaky smile. Everyone went silent inside the rattling van. Every person on board heard my declaration. Hell, even Bozeman, our unflappable second in command, craned his neck and glanced at me, his lips slack.

Well, then. Let them know. Time wasn’t a commodity I had to spare. I wasn’t checking out without making it clear to Missy that I was madly and completely in love with her.

Bozeman yelled, “Here they come!”

“I got tangos at three o’clock.” Ferranti lifted his rifle and loosened his rounds on something I couldn’t see. He shouted. “Motorcycles!”

“I’m on the niners,” I called out. “ATVs.”

My vision was blurry and my grip was weak, but I stilled my breath against the agony scorching my veins. I lowered the window, propped my carbine against my left shoulder, and steadied it on the windowsill. Aiming ahead of a pair of speeding ATVs, I loosened my rounds. The first one took out the driver of ATV number one. The second one got the passenger shooting at us. Good to know that I was still good for something.

My sight flickered and the van spun around me. I angled my weapon and tapped on my trigger, sending a stream of rounds toward the second ATV. I missed. The vehicle kept racing toward us.Dammit. I couldn’t see my targets clearly, but I could feel the enemy rounds plunking into the van.

I returned my eye to the scope and watched a turd pick up the weapon that could take us out in one shot. “RPG, live,” I shouted.

“You got it, Goof?” King asked, scrambling for his weapon.

“You bet.”

A bout of weakness loosened my fingers. The carbine almost slipped from my hand, but Missy caught it. She braced on her knees and held it up for me. I put my eye to the scope, my finger to the trigger, and aimed at the ATV’s gas tank even as I spotted the RPG locking on us.

Boom.The ATV went up in flames without a second to spare.

King whooped from his place in the back seat. “Good shot, Goof.”

I grinned at Missy. “You and me, baby.”

She managed a crooked smile.

“Report,” Dagger called out.

“Three and nine are clear for now,” Bozeman replied. “Cooper’s keeping the turds behind us at a distance.”

Break time. I closed my eyes. I couldn’t believe how tired I felt. Sweat poured down my face and soaked my shirt. I felt as if I’d swallowed three dozen of the hottest chili peppers on the planet. As if I was being burned alive from the inside out.

“Hang on, Javi.” Missy’s cool hand squeezed my good hand.

“Ambush ahead,” Bozeman announced, and I forced my eyes to open. “Barricade.”

“Where’s Allen?” Dash demanded.

“He’s engaged, protecting our parallel flanks at the moment,” Bozeman reported. “The rest of his men are securing the hospital.”

Ah, yeah. The hospital. I’d almost forgotten that it was our destination.

“The police?” Dash asked.

“Also engaged,” Bozeman said.

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