Page 69 of No Man Left Behind

Elina’s eyes widened again, and in an instant, her entire body softened, and she wilted. If he hadn’t been prepared, it would have scared the shit out of him.

As soon as she was away from the knife, Marcus brought his gun down and aimed. It wasn’t necessary as two bullets fired before he moved. One landed in Asshole’s thigh and the other in his shoulder. That shooter was behind Marcus, so the blow had Asshole falling away from Elina, keeping her out of the line of danger. The knife flew out of his hand as he fell.

Marcus moved to cover Elina, even as Finch did the same. The mutt had growled throughout the confrontation but had seemed to sense staying still was the best way to help Elina.

Marcus put himself between Elina and the man. Troy, Levi, Sean, Heath, and Garrett bounded out of the woods, weapons all trained on the asshole.

Marcus holstered his gun and turned to Elina. She sat on the ground with Finch in her lap, licking her face. Marcus did a quick scan for injuries, then wrapped her in his arms. “You’re okay. Are you okay?”

One arm wrapped around him while the other hugged the dog. “I’m okay. I knew you’d get him and I only had to stall for time. I’m okay.”

He buried his head in her hair and breathed her in. For a long minute, he let his team take care of things while he held her. She’d known he’d keep her safe.

Asshole continued to rant and howl in pain. His team hadn’t shot to kill. They’d targeted areas that would ensure he couldn’t hurt Elina and couldn’t fight back. Once he was in the cell, they’d have Lia assess his injuries, but he was in no danger of bleeding out or dying. They all wanted him to rot in a cell for the rest of his life where he could stew in his own hate.

Finally, Marcus stood and helped Elina to her feet. He wanted to carry her but knew she’d want to walk. She was the strongest woman he knew, and wouldn’t want to show weakness in the face of Asshole. He kept his back to Asshole so she didn’t see him and cupped Elina’s face.

A few tears leaked over, but her eyes were clearing. She smiled and whispered. “Thank you.”

He brushed her tears with his thumbs and rested his forehead on hers. “You’re so damn brave.”

She choked out a laugh. “I’m shaking like a leaf.”

“Doesn’t matter. You raced ahead into danger. You traded yourself for Owen without a thought. He held a knife to your throat and threatened you with vile things, but you didn’t panic. You gave us time to get into place. You figured out my signals and helped us get him. That’s bravery.”

Her eyes misted again. “I love you, Marcus.”

He felt tears of his own threatening. “I love you, too, Elina. So damn much I think my heart’s floating half the time.”

Her smile brightened the day. “Me too.”

Behind them, Garrett cleared his throat. “You lovebirds mind if we get our first client into the cell at Phail Jail?”

Marcus rested his forehead on Elina’s. “That name’s going to stick, isn’t it?”

“Sure is. And I don’t think you hate it nearly as much as you pretend.”

He kissed her lightly. “Doubtful.” But he was lying. Anything that made her smile was worth it in his book.

With her hand in his, he turned to find the team surrounding the man. Asshole sat on the ground, looking every bit as defeated as he should.

“Good job, team.” His voice was gruff, but it couldn’t be helped. These men were more than friends. They were family.

Elina let Marcus lead her to the side of the trail, away from where the man who’d attacked her sat on the ground, cursing in Pashto and English. Elina was glad to have Marcus’s hand. His touch grounded her, reminded her she was safe.

Garrett knelt beside the man and used zip ties to secure his hands and feet. Then he pulled out a first aid kit and started dressing the wounds.

Sean, Troy, and Levi melted into the woods. Heath stayed beside Garrett, splitting his attention between their group and the woods.

Fear rippled through Elina. “Do you think someone else is out there?”

“I don’t think so, but we’re not taking chances. Not with you.”

“Or you.”

He grinned. “He does seem to be pissed at both of us.” They’d get the rest of the story once Lia had seen to his wounds.

He squeezed her hand and then released her. “I’m going to text Lia and Mitch to meet us at Doc’s. After we get him treated, we’ll get him in a cell.”

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