Page 71 of No Man Left Behind

She wanted to see for herself that Owen was okay. That he hadn’t been harmed. That he was going to be able to deal with the trauma of what had happened to him.

When they reached Phail Jail, Marcus pulled out his keys while the rest of the group moved to Doc’s. “Shouldn’t you be with them?”

He shrugged and opened the door, tugged her inside, and then reset the security system. “They’ve got it all under control. I’ll head there soon.”

She nodded. “You need to look up the license plate and find his name.”

Another shrug. Then Marcus pocketed the keys and wrapped himself around her. His strength and love surrounded her and seeped in.

“I’ve never been so scared in my life. Nothing has terrified me like watching you rush toward a man holding a knife who wanted to hurt you. Nothing.”

His gruff voice and hard swallow had her tears loosening. “I couldn’t let him hurt Owen.”

“I know. One of the many reasons I love you.”

“I love you, too. I knew you’d get him before he hurt me.”

His gruff laugh had more tears falling. “I wasn’t so sure myself. My heart nearly keeled over.”

She squeezed him hard. “You did it. You kept everyone safe.”

“We all did.”

“You have a pretty great team.”

He leaned back to look at her and brushed away the tears sliding down her cheeks. “We do, and you’re a vital part of it. Part of us. I’m so damn proud of you, Elina. Your bravery and faith humble me.”

“You’re an amazing man.”

He shook his head slightly, and then his mouth descended on hers.

Chapter23

Remain Behind

Marcus didn’t worry about his prisoner. His team would take care of the man. Elina was his priority, and he wanted to ensure she was okay physically and emotionally. After what she’d experienced at the hands of the terrorists overseas, he worried that today’s events would affect her deeply. That she’d trap it inside her like she had before.

They didn’t have a couch in the station yet, so he led her to his office. He closed the curtains and motioned her to sit in one chair. He dragged the other one in front of her and sat while Finch moved to check on the kittens. A quick glimpse hadn’t shown any feline-related destruction. “Tell me how you’re feeling.”

She smiled softly. “Better now.”

He waited until more words tumbled from her. “If Owen hadn’t screamed, I don’t know if I could have moved. I kept flashing back to when I’d been taken in Afghanistan. I didn’t recognize this man, but I never saw the people who attacked the village. And when I was taken, I was forced to wear a hood the entire time.”

Marcus stroked her hands where they’d fisted in her lap. Tension radiated off of her. He hoped talking about it would help.

“Did you hear the things he said? I think he was one of the men who attacked the village or kidnapped me. Maybe he was part of both groups. Or they were the same group.”

“I wonder the same thing. I didn’t see many faces of the insurgents that day, so I can’t be sure. Once I have him in the cell, I’ll interrogate him, and see what I can find out.”

“How did he find us? Why would he be looking after all these years? It doesn’t make sense.”

He nodded. “I’ll find that out, too. And anything else you want to know. You don’t ever have to see him again.” Well, not unless the case went to trial but he didn’t mention that now. Hopefully, the asshole would plead guilty and spare her that.

“He talked about getting in Faadir’s good graces again. Do you know who Faadir is?”

“Not yet. I’ll do an online search before I talk to him. I’ve got lots of military contacts still. I’d like to go over the reports that were filed the day of the attack on the school. If he’s running an opium operation, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find out more about him. I’m sure the military has files on him already. Maybe this guy, too, once we find out his name.”

“Go ahead and do your job. I’m fine.”

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