Page 70 of No Man Left Behind

That worried her. “They can’t do it in a cell?”

He shook his head. “Not with two bullet wounds. The one on the leg is a graze, but the shoulder is a through-and-through. They both need to be cleaned properly.”

She frowned. “How do you know that much about his injuries? You didn’t look.”

He grinned at her. “I’ve seen a lot of bullet wounds over the years. Plus, I know how my guys would shoot. Not to kill unless it was necessary. They shot to keep you safe.”

These truly were amazing men.

When his phone beeped, Marcus looked down and smiled. “Joe and Mitch are heading down the path with a gurney. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

Garrett nodded. “He’s fine to transfer. Not much damage. He could walk, but I’d rather the doctor check it out first.”

The man on the ground scowled, but his ranting had stopped. Instead, he glared at her and Marcus, making her wish she was somewhere else.

Garrett rose and stood to block them from the man’s view while keeping his eye on him. She wondered if the army had trained them to be psychic as well or if their observational skills were that good. Probably the latter.

Marcus squeezed her hand. “Stay right here. I need to do a search for his other weapons.”

“Other weapons?” That hadn’t occurred to her.

“He’ll have backups. I want them off of him and into evidence before the doc has a look.”

He produced evidence bags and moved forward. The man swore and tried to kick at him. With his limbs bound, he flailed like a fish.

“Keep your filthy hands off me.”

Marcus ignored him. In only a minute, he’d removed two more knives, a pack of Afghan cigarettes, several zip ties, a bandana, a set of keys, and a gun.

Had he planned to gag her with the bandana? Or cover her eyes so she couldn’t see? She shuddered at the memories that induced.

Marcus locked eyes on her as if he knew her thoughts. Heath moved over to stand beside Garrett, but he kept his attention on her and blocked her view. “We’ve got him contained. Try to think of something else.”

That made her smile. “Pretty sure that’s not possible, but I’m okay.”

Heath nodded. “You are. And so’s Marcus. We’ve got the asshole, and now you’ll be able to settle into town properly.”

Garrett nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Marcus and their captive. “Yep. You can focus on the two of you.”

Her face flushed, and she was glad when Troy, Levi, and Sean returned from the woods. Troy spoke loud enough for the man to hear. “Found a rental car on the road, and I bet it matches the set of keys I see in that evidence bag. You should be able to have his name once you’re back at the office. Unless he’s been forthcoming?”

Marcus didn’t so much as shrug, making Troy grin. “Shocker.” Then he leaned down and studied the man on the ground. “In case they didn’t tell you, your time is up. We’ve collected all the evidence we need. You’re never going to be free again.”

The man tried to spit at Troy, but he moved to the side with an eye roll.

Joe and Mitch rounded the corner with the gurney. Both men looked over everyone and nodded when they found them all uninjured. Only then did they turn their attention to the man on the ground.

Moving in sync without the need for words, the group lifted the man onto the gurney and attached the straps to keep him from falling. Oz, Scooby, Slick, and Mitch walked beside the gurney and lifted it over any rough patches.

Joe led the way, leaving the rest to follow.

As the group moved ahead, Marcus took her hand, and they followed. Finch trotted along beside her, and Troy and Sean moved in behind them. She didn’t question their position because she knew that even if they believed they were safe, no one was taking chances.

Her body still trembled, and her knees wanted to collapse, but she kept walking. She needed to move past the fear and the memories as quickly as they moved past the trees.

When they got to town, no one loitered on the street. No one popped out to see what was happening. “Where are Rachel and Owen? And Piper? Are they all okay? I didn’t even ask.”

Troy laughed. “You were a little busy. They’re all good. They went to Yoganna Love It. You can see them all later if you want.”

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