Page 99 of S.O.S. Perk

“What the…?”

Sloane didn’t wait for Baskin to finish. She was up and out of her hidden position in a flash, flying across the yard toward what she knew was Mrs. Nelsin’s office.

She wasted no time on the front door. Sloane, closing in on the house, picked up a wrought iron pole that looked like it had once been for a bird feeder, and approached the office window overlooking the side yard. She smashed through the panes with adrenaline and a vengeance.

Using the length to swiftly clear out the glass, Sloane leaped in and…

“Perk,” she yelped, once she got her bearings.

Yeah, her guy was standing.

Yes, he seemed to have control over the situation.

But his face was covered in blood.

“How bad is it?” she bleated, clear panic in her voice. She wanted to hurry to his side, but if he went down from his injury…

Nope. Years of training said she had to keep her own weapon focused on the semi-prone woman on the rug in case the bitch had another weapon on her and decided to retaliate.

Before Perk could say a word, the rest of the team breached behind Sloane.

Baskins went straight to where Jennifer Nelsin lay, kneeling beside her as she wailed, putting her in cuffs. “Nice shot, Perk,” he said, examining the woman’s bloody leg. “It doesn’t look like you hit anything vital, but we’ll need an ambulance just in case. For you, too?” he asked, getting his first good look at Perk’s face.

Perk absently wiped the gore out of his eyes. “Flesh wound,” he told the man as Del came over to examine his head.

“Still, it’s bleeding pretty badly,” Perk’s boss said. “I’ll call EMS.”

“You’ll have to go outside the office,” Perk told him as Sloane reached his side.

She ripped open her coat and fiercely tore a strip of material off the hem of her shirt, immediately holding it to Perk’s head as he winced.

“Explain,” Del commanded.

“Nelsin has a jamming mechanism for any outside communication,” Perk finished, putting up with Sloane’s ministrations, although it was clear he didn’t like it.

“That’s why you cut out,” Baskins grunted. “Did she admit to anything while we were blocked?” While waiting for the answer, he gave a chin lift toward the downed gun and addressed his team. “Bag that up. I have a feeling we’ll find it’s the weapon that killed Mr. Nelsin.”

A sob sounded, and everyone turned to Jeremy.

“I… Mr… Mr. Shultz killed my father,” he said, alleviating Perk from having to tell the team.

“Okay, son. We’ll look into it. Del?” Baskins glanced up at the SOS team leader.

“I’m on it. I’ll call for an ambo once I’m out of the house, then my guys and I will pick up Shultz.” He gestured to the SOS team, and they all chose to egress via the window.

Sloane would have found it funny, had she not been so concerned for Perk.

A second agent got busy putting Jeremy in cuffs as more plans were made, but Sloane had eyes only for her man.

“I told you not to get hurt,” she scolded him, keeping pressure on his head.

Perk chuckled, swatting ineffectually at her hands. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Yeah, but…" Did she dare? She worried her bottom lip.

“But, what, Sloane?” Perk asked, fixing her with an intense stare.

“But, I’d be pissed if you died because I…I love you,” she whispered for his ears alone.

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