Page 11 of Declan's Hope

Declan had never been fluent in Spanish, but he was fairly certain he knew what gigante meant. With another smile at the wary-eyed child, she finally let him take the squirming puppy that just fit in his hand. He eyed it for a second and grimaced. How did she expect him to carry the thing and keep his hands free?

“Put him…” Solace’s eyes went up and down his body as the colonel barked orders at Cal to pick him up immediately. “Put him in the thigh pocket of your tactical pants.”

He supposed that was as good a place as any. “I hope she’s not scared of me,” he said giving the little girl another smile as he put Pepito in the large pocket and Velcroed it nearly closed. Hopefully he wouldn’t suffocate the little guy.

“It’s good. I told her you were a nice giant.”

“Thanks…” He scowled. “I think.”

“Go to the stairs,” the colonel ordered, his words jumpy as the whoop, whoop, whoop of helicopter blades filled Declan’s comm. "But take them up to the roof." Declan eyed the stairs as the colonel continued, “We’ll meet you there. Take any protective measures you have to on the way.”

In other words, deadly force wouldn’t be a problem. But as he and Solace raced up the stairs, he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Ana had already been witness to too much in the past nine hours. He didn’t want to add to her trauma.

They cleared the opening to the terrace just as automatic gunfire erupted from somewhere below. Within seconds, the Huey appeared and hovered over the terrace. More shouts and gunfire from where he had to assume came from the guard walk along the walls blended in with the whirring of the chopper blades.

So much for being covert.

“Go,” Declan shouted at Solace who didn’t waste any time hoofing it across the stone tiled floor with Ana as he searched for something to bar the door. Cal brought the Huey to a safe landing atop the roof, scattering furniture and blowing away standing umbrellas in the process.

“I thought you might come up here.”

Declan whipped around at the shouted words to the young man stepping out of the shadows. He eyed first the handgun, and then the young man holding it. According to the intel he’d gone through earlier, this was the Salazar’s twenty-year-old son, Álvaro. Declan raised his own weapon, while ignoring the shouts from the helicopter for him to hurry. From their positions, no one in the Huey would have a clear shot at the slight young man. They might not even see him.

“You stupid, stupid Americans,” he said, his words heavily accented. “So ready to be the heroes. I told them you’d figure it out and try this.” He smiled. “No one else believed you’d have the balls to make such a dramatic exit. But I knew better. Sheppard though.” He waved the gun toward the helicopter at Duncan’s back where more shouts from his teammates rose over the whir of the blades. "Perhaps he’s more of a coward than we’d assumed."

So, there was more to this setup.

“Look, kid, I don’t want to hurt you. But I will if I have to.”

Álvaro’s eyes went hard. “I’m no kid,” he screamed. “I’m a man.” He pointed his shaking hand with the gun out toward him just as the puppy, who had been squirming against his thigh, managed to work his way free of his pants pocket. The tiny animal landed with a yelp on the hard tile.

In the split second Álvaro’s surprised gaze flew to the puppy, Declan lunged toward the young man who shot wildly as he backed up. Declan had no choice but to return fire, unloading three bullets into the young man’s chest.

Álvaro jerked with each shot—his eyes wide—before he dropped his gun and fell to the floor.

“Goddammit,” Declan yelled, scooping up the quaking puppy from the floor and holstering his gun. He rushed over to the kid while holding the puppy close against his vest. “Why did you make me do that?” Declan grimaced as he knelt beside the young man gurgling blood.

Then of all things, Álvaro reached up and grabbed Declan’s sleeve in a surprisingly strong grip. He gave him a bloody grin, saying on gasping breaths, “You’re…on the…path…to death.” The young man’s eyes held a ray of satisfaction before going dark. His arm dropped as more shouts from the helicopter and others coming up the stairs finally got him moving.

He raced toward the Huey, his eyes fixed on Garrett who threw his hand out. He had to get Ana her puppy, so he basically tossed his frowning friend the tiny thing who caught him easily. Another set of hands reached out as an anguished scream accompanied more gunfire pinging against the metal exterior of the helicopter.

“Take my hands,” the colonel shouted as the Huey slowly rose. Declan gripped his boss’s wrists while his own were held tight in the other man’s tight grasp.

Solace appeared next to the colonel and grabbed one of the open sleeves of Declan’s vest with both hands. “Pull,” she yelled as his feet left the terrace floor. “God, you’re a heavy son of a bitch,” she hollered at him as she and the colonel struggled to drag him into the Huey. Multiple shots hit all around him—one buzzing by his ear. Seconds later Declan settled on all fours on the floor of the helicopter and let out a long, low breath of relief. He shook his head at a laughing Solace landing on her ass.

That was close.

“What did I say?” Declan said loud enough to be heard over the roar of the engine and blades as they rose and turned. He settled back onto his knees and threw a smile at Solace where she blew hair out of her eyes. He met Garrett’s grin, then yelled, “Easy in and ahhh—”

Searing pain knifed through his left temple and exploded from his eye as he pitched forward into a blood-splattered, cursing Garrett. His friend wrapped his arms tight around him as he fell on top of him on the floor of the helicopter.

The Huey lurched to the side.

“Who’s hit?” Cal hollered.

“Declan," the colonel barked, followed by incoherent yelling and curses. "Now get us out of here.”

Declan found his world turning as he rolled with Garrett until he settled flat on his back with his friend hovering over him.

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