Page 18 of Waiting for Him
At the mention of “treasure,” recognition gleamed on the Russian’s face. Bingo! If they thought Kat was useless to them, it would be easier to protect her.
“Then you and girl come vith us and ve let friend live.”
Shit! Boomer opened his mouth to respond, but sirens sounded nearby, and the Russians’ attention flashed to the parking lot entrance. The cops might be on their way. However, they were still too far to help. But it was the break Boomer had been waiting for.
Without hesitation, he took off to his left, pushing Kat in front of him, knowing Jake had his six. Shouts, followed by gunfire, filled the air. As they rounded the building at full speed, he blocked Kat’s body from the threat of flying bullets as best he could.
Jake was on their heels as they cleared the corner and returned fire. “Fuck! Goddamn it!”
Boomer didn’t slow but checked over his shoulder. The sirens were getting closer, and the gunfire abruptly stopped. Shouts in Russian reached his ears, but he had no idea what was being said. “What?”
“Nothing, keep going!”
Skirting the back of the motel, Kat stumbled. She would've face-planted if Boomer’s hand hadn’t been around her arm. A screech of tires came from the front of the building as he plastered her between his body and the rear wall. Jake stopped beside them, breathing heavily, and peered around the corner. “Sounds like they’re taking off. I think we’re good.”
Something in the other man’s voice caught Boomer’s attention. When he glanced over, what he saw had his heart rate surging again. Blood was pouring from a wound on the left side of Jake’s pale face. “What the fuck!”
He watched in horror as Jake slid to the ground, and Kat’s scream pierced the air.
Chapter Ten
Boomer stepped outside the emergency room with Kat and scanned the area for any danger. Keeping her hidden in an alcove, he pulled out his phone and called Ian. When his boss picked up, he gave him the rundown of what had happened.
“So, Reverend’s going to be okay?”
A car drove by, and Boomer eyed it before answering. “Yeah. A bullet hit the wall as he was coming around the corner, and it kicked out a nice-sized chunk of brick. Struck him near the eye and scratched the cornea, but the doc says it’s not as bad as it looks. He’s got some stitches for a laceration right above the eye. The fucker bled like a bitch and scared the crap out of us. He needs an eye patch and some eyedrops for a week or so. Then he’s got to follow up with an ophthalmologist. They had to give him something for the pain. The fact that he took it tells you he’s hurting.”
Ian snorted, clearly relieved the injury wasn’t worse. “Yup. The fucker even hates taking Tylenol. So, what’s the plan from here?”
“I’m going to call CC, have him pick up Jake when he’s released, and fly him home. We told the cops it was an attempted carjacking. Whether they believed us or not is another story. One of the detectives is an old friend of my dad’s, so I think he gave us some leeway. It also helps the only witness was the motel clerk, who hid behind his desk while calling 9-1-1. I’m just glad we still have carry permits in Virginia. Otherwise, we’d still be in interrogation.” His eyes met Kat’s. “We’re heading to Murfreesboro in North Carolina. It’s about an hour or so from here, and Kat’s aunt lives there. We’re hoping she can tell us about the photo from the safety deposit box.”
“All right. But watch your six. When CC lands with Jake, I’ll send Dev and Marco up to meet you. Depending on how much sleep CC’s had, they may not be there before tomorrow morning. I want you to check in every two hours until your backup arrives. And I’ve activated your tracker, so don’t lose your phone.”
“Anything else, Mom?”
“Cut the sarcasm, frog. I don’t like knowing these guys are gunning for Kat, and you’re in their way. From what you told me, they want her alive, which means you and anyone else can end up as collateral damage. Watch your ass and call me the second you see trouble. Worse comes to worst, I’ll call Little Creek and send some of Team Four to help you. They’re training stateside at the moment.”
“Yeah, I doubt Uncle Sam would like that, Boss-man, but I hear you. I’ll be careful and keep you posted.”
“Every two hours, or I start calling people.”
Before Boomer could respond, his boss disconnected the call. Beside him, Kat was still pale, but at least she’d stopped shaking. She’d been great at the scene, administering first aid to Jake while Boomer had made sure their assailants had indeed taken off moments before the cops arrived. It wasn’t until after the EMTs took over that the shock of being shot at finally hit her. Now, he pulled her in for a hug. “You okay?”
In his arms, she began to shake again. “I’m so sorry, this is all my fault. Jake or you could’ve been killed. What if he loses his sight in that eye?”
He hugged her tighter and ran his hands over her back. “Shhh. Calm down. None of this is your fault. And you heard the doc, Jake is going to be fine. Please, this is the equivalent of a hangnail for a Navy SEAL.”
Kat huffed. “How can you joke about this?”
Pulling back so she could see him, he cupped her chin. “It’s one thing you learn in the military, Kitten. Joking is a way of dealing with things. The alternative is going nuts. And I’m serious. Jake and I have been in far worse situations than today. I was only freaking about you being in the middle of it all. If something happened to you, I don’t know what I would’ve done. I just got you back, and I’ll be damned if I lose you again.”
He dipped his head, and her breath hitched a split second before he claimed her mouth. This wasn’t the time or place for a make-out session, but he needed to give her something else to think about. And since he was constantly thinking about the two of them having sex, why should he be the only one? He kissed her hard and fast, plunging his tongue into her mouth and taking a quick taste of her. When he ended the brief kiss, he was pleased to see she was flushed, glassy-eyed, and out of breath. Soon. He had to make her his soon. But first, he had to keep her safe and find out what the fuck was going on.
“Come on, let me fill Jake in, and then we’re getting on the road. I want to put as much distance as possible between us and the bad guys.”
It was now after four p.m. Between the police interviews and waiting for an eye specialist, the rest of the morning and afternoon flew by. With rush-hour traffic, it would be closer to six by the time they hit Murfreesboro, if not later.
As it turned out, with an unplanned stop and worse traffic than expected, it was twenty-five after seven when they pulled into Irina Maier’s empty driveway. They both climbed out of the car, and Boomer looked around. He’d been confident they hadn’t been followed.
