Page 65 of Ace
‘Who is he?’Keller looked down at the man dying on his belly like a coward.‘Who is he?’he asked, enjoying the fact that he now knew how to carry on psychic dialogue.
‘Says his name’s Anatoly Orlov.’Tucker nudged the guy’s bloody bicep just as the man choked out a bloody clot and expired.
‘What’d he tell you, Boss?’
Tucker looked up at Keller, a funny twinkle in his eye. There it was again, time stopping in its tracks. Keller looked down at Tucker, fully aware that was the first time he’d respected Tucker enough to call him Boss.
Tucker closed one eye, zeroing in on Keller with his other, his dominant eye. His shooting eye.‘He said we’re too late. You know what he’s talking about?’
‘I sure don’t, but three of these guys were Russian mafia. What’s that about?’
‘Fontenette’s into more than just smuggling wildlife.We need to see what’s in the rest of those crates.’
‘I’m on it,’Keller replied easily.
‘Like hell you are. You’re bleeding, dumbass. Sit down before you fall down.’
There was that. Wearily, Keller folded his long legs and sat beside the dead guy but facing his boss.‘Know this sounds stupid, but it’s easy to forget you’re shot. Adrenaline, you know.’
Tucker nodded.‘Trust me, I know. You done good today, but I’ve got a feeling we’re just skating over the top of whatever this is.’He nodded his big square chin at the trailer Keller had been holed up in all day, the one four FWS agents were now climbing into.
Night had fallen. FBI spotlights were everywhere, along with EZ-ups set up over the crime scene. Medical examiners, too. More vans and trucks as the usual FBI logistics tail arrived. Agents were everywhere, protecting evidence and battening down the scene. Taking names. Videotaping from every angle. Doing their FBI thing.
Tucker waved one of the few medics over even as he told Keller to,‘Do me a favor and go easy.’
Keller looked sideways at his boss.‘You’re all right for a SEAL,’he said on their private channel.
Grunting to his feet, Tucker grinned.‘Don’t go spreading that crap around. Some of my guys don’t think I can hear what they’re saying behind my back. I’d like to keep that between you and me as long as I can.’He winked. The cocky bastard winked. But then he said,‘You know the drill. Hand ’em over, Kell.’
‘You sure this place is secure?’Keller asked before he relinquished his firearms.
‘Don’t matter. Where you’re going, guns aren’t allowed.’Tucker held out a hand.
Keller turned both pistols over. He still had the knife in his boot sheath, but it’d been a long time since he’d been unarmed. Tucker was right, though. Keller was officially off duty until after action reports were filed and he completed the prerequisite after-incident psych profile and counseling. Waste of time as far as he was concerned, but those were the rules.
“Before I go,” he said out loud, pointing at the truck that had delivered him to Fontenette’s. “I left a shirt in that container. There’s a hummingbird in the chest pocket. He’s a feisty little guy. Would you make sure he stays alive?”
“You bet. Anything else?”
“Now that you asked, would you also mind contacting Savannah? For some reason, I can’t reach her. Tell her where I’m going. Tell her to call me. Where am I going by the way?”
“Memorial Hospital Jacksonville,” the medic muttered through his surgical mask.
“You got it,” Tucker replied. “We’ll catch up with you later.”
Exhausted now, Keller let the medic help him onto a nearby gurney where he all but collapsed. It felt good to get off his feet. There was no use arguing with Tuck. Keller did need a few stitches, maybe surgery. Despite the fiery wound in his chest that was all at once screaming at him, it’d been a good day. A rare day. One of those days when a tired old Ranger was damned glad to have been in the right place at the right time.
Turning his still aching head to the side, he watched Eden talk with one of the FWS agents. Man, she was apretty woman, full of life and enthusiasm for her job. Ky Winchester had a regular spitfire on his hands. Good on him. It wasn’t often married FBI agents ended up assigned to the same team, but the Winchesters seemed to be making it work. Probably because of their elite psychic status.
Looked like everything was under control, just the way it should be. Eden turned and stuck her tongue out at him. She was smiling, her big green emerald eyes alight with whatever the FWS agent was telling her. Tucker was out there walking the walk and talking the talk, making nice with the FWS people, letting them think they were in charge.
But where the hell was Savannah? She hadn’t piped up, not once since the battle ended. Which was really odd after she’d encouraged Keller to reach out to his team. He’d expected she’d be worried since he’d been wounded. Not that he couldn’t take care of himself, but knowing that she cared enough to reach out to him mattered.
A slow ache blossomed in the pit of Keller’s stomach. He tried again,‘Savannah? You with me?’
But no answer came back to him.
Just as quickly as his gut hurt, the pain went away. Had to be the IV the medic had swiftly initiated. Too soon waves of contentment drifted through Keller’s veins, making him warm. Sleepy. Forgetful.
