Page 44 of Operation Wolf: Eli
“Stay with her.”
“Shit.” Ian crouched down by the woman, pulling some rags from his own pack and pressing them against the wound.
I took down two more soldiers heading our way.
I rejoined the fray, and we quickly demolished the rest of Carideo’s soldiers until only the boss himself was left, trembling and restrained by two of my men.
“Well, well, well,” I said, mocking Carideo’s earlier greeting, “looks like your plan didn’t go down so well, after all.”
“You . . . you’re not human,” Carideo gasped. His hat was missing, revealing his nearly bald head, and his glasses were askew on his sweat- and blood-streaked face. He was being held—or rather, held up—by Danny and Matt, unable to support his own weight after taking a bullet in the leg. “I don’t know what you all are, but you’re definitely not one of God’s creatures. Demons!” he croaked.
“The only demon here is you,” Gunner growled, coming up to stand next to me. He looked Carideo up and down with disgust. “What do you want to do with this piece of shit, Eli? Should we kill him and put him out of his misery?”
I sighed. “The world would be better off without him,” I replied after a moment. “But I think delivering him to the FBI’s doorstep would be a better idea. I figure after all the shit I’ve given law enforcement over the years, it might be nice to give back. You know, pay it forward.”
“Hmm,” Gunner said. “Well, that sounds like a good idea to me, but—”
There was a sudden hiss in the air, followed by a thwack, as a knife went through the side of Carideo’s skull. Blood exploded from the wound, and Danny and Matt dropped him like a sack of potatoes and whirled around. I spun around too, and my mouth dropped open when I saw Olivia standing a few feet away, flanked by Hunter, who was staring at her, looking both impressed and outraged at the same time.
“That was my damn knife,” Hunter snapped.
Olivia shrugged. “You should have kept a closer eye on it, then,” she countered, taking a step forward. Her eyes met mine. “Eli, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t let him live. Not after what he did to my dad.”
“Liv.” I crossed the space between us in the blink of an eye and gathered her up in my arms. “I’m so sorry,” I mumbled into her hair as I rocked her from side to side. “So damn sorry about everything.”
“It’s okay,” she told me, her hands gently rubbing my back. “I know you were just trying to protect me. I should have listened.” She pulled back, and I saw tears glimmering in her eyes. “I put you in so much danger.”
“You were just trying to do what was best for your father,” I replied, wiping the tears from her face. “I know he was the only family you had left. I’m sorry he’s gone.”
Olivia shook her head. “No, you’re not,” she said quietly, rising up on her tiptoes. “But I know you’re sorry that I’m hurting, and that’s enough for me.”
She kissed me, and we stood there for several long moments, simply happy to be lost in each other’s arms.
“Ahem.” We broke apart at the sound of Hunter clearing his throat. “Hate to interrupt you guys, but what’s with the blonde over here?” He pointed to where Ian was kneeling by the woman, who was still on the ground, her eyes closed and her face pale.
“Shit,” I muttered, breaking away from Olivia, though I didn’t leave her side. “We’ve got to get this under control.” I could hear sirens wailing in the distance, and I winced. “Ian, take the woman and get out of here,” I ordered, not wanting the cops to find my friend. I knew Ian would end up having to do at least a little time if he were caught. “Take her to the hospital.”
“Are we going to be all right?” Olivia asked worriedly as Ian helped the woman to her feet.
I pulled Olivia to my side just as two police cars rolled into the lot, an ambulance a short distance away.
“Of course,” I replied with a grin. “We’re together, after all.”
I steeled myself as an officer got out of the car and told us all to put our hands on our heads.
