Page 54 of Valor on the Move
Rafa nodded. “Will you ride with me? I promise I won’t…” He flushed. “I won’t do anything inappropriate.”
“Of course. Rafa…” Shane sighed. “I know it’s hard to see right now, but everything will be okay.”
“Will it?” he whispered. He wrapped his arms around himself, trembling.
Reaching out before he could stop himself, Shane cupped Rafa’s cheek, stroking gently with his thumb. Rafa leaned into the touch as Shane nodded. “Whatever’s happened, or whatever does happen, you’ll get through it. You’re tougher than you think.”
Stepping away, Shane dropped his hand. Time to haul ass back to Castle before he did something else he’d regret. His leather shoes scraped on the rough concrete as he pushed open the door.
Light flashed in the darkness and agony seared into Shane’s skull, a crack exploding in his ears as he suddenly dropped to the ground, no more air in his lungs.
Rafa!
There was dirt on Shane’s lips, and a ringing filled him, echoing in his head too loudly. He blinked, but his vision was clouded with white, and his arms and legs didn’t seem to want to follow his commands to move, move, move! Where is he? Where is he? Shane beat the swell of panic back, forcing in a deep inhale and exhaling it sharply. The ground vibrated, and as he blinked, he saw a flash of red.
No, no, no!
This time, Shane let the panic sweep through him, adrenaline clearing his vision as he got his knees under him and pushed to his hands. Something warm and sticky flowed over his left ear, and the side of his head burned. He had to get up. He raised his hand to the side of his head, his fingers finding the gouge were the bullet had scraped his skull. Didn’t matter. Had to find Rafa.
Move!
Where was Alan? As his eyes focused, Shane scanned the area, seeing only their Suburban and Rafa’s abandoned Toyota.
Then he looked down.
Shane staggered to his feet and closed the distance between them, hitting the emergency contact shortcut on his phone, which would connect him immediately to headquarters. “Agent down.” He could barely hear his own voice, the ringing in his ears was so loud. “Repeat, agent down. Request immediate medical evac. Valor has been intercepted. Need immediate backup.” His mind went alarmingly blank for a moment, and then he rattled off their coordinates.
No one answered. Could he not hear over the ringing? Shane slammed to his knees and pressed his hands over the growing red stain on Alan’s shirt and jacket. So much blood. Too much.
His Adam’s apple bobbing and eyes wide, Alan tried to speak. He croaked, “Jammed.”
The confusion was clearing in Shane’s head. He realized there was static in his ear. The radio signal connecting him and Alan had been scrambled. He tried his phone again. Nothing. He pressed down hard on Alan’s wound and tried Alan’s phone. No signal. No satellite connection at all. Nothing.
Alan gurgled. “Tell Jules…” He gasped. “Tell her…sorry to leave like this. Love her.”
“You’re not fucking going anywhere, you hear me?” Shane’s throat was raw, and the words still distant to his ears. “It’s okay. You called in this location to Harris and Joint Ops when I went inside. They’ll come when they can’t reach us. Hold on.”
“I’ll be waiting for Dylan.” Gulping, Alan shuddered. “Me and Jess.”
Shane desperately looked over each shoulder, but there was nothing but the rest stop and the empty road, dark in both directions in the rain and fog and night. He tore off his suit jacket and tied the arms as tight as he could around Alan’s chest as a makeshift tourniquet, Alan screaming as he pressed the folded material against the wound.
Alan’s breath came in little gasps and whimpers. “Van. West.”
“Hold on. You’re going to make it, Al.” As Shane desperately uttered the lie, he could see the fear and acceptance in Alan’s eyes.
There was nothing else to say.
With a final squeeze of his friend’s hand, Shane forced his legs to move. Forced himself to leave Alan behind on the wet, muddy ground, his blood seeping out of the hole in his chest with each last beat of his heart.
Hauling himself to the Suburban, Shane extracted the protection package and yanked out the night-vision goggles from beneath the driver’s seat. Killing the lights, he put it in drive. As he peeled away, he watched the dark lump that was Alan lying so still in the rearview, hating that he couldn’t stay with him until the end.
Then he was around the bend, and there was only the road. There was only finding Rafa. The fear and grief and adrenaline coalesced into fury. If they hurt him…
With his left hand, Shane yanked his shirt out of his pants and tore off a strip. Hot blood soaked his ear and neck, and he pressed the wadded material to the wound on his head.
