Page 80 of Valor on the Move
“No.” Shane barely looked at her.
“Excuse me? Don’t make me call security. I don’t care who you are or what badge you carry. I won’t have you agitating my patient.”
Shane breathed deeply through the urge to scream and throw one of the vases of flowers through the window.
“It’s all right,” Alan rasped. “Please. He has to stay.”
The nurse frowned, her hands on her hips. “A few more minutes, but you have to calm yourself.” She helped him drink some water and then eyed the IV bag attached to his arm. “Maybe it’s time for another dose of morphine.”
Alan shook his head. “I need to think.”
“We’ll be fine,” Shane said, surprised by how calm he sounded to his own ears. The nurse didn’t look convinced, but left as Shane turned back to this stranger who wore his friend’s face.
Clenching his hands into fists, Shane kept his voice even. “Tell me about the deal.”
Alan was quiet for several moments. Then, his gaze on the ceiling, he whispered, “Ten million offshore. Untraceable. Half up front.” He breathed in and out, in and out, his chest rising and falling with effort. “Jules would get it as an anonymous donation in a month. Even if the other half wasn’t delivered, it was enough for her and Dylan to go to Sweden for the experimental treatment. And with my death benefits as well, she wouldn’t have to worry. I could take care of them.”
“By dying? By leaving them alone?” Shane wished to God he was sleeping and this was a nightmare.
“What good have I done them?” Tears slipped down Alan’s cheeks. “I killed Jessica, and Dylan won’t be too long behind her. I had to make it right. It was the only way I could save Dylan and leave them secure. The government’s slashed benefits to the living, but a dead Secret Service agent is still worth a lot.”
“And if I died too, that was okay?”
“No!” Alan shook his head violently, finally meeting Shane’s gaze again. “It was only supposed to be me. I swear. They were just going to knock you out. We had a deal!”
“And if you can’t trust terrorist scum to keep their word, who can you trust these days, huh?” Shane’s skin crawled, and he dug his nails into his palms. “They came a millimeter from splashing my brains over that rest stop.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like that. It wasn’t!”
Shane had to take a breath and swallow down his shout so he could calmly ask, “And how was it supposed to be for Rafa?”
Alan squeezed his eyes shut, more tears escaping. “They promised not to kill him,” he whispered. “They were going to trade him for war prisoners in Russia. Get Castillo to arrange a deal.”
“And we know what their fucking promises are worth!” Shane slammed his fist into the mattress, looming over Alan. “You gave him up to those bastards. They crammed him into a little metal box. God knows where they were taking him, and what they’d do. How many body parts they’d cut off to FedEx to the president as they made their demands.” Spit flew from his lips, and heat rushed through him. “How could you do that to him? He never hurt anyone. He’s a good kid. A good man. It was our job to protect him. To die for him. You betrayed him. What did he do to deserve that?”
Alan’s lips trembled. “It wasn’t personal. I—”
“And what about me? Wasn’t personal with me either? I trusted you.” Shane angrily swiped his wet eyes. “You were my brother, Al. Even if they hadn’t killed me, do you know what it was like seeing you shot? Knowing Rafa was gone? We give our lives to this job. To fail is the worst thing we can do. You betrayed me. Betrayed the service. Everything we stand for.”
“Yes, we give our lives,” Alan spat, his breath coming faster and his cheeks flushing. “And what do they give us? I did my tour in the sandbox in Afghanistan. Then I joined the service to protect America’s leaders. To keep America safe at home. And when Jessica was diagnosed, what did they give me? A denial of benefits. They found a loophole. I tried everything. Talked to a hundred people. No one could help. Their hands were tied.” He gripped the sheets. “I heard it over and over. Everyone at the insurance company and the benefits office was sorry. They were so fucking sorry. But they didn’t do a damn thing.”
Fury and sorrow and compassion scraped Shane raw and hollow. “It doesn’t make this right.”
“What’s right in this world anymore? We mortgaged our house as many times as we could. Racked up every penny of our credit. I watched my little girl die, and my country stood by and did nothing. Nothing! That bastard Castillo approved the cuts in our benefits. He slashed healthcare across the board for government employees. Oh, but not the senators or the congresspeople. No, they still get their packages and their vacation time and their big, fat salaries for bleeding the rest of us dry.” He gritted his teeth. “I couldn’t watch Dylan die too. Couldn’t do it. When the Chechens approached me, it…it felt like a sign. Like fate.”
