Page 14 of In The Trenches (Owens Protective Services)

The door opened ahead of us, sending blinding bright light inside the warehouse. I grabbed Sinner and hauled him forward as we approached the doors.

“Cash,” I heard Sinner grumble from behind me. I turned just as he slumped against the wall, all the fight going out of him.

I was already headed back to him when Cash shouted, “Red, get Sinner before he falls the fuck over!”

“I gotcha, man.” I bent over and hauled him up over my shoulder. I heard his sharp intake of breath as the wound in his side hit my body. I was trying to be gentle, but Cash was already waving me out the door, screaming at me to get my ass moving. I ran for the door, ignoring the way Sinner bounced on my shoulder. My team ran in formation around me, protecting both Sinner and I since I couldn’t carry my weapon.

“Get him in the truck!” Cash shouted. I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see Cash kneel, laying down cover fire for us. Eli grabbed the door to the back of the SUV and flung it open. The ground shook with an explosion just as I was hauling Sinner into the backseat. He slumped over, staring sightlessly at the ceiling. I got in beside him, hauling him into an upright position.

Slapping him on the cheek, I shouted at him, trying to keep him from going into the light. “Mark! Stay awake, man. Don’t go to sleep!”

If he closed his eyes, I feared he might never wake up again, and I had never lost a man. I wasn’t about to now. Eli handed me his emergency blanket just as Cash and Kavanaugh got in the front seat. I tucked it around him, hoping I could warm him up just a little.

“Fuck off,” Sinner said, his eyes slipping shut.

“Fuck, he’s freezing,” Eli muttered as he helped me rub his arms and try to warm him up.

Sinner’s hand slid out from under the blanket, squeezing mine slightly. “Red…”

I squeezed it back, letting him know I was here. I swallowed hard as I watched him struggle to get any words out. He was losing the battle for his life, I could see it slowly draining from his eyes. I couldn’t do anything to save him.

“Cara…tell…love her,” he croaked out.

Determination swarmed within me. There was no fucking way I was losing him, or going to his woman and repeating those words. I couldn’t.

I gripped his hand tighter and cupped the back of his neck with my other hand, forcing him to look at me. “Hey! You don’t just lay down and take this shit!” I shouted. “Fight, you fucking idiot!”

But as his eyes slipped closed, I knew not even my words would save his life. He didn’t have anything left inside him to give.

“Tired…” he murmured, his eyes slipping closed once again.

I turned around in my seat, only now aware that we were still under fire as Cash and Kavanaugh fought to get us out of there.

“Cash, get moving or we’re going to lose him!”

The SUV jolted forward as Cash finally got us moving. I turned back to Sinner just as he called my name. “Take care…of Cara…”

He was breathing heavily, struggling to get out his last request. As much as I wanted to tell him to keep fighting, I had to make sure I knew what he wanted if he died.

“Love her,” he whispered.

I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. Nodding, I gave him what he needed. “I will, Mark. I promise. Just hang on,” I urged him. “You can tell her yourself.”

He gave a slight nod, but then he closed his eyes and his head lolled to the side. I looked up at Eli, locking eyes with him. We both knew the chances of him surviving weren’t great. He’d only been on our team for a few weeks, and now he was giving his life, all in the name of protecting a client.

6

FOX

Cash draggedthe asshole that took Sinner back to the office. He thought he’d interrogate him and find out everything he knew, but it wouldn’t be enough. Cash had this moral compass that always led him down the straight and narrow. Not that he wouldn’t push the boundaries, but he didn’t always have the conviction to take things further when needed. I had no such moral compass.

I looked in the rearview mirror at the dark eyes that stared back at me. I knew what the others saw, a man that was determined to do whatever it took. They only knew half of it. It wasn’t the need for truth and justice that drove me. It was something deeper and darker that I couldn’t always control. I had known it all my life. When the military realized they couldn’t control me, they cut me loose. It would only be a matter of time before Cash figured it out too.

I pulled into the parking lot and parked at the back. I shut off the truck and got out, storming around to the tailgate. Scottie Dog ran over to me, ready to help, but I turned and glared at him.

“I don’t need any fucking help.”

“Whatever, man. Should I get the door, or can you get that too?” he said sarcastically.

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