Page 23 of Rush

Tailor, Noah, and Alec were standing there as well.

“Are you all leaving?” she asked.

“No, baby,” smiled Tailor, “we’re just gonna make sure you get where you’re goin’.” Turning, she hugged Rush one more time.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you more.” He felt the stab in his heart as the men took her from the room, closing the door. When he turned, he was face-to-face with the rest of the team.

“If all the other things hadn’t confirmed it for me, Rush, that confirmed that you are the right man for my daughter,” said Sniff. “You put her life before your own.”

“I will always protect her, sir. I just can’t breathe right now, and I’m not sure I will ever breathe properly again without her.”

“It will get better,” said Ian. “Not much, but it will get better each time you go out on a mission, knowing that you’re leaving someone irreplaceable at home.”

“It’s why most of us didn’t marry until we were out of service,” said Nine. “We had REAPER or Steel Patriots, but other than Ian and his boys, we all waited. Of course, I also didn’t find the love of my life until I was out.”

“I just have to do this. I just have to kill Grigoryan, and I can walk away,” said Rush.

“Then let’s kill Grigoryan,” said Gaspar. “I have it on good authority if I’m not home within four days, my wife might withhold sex until after Christmas.” Rush frowned at the men.

“Would they really do that?” he asked.

“No,” chuckled Ian. Then he frowned. “Well, maybe, but I’m not risking it.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Why are we on the motorcycles?” asked Caroline.

“Sometimes you need all the bells and whistles, honey. You’re riding with Frank, and I’ll ride in the rear,” said Dalton. “Alec, Tailor, and Noah are riding in the SUV in front of us. The bikes have the ability to go stealth if we need them to. Make sure the helmet and face shield are on and down at all times.”

Caroline nodded, pulling on the helmet as the others watched. Once Frank had the bike started, she noticed the intricate dashboard of switches and tabs.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Ready.”

Despite the early hour, people were already crowding the streets around the hotel. The drive to the airport would be long, fighting the red lights and displaced people. With the SUV in front of them, and Frank and Dalton at the rear, they were comfortable maneuvering around the other vehicles.

Driving past the Kariye Camii, the site of a sixth-century A.D. church, they noted the heavy scaffolding surrounding it. It was such a beautiful, treasured site. They hoped it wasn’t damaged. When they approached the entrance to the freeway, they sped up, noticing a car behind them.

“What’s going on?” asked Caroline in the communications device.

“Just hold on, sweetheart. We’re about to piss some people off.” Frank pulled in front of the SUV to block him from the view of the car, then hit his stealth button, blurring the image for anyone other than Dalton and those in the SUV.

“We’ve got a car coming up, windows down,” said Tailor.

As the car sped past them, it slowed, staring at the SUV then at the other motorcycle. The passengers were screaming at one another, and Alec noticed the guns in their hands.

“Get her to the plane, Frank,” said Noah.

“On our way.”

“Dalton, follow them,” said Tailor. Dalton hit his stealth button and pulled around the car and SUV, taking off in a cloud of dust. “Let’s have some fun.”

Noah slammed on the gas, swerving in front of the car as the other vehicle tapped their brakes to avoid hitting them. Already pissed that they’d lost the motorcycle, the men decided they’d have a little fun anyway. Driving alongside the vehicle, they tried running them off the road, but their little Citroën was nothing compared to the massive, steel-plated SUV.

“Oh, they really want to play,” laughed Tailor. “Okay. Let’s play.”

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