Page 83 of Broken Trust
SEALs flooded into the small room, making it feel cramped and somehow, like home. With complete authority, they cleared the threat.
Dante hurried to her side. “You okay?”
She gave a shaky nod. “It’s Liam. He needs help!”
Ash was on Liam in two strides. With a light, practiced touch, he assessed the bullet wound. For a moment, she held her breath, her stare fixed on her lover’s face. He was paler than he had been before he leaped up to fight Kent.
She realized with a jolt that he never smashed the chair over Kent’s head. He didn’t need to, because she took action.
“He’ll survive.” Ash’s tone was quiet but firm. She felt the entire room exhale with the news.
Still, worry wrapped tight around her. The sight of all that blood was pulling up the edges of her calm.
Con’s command broke through. “Tie him up better and leave his ass for the FBI. They’re on their way.”
Dante had his phone in hand. “I’ll tell them we gift-wrapped him.”
To her astonishment, she saw Liam’s shoulders shake, not with tears of pain—with amusement.
Idiot. Beautiful idiot.
She loved him so damn much.
There was a poetry in the way the team moved, turning chaos into a neat, sealed package. At that moment, the men from Alpha team entered. With one quick look around, they pieced together the puzzle and jumped in to help finish it.
When they had Kent trussed up like a hog and cuffed to the desk for good measure, Apollo jerked his head toward their prisoner on the floor. “Who stabbed him?”
Elin shot him a sheepish look. “I did. With a pencil.”
All attention snapped to her.
Ash’s lips twitched. “Being apencil pushercomes with benefits.” His remark had amusement rippling through them.
Apollo grunted. “I’ll hand this asshole off when the Bureau gets here.”
“Thanks, man.” Con stared at Apollo for a long beat, as if something passed between them she couldn’t understand. Later, she would ask Liam what it was all about, that look. But she recalled Sophie telling her about Apollo and how the woman who loved him believed he was dead. The story was worth hearing, as Elin knew all their stories were.
She only hoped she would be sticking around the Charlie base long enough to have the experience.
With Liam on his feet, supported on each side by Ash and Steele, and Dante with a hold on Elin’s arm, they led them back through the tunnels.
She barely registered the quiet thump of boots or the way the overhead lights flickered. When they reached the end, Sparrow turned to Con. “You know what happens after a successful op.”
Con nodded. “Cookout time. And we’d love to join you. But we’ve got a man to patch up.”
Sparrow stepped forward, fist extended for Con to bump knuckles with. “Raincheck then.”
Elin knew by the crease between Con’s brows that he was thinking of Sophie. And Dante was thinking of Kennedy. And Steele and Henner’s thoughts lingered on the women they loved.
She threw a look at Sparrow. “Thank you.”
His lips quirked at one corner. “Take care of him. He’s one of the good ones.”
Her heart flooded with love and peace and gratitude. “I know.”
They were routed to the airstrip. Ash was muttering instructions into his comms about med evac and sutures. Inside the chopper, Elin sat with Liam leaning into her. His fingers closed around hers with a strength that belied the sallowness of his skin.
Safe did not mean unhurt. Loved did not mean invincible. Cared for did not mean everything was fixed. But she let herself lean into the warmth of the moment.
