Chapter 22
Mason stood outside the entrance to the barn. His heart pounded in his ears. His breathing was steady. He was in position, and knew what to do. There was no room for error. He had a job to do. Jess’s life depended on him being a SEAL—not her lover.
Three men had their backs to him. Jess was silhouetted in the bright lights on either side of her. She was kneeling in front of a video camera. Yurik unsheathed a twelve-inch knife and swiped the blade against his thigh.
The air was still. Fear and anger nearly brought Mason to his knees. He closed his eyes, forcing Jess—the woman he loved—out of his head. She was a friendly. Like many other friendlies he had rescued over his SEAL career. Emotions would not rule him. That would get Jess killed.
And then the reason he had for getting up every morning and living each day would be gone.
Behind him, Ben, Lance, and Gabe prepared to storm the barn. Sean and Apollo would remain outside the door in case any unknown tangos showed. Jake and Lucas were still in position behind the tree line, Lucas’s long gun trained on the barn. They had one shot to get in, rescue Jess, and capture the Russians.
And that’s all they needed.
“Now, Ms. Baylor, you will atone for your sins.” The voice of a large man with a Russian accent drifted from the barn. “You will admit to killing my son, and you will accept your punishment of death.”
Jess’s head was yanked back, her neck exposed.
That was the signal.
Mason charged into the barn and cleared the area to the right behind the door. Ben and Gabe mirrored him to the left. Lance came straight in.
Mason heard the soft pop, pop, pop of the M-4. Yurik slumped to the ground.
Blood colored the dirt under his body. The man remained motionless. Lance moved past Mason and secured the area in front of him. Mason darted toward Jess, grasped her around the collar, and pulled her back against his body.
“No, no, no,” she screamed and fought to get out of his grasp.
“Jess, sweetheart, it’s me,” he whispered in her ear.
She stilled. Her head whipped around, and her eyes filled with tears. He placed her on the ground, and she faced him. Blood dripped from several cuts on her face, and large welts marred each cheek.
Her arms wrapped around his neck. “How did you find me?”
Gabe came up behind Mason and squeezed his shoulder.
“I’ll explain later,” Mason told Jess, freeing his neck from her grasp. “I need you to go with Gabe—”
“No, I’m staying with you—” she cried, and attempted to cling to him.
“Jess, I have to work. I can’t finish my job until I know you are safe. Please, sweetheart, go with Gabe. I promise to be right behind you after I clean up a few loose ends.”
She stared at him, fat tears sat on her lower eyelids. She nodded, and let Gabe lead her away.
Once Jess was clear of the barn, Mason approached Lance, his gun trained on one of the men. Mason recognized him as one of the men from the bar the night Jess killed Forrester.
“Is he talking?” Mason asked Lance.
“Nope,” Lance said with a wag of his head. “Suddenly mute.”
“That’s odd, he seemed to have a lot to say in the woods,” Mason replied. Alexei’s eyes grew wide. “You remember what you told Mrs. Baylor when you shot her and left her for dead, don’t you, big man? Just so you know—you failed at that mission, as well. Jess’s mom is alive and well.”
“That makes two massive errors for you today, Alexei. I can’t imagine your bosses in the RRA will be very forgiving of your fuck-ups today.”
“Well, his new boss, anyway,” Mason chided. “We just blew his old bosses head off.”
Alexei sneered, opened his hand, and revealed a detonator. A sick, evil grin slid across his face.
“Bomb! Get out!” Lance and Mason turned and ran for the door.
Mason cleared the entrance to the structure. The winter cold enveloped him. Bright orange light filled the sky. A loud blast erupted in the silent night. He was lifted off the ground. he air. His body flew through the air. He tried to relax his muscles in anticipation of the hard once he hit the ground. Pain sliced through his extremities. The air rushed from his lungs. His head bounced off the hard surface. Stingers raced down his spine.
He glanced up at the brightly lit sky and thought of Jess. She was safe. And that was all that mattered.
Darkness closed in around him.
* * *
Jess barely registered walking through the front door of a house and sliding onto a large dining table. Dex was in front of her, his hands on either side of her face and neck. He stared into her eyes.
He was talking. His voice was a million miles away. The words didn’t register.
She couldn’t concentrate on what was going on around her. All she was able to think about was Mason.
Where is he? Why did he make her leave? Why hadn’t he come with her?
She needed him. She had convinced herself that she was going to die and never see him again. But she had survived—he had saved her—and the only thing she wanted was to be with him.
Never let him go.
“Jess,” a different male voice said next to her. She knew the voice, but couldn’t place it. She turned her head.
Mick stood next to her and smiled, but wariness flooded his gaze.
“Hey,” he said. “You’re safe. Can you tell us if you hurt anywhere?”
Jess turned away, her gaze drifted around the interior of the house. Where the hell were they? This wasn’t the house she had been in with the terrorists.
“You’re at the safe house,” Mick said.
“Jess,” Dex said, and gently turned her head so she was staring at him. “Can you tell me your full name?”
She looked away, uninterested in talking to him. Staring at the front door, she willed it to open, and for Mason to come inside.
Dex held up three fingers in front of her eyes. “Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up?”
She tilted her head to the side, irritated with the incessant questions. She didn’t want to talk to Dex or Mick. They shouldn’t be there with her. They needed to get Mason out of that hellhole before he was injured. Or worse.
Cold prickled over her skin. No, no, no…that would be too cruel. She couldn’t live if Mason’s life was taken instead of hers. She had been ready and willing to die. If he was gone saving her—
She slammed her eyes shut and forced back the vision of Mason lying dead in the middle of the barn. He was smart. He was trained. And there was no way he would let the bad guys win when he and Jess had so much to live for. A new life to explore. A love that could only strengthen and become all-consuming. She knew that was how it would be with them.
They were headed n that direction before she’d been kidnapped from the bar in Boston, and her life had taken a decidedly dark and deadly turn.
“She has some significant injuries on her face. Possible a concussion, but I’m unable to tell the grade because I can’t get her to answer. If I had to categorize it, I would say grade two, only because she’s conscious.”
“Could she be in shock?” Gabe asked, standing to the right of Mick.
“I don’t think that’s it,” Dex said. “While she’s most likely dehydrated, and has some blood loss, but I’m not sure either is significant enough to cause shock.”
“So, what do we do?” Mick asked.
“Clean up the cuts on her face, and see about getting the swelling down. Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t start exhibiting any other symptoms. Not much I can do—”
An explosion rocked the house. The chandelier over their heads swayed, the crystals clanging together in a terrifying chorus. Jess’s heart stopped. A chill ran down her spine, and stiffened every muscle in her body.
Oh, God…
“Three, this is Lilypad. What is your position?” Riley said. It was the first time Jess had realized Riley was there.
Jess stared at the screens, but they were all black.
“Three, this is Lilypad. Come in.”
Static filled the room.
Jess wanted to get up, run from the house, and find Mason. She wanted to scream, cry, kick, hit, but she was paralyzed with fear. Her heart pounded in her ears.
Please come back, Mason…come back to me.
Minutes felt like hours. Jess wanted to strip out of her skin and run far away from the safe house, screaming as loud as should could.
The front door opened. Lance walked in, followed by other men, but no Mason. A cold, thin layer of perspiration sat on top of Jess’s skin. She stared at the door.
A huge figure walked through, placed his rifle on another table and turned toward her.
Mason.
Jess jumped off the table, bolted across the room, and launched herself into Mason. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she squeezed. “I thought—”
“I know,” he whispered. “I’m okay, sweetheart. We both are.” He pulled his head back and pressed his lips to hers.
The warmth of his presence, his life, flowed through her, Her lips tingled and her body came back to life. Slowly, he lowered her to her feet and looked into her eyes. His fingers lightly touched the welt on her cheek. “What did he do to you?”
“It’s just a bump. Nothing serious.”
“How’s your mom?” he asked.
Guilt doused her like a bucket of ice being tossed on her. “They killed her. Two of them took her to the woods and shot her. They told that Yurik guy when they got back that she was dead.”
“No, Jess, we found her.” He glanced over her shoulder at where Riley stood. Grazing her ear with his lips, he said. “She’s okay. She’s in the hospital and will make a full recovery.”
Tears trailed down Jess’s face. This man…he saved her. Saved her mom. And nearly got blown up in the process.
How could she not love him?
He drew her tightly against his body again and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. “Don’t let go.”
“No way,” he whispered.