Chapter 15
“I’ve got a lead!” Storm called from the command center.
“Thank God!” West closed his eyes in relief.
“Turner didn’t shut off the GPS in the Jeep and I tracked him down.”
“Where are they?”
“Near as I can tell, by a set of train tracks.” Storm squinted at the screen and West got closer, leaning over his shoulder to get a better look. “They haven’t moved since I found them.”
“What the fuck is he doin’?” West couldn’t understand why he’d park himself in the middle of nowhere.
“What if he jumped on the coal train?” King offered, sitting beside them. “Is it the route his granddaddy used to travel? He could ride it out of this area, get past the road blocks.”
Storm swore softly under his breath. “No one would be the wiser.”
Yeah, the son of a bitch was crazy, but not stupid.
“They’ll be checkin’ Amtrak, not freight trains.” West clenched his fists. “Gear up, we leave in five minutes.”
Hold on, Annie. I’m comin’.
***
“Tell me how it feels.” Turner brought his bloodied hand to his face, inhaling the scent and closing his eyes.
Wounded, Annie squirmed away and glanced down at the rusty tracks beneath them. The train chugged up the hill, slowing its pace momentarily.
Now or never. She jumped.
After she hit the ground, Annie gasped, sucking in air, as the wind was knocked out of her lungs. And then she saw Turner leap off the train in the distance. She’d expected him to ride to freedom. Evidently, he wanted to kill her more than gaining his own freedom.
Run!
Annie got to her feet, scrambling through the wet grass as fast as she could. It wasn’t easy. She was woozy from the blood loss and in pain. She ran into a wooded area, branches scraped against her arms as she raced.
It was pitch black, and the territory wasn’t familiar. She was moving at a pretty decent clip until she stumbled over tree roots and then pitched forward. She nearly screamed but welded her lips together.
If she cried out, Annie would give her location away. In this state, she wouldn’t be able to fight him off.
Annie got to her feet and limped forward. If she couldn’t outrun him, Annie had to hide.
But where?
***
Where the fuck are they?
An hour had passed, and West still hadn’t found them.
He was slowly going out of his mind.
In BUD/S, he’d learned how to lock down his feelings, tuck them away to deal with at another time in his SEAL training, but he’d been pushed to the limit tonight.
This was much easier when he wasn’t emotionally compromised, personally invested in the outcome. West had always cared about his missions, but not like this. If Annie didn’t make it, he didn’t know how he’d live with himself.
While they’d raced to the scene, Storm had contacted Huck and read him in on what was going on. Huck contacted the conductor, and they’d stopped the train by the nearest crossing. The sheriff had searched it, car by car, but hadn’t found Turner or Annie, although there had been blood spatter all over one of the coal cars.
West figured Annie had gone overboard in an escape attempt, and Turner had followed her, eager to settle their score. In the meantime, West and his teammates had fanned out across the woods, searching it grid by grid.
“Chief, I found blood,” Zane said into his ear.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, West made his way to Zane, and he silently prayed the blood belonged to Turner, not Annie.
Zane lifted his flashlight, illuminating a shimmering red pool, wet against the grass.
Refusing to give his fear free-reign, West pushed forward.
“Keep lookin’. Cover every square inch of these woods. We don’t stop until we find them.”
***
What if he comes back?
Clutching her stomach, Annie closed her eyes and rested against the tree trunk. She’d found an old tree stand in the middle of the woods. Gritting her teeth, she’d shimmied up and hidden herself. But if she remained out here much longer, the blood loss would kill her.
Turner had tromped through the undergrowth minutes earlier, but he hadn’t looked up to see her. Any second now, he could double back.
Quite literally, Annie wasn’t out of the woods yet.
***
“You got eyes on him?” West asked, fifteen minutes later.
There was no sign of Annie, but they’d found their tango in a clearing. Turner still held the knife.
“Yeah,” Nox said, from his perch on a nearby ridge. He’d gotten a bird’s eye view of their surroundings, so they had a better view of the terrain.
“I’m on my way.”
“I can drop him from here, Chief. Do you wanna finish this?”
West didn’t respond at first.
“Chief?”
“I do, but on my terms.”
Nox cleared his throat. “The shot is good.”
“Stand down. I’m nearly within range, and I wanna handle this myself.”
With a guttural roar, West rushed straight at him, giving Turner no time to prepare. He raised the knife, but West grabbed his wrist, and smashed it hard against his knee until he wrestled it out of his grip.
West was enraged. He wanted to beat the ever living shit out of the man. No, he wanted to kill him, bury his ass, dig him up, and then do it again. And again.
“Where is she?” West growled.
Turner gave a wheezing laugh. “You don’t know?”
West jabbed his elbow under Turner’s chin, snapping it back. He’d smack the snot out of this bastard until he coughed up every last bit of information.
“Where’s Annie?”
He shook his head.
“Don’t make me ask you again.” He slammed Turner to the ground and landed on top of him, with a forearm across his neck. He had one knee against his abdomen, pinning him down.
Turner couldn’t move, could barely breathe.
“Don’t know,” he muttered, struggling to speak.
“I don’t believe you.” Or maybe West didn’t want to believe him. He needed to take Turner out, but he wanted Annie back in his arms even more.
Turner twisted and writhed, trying to break free, but it was no use. He’d practiced these tactics for years. West had learned how to overpower a man at least twice his size in a matter of minutes. And Turner was no match for him.
“Is she alive?” West asked. Turner was spattered with blood and they’d seen a crimson trail earlier.
“No clue.” Turner tugged at his arm.
“What the fuck did you do to her? His heart pounded in his ears.
“What do you think? Stabbed her,” he rasped, snickering with terrible glee.
West seized him by the throat and squeezed. Hard. “This is what you like doin’, isn’t it? Watchin’ the fear in their eyes? Gettin’ off on their terror?”
“I ain’t lyin’. I don’t know where she is,” Turner croaked.
“I’m givin’ you one last chance to come clean. Tell me where she is, and I’ll let you live.”
“Go to hell.”
This was useless. Turner would dick around with him for hours, rather than sharing information. Nox was right—the man was a control freak.
“You first.” West grabbed him by the neck and twisted, breaking it with a crunch of bone.
He sighed as some of the anger leeched away, but in its wake was fear.
West placed a hand to his ear. “If Huck asks, I did it in self-defense.”
“Understood, Chief,” Zane said. “I don’t think anybody’s gonna miss that piece of shit anyway.”
West closed his eyes, still bent over Turner. He tugged at the cross around his neck and offered up a silent prayer, asking for divine intervention, a little help to find her.
And then he heard static on the mic and a garbled voice.
“Chief, I got her!” King said again, cutting through the static on the line.
West held his breath. “And…?”
“She’s alive. For now.”
He sagged in relief. Tears stung his eyes, and he blinked them away. West got to his feet, racing to King.
“I’m headed to you. See that she stays that way, King.” West and everyone else converged on King’s location.
“Where did you find her?” West asked as he reached King. Annie was sprawled on the ground while his friend worked on her.
“Annie hid up there, and I had to climb the tree to get to her.” He pointed to a tree stand above their heads. Hunters used those to ambush prey and it had given her a tactical advantage.
Clever girl. “How is she?” West asked.
“Weak. She’s in and out of consciousness.” King took her pulse and shook his head. “And she’s lost a lot of blood.” King’s forehead creased. “I don’t know if she’ll make it out of the woods in time, Chief.”
“She will if you give her some blood.” Without thinking, West held out his arm. “Take mine.” King could run a direct line from his blood vessel to hers. West just hoped it was enough to get her to the hospital.
King rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, you’re a match. I guess I can do a field transfusion, but it’s a risky procedure.”
“To her? Or to me?”
“To you. I could take too much.”
“You can take it all, King. I don’t give a damn, as long as she’s okay.”
“You really care for her, don’t you?” King asked softly.
“I…don’t wanna talk about it.” Not here. Not now.
“You don’t need to, brother, your actions always speak louder.”
After King put a needle into his arm, West leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Come back to me, Annie, I need you.”
***
Annie woke up two days later in a hospital.
She was wearing a scratchy white gown, and there were tubes and wires attached to her arms.
The fluorescent lights above her were so bright, and they buzzed. Annie’s head felt muzzy, and she was a bit disoriented. Her stomach rumbled with hunger, which was probably a good sign.
“Oh thank God, you’re awake. You’ve been in and out for the past two days. Are you okay?” West sat by her bedside, and there were dark rings underneath his eyes, as though he hadn’t gotten much sleep. There were a couple days’ worth of hair on his cheeks and chin, too. Had he been by her side the entire time?
“Yes, I think so.” Instinctively, she laid a hand on her stomach and felt a bandage beneath the gown.
“You lost a lot of blood, but they said you’ll make a full recovery.”
“How did I get out of the woods? I’d lost so much.”
“I gave you mine.” He shrugged, as though it were nothing.
“You did? Thank you. I…” Annie didn’t know how to repay him.
“You don’t need to say anything, Annie. You put yourself in harm’s way to save my daughter and that…” he trailed off.
She nodded and swallowed. It had been instinctive. Annie couldn’t stand seeing his heartache. And then she thought about how she’d gotten the injury.
“What happened? Did you find Turner?”
But their conversation was cut short because a doctor and two nurses rushed into the room. After they’d checked her vitals and promised to bring her some food, they left.
“Did you find him?” Annie asked, again.
He nodded.
“And…?” Annie was breathless, praying for some good news.
West’s smile was predatory. “He’s been neutralized.”
A wave of relief flooded her. Neutralized was SEAL-speak for dead and Annie closed her eyes, basking in the news.
“I just wished I’d been there to see it.”
West smiled faintly.
And then she remembered something else to worry about.
“How’s Katie?”
“Fine, but she's shaken up.” He cleared his throat. “Paige is upset, and she has every right to be. Storm is workin’ on a top shelf security system. Apparently, having a house full of lethal people isn’t enough of a deterrent.”
“And what about Doe? Any word on him?”
“Lila, his hostage, is just fine. She turned up in Quebec, so Mack was right about his flight plans.”
“I guess he’s Canada’s problem then.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I can’t believe it’s finally over. I can go back to my life again, what’s left of it.”
An enormous burden had been lifted off her shoulders.
There was still a lot to be done, but the worst of it was over. Mike’s killer was dead. Ryder was in custody. Doe was still on the lam, but he’d be caught eventually. And she had a shot at a new life, a second chance, provided West gave her a recommendation.
“Yes, it’s over,” West said tightly, and there was an edge to his tone. “We got paid for the two fugitives we turned in, and I’ve got your cut of the profits, along with your freelancin’ fee ready to go.”
He’d said it so casually, as though this had been purely a business relationship.
What’s going on here? Annie bit her lip. “Right, I guess my job is over.”
A muscle worked in his jaw. “Yes, it is.” He opened his mouth to speak, but an orderly brought in a tray of food, interrupting their conversation once more.
West stood. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. See you back at HQ.”
Before she could protest, West was out the door.
***
Two days later, Annie was released from the hospital.
King had driven her home, and she hadn’t seen West. Maybe he was spending time with Katie? Or avoiding her?
After all, their business was concluded.
When she arrived back at HQ, Annie grabbed a quick breakfast downstairs and then began packing her things. She’d nearly stuffed the second duffel bag full, when West appeared in the doorway, although he didn’t say a word.
In a way, Annie didn’t blame him. She didn’t know how to express what she was feeling.
“So you’re leavin’?” West put a hand in his pocket.
They were both still banged up. The bruises on his face had turned a greenish yellow, and he still had a split lip. She’d been sliced up like a piece of fruit and Annie ached all over.
Regardless, they’d lived to fight another day.
“Yeah, I am.” Unless you ask me to stay. Annie couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud.
“Aren’t you forgettin’ somethin’?” He straightened up and locked eyes with her.
Annie couldn’t look away. “Like what?”
And then West grabbed her, twirling her around, until her back was to his front, holding her against his chest, in a backwards hug.
Her heart sped up, pounding against her ribs.
“This?” West turned her head to the side and kissed her madly.
She wriggled in his hold, but it wasn’t resistance. No, Annie was trying to get closer. She wanted to horde these last few minutes with him, savor his kisses, the way his touch made her feel.
One more time for the road?
“We’re gonna do this my way.” His voice was rough and raw. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m in charge.”
Annie smirked. “Yes, Chief.”
“Damnation.” West groaned. “Say it again.”
“Yes, Chief.” The words came out in a low, breathy tone.
“Yeah, that’s what I wanted to hear.” He popped open the buttons on her shirt, reached inside and cupped a breast. West thumbed her nipple. “Damn, I wish I was well enough to do you justice.”
“Oh, I think you’re doing just fine.”
Annie felt hot, wet, slippery. Yielding. She remembered how good his cock had felt inside her, how right.
“I need you.”
“Then have me.”
West played with her breasts, tweaking her nipples, pinching them, getting her even more hot and bothered. They plumped for him, swelling in his big hands. And then he slid his fingers down her abdomen, and into her jeans. The waistband was looser, thanks to healthy food and exercise.
Although, Annie undid the buttons, and slid the zipper down to give him easy access. West strummed her swollen clit. Annie held onto his arm, fingernails sinking in to his skin as he rubbed and stroked her sensitive flesh. His breath was hot on her neck.
And it didn’t take her long to come against his palm.
“Come here. I’m gonna return the favor.” On wobbly legs, she stepped out of the discarded jeans and walked to the edge of the bed. She sat down, grasping him by the hips. West was hard and swollen, his cock pressing against the denim.
She freed him from the cloth prison, and took him into her mouth.
“Oh fuck.” West’s eyes closed in pained pleasure as she twirled the head with her tongue, cupped his balls in her hand, squeezing ever so slightly.
West grasped the back of her head as she sucked him fiercely, knocking a groan from his throat. And when he came on her tongue, it tasted like salty sweet tears.
Afterward, West sighed as he zipped his fly. “At least this time we made it to a bed.”
“Yeah.” She gave him a half-hearted smile.
They put their clothing to rights. Annie smoothed her hair, trying to find her objectivity.
“What’s next for you?” Once more, West leaned against the door jamb, regarding her with an impassive face. It was impossible to figure out what he was thinking.
Was he sad she was leaving? Relieved? Annie couldn’t tell.
“I’m gonna see Becky and tell her we got the bastard. It will be on the news, but I want to tell her in person.”
“And persuade her to take Mike off of life support?”
She nodded. “Yes, if I can.” It wouldn’t be an easy conversation, but it was one worth having. He deserved to be laid to rest, to be at peace.
“What about work?” He asked.
“I’m not sure yet. If you could give me a recommendation, it would help.”
“You’ve got it. Shoot me an email, and I’ll send it to you, once you get settled.”
“Thanks. And what about you?”
“I’m gonna stick to the plan. I’ll spend time with my daughter and grow the business.”
“I’ve got a feeling you’re about to score a bunch of new clients.”
“You really think so?” He beamed.
“Yeah, you guys are the best.” Annie checked the pockets of her bag, because she needed to do something with her hands. And that’s where she found a Black Star Security shirt. She handed it to West. “Here, this belongs to you.”
“Keep it. I want you to have something to remember me by, us by, I mean.”
As if she could ever forget West. Annie didn’t need any physical reminders of her time here, she had enough memories.
Annie cleared her throat. “Well, I’m all packed up. I should head out.”
He swallowed. “I’ll get out of your way then.”
West stepped aside, and she headed down the hall, and took the stairs two at a time, racing out of here before she did something stupid.
Like, beg him to let her stay.
***
While Annie loaded up her car, West stood in the kitchen, next to King who scowled at him.
“What? Do you have something to say?”
“Yeah, she’s gettin’ away, you damn fool,” he pointed to the window.
“I’m aware of that.” Very aware.
West was barely holding it together. He’d been searching for some sign, some hints of her feelings toward him. He thought about offering her a permanent job, but it wasn’t just her skill set he was after. And he didn’t want her to stay just for work, he needed Annie to want him in return.
“You’re a dumbass.” King squinted, as though considering his own assessment. “You’re clearly nuts about one another. If you don’t seal the deal, you’ll be kickin’ yourself.”
He already was. And he doubted this feeling would go away anytime soon. Maybe never.
“I don’t know what to say to her.”
“As Savvy says, in her number one hit, Tell me Darlin’, let your heart do the talkin’, not your head.” King shoved him toward the door. “Get on that shit, lover boy.”
Slowly, West walked outside to see Annie leaning against the trunk. Her eyes were sparkling. With tears?
“Did I forget something?” Her voice sounded hoarse.
Put it out there, West, stop bein’ such a wuss.
“Yeah, me.”
Her brows knitted.
“I want…” West shook his head, trailing off. “No, I need you.”
She frowned. “To work for you…?”
“Yes, that too. You’re damn good at your job, but I meant personally.” His throat ached. “I don’t have a fuckin’ clue how to say this, so I’m not gonna try.”
And then West pulled Annie into his arms and kissed her with the full force of his longing. He held nothing back from her, didn’t try to play it cool, or pretend he didn’t need her.
Annie went limp in his arms, leaning on him for support, surrendering to him completely. And he just knew she was his. Always had been.
When he gave her room to breathe again, her eyes were smoldering. He felt like caring her upstairs and showing her exactly how he felt about her, in exhaustive detail, all night long.
“Message received.” She licked her lips. “I feel the same way.”
“Then you aren’t goin’ anywhere, Hunter. You belong at HQ with me and the team.”
“Yes, I do.” Annie’s grin was lopsided. “Hunter? What happened to Rook?”
“You finally earned your own nickname. Scramblin’ up into a tree stand was a smooth move. I forgot to tell you the other day.”
“Thanks, I like the sound of that. Hunter.” She opened the trunk to reveal her duffel bags. “Guess I should carry these back upstairs to my room.”
“No, I’ll carry them for you.” West hefted the luggage. “And I’ll put them in my room. You’re stayin’ with me.”
“For how long?”
“I’ve got a funny feelin’ it might be forever.”