Rourke listened to the conversation the helicopter pilot was having with his superior officer over the headset and tried to get an idea of what the fuck was going on while he checked and rechecked his weapons. The police personnel in the chopper with him watched curiously as Rourke pulled out each of his guns for one more thorough once over before they touched down in the desert.

“Fuck, man, how much heat are you packin’?” a baby-faced cop asked Rourke.

“As much as it takes,” Rourke replied.

He was much calmer than he was just an hour before, a least outwardly. Rourke retrieved his beloved bike from a local garage that stored and maintained it for him while he was away. He was sitting on the Indian motorcycle, ready and waiting for Luc to call him with the possible location of where Evan’s cronies had taken Jennifer when they dragged her out of the church. He was getting back his woman, right after he laid waste to anyone who stood between himself and Jennifer. When the call finally came, Rourke roared with impotent rage. Luc’s source in the LVMPD was able to follow the progress of the car carrying Jennifer through traffic cameras until it reached the outskirts of town, where the traffic cameras stop. Then, he lost them.

Luc’s contact believed he knew where they might have been taking Jennifer, though. Luc had paid through the nose for the little information he was given, and for Rourke’s current ride-along in the police helicopter. The cops didn’t know who he was or why he was tagging along. The cops were under the impression Rourke was a fed who needed a last minute ride to the scene. The scene of what, Rourke had no idea. He couldn’t ask the officers around him either unless he wanted to answer about who was and why he didn’t already know where they were going. Rourke was going to owe Luc for the rest of his life. Luc had called in so many markers to get Rourke onboard. There was no way he’d be able to repay the favors.

The current situation was worse than Rourke had expected. Infiltrating the home of a crime boss to retrieve Jennifer could be done. There would be bloodshed, but Rourke would do whatever it took to have Jennifer safe in his arms again. Things became substantially more challenging when law enforcement got involved. Rourke would need to watch his every step if he didn’t want to end up in jail for attempted murder or worse.

Evan MacGraff fucked around and got himself tangled up with the feds. His operation had gone unnoticed for the most part. Evan could pay off the locals to keep things under wraps, but somewhere along the way, he’d become overly ambitious. Rourke’s guess was Evan had fucked over the wrong person one time too many on his way to the top and got fingered as a source of illegal substances.

Rourke didn’t have any reliable details, though. Luc could only get very vague information. What little Luc had learned scared the shit out of Rourke. He’d been afraid many times in his service to his country. Every time he went down range, Rourke knew it could be the last. It was a reality of life as a SEAL. It was a risk they all took willingly in defense of their homeland. What he couldn’t willingly do was accept the risk to Jennifer’s life under any circumstances. That scared him more than the prospect of capture, torture, or even death had ever frightened him.

From what Rourke could piece together from Luc’s scarce details and conversations he’d overheard since he boarded the chopper, there was a sting about to down out in the Mojave. The feds were running the show. The Vegas police were hanging back in case back-up were needed. Jennifer was going to be in the middle of a very dangerous situation between two crime families that would be further complicated by the arrival of Uncle Sam with guns blazing. Rourke needed to be there when it all blew over. He didn’t trust anyone to ensure Jennifer’s safety.

If the deal went bad, Rourke had to pray Evan’s obsession with Jennifer would keep her out of harm’s way. Why the fuck Evan would take someone he supposedly cared for into such a volatile meeting, Rourke couldn’t comprehend, but he didn’t possess the mind of a lunatic. Rourke could only hope Jennifer would be left out of sight and off the frontline.

The chopper’s thumping blades spun overhead as Rourke and the rest of the passengers disembarked into the desert night. Rourke crept around the rally point silently, trying not to be noticed by law enforcement. He was dressed in night gear and blended in with the small crowd for the most part. He reconnoitered just long enough to learn the expected position of the massive drug deal about to take place and when it was expected it to go down.

He learned the feds were stationed in several other spots in the area surrounding the planned drop point. The group Rourke flew in with was well in the rear and out of the way just waiting for the call. They all believed it would be a quiet night for them. The locals were at the ready, but it was rare for the feds to need their assistance. Rourke would need to be careful to avoid those forward positions. It wouldn’t be a problem. With all due respect, the federal officers were no real match for the Special Forces unless they had some veterans in their ranks. Rourke would just slip around them unnoticed to get in close to the scene. He wanted to locate Jennifer and be ready to swoop in and extract her as soon as the deal was done. One more agent escorting away a person of interest from the scene could be easily overlooked while feds got their men.

Rourke checked his watch. He had plenty of time. All were ready well ahead of the expected arrival of the criminals. He ghosted into the background, melting into the moonless desert night. He hiked for miles over the rugged terrain in this part of the Mojave. It was like an alien landscape at night with a variety of cacti, creosote shrubs, and rock formations dotting the land. Rourke kept a sharp eye out for snakes and other nocturnal creatures. A run-in with a coyote or a Mojave-Green would not be a good thing. The Mojave rattlesnakes were the most venomous in North America. So, yeah, he was watching his step. Rourke heard the denizens of the deserts rustling around in the brush and caught sight of a coyote in the distance, but he luckily didn’t make any new friends.

When Rourke came across the feds waiting silently undercover, he knew he was close to finding Jennifer. They were positioned at the top of a rise. The action had to be forward from that location. One of the feds spoke softly into his communications device.

“It’s done. No shots fired. We captured everything. Our boy inside was spot on with the local. Bogie one is moving out. Team one, prepare to intercept. Bogie two is packing up. The shipment looks like it will be exiting before the bogie. Team two, be advised, there is an unknown female with Bogie two. She looks to be injured. Somebody roughed her up good. I repeat. Keep your eyes peeled for an injured blond innocent. We are extracting to the rally point. Good lucky, guys. Over.”

Rourke’s heart stuttered. Jennifer was hurt. He had to get to her before Evan moved out. Judging by what he’d overheard, any moment, the feds would move into his location. His chance to reach Jennifer without involving both of them in this legal mess would be gone. Rourke moved stealthily past the retreating agents toward the valley below their observation point.  

BANG. BANG.

Two gunshots rang out in the night. Rourke moved faster. The deal was over. Evan’s people were the only ones left. So who the fuck was shooting down there? He heard the agent’s voice again, louder than before.

“Shots fired! Shots fired! What the fuck? Be advised. Boogie two has unloaded. Two down. One of his and the female. I repeat. Two down. Proceed with caution.”

Rourke no longer cared if the agents saw him. He leaped up from his covered position and hauled ass toward the location of the shots. They said Jennifer was down. That fucker had shot his Jennifer. That didn’t mean she was dead, Rourke reminded himself. He’d been shot twice in the line of duty and had survived with only scars after the healing was done. Either way, Rourke was going to jail for murder, because the feds would have Evan MacGraff’s execution on film. That was just fine with Rourke. Life without Jennifer would be useless. He loved her, dammit! This couldn’t happen! They’d just found each other!

He slowed his approach when the shape of two SUVs came into sight. With his heart pounding and shaking his entire body, Rourke forced himself to stop and take inventory of the situation with his own eyes. There were eight people in the clearing. One sprawled on the ground that wasn’t Jennifer, four armed men scattered around the outskirts, a couple standing close to each other, and one more armed man standing near the corpse.

Rourke hunkered down and moved in closer. His heart slowed just a bit when he saw Jennifer. She was standing. She was alive and standing. If she took a bullet, it wasn’t fatally. He just had to get to her without getting her killed. Rourke was trying to decide who to shoot first. He stared down his sights, uncertain if the man supporting Jennifer was Evan. It was too dark, and Rourke didn’t want to fire on that guy until Jennifer was clear.

While Rourke watched, the man released Jennifer, and she stood on her own. He breathed a sigh of relief. She would be okay. Then, everything went to shit. Jennifer jerked an unsecured weapon from the guy’s holster and spun around with the gun raised. She ran at the man who Rourke now assumed was Evan. Evan’s gun was still in his hand. Evan and Rourke both shouted, “No!”

Time froze. Rourke could do nothing to stop what happened next. Jennifer fired and missed. Evan’s gun discharged at the same time Jennifer shot once again. Both of her wild shots missed. Evan’s shot did not.  The bullet hit Jennifer in the chest. The force of the hit stopped Jennifer’s forward motion. She staggered backward and crumpled to the ground.

Rourke’s world imploded. He fired round after round into the clearing, hitting several piece-of-shit criminals before the rest scattered and took cover. Rourke continued to fire to spit the return fire whizzing by him and thudding into the ground of the incline. It was too dark for Rourke to be seen but the muzzle flash from his gun gave away his position. Shots stopped coming Rourke’s way. The fuckers were either dead or taking cover. He had emptied two guns and pulled a third from his back holster as he descended the rest of the way down the slope and entered the clearing. The man nearest to Jennifer had leaped forward to cover her body when the bullets began to fly. The other four men were either dead or hiding. He’d hit Evan in the arm to prevent him from firing on Jennifer again. He’d leaped for cover before Rourke could hit something more vital.

With his gun at the ready, Rourke scanned the area for movement as he made a straight line for Jennifer. A fool thing to do when there was still the possibility of armed tangos, but he couldn’t make himself take caution after seeing Jennifer take a round to the chest.  She could be alive, and she needed him. Chest heaving, mind spinning, and at a complete loss of every bit of training he’d ever received, Rourke dropped his weapon and knelt next to Jennifer. He rolled the man who’d thrown himself over Jennifer body away. The man was bloody and unconscious.

Jennifer’s eyes were open, staring up at the night sky, and for a split second, Rourke was sure she was gone. He’d been too late to save her. She would never know how much he loved and needed her. Then, Jennifer blinked and looked into Rourke’s grief stricken face.

“Rourke, baby.” She reached out a hand and touched his face.

“I’m here, Jennifer.” His heart started beating again. “I love you, baby.” Rourke kissed her quickly. He scanned the area for Evan before turning his attention to ascertaining the extent of Jennifer’s injuries. “I thought you were dead.” Rourke didn’t mean to snarl, but she’d scared years off his life.

“I thought I was dead. I won’t go with him. Not again.”

He began to return to himself as soon as he heard the sweet sound of Jennifer’s voice. He got his first good look at her and was horrified by the amount of blood. She was wearing the jersey he’d found her in earlier that night and the underwear he’d peeled off of her before they made love. Christ, had that only been hours ago? The long shirt was covered with blood and gore.

“I love you, too,” Jennifer told him with a weak smile. She was smiling, and Rourke looked like a man ready for Bedlam. Jennifer peeked down at her body. “It’s not all mine.”

Not hers? “Where are you hit?” Rourke had to remain composed to keep Jennifer calm, but it was a lot of fucking blood. Blood didn’t bother him at all. He just didn’t want to see this much of Jennifer’s blood.

“Shoulder. The rest of it is his.” She pointed in the general direction of the person who was missing a large portion of his head.

Rourke had seen shoulder wounds. Jennifer was still speaking, so it wasn’t likely the bullet struck an artery. He retrieved his weapon and scooped Jennifer into his arms. He bent low and carried her to the nearest SUV for cover. Nothing had moved. All was silent, and Rourke began to wonder at the lack of federal agents when he knew they were nearby.

After easing Jennifer to the ground and resting her back against the truck, Rourke pulled the knife from his boot and cut her shirt at the neck so he could get a look at her wound. There was a jagged hole in Jennifer’s shoulder. He probed the hole lightly. Jennifer hissed and flinched away from him. He could feel the bullet. It hadn’t gone too deep, but it might be lodged in the bone. It would hurt like hell, but she wasn’t gushing blood, rather it was slowly oozing. It was a good sign.

“I’m sorry, baby, I know that hurts. I needed to see how bad your injury was before I try to move you.” Rourke looked around again. It was far too quiet. “I desperately want to end that motherfucker for this and a hundred other crimes, but getting you to a hospital is more important." Rourke kissed Jennifer quickly. His life had changed in the short time it took him to reach Jennifer after watching her be gunned down. He thought she was dead. Nothing had ever hurt so deeply. He now knew what it would feel like to lose her, and he was going to do what he had to, to ensure that never happened. If she would have him, that is.

Rourke untucked his shirt and used his knife to cut most of his undershirt away to use as a bandage for Jennifer's shoulder. She was looking pale, and her eyes were drifting shut.

"Stay with me, baby." Rourke gave her a little shake. Jennifer's eyes popped open, and she nodded.

She was definitely awake when he wrapped the strip of fabric around her shoulder and under her arm. He tied it in the front so the knot would put pressure on the wound. Tears filled Jennifer’s eyes, but she didn’t complain.

"Can you stand?"

"Yeah. I'm good," Jennifer whispered.

She was looking around at the wounded or possibly dead men Rourke took down when he lost his shit and fired at everything that moved between him and her when she was shot. Rourke hopes the side of him that didn't mind spilling blood when it was warranted would scare his sweet debutant turned showgirl away.

“Did you get Evan?” she asked in a tiny voice. Rourke wished he had now. She was still terrified of the man.

“I hit him in his gun arm,” Rourke admitted. “He’s not dead.”

Rourke lifted Jennifer off the ground and held her until he was sure she could handle her own weight. "Let's get out of here, baby. It's a bit of a hike to reach help."

Rourke was frankly surprised the feds hadn't swarmed the area yet. Something fishy was going down. He would hike back to the local police command position with Jennifer on his back. The helicopter waiting there would be the fastest transport to a hospital. Rourke released Jennifer and reached for his gun.

"Touch that and you die," an angry voice crept out of the darkness.

Rourke froze. Jennifer gasped, and he knew by the frightened look on her face that Evan had returned. "Turn around slowly with your hands up."

Rourke obeyed, slowly turning around and at the same time putting himself between Evan and Jennifer. However, he did not put up his hands. Evan had his sidearm in his one good hand aimed directly at Rourke’s chest. His other arm was tucked against his chest protectively. He’d pulled off his tie and wrapped it tight.

“You should have killed me. It's a shame Tommy took the hit. I really liked that kid. Sanchez should have given you better information. You knocked off my man instead of me.” Evan shook his head at Rourke as if he were an idiot. “Now, I’m going to let Sanchez deal with you. A quick death is too kind. I’ll send you back to him so he can make you pay for your failure.”

Jennifer stepped closer to Rourke and placed her free hand on his back. She was shaking.

“Jenny, come to me now,” Evan demanded. Jennifer didn’t move from her position behind Rourke, so Evan shouted, “Do you want to see this asshole die today, Jenny? I know you don’t like the sight of blood. Do you want another man’s brains splattered over you? I was going to let him live to send a message to Sanchez. He thinks he can double cross me. Well, I have a surprise for him.” Evan was frothing at the mouth. “I knew that fucker was looking at you for too long. He thought he would take back his product and steal my fucking woman. He’s going to pay for this dearly. Come to me now, or I’ll kill your new friend.”

Rourke assumed the man Evan had just done business with was Sanchez, aka Bogie one. Evan still hadn’t realized he was under surveillance by the feds. Why would he, when Rourke was the only party crasher? Rourke wore all black with nothing to identify him as law enforcement because he wasn’t. Rourke was just a man in love. But Evan assumed he was a hitman for Sanchez.

And Jenny? Rourke couldn’t imagine calling his graceful yet artsy Jennifer, Jenny. She would never be Jenny. Rourke would bet Jennifer hated the nickname, too. 

Jennifer slowly began to edge around Rourke. He was going to spank her ass when they got out of this. Did she think Rourke would ever put his life before her safety? She was distracting Evan, though, so Rourke let her take a couple of slow steps.

“Look at you,” Evan shouted at Jennifer. “Why did you make me shoot at you?” Evan appeared horrified by Jennifer’s unkempt appearance. “I wish Bigs were still alive, so I could kill him again for touching you.” Evan, like the nut he was, turned his gun on the corpse that rested nearby and fired another shot into the lifeless body.

Rourke used the opportunity to pull the glock from his second back holster. He fired once to knock the gun from Evan’s hand. Evan cursed and scurried backward, falling in the process. Rourke moved in on the injured lunatic. His heart screamed at him to kill the man who’d done so much damage to Jennifer. His brain, however, reminded him that their every move was being watched. He hesitated, and Evan lunged at Rourke. Rourke tripped over the body Evan had just shot, and they both went down. Rourke and Evan rolled on the ground, wrestling over the gun. It was a short struggle due to Rourke’s superior skill and size.

Rourke loomed over Evan. His gun hand steady. The man in him wanted to kill Evan for what he’d done to Jennifer, but the operator in him wouldn’t let him fire on an unarmed man. The report of a gun behind him had Rourke moving off Evan, but he kept his gun on the worm. Jennifer screamed. Rourke feared she’d picked up a gun to help him and accidentally shot herself. He was wrong.

“My next shot won’t miss. I don’t want to shoot her, but I will.” Tommy snarled, “Put the fucking gun on the ground and back away.”

The young man who’d covered Jennifer with his own body had fired a shot at her feet, making her scream and dance. She was trembling. Jennifer was either going into shock or just terrified. Neither was acceptable.

“Tommy?” Jennifer looked at the younger man with betrayal in her eyes. Tommy stared back coldly.

Rourke believed Tommy. He would kill Jennifer to save his boss. Rourke threw his gun off into the bushes. He didn’t want Evan grabbing it easily.

“Jennifer, baby, don’t move,” Rourke instructed her. Tommy was looking unstable. He rolled to his feet from the ground surprisingly uninjured. He’d been playing possum the entire time. There wasn’t a scratch on him. Just blood from being pressed against Jennifer.

“Good man, Tommy! Again, you save my hide. There will be a massive bonus for you this round, son. You’ll be getting Bigs’ cut.” Evan smiled triumphantly.

“I can’t let you kill him. I’m sorry, Jennifer. Evan MacGraff needs to pay for the lives he’s ruined and the crimes he’s committed.” Tommy was almost apologetic.

Tommy turned his gun on Evan. The smile ran from Evan’s smug face. Tommy brought his arm up to his face and spoke into his watch. “Move in. I’ve got MacGraff and all the evidence we’ll need to put his ass away for a very long time.” Now, Tommy was the one smiling.

“What the fuck, Tommy?” Off in the distance, the sound of sirens could be heard swiftly moving closer. Evan wasn’t looking so confident any longer.

Tommy spoke to Rourke without taking his eyes off the piece-of-shit his firearm was aimed at. “I’m sorry, man. I know you want him dead, so do I, but there’s more at stake here than one man’s revenge. I’ve been undercover for over a fucking year. We finally have enough to make a conviction stick.”

“You’re a fed?” Rourke asked, but he already knew the answer. It was a good damn thing Rourke hadn’t killed the agent.

“DEA,” Tommy confirmed.

“Motherfucker! I will kill you, you rat fucking bastard!” Evan was spitting mad again. He promised death for Tommy and his entire family, including the ones already dead, whom Evan planned to revive so he could kill them again. His rage had shifted from Sanchez to Tommy the DEA agent who’d been living under his nose, gaining Evan’s trust, and gathering information for over a year. Tommy didn’t look worried in the slightest.

Several all-terrain vehicles rolled in from over the ridge toward the desert, kicking up dust. A few more pulled into view from the direction Evan’s shipment of drugs had gone. The rest of Evan’s men couldn’t have gone far before the DEA had them pinned down.

Jennifer collapsed with relief. She just crumpled straight to the ground. She had to be in pain as well. Rourke used Tommy’s slight distraction to scoop up a gun lying discarded near the corpse and fired at Evan. Evan fell to the dirt with a scream of anguish. He clutched his shoulder with the injured hand Rourke hit to disarm the woman-beating piece-of-shit who now had a bullet hole to match the one he’d given Jennifer.

“Fuck!” Tommy cursed.

“I didn’t kill the prick. He doesn’t need the use of that arm to go to trial. Jennifer deserved at least that much. He should die for what he did to her.” Rourke wasn’t in the least sorry for taking the wind out of Evan’s crazy ass sails. Tommy was cursing about explaining that to his superiors.

Rourke engaged the safety, wiped his fingerprints from the gun and tossed it back to the ground. He went to Jennifer and knelt behind her, protectively wrapping his body around her bedraggled and inadequately clothed form, while agents swarmed the area checking on the injured men. She melted back into Rourke, letting him take her weight.

It appeared Tommy wasn’t the only one faking a more serious injury. None of Evan’s thugs was willing to stand by him once the bullets started flying. Not after he’d gunned down Bigs in cold blood for following orders and handling Jennifer no differently than Evan himself had in the past. One wasn’t injured at all. He’d just hit the dirt when Rourke began unloading clips into the clearing.

Evan was being secured with his injured hands and shoulder at his front.  He was glaring at Tommy. “This isn’t over. I’ll be out by morning.” Evan smiled. “There won’t be a place on earth you can hide from me.”

Tommy blinked innocently at his former employer, completely undisturbed by the threat. “Shucks. Does that mean I won’t be getting my bonus?” The smartass agent asked with a grin.

“Oh, you’re getting a bonus, alright, boy. I can’t wait to deliver it myself.”

Evan shifted his attention to Jennifer, who watched the scene wordlessly with wide, confused eyes and dilated pupils. She needed to get to a hospital now. Rourke feared she was going into shock. Rourke was so proud of his woman. She’d been through hell and back, and she hadn’t gone into hysterics. She was stoically dealing with the situation. 

“Jenny, baby, don’t be afraid. I’ll be out by morning, and I’ll come for you. I have the honeymoon all planned.” Oddly, that didn’t sound like a threat. The nut was still planning to marry Jennifer. “I’ll send some of the boys to watch over you in the meantime. This whole thing was just an unfortunate mishap. I’m sorry I shot you, but in my defense, you did fire first,” Evan shouted back to Jennifer as he was being dragged away walking backward.

While Evan watched, Tommy turned his gun on Rourke. Jennifer flinched.

“Hands behind your back,” Tommy ordered Rourke in full on DEA mode. “Your boss has already been taken in, man. Don’t fight me, and things will go easier for you.” Tommy faced them, and he gave Rourke a wink. Jennifer saw the gesture and relaxed. He whispered as he leaned over Rourke, “This fuck thinks you’re with Sanchez. He doesn’t know who you are, and neither do I. Let’s keep it that way.”

Rourke didn’t fight Tommy when the agent tugged his arms behind him and pretended to secure Rourke’s hands behind his back. Tommy had no cable ties, but Evan couldn’t see that. Tommy hauled Rourke up to his feet, or he tried to. Rourke did most of the work to make it look as if Tommy was dragging a bound man to his feet. Rourke was twice Tommy’s size. The younger man never would have been able to manhandle Rourke. That was the last thing Evan would see before he was stuffed into the back of a waiting truck and driven away for medical attention, then he’d be off to lock-up to await arraignment.

Rourke waited for the truck’s taillights to disappear before dropping the pretense of being arrested. He returned to Jennifer, lifting her from the ground and cradling her to his chest. Agents were crawling all over the scene, collecting evidence and taking pictures. Jennifer clutched his shirt.

“I need a medic, now,” Rourke barked.

“There’s a medivac in route.” Tommy paused. “What’s the eta on that medivac?” he asked one of the nearby agents who then tapped the device in his ear and repeated the question.

“I don’t like airplanes. I don’t know about a helicopter,” Jennifer had lifted her head to tell Rourke.

“Are you kidding me? Birds are awesome, babe. I jump out of them all time.” He smiled softly at her and joked to relieve the worry in her face, but it didn’t work. After the night she’d survived, Jennifer was finally starting to break down just a little. The good news was that she was talking again. Rourke hadn’t liked it one bit when she’d drawn back into herself. “It’s going to be just fine, baby. It’ll be a short trip. I’ll be there before you know it.”

“I want to stay with you,” Jennifer told Rourke, and his heart swelled. He understood the feeling. He never wanted to be parted from her again, either.

“I love you. This is all over now. Evan is gone. You’re going to the hospital. I’m going to follow you because they won’t have room on the bird. You need the flight nurses more than you need me right now. When you’re all patched up, I’m taking you home.” He kissed her gently. “We have big plans to make, you and I. Okay?”

“Alright,” she agreed unhappily. She kissed him and jostled her shoulder in the process. She hissed. Rourke wished he could shoot Evan in his other shoulder.

“The medivac is ten minutes out,” said the other agent. “The Vegas PD is about to lift off to make room for the other bird to land.”

That explained the sound of a chopper nearby. The LVMPD must have moved to a forward position in case they were needed. If Rourke wanted to get back to Vegas with Jennifer, he’d need to be on that bird.

“Tell them to wait for their ride along. I’ll be there in five.” Rourke had to go now.

“You came in with the PD?” Tommy asked. Then he held up his hands before Rourke could answer. “I don’t want to know. I was just about to suggest you get moving. With all of this movement, it would be easy to lose track of a certain unrestrained person of interest. I don’t know who you are, but you saved Jennifer’s life when you intervened tonight. Evan is unstable, to say the least. She pulled a gun on him. He would have killed her in the heat of the moment.”

“I know your people were observing from nearby. I passed them on my way in. Why didn’t you act sooner?” Rourke wanted to know why the DEA didn’t swarm the scene earlier.

“I had orders to remain undercover. Evan isn’t the top of the food chain. He also has many sources. The higher-ups would have left me in place to gather as much information as possible on the rest of Evan’s network. Playing dead once I covered Jennifer was my objective. I was ordered to act when it looked like you would kill Evan. I broke cover to save the slimy bastard from you.” Tommy didn’t look upset about that at all.

“I see,” Rourke’s interference affected the sting. He wasn’t sorry. They would have let Evan kill Jennifer if it meant their investigation would continue.

“I’m personally glad it panned out the way it did. Jennifer survived. Evan survived. And I'm due for a nice long vacation. I’ve been undercover with that prick or over a year. I’m ready to go home.” Tommy admitted.

“You’re leaving?” Jennifer was edging toward panic. She peered around at all of the black-clad DEA agents.

“Do you want me to walk back to Vegas?” he asked. She rolled her eyes. There was his girl. She would get through this trauma, just as she had before. Jennifer was a strongwoman. She was just freaked out and she had every right to be. It had taken Rourke a few rides to get used to choppers too.

“I flew in with the cops. That’s my ride home,” he explained. She raised a questioning eyebrow. “I’ll explain the how of it to you later at the hospital.”

Tommy was a short distance away speaking to another agent when he was handed a phone, and he had a short conversation. When he hung up, he walked back to Jennifer and Rourke. “We need to move. Let’s walk. The PD is waiting for you, and it will be better to have Jennifer on site when the medivac lands.”

Rourke set Jennifer down to fish his gun out of the bushes and grabbed his backpack from the steep incline he’d traversed to get to her. He scooped her back up when she tried to walk and swayed. He would happily ferry her to the medics. Rourke followed Tommy. They spoke as the two men hustled to the road the police had shut down when the sting went down. They’d made use of the space for a landing pad.

“They don’t want to send you to the same hospital with Evan and his men. You have information that could be important to us. I doubt it since I know more than you do, but the higher ups want to talk you anyway. We don’t want to give Evan the chance to sneak up on you.” Rourke agreed wholeheartedly with this plan.

“I’ll help any way I can,” Jennifer told Tommy.

“I knew you would. Evan is going to the nearest hospital. We’re going to fly you to Sunrise Hospital back in Vegas,” Tommy explained to Jennifer, who was starting to freak out about the prospect of a helicopter ride alone. “They have a level two trauma center at Sunrise. She’ll be well taken care of,” Tommy reassured Rourke.

They reached the road, and Rourke was forced to release Jennifer to Tommy’s care. He hated it, but he would be glad to have a slight head start on her. He’d need to get from the police hanger to Sunrise before she got there if possible. Jennifer looked small and fragile in Tommy’s arms.

“Let’s go! The other bird wants to land,” the pilot called to Rourke.

He swiftly kissed Jennifer. “You tell them your husband is on the way, you hear me? If they give me any shit about seeing you, I’m going super SEAL on their asses.”

Jennifer gave him a little smile. “My husband is on the way. Got it. No SEAL Team ass whippings at the hospital.

“Good girl. I love you. I’ll see you in a few.”

Rourke could hear the other bird hovering nearby. Jennifer would be right behind him. He tossed his bag in and climbed in after it. As they lifted away, Rourke looked down to watch Jennifer for as long as possible. He could now see in Jennifer’s eyes the state of mind she’d described experiencing following her escape from Evan. She was paranoid and for good reason. Now she’d been traumatized again. More death and horror had crossed her path. She was covered with someone else’s blood and worse. She’d been shot. And she didn’t trust anyone but Rourke. Which was really only right since he planned to make her his wife as soon as she was well enough to stand before Pastor Davis and say her vows. He would get her help, too. He’d talk to them at the hospital about having a psychologist visit her. Rourke would go into therapy, himself, if that were what it took to convince her to go when got home.

Rourke’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and his stomach dropped. It wasn’t just any ringtone. It was series of beeps, pauses, and vibrations that let him know it was a call he could not ignore. He pulled out the phone and cursed long and loud. The officers around him edged away as far as they could without exiting the bird. He couldn’t blame them. Rourke was furious. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time. He had a message from his senior chief. Rourke’s team was being recalled, effective immediately, if not sooner. He would not be going to the hospital. He wouldn’t even be going home to get any of his things. When an order of this magnitude arrived, you dropped everything and went directly to the airport, where flight arrangements would already be waiting for you.

Jennifer was frightened and injured, and she was relying on Rourke to be there for her. She only trusted him. She only wanted him. And Rourke wanted to be there for her, but it wasn’t going to happen. He prayed Jennifer would understand and forgive him.

As soon as they touched down at the police hanger, which was located at the airport, Rourke leaped from the bird and jogged for the terminal. He dialed Dolce as he ran but got voicemail so he left a message.

“Dolce, it’s Rourke. I need you to go to the hospital and meet Jennifer. She’s been shot, but she’ll survive. Luc can give you a little more detail. I’ve been recalled immediately. I can’t go be with Jennifer. I have no way to reach her, either. She won’t have any clue where I’ve gone. Please tell her I’ll be home as soon as possible. Tell her I love her. Make sure she knows I love her, and I’ll be home soon.” Rourke disconnected the call. He had some life changing choices this trip home and he couldn’t make them happen.