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“The sounds he made,” I whispered as I tried to swallow tears.
“Rather him than you. I wouldn’t survive losing you. Dana, you gotta promise that you’ll always fight for us,” Ezra begged.
“I will, but this doesn’t sit easy,” I murmured and wiped my face.
Ezra carefully pulled me into his shoulder, and I crawled into his lap. It was difficult, as he’d tied my wounded arm across my body, but I managed. Without thought, I burrowed into his hard chest, seeking warmth and comfort, and Ezra provided it in spades. Tears soaked his throat and tee. But Ezra didn’t say anything as I cried for the actions I’d made tonight. I wasn’t a natural killer, nor did killing come easy, and I knew when I closed my eyes, I would see those two scenes repeatedly.
I had the same with the guy I’d killed to save Irish. Every little step had haunted me, and I’d doubted my actions for ages until Dylan had walked me through a similar setup. Asking me what I could have done differently made me realise there hadn’t been anything apart from staying in the car. And that day, I hadn’t played safe. No, I’d rescued someone who was now a close friend. Getting close to someone as prickly as Irish was quite a challenge.
My stomach growled loudly, and I jumped, and Ezra chuckled.
“Wow, I guess I’m hungry. It must be from the adrenaline.”
“Yeah, people usually eat after a crash from the rush. This place is stocked with food. I’ll get you something,” Ezra said and lifted me gently off his lap. He placed me on the sofa and tucked a blanket around me.
I thought Ezra was relieved to have something to do as I leaned my head back on a cushion he’d plumped up behind me.
He was just serving up coffee and soup when his phone pinged, and moments later, there were three sharp raps on the door.
Ezra checked his cell and pulled a weapon as he edged over and peeked through a gap in the blinds. Shoulders relaxing, Ezra opened the door, letting the men inside. Two of them were instantly recognisable, Lieutenant-Colonel Jacob Reeves and Major Gilbert Cunningham. Casey’s dad and uncle.
“Well?” Ezra demanded as soon as he shut the door.
“One was still alive. This had nothing to do with you. It was someone after Harris.” Jacob tilted his head towards the third guy. “We have cleaned the scene and have a team heading out to deal with the problem. The plan is to meet them over there,” Jacob stated and stepped around Ezra.
“I’m so sorry our offer of help led you into this mess. But be reassured, by the time we’ve dealt with them, they’ll regret wounding you,” Jacob promised.
“Not the Fangs?” Ezra asked as he sat and placed a hand on my leg.
“No. Some assholes we crossed paths with a few months ago, and they’d thought they’d take Harris down as he led the raid. Stupid fucks ain’t got the common sense to realise who they’re up against. The one who was alive admitted they should have left as soon as they realised it wasn’t Harris, but they didn’t want to leave witnesses,” Cunningham said.
“Yo, I’m Master Sergeant Harris Botham. Those assholes were part of a trafficking ring we took down in Louisiana. They came here for me. I can only apologise,” the third guy interrupted, seeming a little shamefaced.
“This isn’t your fault. You tried to do a good thing, and we had a wonderful time until tonight,” I replied, wanting to reassure the sheepish-looking man. Guilt laced Harris’s expression, and I knew he was truly sorry.
“Make them pay,” Ezra demanded, and Harris nodded.
“Oh, they will, trust me,” Harris swore, and a grim expression appeared on his face.
I barely hid a shudder. Facing me was a true warrior of Delta Force. Harris seemed to realise I was a little afraid, and with effort, he battled the fury back and smiled.
“Delta Force owes you one. If you need anything, just let us know,” Harris said.
“Nobody owes shit. No one will blame you for everything backfiring,” I tried to reassure the grim-faced man.
“Dana, you got hurt on my land when you should have been protected. That makes this my responsibility. You ever need anything, call,” Harris ordered, placing a card in my hand.
“Thank you,” I murmured, looking down.
“Will you be okay, or do you want us to wait until Rage gets here?” Jacob asked.
“No, we’re fine,” Ezra answered after a quick glance at me.
“Before we go, let Harris take a look at Dana’s wound. He’s a qualified medic,” Cunningham said.
Ezra nodded, and I agreed because I knew he was worried about me being hurt.
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