Page 97

“John Michael Decker. My only kin.”
Where had she heard that name before?Oh. Her eyes widened. Hector’s tattoo. His fallen brother he had honored on his chest.
“That can’t be right. I know Hector, he wouldn’t—”
“You don’t know shit,” he spat. “Did you know they left him in the desert? They left him there to rot. All of them! His brothers-in-arms left him there to turn into a carcass to be picked clean. But I showed them, every one of them, what it feels like to die from the inside. To die at the top of their happiness, when they believed everything was right in their world. Just like I did.”
“I… I’m really sorry about your brother.” Part of her felt sad for this man. Something inside of him was broken, and he was trying to mend back the pieces. Maybe, just maybe, she could break through to him. “But I’m sure he wouldn’t want this for you.”
“Shut up! Shut your damn mouth. You don’t know anything about him. I don’t want to hurt you, but if you keep talking, I will.”
Staring down the barrel of a gun, she believed him. There was this deranged look in his eyes.
He waved his gun at her to move toward him. An arm constricted around her upper body, keeping her close to him.
“Diaz!” He scanned the parking lot. “I have your woman. It’s time to say goodbye. Show yourself!”
CHAPTER 34
HECTOR
It was a sight he would never forget; his worst nightmare. Before him stood the love of his life with a gun pressed against her temple. Hector’s mind exploded at the thought of living in a world without Mary. Every muscle in his body tensed and his hands tightened around his gun.
Decker stood behind Mary, sizing him up. Hector knew what the man was doing. He was taking in his minor injuries; the blood trickling from his arm. He’d been lucky, though, just passing a big van when the explosion happened. The vehicle took the brunt of the bang.
“I’m here. Let her go, Decker. This is between you and me.”
“Drop your weapon. Now. Or I will splatter her brains all over the wall.”
Hector knew it was no use trying to talk Decker down. He’d already killed three people, put one in the hospital, and blew up a parking lot just to get to him.
All Hector wanted was to get Mary out of the equation. To get her as far away from here as possible.
“No!” Mary yelled, shaking her head. “Please don’t.”
Decker tightened his chokehold on Mary until his woman was fighting to breathe.
“Shut up,” he hissed.
Hector dropped his weapon. “Please. Don’t hurt her. Let her go. She’s pregnant.” This seemed to have Decker taken aback and Hector immediately honed in on that. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just, let her go. You don’t want the death of an unborn child on your conscience. You used to protect and serve, soldier.”
Decker let go of the hold he had on Mary and pushed her away from him.
Unable to stand on her feet, Mary fell to her knees. She grabbed her ankle and winced.
Seeing her in pain killed him. He wished he could just scoop her up and get her out of this place. Wished he could protect her from what was about to happen.
“On your knees, Marine!” Decker snarled. His voice echoed in the partially-collapsed garage.
Hector did as Decker asked, his eyes on Mary. She was staring at him through tears. Her nose was blotchy from crying and her eyes red-rimmed from the smoke and tears.
“There it is,” Decker said. “The look I’ve been waiting for. It was there on every one of you fuckers’ faces. You should have seen Hawk when he knew it was the last time he would see his wife.”
“It wasn’t Hawk who died though, was it?” Hector said.
A pulse jumped in Decker’s jaw. “That was an accident. Either way, the fucker deserves the agony. I’ll finish him once I’m done with you. This is the last time you’ll see your wife, Diaz. Make peace with it.”
“Hector…”