Page 30

Chapter thirty

Bruised

Axel

I had never been so fucking scared in my life.

Not even when we had insurgents bearing down upon our unit in Afghanistan. In my career in the Marines and the CIA, I had experienced harrowing situations where I hadn’t known at the time whether I would live to see the next sunrise.

None of it had scared me as much as Kylie’s prone form when I first entered her bedroom.

Cradling her small body against my chest, I carried her into the living room. When we reached the sofa, I sat, still holding her. Kylie nestled against my chest with tremors racking her frame. I called the doc with the CIA task force we had on standby for these types of situations.

Dr. Mike Barker answered on the first ring. “Axel, what can I help you with?”

“We need your help. We have a woman who’s been strangled and injured. She’s going to need to be examined and likely need medication for the pain. We need her looked at within the hour.”

“Got it. I’m on the move and should be there in thirty. Put an ice pack on her neck to reduce the swelling until I get there.”

“Will do. I’ll text you the address.” I couldn’t believe I didn’t think of icing her neck.

He snorted. “I’ve got it, but I understand. See you soon.”

I disconnected the call and glanced at the shivering bundle on my lap. She was wide-eyed and trembling from the shock. I ground my teeth, biting back my fury. She didn’t need to see that side of me. What I wouldn’t give to pummel that fucker into the ground for thinking he could put his hands on her.

As gently as a man like me could, I caressed her back, treating her like hand-spun glass liable to break if I held her too tightly. “Angel, I need to put you on the couch for a minute. The doctor is on his way, but we need to get ice on your neck to help with the swelling.”

She opened her mouth to speak. I put a finger over her lips. “Save your voice, Angel. Talking is likely going to hurt for a few days. Just nod if you understand.”

Kylie bit her bottom lip, trying to hide the way it trembled, and jerked her chin in the affirmative. Woman was breaking my fucking heart.

With the utmost care, I shifted her onto the cushions. Pressed a chaste kiss against her forehead. Then left her on the couch and headed into the kitchen. At least it was an open format between the living room and kitchen. That way, I could at least monitor her.

Kylie had some of those gel ice packs in the freezer. I grabbed one, then wrapped a kitchen towel around it, and then snagged a bottle of water from the fridge, before returning to her side. She might need a little something to drink. Her poor throat must be killing her.

“Here, Angel, let’s put this on your throat.” I applied the ice pack against her throat. Then brought one of her hands up to hold it steady against her neck.

Her bottom lip quivered. But she still wasn’t crying. She needed to get it out of her system, or it would eat her alive. But she was shell-shocked by the night’s turn of events.

Lifting her back onto my lap, I held her. She shook in my arms like a leaf tossed about by the wind. And I simply cradled her, comforting her as best a hard man like me could.

“Don’t worry, Angel, you’re safe.”

She turned her face against my chest. “It’s okay to be scared.”

And finally. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. It will never happen again. From now on, one of us will always be with you.”

“How?” she croaked out, her voice raspy.

Chase strode into the room with a scowl that he smoothed out when he crouched down beside us. “Hey beautiful. How are you holding up?”

Kylie shifted and sent him a tight smile. Chase assessed her neck. Stony fury lit his gaze, but he never dropped his smile for Kylie.

“The doc indicated she needs to rest her vocal cords.” I glanced down at her. “And that means no talking, Angel. It’s going to hurt too much. We’ll find you one of those whiteboards with the dry erase markers.”

Chase nodded. “The doc will take care of you. He’s helped us and I know will help you. And before you know it, you’ll be riding my—”

The doorbell rang. Kylie jolted in my arms at the loud sound, dropping the smile that had formed.

“I’ll grab it. You stay with her.” Chase pressed a kiss on the top of her head as he rose.

I jerked a nod in understanding.

“And check your phone, dude.” Chase gave me a pointed stare.

Which could only mean one thing. That he knew something and was passing it on, but in a way she wouldn’t hear it. I knew by his look, it was something I would not like. I’d ignored my phone because my concern had been Kylie.

Moving, I yanked it out of my back pocket.

Per Gideon, we’re on high alert. They hacked Mateo’s security system. He wants us ready to leave with the Phoenix before morning.

Fuck. This was bad. For Gideon to be that hell bent on leaving, there was more I hadn’t been told. Stuff that was too sensitive to discuss over the phone.

Roger that. Once the doc leaves, I’ll take her back to her bedroom and get her to change clothes and pack. But I’ll wait to tell her until after we get her some pain meds.

Chase returned to the living room with Dr. Mike Barker.

“Hey, doc, thanks for coming.” Mike had been in the army. But we didn’t hold that against him. He was a decade older. His dark hair was threaded with silver. He looked like a gentleman in his slacks and dress shirt. But I had seen this guy in an active war zone, barking orders at privates in his makeshift hospital tent, and he was a beast.

“It’s no problem. I enjoy house calls. The office can be so formal. And who do we have here?” He set his black medical bag on the coffee table. Then folded his six-foot frame onto the couch beside us.

“This is Kylie. Angel, this is Dr. Barker. I’m going to set you down so he can examine you.”

She glanced at me trustingly, but there was trepidation in her gaze as well. Needing to reassure her, I stroked her back. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be with you the entire time. Okay?”

Kylie nodded and offered me a tight smile. I would do anything to take her fear and pain away. And I hated how fragile she appeared, like a stiff wind would knock her down.

Then I shifted her off my lap. But kept a comforting hand on her back.

Mike gave her a wry grin. He might be a beast on the battlefield, but he had a compassionate bedside manner. “Kylie, I’m Doctor Barker. I’m going to examine your neck and make sure everything checks out all right. It’s best if you try not to speak too much. We don’t know how much damage to your larynx or veins was done yet. If something hurts, I want you to hold your hand up. And then I want you to tell me on a scale of one to five what your pain level is, with one being mild and five being extreme, you think you might pass out from the severity of the pain. Understand?”

Kylie nodded in agreement. And Mike flashed a grin. Then opened his medical bag and began pulling out his equipment. I recognized the blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. But there were a few other things he withdrew that I didn’t know what they were for.

Over the doc’s shoulder, Chase signaled he was patrolling the house. I chin nodded in response. I wasn’t even sure exactly what happened tonight and how that fucker got past our defenses. Once Chase exited the living room, I turned my attention back to Kylie and the doc. She sat through the exam. Wincing when Mike checked her throat and signaled the number four.

“Easy, hon. I know it hurts. But good news, I don’t think there’s anything serious we need to worry about. I’m going to give you some medication for the pain. And I want you taking ibuprofen as well. That should help with the swelling. Now, you’re likely going to experience pain in the neck area, a sore throat, and some voice changes for the next week.” Mike glanced my way. “If any other symptoms crop up, you need to get her to an emergency room pronto. I want you to call me if she’s not getting any better in a couple of days.”

“Understood.” I prayed her injuries wouldn’t be worse than this. That we reached her in time, and she hadn’t sustained life-threatening injuries.

Mike withdrew two bottles of pills from his bag. “Start her on a half tablet of this. In four hours, if she’s showing no other symptoms, she can have a full one. But start her on the ibuprofen immediately too. These are eight hundred milligrams. Have her take one with food every six hours. I’ll call to check on her in the morning.”

“Great. Thanks, doc.” I started to rise to walk him to the door.

Mike shook his head as he snapped his medical bag shut. “I can see myself out and will lock the door behind me. You take care of her. Call me if anything further comes up.”

“Will do.” I nodded. Mike would report back to Dan Blumfeld, the CIA director in charge of our op. I’d bet there’d be an ass chewing. But he could yell and scream all he wanted.

A text chimed on my phone. It was a group chat between the four of us.

Mateo:

The hack is fixed. But the fucker is good. I’ve rarely come across another hacker who could outwit me.

That’s how that fucker got through?

Mateo:

Yep. By hacking my system.

Damn. Mike checked out Kylie. He found nothing serious. He gave her some pain medicine and prescription strength ibuprofen.

Chase:

Thank fuck. You stay with her and don’t let her out of your sight. Gideon’s taking care of her assailant.

My hands flexed. How I wished I could dish out a few hard jabs to that asshole’s jaw myself.

Understood. We’re in the living room. I’m going to keep her out here. And from here on out, we don’t leave her alone for one second.

Chase and Mateo responded with an agreed. I was certain Gideon would agree too once he finished interrogating the assailant.

“Angel, I’m going to get something for you to eat so you can take the medicine. Hold the ice pack on your neck for me. And I’ll be right back.” Something that would soothe her throat, too.

She offered me a small smile. But her eyes were still glassy. Fuck. She needed to cry it out but was holding herself back. Likely from the years she spent being abused by her husband. If that sadistic fucker wasn’t dead already, I’d kill him myself.

And I vowed, if Gideon didn’t eliminate the assailant who choked her tonight, I would.

***

Gideon

As furious as I was at this motherfucker for touching Kylie. I knew he had done it under Santos’s order. We needed to know what his next move would be. It felt like we were exposed. That we were the mouse, and he was the cat just playing with us, biding his time, batting us around until he went in for the kill.

I wouldn’t allow that to happen to Kylie.

Yanking my knife from his crotch. He screamed in horror at having his dick sliced in half. Not that I blamed him at all. I was sure it was horribly painful.

Grabbing a small washcloth, I yanked his head back while he wailed, and shoved the cloth in his mouth. Then I walked over to the nearby sink and grabbed the bucket underneath. I filled it all the way to the top.

There’s more the one way to waterboard someone.

Once the bucket was full. I sauntered over. Tilting his head back, I pinched his nose, restricting his ability to breathe. Then, in a slow and steady stream, poured water over his mouth. He sputtered and struggled against me. But with the cloth, he couldn’t close his mouth. And the more I poured, the more waterlogged the washcloth became.

I emptied the entire bucket, listening to him gag and choke. Before I finally released him and pulled the cloth from his mouth.

“Tell me what I want to know, and this all stops.”

He spit in my face.

I wiped his spittle off with a dark chuckle. “Defiant to the last. I wish I could say that I respect your stance and loyalty. But you’re just one of Santos’s many goons. And in the end, he won’t care whether you live or die.”

“Fuck you.” He snarled.

I got in his face. “Do you know who the fuck you’re dealing with? I was a goddamn Marine. And I’m not just any run-of-the-mill bodyguard either. I’m CIA, motherfucker.”

His gaze widened at my statement. And I watched fear enter his eyes. Good. I wanted him afraid.

I brought my fist against his jaw, snapping his head back. I loosened the reins on my control, allowing my rage to bleed through into my fists. And I rained down holy hellfire upon him.

My fists connected with skin and bones. I struck his face. His windpipe. His chest. I beat him soundly until his head hung down. Blood poured from his wounds. And I considered my options for the next stage of the interrogation.

Was it wrong that I enjoyed every second of beating him? Probably.

Did I care? Nope.

I wiped the blood off my cheek. Gripping the son of a bitch’s hair, I yanked his battered face back. “Next up, I start removing fingers one by one. Now, tell me Santos’s plans.”

He lifted a bleary, bloodshot eye. The other eye completely crusted with blood and swollen shut. Then he had the fucking audacity to grin at me. His smile was smeared with blood. “I’m just the first wave. You all will be dead by morning.”

Dread punched through my chest. Releasing him, I stepped back. Yanked my phone out just as it rang, and Mateo’s name popped up on screen.

“What?”

“Boss, we’ve got a fucking problem. They’re coming. Santos’s men. Three trucks full just smashed through the gate.”

“Tell everyone we need to evacuate immediately.”

“On it.” Mateo disconnected the line.

The fucker laughed and coughed up a spittle full of blood. “Told ya. You’re going to hell, asshole.”

Drawing my gun out, I pointed and put a bullet through his brain. “You first.”

Then threw open the door. We needed to get everything and get out now. I raced up the stairs.

The ground buckled beneath my feet. The world rumbled and boomed around me. And I knew what that sound meant.

Grenades.

Jesus Christ! They were using grenades. We had to get Kylie out of here. With the ground shaking, I raced upstairs, unsure of what I might find.

My only concern was getting Kylie and my best friends out alive.