Page 18

Chapter eighteen

The Pursuit

Axel

S he snatched the damn map on her mad dash. Mateo had already downloaded a copy with the location of the island her husband owned. I wished I would have come clean sooner, but Gideon had been adamant about keeping her in the dark until the case was finished. And look where it had gotten us. She had every right to be upset. We lied to her and destroyed the trust we’d built.

Would she ever forgive me?

Didn’t she realize there was nothing I wouldn’t do for her? If she asked me, I would retire from the CIA in a heartbeat and be her bodyguard, her lover, and her husband, if she would have me. I would shield her from harm and protect her with my life. When I looked into her eyes, I saw my future. I wanted babies with her. I wanted to love her until my dying day.

Damn woman was fast. She raced out the front door like the hounds of hell nipped at her heels.

I chased her outside and skidded to a halt.

Motherfucker! How the fuck had he found us?

Standing twenty feet from the front door was Luka Santos. And he had Kylie. Mateo and Chase stopped behind me.

“What the fuck?” Chase exclaimed.

“NO!” I roared in disbelief. I couldn’t let him take her. I’d promised her he would never get his hands on her ever again.

Then we ducked at a hail of bullets. We were under fucking attack. I needed firepower and lots of it.

Shit. How could I be so stupid? My firearm was inside. I never should be without it on a mission. But I had my fucking phone. On the ground I yanked it out of my back pocket and called Gideon, putting him on speaker.

“Yeah?” Gideon answered.

“We’re under attack. Santos is fucking here. He’s got Kylie. We need guns and ammo immediately.”

“Fuck! I’m on the way.” Gideon disconnected the call.

A bullet hit my phone, carrying it out of my hand and shattering it against the house. Then I had no time to worry about my phone. One of the mafia goons rushed toward me, his gun pointed at my head. Without a firearm, I used the only thing for defense that I could—my body.

Jumping to my feet, I rushed him like a defensive lineman about to sack the quarterback. A tactic the smaller man wasn’t counting on. His shot went wild.

I clocked his jaw with an upper cut. The jab snapped his head back, and he started to go down. But one of the men behind him aimed in my direction. I grabbed him before he went down and used him as a human shield. The bullet hit him. I shoved his body toward the guy. They tumbled to the ground.

Chase and the others joined me, engaging the enemy, picking them off one at a time. “Fucking finally! I need a gun!”

Gideon raced up behind me, firing and held out a gun for me. I grabbed it, chambered the round and then it was on. We fought off his goons. Gideon tossed me another clip when I ran out. We always ensured we had loaded back up clips for just this type of scenario. We were better shots than his hired goons thanks to the Marines. And we picked them off one by one, because one didn’t fuck around with goddamn Marines unless you were ready to meet your maker.

Like these assholes were about to discover.

We fought, even as Santos dragged Kylie down the dock toward his super yacht. Santos hit her and I roared. That motherfucker is dead. I will rip him apart limb by fucking limb.

We fought our way toward the dock.

I couldn’t see our girl anymore. Santos dragged her onto his ship, and it was leaving. He was leaving his men behind. Some of them were shocked, glancing at the ship sailing away without them.

We had to reach his yacht and rescue Kylie.

“Duck and cover,” Gideon shouted.

My trust in him was solid after more than ten years at his side. I hit the deck. And then I understood why he shouted a command.

Behind me the house exploded. Heat blasted my body in a thunderous roar. I covered my head to protect it from falling debris. Wood, plaster, glass, and brick rained down in fiery embers. A few items hit me. But I didn’t feel them much. I was too concerned about rescuing my Angel. The woman who had breathed life into this old Marine. The one I knew I could not live without.

I scrambled to my feet, checking for Santos’s ship. It was headed toward the ocean with increasing speed.

Gideon, Chase, and Mateo stood on the shore.

“We have to get to the boat and go after them. Come on.” I waved my arm and raced toward the dock. Taking aim at the few goons Santos left behind. Fucker didn’t even care about his hired help. They were all disposable in his eyes.

Fifteen feet from the dock, the boat blew sky heat. An enormous flash of heat blasted me, and I was airborne.