Page 39 of Waiting for Him (Trident Security #3)

Knowing he needed to calm his mother, Boomer switched places with Marco , who took over holding the pressure bandage to staunch the blood flow from Rick’s abdomen.

“ He’s alive, Mom . Pop’s a fighter. We got this. We’re gonna get him to the hospital, and he’s going to be all right.”

Sitting on the floor, Boomer wrapped his arms around his crying mother, rocking and assuring her everything would be okay.

He released her only for a moment when Burke and Dusty began collecting everyone’s weapons to hide them in a concealed compartment in the van before the cops showed up.

Since none had been fired, the guns weren’t needed as evidence and would only cause trouble with the locals.

The camouflage clothing could be explained by saying they’d been on their way to play paintball or something stupid like that.

Ian squatted down next to Boomer and his mom. Taking her hand, he squeezed until he got her attention. “ Eileen , we’re doing everything we can for Rick , but I need you to tell us what happened before the cops arrive.”

When she didn’t answer immediately, Boomer knew her adrenaline was wearing off, and shock was setting in. He shook her and then tugged her chin so she was facing him. “ Mom , help us out. You gotta tell us what happened. Where’d they go? When did they leave? How many of them were here?”

“ I . . . uh . . . oh, God , Ben !” Her body began to tremble.

“ It’s going to be all right, Mom . But we need to know. When did they leave? How long ago?”

Eileen shook her head, trying to clear her mind.

She probably had no idea how long she’d laid there, struggling to free herself or reach Rick after hearing the gunshot.

“ It was . . . it was a few minutes after you called. They . . . there were three of them . . . they said that was all they needed us for, then they covered my eyes and mouth. They were being . . . being rough with me, and Rick yelled for them to leave me alone. That’s when I heard the gunshot.

They had beaten him a few times while .

. . while we were trying to get ahold of you. ”

Boomer swallowed the guilt swarming through him. He’d been getting laid while his parents were being brutalized.

“ I don’t know how long it’s been. They left right after that. Rick was able to talk for a while, but then he started fading. When he stopped talking, I thought he was . . .” She choked on the last words.

“ He’s not, Mom . Pop’s alive, and he’s going to stay that way.” When she began crying harder again, he pulled her back into his arms and glared up at Ian , who now stood next to Carter . “ They’re going after Kat . This was all a ruse to get most of us away from her.”

The two men nodded in grim agreement. Boomer reached for his headset only to find it’d fallen from his ear sometime in the last few minutes. “ Tell Reverend to get her to the panic room.”

Ian glanced at Carter and jutted his chin toward Eileen .

The spy knelt and took her from Boomer so he could stand to talk with his boss.

Ian grabbed his arm and pulled him into the kitchen.

It was far enough away for Eileen not to overhear them, yet Boomer could still see what was happening in the other room.

“ We can’t get ahold of him. He’s not answering the com or his cell.

There’s also no answer at the office or front gate. ”

“ Fuck !” His words were hissed low but urgent and desperate.

“ They’re already there! We’ve got . . .

shit!” He glanced at his watch. “ If they left right after the call . . . an hour drive . . . fuck, they would’ve gotten there almost thirty minutes ago.

How are we going to get back there? It’s probably too late! Shit !”

At the beginning of Boomer’s panicked rant, Ian had hit a speed dial number on his cell.

He held out a hand to shut him up as the connection was made.

The younger man frowned at him, then turned to watch his teammates work on his dad.

Fear like he’d never known punched him in his gut—fear for his father and the woman he loved more than life itself.

Sirens penetrated his brain. Help was coming, and it was getting closer by the second. Help for his father, but what about Kat . . . and Jake and the others?

* * *

Placing his hand on his teammate’s shoulder in sympathy and solidarity, Ian waited impatiently for his call to be answered.

“ Can this wait, Ian ? I’m walking into a meeting with POTUS .”

He didn’t give a crap that the deputy director of the FBI was entering the Oval Office . Not when Kat , Jake , and the others were in danger. “ No , it can’t.”

Larry Keon sighed heavily over the phone and then murmured something to someone else before returning. “ You’ve got two minutes.”

After filling the man in, Ian told him what they needed. “ How fast can you get me a chopper back to the compound? And as much as I hate to ask, can you send Stonewall’s SWAT ? If they haven't already, things may go to shit by the time we get there.”

The Tampa FBI Special Agent in Charge , Frank Stonewall , and the men of Trident weren’t the best of friends after a few past incidents. The man hated Carter even more, with the feeling being mutual. An order from the SAC’s superior would ensure no arguments or delays in the SWAT team’s response.

“ I’ll call you back in a minute. Text me the coordinates of their house. And tell Carter to stay out of trouble. I'll need him by the time my meeting ends, and I don’t want to bail him out of jail.”

“ Will do.” He hung up just as a slew of police officers and paramedics filled the house.

Burke and Dusty had met the cops outside and told them the suspects were long gone, so no weapons were drawn.

Brody , Marco , and Devon moved out of the way for the emergency personnel to take over but stayed close to assist if needed.

Carter stood by Eileen , holding her hand as a female EMT assessed her for injuries.

Next to Ian , Boomer’s brow was scrunched in confusion. “ Why didn’t they kill both of them? I mean, I’m thanking the good Lord they didn’t . . . but why? These guys don’t give me the impression they have any ethics, so why let them live?”

“ For this." Ian gestured to the organized chaos with his hand. " This is to hold us up even further. It’s giving them more time to get to Kat and force her to give them the money. If we walked in, and there was nothing more we could do here, we would’ve already been on our way back to the compound.” He was about to say more, but his phone rang. “ Keon , what’ve you got?”

“ State Police chopper will land in the schoolyard up the street from the Michaelsons ’ within ten minutes.

SWAT is on the way to the compound. Give me the officer in charge at the scene, and I’ll clear you out of there.

” Waving over a sergeant, Ian explained who the other man on the line was and then handed him the phone, ignoring the supervisor’s astonished expression.

* * *

Boomer was being torn in half. He wanted to stay with his folks, but Kat needed him.

As the paramedics placed his father on a gurney, he approached his mother as she sat on the couch with Carter .

Boomer knelt in front of her, taking her attention away from Rick .

The pale complexion of her face made the tape’s sting glaringly obvious, and he winced, knowing it had to be painful. “ Mom . . .”

Eileen cut him off. “ Katerina’s in danger, isn’t she?”

“ Yeah , she is. We have a chopper coming to take us back to the compound. I want to stay with you and Pop , but I? —”

“ No . You get her and bring her back with you. Your dad will be okay, and I’m fine.” She cupped his cheek, and he leaned into her touch. “ She’s your future, Benjamin . Go save her.”

Boomer swallowed the thick lump in his throat.

Standing , he helped her up and hugged her tight.

“ I’ll be back soon—with Kat . Call my cell .

. . shit . . . I broke mine and didn’t have time to replace it.

My calls are being forwarded to Ian’s . I’ll call Aunt Margaret to meet you at the hospital. Okay ?”

“ I’ll contact Margaret . You just do what you have to. I love you. Stay safe and bring her home.”

“ I will. Love you, too, Mom .”

With the help of the female EMT , Boomer escorted his mother to the waiting ambulance. The medics said his father was stabilized, but he was still unconscious. As they loaded his parents into the back of the rig, he heard the thump, thump, thump of the approaching helicopter in the distance.

Ian sidled up next to him. “ Our ride is almost here. Keon cleared us to take off and file the police reports later. Burke and Dusty are taking one of the SUVs and following your folks to the E.R . I want them guarded until this is over.”

The ambulance doors slammed shut, and the vehicle started down the driveway. “ Thanks , Boss -man. I appreciate it.”

Ian clapped his teammate on the back as they started jogging toward his SUV .

It was faster to drive the quarter mile to where the helicopter was landing on an empty baseball field.

The rest of the team was already in the communications van.

“ It’s what family does, Baby Boomer . Now , let’s go get your girl. ”