The last decision Shawn made in his miserable life was to aim his pistol at Kenna as she fled.
The officers hadn’t hesitated, shooting several rounds at Shawn.
Aleck had enough time to yell “down!” before all hell broke loose.
It turned out Shawn hadn’t been lying about the amount of ANFO he’d used. Luckily, he’d fallen backward into the angry sea, another wave crashing over his body just as the fuse had been triggered. Anything less and the explosion most likely would’ve taken out Duke’s, as well as a huge chunk of the Outrigger resort. But the water helped to essentially muffle the blast.
Still, there was a huge crater in the sand, and parts of Shawn’s body were strewn over the beach. But the hostage situation had ended with no other deaths.
Aleck had run toward Kenna’s motionless body with his heart in his throat. She’d rolled over and smiled at him, the feel of her hand on the back of his neck bringing tears to his eyes. But it wasn’t until she’d kissed him hard and deep that he’d truly comprehended she was all right.
And now that she’d been stitched up, it was his turn. Aleck hated hospitals. He would’ve preferred to let Pid or Jag close up the gash from Shawn’s bullet grazing his leg, but Kenna wasn’t having it. And because he would do anything for the woman he loved, he caved.
“Don’t be a baby,” she said, smiling at him.
“The biggest, baddest men usually are,” the nurse said with a chuckle.
Aleck barely heard them. He couldn’t stop staring at Kenna. Her hair was in complete disarray and still filled with sand. She’d been given a set of scrubs to change into that swamped her frame. She looked tired and dark circles shadowed her eyes…but she was alive and in one piece. Aleck couldn’t ask for anything more.
The nurse finished stitching his leg and said she’d be back in a moment, leaving Aleck and Kenna alone in the small examination room.
Before he could move, before he could pull Kenna into his arms and simply hold her, the curtain was thrown back and his team filed in.
Mustang, Midas, Slate, Jag, Pid—even Baker fucking Rawlins—were all suddenly there.
Aleck swallowed hard at the emotion that balled in his throat at seeing his team.
He had no idea how they’d talked their way into being allowed back there, but at the moment, he didn’t care. He sat up on the table and swung his legs over the edge, ignoring the twinge of pain. Kenna snuggled into his side and the second he touched her, Aleck felt as if he could finally relax.
“Damn good to see you alive and not in a million pieces,” Pid said.
“That was fucked up,” Jag muttered, running a hand through his hair.
“The storm tapered off about five minutes after that bomb exploded,” Mustang said. “As if Mother Nature said ‘fuck you’ to that asshole and was satisfied he was in hell where he belonged after he blew up.”
“Heard they’ll probably be picking body parts off the beach for days,” Midas said.
“Gross,” Kenna muttered, before taking a breath and standing up straight. “But he deserved it.”
“Too bad his death was painless,” Baker said.
Kenna glanced at him, as if just realizing there was someone she didn’t know in the room.
“Baker,” he said, holding out his hand. Kenna shook it, but he didn’t let go. “I’ve seen the security tapes. That was a ballsy move,” he said.
If she was surprised that Baker had somehow already seen security video from either Duke’s or the Outrigger, she didn’t let on. “It was a no-win situation,” she replied. “It was either do something myself, or let Marshall do something that might get him hurt or killed, or wait for whoever was coming to pick us up, then suffer even more at Shawn’s hands.”
“There was literally nothing I could do that wouldn’t end in that fucker blowing Kenna up,” Marshall said, his voice haunted. “I’ve never felt more helpless in my life.”
“Sometimes the best thing you can do is wait for the right opening,” Mustang said.
“Which I did,” Kenna interjected.
“Mind giving her hand back?” Aleck couldn’t help asking as he stared at Baker, who still had Kenna’s hand in his.
Baker’s lips twitched, but he nodded and took a step back.
“So, you’re the infamous Baker,” Kenna said.
“That’s me,” he said.
Kenna opened her mouth to say something else, but there was a commotion outside the curtain.
Everyone turned as Elodie and Lexie rushed into the room, followed by the nurse who’d just stitched up Aleck’s leg.
The nurse sighed. “You all have two minutes to say what you have to say, then you’re out of here. And I’m only allowing that much because I heard about what happened tonight, and I know how harrowing it must have been. Your friends aren’t being held overnight, so you can fawn over them soon. Somewhere else. Not in my emergency room.”
Aleck nodded at the woman gratefully, even as Elodie and Lexie went straight to Kenna and pulled her into a three-way embrace.
Baker moved closer. “I’m gonna figure out who was helping him,” he said in a low tone. “No one fucks with the SEALs.”
“First on the list is his son, Luke,” Jag muttered.
“Already on my radar,” Baker said.
Aleck glanced at the older man. “I want in,” he said simply.
Baker shrugged noncommittally.
Aleck frowned. He knew Baker had a code. He didn’t mind stepping outside the bounds of the law, and he liked working alone.
“She’s mine. My responsibility,” Aleck argued quietly, glad that Kenna was busy with her friends instead of paying attention to him and Baker. He was well aware that the rest of his team was listening. They all had a stake in this, especially Jag. He hadn’t said much, but the fact that Shawn was Carly’s ex was likely eating at him.
Baker didn’t seem fazed by Aleck’s declaration. He merely shrugged again. “She’s all of ours,” he said. Then he nodded at Aleck and the rest of the team before heading out of the room without another word.
“Darn it, I wanted to talk to Baker,” Elodie protested. “He always slips away before I can have an actual conversation with him.”
“Well, it’ll have to wait for another day,” Mustang told her.
“Shoot,” Elodie pouted.
Kenna sidled back over to Aleck. He stood slowly, testing his leg, pleased that the pain killers they’d given him were doing their thing. He barely felt a twinge. But he was well aware that for the next few days, both him and Kenna would be hurting. He planned to hole up with her in his condo, neither coming out for a week. They’d take care of each other…and bask in the fact that they were still alive.
“At least we don’t have to worry about that asshole coming after Carly again,” Elodie said as she leaned against Mustang.
Aleck met Jag’s gaze and knew he was thinking the same thing. Yes, Shawn was out of the picture, but his accomplice wasn’t.
Carly might not know it, but she was about to have a Navy SEAL glued to her hip. Jag would make sure she was safe until whoever had been out in that ocean was discovered—and any threat to Carly ended once and for all.