I fight my assailants. Dull and slow, they can’t keep up as I spin and kick, landing powerful strikes of fist, foot, and knee into vulnerable places.
I spare a look for Maria and pay for it with an uppercut to my jaw. Maria’s mother cradles Maria in her arms as blood … far too much blood … pools on the floor beneath her.
A smoke canister flies into the room. It lands with a plink, then a pop and a hiss as it releases the contents inside. Thick smoke billows into the room.
I blink against the noxious cloud and turn my attention to the men in front of me. I grab one of them by the ears, knee the guy and take him out. Then I turn to the last man standing.
He looks over my shoulder, and there’s no need to spin around to know what he sees. He sees the men of Alpha team and just about shits his pants. Hands up, he breaks away from our fight, surrendering like a coward.
The thick smoke fills the room, making it impossible to see, but I don’t need my eyes to know where Maria lies. I race over and pause only long enough to bodily yank her mother out of the way and deposit her unceremoniously on the floor a foot away.
I catch Maria and lower her softly down to the ground. She’s injured and I need help.
“Medic!” I call out, falling back on my team days. “Axel, get your ass over here.” I shift to the side where far too much blood seeps out of a deep gash across her midsection. I apply pressure to the wound and wait for my teammate.
Axel is there within two breaths. He wastes none of those breaths on words. Pulling his medical pack out, he unzips the bag and rolls out his gear.
“Report.” He moves quickly but is methodical and well-trained.
“Knife to her midsection. Shit-ton of blood.” I keep my hands on Maria’s wound, holding pressure, until Axel tells me otherwise.
Behind me, my team secures the room. The men I fought are bound, arm—and legs—behind their backs.
Max and Knox take hold of Muriel and pull her away kicking and screaming. Wolfe and Griff take care of Marco Rossi. They drag him away, giving Axel room to work.
“Is she …” I don’t want to finish that thought.
“She’ll make it.” Axel grabs my wrists and forces me to let go.
When I do, blood rises to the surface, and I lunge forward to stem the bleeding, but Axel pushes me away.
“I’ve got this.” He cuts away Maria’s shirt then wraps a bulky bandage around her midsection.
I brush the hair from Maria’s face and place my lips against the curve of her ear.
“I’m here. You’ve got this.” I reach for her hand and curse. “Axel, her hand is cold.”
“She’s in shock.” He ties off the pressure bandage, then calls in to Command. “Overwatch. Need medical.”
“Copy that.” CJ’s voice crackles through the radio.
A slight pause follows then Skye Summers comes on the line. “What do you have?”
I lose track of their exchange, but Axel reports what he found, and they talk through what to do next. I don’t like the way Axel grits his teeth.
Behind me, my team does what they do best.
My body buzzes, amped up on adrenaline. The need to do something rages within me. Axel’s busy with Doc Summers, taking care of my girl. There’s nothing more I can do for Maria …
Except be with her.
Hold her hand.
Tell her you love her.
But there is one thing I need to do first.
“I’m going to check in with Max.” I tap Axel on the shoulder and push off the ground. Then I locate the knife.
Axel clasps my arm. “She’s good.”
My faith in my teammate is unshakable. Those two words mean the world to me. Maria won’t be alone. If she’s with Axel, then she’s with a part of me.
I take a step and realize the chair legs are still tied to my ankles. I use the knife to cut the zip ties and march over to the rest of my team.
They congregate around four people: three men and one crazy lady.
“My daughter. Maria …” Muriel looks up at me, eyes watering, nose running. “Is she …” Her voice trails off, unable to form the question.
I want to tell Muriel Rossi to fuck off, but my mother’s gentle face flashes before me. I’m one of the lucky ones. My mother is an amazing woman. Her unwavering love and affection carried me through the worst of times.
Maybe her presence now is to remind me to be compassionate and kind?
I sway on my feet, knowing I’m hallucinating.
All that excess adrenaline has yet to burn itself out. That energy needs an outlet, and I know exactly where to direct it.
But first, I show an ounce of compassion.
“Maria will live.” I hope that’s not a lie.
Muriel Rossi breaks down in soul-rending sobs. She’s nothing like the cold-hearted bitch I met yesterday. If she loves her daughter enough to cry over Maria’s injuries, why didn’t she show Maria some of that love before?
I turn to Marco Rossi. Griff and Wolfe stand over him, weapons trained on a monster, a murderer, and a pathetic excuse of a human being.
I close the distance.
Rage burns in my veins and bunches in my muscles. Griff and Wolfe step aside as I rear back and kick him in the head.
The bastard goes down.
“Tenderizing him for me, I see.” Griff huffs out a laugh. “Thanks.”
“That bastard doesn’t deserve to draw breath.”
“Well, let’s leave him breathing for a bit longer.” Wolfe taps me on the back. “Forest has some questions for the man.”
No doubt.
“You look like shit.” Wolfe arches a brow. “What happened to your face?”
“I was getting the shit kicked out of me. What the fuck took you guys so long?” I spit out a clot of blood and fold my arms across my chest.
“Oh, you know …” Wolfe gives me one of his wolfish grins. “Just dillydallying. Taking our time. Puttering around. Hemming and hawing. Figured you had it covered.”
“Does this look like I had it covered?” I point to my face.
Now that I’m not worried about life and death things, I pack that animalistic side of me back where it belongs. The pain of my beating starts to rear its ugly head.
My temple throbs. My eye is tender to touch. Tight, and swollen to goose egg proportions, I wince as I gingerly feel the damage. My lip is split, thickening as it swells. My ribs feel like they got the shit kicked out of them, which they did, and my abs feel even worse.
“What Wolfe is trying to say,” Griff joins in, “is we met a bit of resistance on the way here.”
“You mean the vault?”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you see the fucking door?” I look between them. “How many people do you know with a bank vault under their fucking house?”
“We didn’t see a door.” Wolfe looks at me, confused.
“The one that belongs in a bank?” I look between them. “The one with the combination?” No recognition on either of their faces. “Mitzy’s drone watched Muriel open it? You had the combination?”
“Oh, that?” Griff waves dismissively. “We didn’t enter from the house.”
“Then how?”
“Air shafts.” Wolfe snickers. “It was the only place not under active surveillance. We slipped down the air ducts and found some interesting things. Didn’t want them to know we were here.”