“You should’ve killed her while you had the chance.”
“If he says another word, do me a solid, Tink, and shoot him in the head.”
“Roger that, Mac.”
“She’s a disease that’ll kill us all.”
“Okay, that’s it,” Chase said. “Feel free to part his hairline anytime.”
“Don’t.” Jay didn’t bother to lift his gaze from Becca’s bleeding lip as he trailed his fingers over her bruised cheek, cataloging her injuries. Okay, correction. He couldn’t lift his eyes even if he wanted to.
Not that it mattered. He’d recognize the vitriol coming from the former MIT student anywhere. “His name is Roman Dmitriev. He’s one of the original coders on the Dominion project. If he’s been working with the virus, we might need him.”
“How the fuck—” A solid thump from the butt of Cody’s gun preceded Roman’s groan.
Unperturbed by the violence unleashed, Chase asked, “What’s the status, Doc?”
“Aside from a couple of cuts and bruises, she has no visible signs of injury, so her elevated heart rate is a stress response. Give her a minute, and she’ll come around.”
“We don’t have a minute,” Cody replied, once again taking on the role of their unit’s leader. “The rest of the team is under heavy fire, and we need to bounce. I’ll take point. Doc, you’re on Dmitriev. If he runs, shoot him. TC, you’ll carry Rebecca. Mac is on our six. We make a straight shot for the Black Hawk. No fucking around. If you see anything that moves, put it down. We clear?”
A round of clears rang out, Jay’s included as he prepared to scoop Becca into his arms. Part one of the mission complete, his entire focus had to be getting his girl off the island and away to safety before any more shit hit the fan. Everything else could wait.
After getting to his feet, Jamie moved aside, and Jay slipped his mask back over his face before sliding one arm behind Becca’s back, the other beneath her knees. With minimal effort, he lifted her with ease, and shifting her weight, he held her tight.
And damn if it didn’t feel good to have her back in his arms. Nestled against his chest. Where she belonged. The rightness of it settled into every fiber of his being as she exhaled a soft moan and snuggled closer.
He’d known—he’d always known.
They were meant for each other.
From the very first time he’d set eyes on her, she’d filled his empty spaces. Quieted the noise in his head. Brought her light into his darkness. She was his peace. His salvation. His reason for breathing.
More than that…more than he’d ever been able to put into words.
The marrow in his bones. The blood in his veins. The soul in his body.
She was his everything.
“Alright,” Cody said, nudging Roman with the toe of his boot. “On your feet, asshole.” The Russian coder lifted his head and looked around, his gaze landing on Becca, his expression full of hatred and disgust. “Don’t look at her.” Another nudge, harder this time, prompted him to get to his feet.
He rose slowly, an act of defiance as he took in the situation around him. Four of his men were dead on the ground. His protection detail replaced by four soldiers, ready, willing, and able to drill him full of lead-based holes at the slightest provocation.
Well, three really. No way in hell Jay was letting go of Becca. Not that he’d need to pull his gun. His team had them covered. No doubt in his mind.
“Ready?” Cody asked, lifting his weapon and stepping toward the mangled exit as Jamie grabbed the back of Roman’s shirt in a tight grip.
“Ready,” he replied, shoving his captive to get him moving.
“You’re all going to die,” Roman said, bleeding from the goose egg Cody had given him earlier. “For her? For Maya Barrows? She’s useless. A waste of skin. You’d be better off?—”
“Shut the fuck up.” Jamie shook the man until his teeth rattled, bouncing his head off the door jamb for good measure as Jay followed behind, his grip on Becca the only thing keeping him from ripping Roman’s vocal cords out through his neck.
He’d always been an asshole. An exchange student with a chip on his shoulder. A hater of all things American, yet willing to benefit from the best their country had to offer. And the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked as one of the top computer science programs in the world.
Graduates from MIT knew their shit. Roman Dmitriev? Good behind a keyboard. But not great. Had he been a plant from the start? A Russian sleeper agent sent to MIT by Alexsandr Volkov to work on the Dominion project?
Probably. Why else would he be here on Big Diomede?
