Marshall was doggedly up on one knee now, still sucking in air. He was bleeding from dozens of little gashes across his chest, probably from flying glass and other debris, and she could already see bruises forming beneath his skin. God, he was a total mess. The burns on his face looked painful and had to hurt like hell. Why wouldn’t he just lie down? He managed to get both feet underneath him, though he wobbled a bit. Claire automatically shot out a hand to grab his upper arm and for a moment she was sure he would shake her off like an angry dog but instead he turned his head and looked straight into her eyes.
“I’m all right,” he gasped out, loudly, though the effort of speaking clearly cost him. He was pale, way too pale for her liking.“You’re not all right,” she snapped, on the verge of tears again. “Your fucking ears are bleeding.”He frowned and stared at her mouth and she realized he couldn’t understand her because he couldn’t hear her
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Risen To The Top CHAPTER 103
Sean and Alex were across the street directing the crowd back from the safe house and doing an initial sweep of the property when the first responders finally arrived. Police cruisers roared up and cops swarmed the area. One officer came over to her and Marshall to help and she filled him in on what had happened and explained that they were working for the L.J Corp, while others talked with Alex and Sean and worked to get all the bystanders back to a safe distance in case another device went off. Marshall’s ID was in his wallet but hers was back in her purse, on the floorboard of the SUV she’d been in with Alex.When the ambulance arrived Marshall was none too pleased about being herded toward it but she and the cop assisting her gave him no choice. He flat out refused to get on a gurney though, and stubbornly sat on the tailgate while the paramedics checked him over. She stood back a ways with the officer and overheard one of the medics say something about a chest tub
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 104
The cops swarmed the yard. Alex let out a vicious curse and kept going for another few seconds before Sean reached out and stopped him. Alex snarled in disgust and stood up, running a bloody hand through his hair. “Fuck, we needed him for questioning. God dammit.”Marshall walked over and pointed to the remote. Alex’s gaze shifted up from the device into Marshall’s face. He shook his head in disbelief. “How the hell’d you get here, anyway?”“Piggybacked,” he gasped out, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at the cop who’d helped him. The rest of them were securing the scene, taking possession of the body and questioning Sean. Alex would be next, but at Marshall’s wisecrack the team leader’s harsh features transformed into a broad grin.“Hardcore, man.”“Yeah.” Shit, he barely had the strength to stay upright now. “Give me…a ride back …so I can…see Claire?” He paused to wheeze in another breath, clammy all over and shaky as hell.
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 107
Marshall glowered at her, like a kid pouting because he didn’t get his way. “This is fucking stupid.”Stupid? Really? Sighing, she stood and walked to the window that overlooked the parking lot to get a grip on her emotions. It was dark out now, a bright half moon hanging in the clear night sky. Everything was so calm out there. Made it twice as surreal considering the hell they’d been through today. She’d come so close to losing him forever. So close. Her throat tightened.“Claire.”Schooling her features into a calm mask, she turned her head to look at him. “What?”He reached out a hand, his expression contrite. “Come here.” He said it so softly, his deep voice holding that intimate tone she couldn’t refuse, let alone ignore.Crossing to him, she sank down carefully onto the edge of the mattress close to his hip and slid her hand into his. Marshall closed his fingers around hers and stroked his thumb over the ba
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 108
Claire kissed him. Set her hand against the uninjured side of his face to cradle his cheek in her palm and settled her mouth over his. “I love you,” she murmured, “no matter what you do.”Marshall made a rough sound and slid his fingers into her hair to cradle the back of her head, deepening the kiss. “You won’t run out on me this time?” he muttered against her lips when he pulled back an inch.“No,” she vowed, meaning it and surprised by how good it felt to say aloud.“Even though I’m way older than you and I have a teenage daughter and I can’t have any more kids and I do dangerous shit for a living?”At one time she’d convinced herself that scarlet and his vasectomy were yet more reasons why they couldn’t be together, but now she realized how stupid she’d been. She wanted Marshall more than she wanted anything, even the chance to be a mother. Maybe somewhere down the line they could talk about adoption but if not, i
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 109
It was a dusty day as the silver plane nosed down through billowy clouds on its way to kiss the ruined earth. A united gasp went up from passengers as they saw the raw, brown, smoking soil that would normally be covered in patchwork patterns of an industrious agricultural people. But what was missing was the green. Sean clenched his jaw, grinding ice, and rocked to the loud metallic music of selection number seven on the in-flight radio. He held his breath.Looks like a flooded and bombed-out valley.He wasn’t used to seeing Alaska look like a wasteland. Wastelands got you killed or killed your friends. They never healed. Nobody loved them.He stared down at the remains, and, as incredible as it was, he still loved this place.He’d never felt alone before. Completely alone. He’d missed so much, being away on deployments, but he had always had home to come back to. Even as he clowned around on new york, home was always
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 110
Tori Hoades turned down the tree-lined street of her old neighborhood, past endless Spanish-style mansions protected by red tiled roofs and manicured front lawns worthy of any world class PGA course. It had been three months, and she needed to be back home. This time, she needed to see her parents—especially her dad. It had bothered her when he’d sounded somewhat distracted on the phone when she called him yesterday, informing them of the visit. Was there something wrong?How stupid.Although she was twenty-four, she was still trying please him, as she had her whole life. Her mother never interfered with this strong father-daughter bond, so Tori enjoyed almost unlimited access to him. They shared an open and frank relationship.Am I running to them or running away from new york? It didn’t matter, she decided. She just needed to be home.But Tori also knew lately there were dark, private places where Dr. Hoades chased
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 111
Sean drove the mclauren, onto base without uttering a word. Phoenix was safely kenneled, as he had been during the flight home. His incessant barking was background music to Sean. He’d take the dog to the vet today, and start working on someone to look after him while he was overseas.Monique would have been the obvious choice, but not now. He was reluctant to face the attractive tattoo artist, even though she was easy about asking what was on his mind. Something had shifted. The sobering reality of being utterly alone was hard to get used to. Sorrow hung like a black cape over his shoulders. He wished he could just go to sleep and not wake up.But then, who would feed Phoenix? Had the mutt saved him from himself?The guard at the shack wasn’t Dorian, or any of the other regulars. The kid looked like he was all of seventeen, and Sean didn’t have the heart to mess with him.“Thank you for your service, Mister,” the boy
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 112
Sean hadn’t been so summarily dusted off since he’d asked Her Highness Homecoming Queen Sherry Baxter to go with him to the prom. She’d laughed in his face, and his buddies on the basketball team wouldn’t stop taunting him either. He’d spend most of his senior year trying to forget the incident.It felt like that now. No family, no home. He was walking around like a stranger in his own clothes. Ordered to meet with people who could care less about him or the military. In less than six hours since returning from Alaska, everything had changed.He was faced with the stone-cold eyes of the Doc’s daughter, eyes the old Sean would normally have been only too happy to warm up. She was strong, and he usually enjoyed the challenge of being with a woman with a backbone. He wanted to introduce her to the intense fire that lived inside him until she showed him her soft side. He knew she had a soft side. He could feel it already.But he wasn’t