“I’m here, Q. I’m sorry it took me so fucking long, but I’m here now.”
Collapsing in his arms, I bury my face against his neck, breathing in his scent. Graham found me. He came for me, and everything will be okay now.
* * *
Graham
How Ryker ended upbehindAlec, on his knees pulling a tactical knife out of Alec’s shoulder baffles me.
His shout of “Clear!” had Raelynn, West, and me racing forward, and we skidded to a stop almost as one when we saw our leader with his arm around Q’s waist as he kicked Alec in the head.
Q’s mostly out of it, and I think he might have passed out once I had him in my arms. If my adrenaline weren’t at an all-time high, I’d lose my shit and start crying, but I’m still so baffled how Ryker managed to get in.
“Fucker had a back door out of here camouflaged as one of those damn garden hose storage boxes.” Ryker drags the unconscious asshole to the center of the room, and West pulls out a pair of bolt cutters to remove the handcuffs binding Q’s wrists. “Probie, out the way I came. He might not be lying about those stairs and what comes next? Not something you need to see.”
“You tryin’ to tell me awomanshouldn’t watch a man die?” she asks, hands on her hips. “If I’m a part of this team, then treat me like I’m a part of this goddamned team.”
Ryker rolls his eyes. “Fine. Stay then.” Turning to me, he angles his head at Q. “I can take him if you want to be the one—”
“No.” In truth, I’d do anything to put a bullet in Alec’s head. Anything but let Q go. And he’s too fuckinggoodto have the sight of me—or anyone—killing Alec haunting his dreams. So I cradle him to my chest and head for the back door.
Inara meets me as soon as we emerge into the darkness and unclips several of the heavier pouches hanging off my belt and vest so I can carry Q. “I’ll double-time it back to the RV and pick you all up by what’s left of the junction box. You solid?”
She knows. Just how close I am to losing my shit. I wasn’t with the team when they had to rescue Royce, but she’s told me a little. And I watched both Trevor and Dani fall apart after their ordeals. “I’ll hold it together. For him,” I say quietly.
“Make sure you do.” She slaps my arm lightly, then takes off at a run.
Q hasn’t stirred, and I press a kiss to the top of his head. His face is twisted in pain, and it’s obvious from the bruises that Alec beat him up. I’m desperate for West to take a look at him. The SEAL’s our field medic, and a damn good one. He’s damn good at everything, really.
Three shots echo from the basement, almost simultaneously, and a minute later, Ry and Raelynn flank me. “Found Q’s laptop in the bag Harrow had with him,” Ry says. “Along with twenty-five grand in cash.”
“Confirm the minute you’re past the fence line,” West says over comms.
I raise a brow at Ryker, but he just snorts. “You expect us to leave evidence?” As soon as we pass through the gate, Ry taps his earbud. “We’re clear, Whiskey.”
“Fire in the hole,” West says calmly. Three seconds later, he bursts out of the basement at a full sprint. He’s halfway across the property when the explosion rocks the ground, but he doesn’t even break stride.
“Wh-what was that?” Q asks, his words slow as he tightens an arm around my neck.
“Justice,” I whisper to him. “That’s what we do.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Quinton
A dull hum surrounds me—asound I can’t identify—and panic paralyzes my muscles and tightens a band around my chest until I can’t breathe.
“Hey. You’re safe.” Warm hands cover mine, and that voice…I’m dreaming. I have to be.
Forcing one eye open, I steel myself to see Alec standing over me, but it’s mostly dark with only dim lights illuminating the floor at my feet.
A plane? I fumble for the seatbelt, desperate to get away. A plane means flight attendants. A pilot. People who might believe me. Help me.
“Q! Look at me, baby.”
Gentle fingers cup my cheeks, and when I blink hard, the face that swims in and out of focus isn’t Alec’s. Dark hair. Rough stubble. There’s no heavy stench of Old Spice. Only sweat, coffee, gun oil…and bay rum.
This has to be a dream. A hallucination brought on by the drugs, PTSD, and fear. But he leans closer to bring my hand to his lips, and though everything’s blurry, there’s no way I’d ever mistake Alec for Graham.
