“They won’t be able to get your license plate off the camera.”
“Good to know,” Scott said, tugging her toward the door. A little belldingedas they crossed the threshold. “Appreciate it.”
“Semper Fi, buddy.”
“Oorah.” Scott released the door and they raced to the van.
“Where else are you hurt?” Scott’s hands shook on the wheel as he sped away from the gas station and onto the freeway, his body coming down from the adrenaline rush. And the rush of anger from seeing that asshole’s hands on Valerie. He’d wanted to do a lot more than choke the guy out.
“Nowhere,” she said, unable to hide the tremor in her voice. “Thanks to you.”
“Good, so I don’t have to feel bad when I ask what the hell you were thinking sneaking up on that guy. Were youtryingto get yourself killed?” He scanned his mirrors repeatedly. “A fucking tire iron against a giant with a gun,” he muttered.
“You’re one to talk,” she said, her voice defensive. “You didn’t even have a weapon, and as you just pointed out, he was hugeandarmed.”
Only an idiot wouldn’t have been nervous about facing down that asshat, but Scott had confidence in his skills. The Marines—and his childhood—had trained him well. But he knew nothing about Valerie except that she had frozen when her attacker pulled a knife.
“I wanted you out of harm’s way so I wouldn’t have to worry about you. If I’d needed your help I would have asked for it.”
“But it’s okay to leave me behind to worry about you,” she said, her voice vibrating with anger.
“I may not look like much, but I can hold my own.” He clamped his mouth shut before anything else stupid tumbled out. All his old insecurities came rushing back, and he hated himself for it.
Valerie laughed without humor. “Not look like much? You freaking radiate danger with your unshakeable calm and all those muscles…” She licked her lips and focused on the road ahead. “Anyone smart would stay out of your way, but still, that guy was twice your size. And he had a gun. Would you expect one of your Marine Corps buddies to sit back and do nothing?”
“No, but they’re trained. You’re not.”
She gripped the edge of her seat and stared out the side window at the morass of lights from the cities that made up the never-ending Los Angeles metro. The two feet of space between them suddenly felt like a mile.
“Look, I know you were trying to help. I do appreciate that… So, thanks.” He cleared his throat, but what else was there to say? He was used to working with teammates who knew their roles and whose skills he trusted.
He ignored her as she studied his profile. He had more important things to worry about right now. Like the freeway, which was too damn empty. “We don’t have long before the cops realize it was us. They’ll be suspicious immediately since we left the scene.”
She nodded glanced out the back window. “How did that guy know you were a Marine?”
“Maybe he recognized one of us from the news. Or he noticed my HOG’s tooth necklace.”
“Hog’s tooth?”
“HOG stands for hunter of gunmen. It’s a designation we get when we graduate from scout sniper training. The HOG’s tooth—the bullet—is part of the ceremony.”
“A bullet because you’re a sniper?”
“No, because Marines are as superstitious as anyone, and the military loves its lore.” Turned out, he loved it too. How many times had he wished for a protective talisman as a kid? Now he had one, and he’d fucking earned it. “The story goes that there’s one bullet destined to end your life. A round with your name on it, so to speak. Until it’s fired, you’re invincible. The HOG’s tooth symbolizes that bullet, and the idea is that as long as you keep it on you, you’re safe.”
“Oh.”
Please don’t laugh.He shouldn’t care what she thought about it, but he did.
“Don’t lose the necklace, then,” she said, her voice earnest. “We need all the help we can get.”
He released his breath.Damn straight.
Her gaze was on him again. At the next opportunity, he’d grab a shirt from his bag in the back. “Once the police get a look at the surveillance footage, they’ll know what we look like now.”
“And they’ll know about the van.” Her head dropped back.
“Yeah,” he said. “It’ll be all over the news in a couple hours, but we need to get off the road now. There’s not enough traffic to get lost in the crowd.”
