“No, you aren’t,” Kate said. “You’re bleeding.”
“It’s a flesh wound. I’ll be fine.”
Kate turned to Colt, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You were a corpsman. Do something to help him.”
Colt looked as if he’d just seen a ghost. Two ghosts actually. “You let me think they were dead. All this time. How could you fucking do that?”
“Because I asked her to,” the LC said. His face was getting paler, and despite his protestations, John suspected it wasn’t just a flesh wound.
Kate was getting more and more upset. “Are you just going to stand there and watch him die? Do something. For God’s sake, Colt, do something.Please.”
John wasn’t a corpsman, but they all had some medical training. He started to look around for supplies.
Colt stopped him. “There should be a medical bay somewhere. See what you can find.” He rattled off a list of items to look for as he knelt down and started to help Kate pull off Taylor’s shirt.
John started to tell Brittany he’d be right back, but she shook her head. “I’m coming with you. I want to help.”
The commercial fishing vessel didn’t have a medical bay, but in one of the storerooms they found most of what they needed. By the time John and Brittany returned with the supplies, Colt had already stopped the bleeding and the LC looked much better.
John helped him as Colt used what they’d found to clean out the wound—the bullet had gone straight through his shoulder—and bind it.
“Good to have you back, Dynomite,” Colt said as they finished up.
“Good to be back, Chief,” John said. Colt might not be on the Team anymore, but he was still a SEAL.
They helped Taylor get to his feet. “Thanks,” Scott said to Colt.
There was an awkward pause as the two men who had once been as close as brothers exchanged a long look. John didn’t know exactly what had happened, but what he suspected didn’t reflect well on the LC.
Colt shrugged in explanation. “She loves you.”
His words seemed to make Taylor angry. He turned to Kate. “This has gone on long enough. He still loves you. Tell him. There isn’t a reason to keep it a secret anymore. If you don’t, I will.”
Kate’s mouth thinned with defiance. John thought she might argue. But after exchanging a glance with Taylor, she must have seen that he meant what he said. “Of course I love him,” she said to Colt. “Scott is my brother.”
Well, motherfucker.John let out a low whistle of surprise. That was the last thing he would have expected to hear. Who would have thought?
Apparently not Colt. He looked as if he’d just been the one to get shot.
Brittany nudged John and gave him a “what’s going on?” look. He shook his head, signaling that he’d fill her in later.
It was at that point that the cavalry arrived. Buddha and the other hired operators would see to the cleanup. “Go,” Colt said to them. “I’ll take it from here. The fewer people that see you, the better until we figure out what the hell is going on.”
“I’ll take them to my place,” Kate said.
“What about the ambassador?” Colt asked.
“He’s gone,” Kate said.
Colt nodded with an even more grim set to his mouth, and John suspected his former chief was having a hard time assimilating the information coming at him. John didn’t blame him. John wouldn’t want to be him rightnow. Colt had fucked up—fucked up big-time, from what John could tell—and now he’d have to pay for it.
John had been in the same position an hour ago, and it wasn’t fun. But even if it took the rest of his life, he would make it up to Brittany.
“Is it over?” Brittany asked. She’d washed most of the blood off her face, and Colt had fixed her up with a few butterfly bandages. John was relieved to see the cut wasn’t too bad. The bruises would fade. But he knew the memories were going to be harder to erase.
He took her into his arms and kissed her. He knew what she meant: was it safe for him to come out of hiding? He wasn’t sure yet. But Mick’s involvement pointed to Russia being behind the leak. “I sure as hell hope so.”
“Can we go home?”
