Talon: Combat Tracking Team (A Breed Apart) (45 page)

Water rushed in, deluging the barge. “Aspen!”

She whirled, blue eyes wide with panic. “Talon, I can’t find him.”

“He’ll be okay.”

“No, I can’t leave him. I’ll never leave him.”

Cardinal rushed to her, waters sloshing against his feet. He glanced down. Why was he barefoot? No time to figure it out. “Come!” He reached toward her. “Hurry!”

Her fingers thrust forward
.

The ship canted right
.

She wavered with a yelp
.

“Aspen!”

Behind her, a wall of water dropped. Like a blanket
.

Weird.

The spray blasted against her. Eyes wide, mouth open in a perfect O, she stared at him. Clanking reverberated through the air. Vibrations wormed through his very bones. He knew what would happen. He tried to lurch forward
.

Feet wouldn’t move. Legs hurt. Water swirled around him
.

Then the angel flew.

She flew backward, straight through the water. Vanished
.

Forever gone
.

“No!” Cardinal lunged. Fire raked his neck and head. Booming thundered through his skull
.

He raised his hand…or did he?

“Dane?”

Light seared his corneas. He moaned and looked away. Squinting and blinking at the same time, he stilled at the vision hovering over him. No, this couldn’t be hell. There was an angel standing over him.

Man, that was crazy-corny. But it was true. With the light ringing her curls and her ivory-pale complexion and her white top…“Angel.” His grin felt lopsided. So did his head. Sweet, swift relief staved off the panic as the dream rushed back to the front of his mind. Just like that squall that overtook her. Dropped like a blank—

No, not a blanket. A wall of glass. The dissonance of the dream alarmed him. His mind combining the past and present. Didn’t like that his brain had shifted the “angel” in his dream to Aspen.

Fear. That was fear driving that. Worrying about her. That he couldn’t protect her. That she’d be lost to him somehow.

But for now, she was here.

Groaning, he peeled himself off the table and sat with his legs dangling. He didn’t care if he’d lost a limb. Aspen was alive. He couldn’t take losing her. Not the way he’d lost his mom.

He caught her shoulder and pulled her into his arms. Held her tight. She was here. Aspen was okay. He tried to breathe without pain. But…there was so much…

The room spun. He closed his eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass. “How long have I been out?”

“It’s lunchtime—eight or ten hours.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I was…I don’t know what time we got back.” Aspen stood close, worry marring her beautiful face. “The doctor checked on you about ten minutes ago—you lost a lot of blood. He wanted you to rest.” She smelled good. Looked good. Talked good.

He remembered…“You kissed me.” He touched his temple. “Here.” He smiled. A real one.

Aspen held the corner of her lip between her teeth as her gaze skidded to the floor.

He took her hand and drew her closer, noticing the red, angry scab on her forehead. “How’s your head?”

“Apparently, my head’s just as hard as yours.”

“Good. Then we might just survive.” He kissed her. Savored her warmth—she’s
alive!
The docks. Seeing her getting shot. The blood. The dream…
Oh man. The dream
. His mind had tangled past and present. Twisted them up so tight, he’d been ready to slay a thousand demons to get her back.

Aspen curled into him. She was soft. Sweet. But then she pressed a hand to his chest and nudged him back. “You’re awfully cheery—you even smiled. I think I need to call the doctor back in. That bullet might’ve grazed more than your hairline.”

Cardinal tested his legs. Not quite solid, but they’d hold.

“Hey.” Concern replaced Aspen’s smile. “Should you be getting up yet? You’re not even dressed.” When that concern deepened, he knew she’d seen the scars on his back and shoulders.

Instinctively, he reached for his shirt. “Sorry.”

Her cheeks rosied. “I just meant—”

“You said you loved me.”

Her bright blue eyes came to his. She shifted, her arm around his waist, supporting him, though he didn’t need it. “I told you I do.”

He stared down at her. “I don’t deserve you.” But he wanted her. Wanted to never be separated from her. Even he knew that wasn’t in his power. Just like the churches, just like the feeling that the universe righted as he sat on those pews, Aspen did the same thing for him. Why? How?

“That’s sorta the point of love, isn’t it? Something we can never earn but is freely given.”

It felt like there was a chunk of cement in his chest as three words churned through his mind. He wanted to say them. But you didn’t get to that point after a few weeks of running an op. But nearly dying sort of changes a man’s mind. Yet…No matter how much the planets aligned or
God—are You there?—set
in motion…

She doesn’t even know who I am
. And in a way, without his career, without his identity as Cardinal, did
he
even know who he was anymore? “You need to know the truth. Everything.”

She shifted. “When you’re ready.”

He let out a breathy snort of disbelief. “You may never speak to me again, but I want you to know the truth. All of it. You deserve that.”

Clapping resounded through the room.

Aspen gasped.

Cardinal flung himself around. The room rebelled, spinning and twisting.

“Very moving,” Neil Crane said as he produced a silenced weapon then dabbed a finger against his eye, as if drying a tear. “I almost cried. Really. And Cardinal, I’ll take that wager.”

Refusing to take his eyes off the man, Cardinal noted the door wasn’t locked. Noted the man was entirely confident that he was in control. And that’s what Cardinal needed to go along with. If the team was down—

The thought tightened the muscles in his shoulders. Fighting wouldn’t do any good. Having been through surgery, losing blood, he would lose. Fast. And Aspen…

He moved his hand to her and tucked her behind him as he watched the man sidle up next to Talon, never showing them his back. He grinned at them then glanced at Talon, who sat up and panted, his tale thumping.

“Hello, boy.” The man petted Talon then stood, wagging the gun at Cardinal. “I see you managed to get your shirt off.”

“You shot me.” It was a guess but one Cardinal didn’t think was too outside the realm of possibilities.

“I couldn’t let you undo what I’d orchestrated.” He smiled as his gaze drifted to Cardinal’s left. “Aspen, really? Falling in love with the world’s most renown spy?”

“Talon, heel.” Aspen moved forward a step, and Cardinal wanted to yank her back and whip out a weapon—but he didn’t have one. And a sudden move could set off Crane.

Neil caught Talon’s collar. “No, I think it’s best he stay here.”

“Who are you?” Aspen’s voice wavered.

And in that hesitation and pitch of her voice Cardinal could tell she had accepted his theory. “His name is Neil Crane.”

“Actually,” Neil said as he shook his head and started forward, “that’s the name you gave me, Cardinal.” His gaze came back to him. “Tell her.” He stabbed the weapon at him. And through gritted teeth demanded, “Tell her who I am!”

    Thirty-One    

Y
ou did this to me!”

Had the world upended and dumped hell at her feet, Aspen could not have been more shocked. It was him. The voice. The mannerisms. All undeniably Austin. But the thought, the last two years of grieving whatever had happened to him, forbid her from fully embracing the thought.

“No!” Dane shifted, his expression dark. Angry. Frightening. “That is not my doing. You stepped out, you went your own way.”

“No!” His voice scraped the walls with painful fury. His lips were tight. His mouth almost foaming.

Aspen shrunk at the rage and grief roiling through the man’s reddening face. It was him. It was her brother. He still had the telltale temper. “Austin.” She took a steadying breath.

The man’s brown eyes bumped to hers.

A bubble of elation burst through her. A strangled cry. “Austin?” She took a step forward. “Is it really you?”

“Aspen.” Dane’s voice carried a measure of warning. “He’s not—”

“Don’t you dare!” Austin shuffled forward, waving the gun like a madman. “Don’t you dare turn her against me. You’ve taken everything from me.
Everything!”

Stumbling to mentally keep up, Aspen found herself moving away from Dane. Away from the security she’d felt two minutes ago. Away from the certainty. Dane? Dane had done this to Austin? But it didn’t make sense. “Did he do something when he was with you in Kariz-e Sefid?”

Austin laughed. “With me?” He shook his head. “Oh, if only it’d been that. That’s where he made sure Austin Courtland died. That’s where he secured his latest pawn.”

“You willingly joined DIA.”

“Don’t!” Austin snapped the weapon at Dane, who raised his hands in a gesture of peace. His soulful steel gaze hit hers. Telegraphed a message.

Aspen didn’t know whether to hate Dane or trust him. To run
from
him or run
to
him. That was a fight for another hour. She focused back on her brother. “What…what happened to you, Austin?”