Titanium Security Series 4 - Extinguished (22 page)

Blake’s comforting warmth bathed her right side as he sat next to her. Blowing out a relieved breath, Jordyn leaned her head back against the interior wall and allowed her eyes to close.

Hospitals gave Alex the heebie jeebies. Always had. Even back in the day when he’d been a Special Forces NCO, he’d hated going to visit one of his guys when they landed up in the hospital. Maybe because it forced him to confront his own mortality.

He knocked softly on the door and heard Zahra call out for him to come in. Pushing it open, he saw her sitting beside Dunphy. “Hey,” he said, putting on a smile.

She was holding his hand, the one with the IV tube sticking out of the back of it. Dunphy looked bad. His face was pale beneath that black beard and his dark eyes were black and blue underneath from the concussion of the blast.

But it was the dullness in those eyes that worried Alex the most. A dullness that wasn’t caused by drugs or whatever medication they had him on. No, this one was caused by a deep, bottomless depression. Dunphy was right there, poised on the edge of that dark pit. And if he fell in, he might never claw his way back out.

Alex still wouldn’t insult the guy by trying to sugar coat the way things stood. “Any change today?”

“Nope,” Dunphy answered. “Can’t feel shit from the waist down. Can’t even feel shit, actually.” He exhaled, looked at the ceiling. “They keep coming in to turn me every hour or so, so I won’t get bedsores.”

Alex hid a wince and decided to try to lighten the mood. Was worth a shot. “Are the nurses good looking at least?”

The barest hint of a grin formed on Dunphy’s lips. “Not nearly as good looking as this one,” he said, squeezing Zahra’s hand. The clear love and devotion between them was so strong Alex could actually feel it. He’d acted as her mentor for a long time now. From the first moment he’d met her after the accident that had killed her mother and left her permanently scarred, he’d seen the steely strength inside her. She’d worked her ass off for him from her first day on the job and he valued her technical knowledge and work ethic. When she’d met Dunphy, Alex had known immediately that something was different.

“She’s a rare gem, that Zahra,” Alex agreed. Even early on he’d seen how protective Dunphy was of her. And when things had turned deadly out in that Maryland forest, he’d had Zahra’s back. Dunphy had more than earned Alex’s approval as far as Zahra was concerned.

Dunphy eyed Alex’s dirty BDUs and face. They’d all used baby wipes to clean up some on the flight back to Islamabad, but all of them still needed a good scrubbing with soap and the hottest water the hotel shower could give them. “You just get in?”

Alex nodded, his body still humming with pent up energy. “We got him.”

Zahra’s eyes widened. “Who? Hassani?”

“Yep.” God it felt good to say that. The bastard had been on the CIA and NSA’s most wanted list for over a year. He’d terrorized their team for weeks now. Longer than that, if you counted Hunter and his girlfriend, Khalia, who’d almost died over here in September. “About three hours ago.”

Because they both had security clearance and Dunphy’s expression was no longer dull but alert and interested, Alex filled them in on the operation. “He’d planned to stage a coup today. Even had a military regiment lined up and ready to escort him to Islamabad and help him seize power. His pride and that ridiculous ego were what caused his downfall.” Alex had known they would, eventually. And that little thumb drive the SEALs had found on him was bound to have all kinds of useful information on it.

“Should have seen his face when he finally saw Jordyn standing with the guys,” he finished proudly. “God if ever there was a Polaroid moment, that was it.”

Dunphy grinned. Actually grinned wide enough that his teeth gleamed amidst that black beard. “Atta girl, Jordy.”

She’d held her own out there and saved their asses in the village. “Glad I had the good foresight to bring her on board for this.”

“Yeah, but you know she’s not as good as I would’ve been, right?” Dunphy quickly asked.

Alex was glad to see the mischief gleaming in those eyes again. “If that’s what you need to believe to make peace with yourself, you go right ahead,” he said with a laugh. In the space of a minute, the suffocating atmosphere in the room had eased. The walls no longer seemed to be closing in on him and he could finally breathe more easily.

Someone knocked on the door. Zahra called for them to come in. It swung open and Jordyn and Blake strolled in. Well, Jordyn did. Blake’s gait was somewhere between a hobble and a limp.

“Hey, how you feeling, hotshot?” Jordyn asked Dunphy, stopping at the end of the bed.

“Better than I was five minutes ago. Glad you guys got that fucker.”

Blake grinned and headed around the bed to take a seat in a chair beside Zahra’s. Alex noticed how stiff he was as he lowered himself into it.

“What happened to you?” Zahra asked, eyeing the dark bruises covering the exposed skin visible beneath the sleeves of his T-shirt. His arms looked beaten to shit. Alex could just imagine what the rest of him looked like.

“I might’ve fallen down a mountain,” Blake answered. “Some asshole got lucky with an RPG and hit the side of the hill below our position.”

“You get checked out?” Alex asked.

“Yeah. X-rays, CT scan, even an ultrasound. No broken bones or internal bleeding. I’m banged up, but still good to go.”

“Other than the three thousand contusions all over your body, you mean,” Jordyn pointed out, narrowing her eyes at him. Alex hid a smile, feeling sympathetic to the guy.

Not only was he going to be one hurting unit for the next few days at least, but on top of that Jordyn was gonna watch him closer than a mama bear guarding her cubs and it was likely gonna drive Blake batshit. There was something major going on between those two as well, but Alex didn’t care as long as it didn’t affect their performance. Whatever had happened in their personal relationship, they’d been discreet about it, and it certainly hadn’t hindered their work in the field together.

“Uh, and he’s not exactly ‘good to go’, no matter what he says,” Jordyn continued, still glaring at Blake as she folded her arms across her chest. “He’s not concussed but the bruising’s pretty severe so he’s on anti-inflammatories and pain meds. Which I’ll probably have to force down his stubborn throat,” she added with an annoyed shake of her head.

Alex snickered, earning a glower from Blake.

“Hey, can one of you convince Zahra to take a break for a bit?” Dunphy asked suddenly. “She’s been stuck in here with me since I came out of recovery yesterday and won’t leave. I told her I’m not going anywhere but she doesn’t seem to believe me.”

“Zahra, go grab something to eat,” Alex said. Those green-hazel eyes flashed up to his and he could see the worry etched there. Like she was afraid something might happen to Dunphy if she left. But he could also see how exhausted and worn she was. These past few weeks had been really tough on her. “I’ll stay here until you get back. Won’t do him any good if you drive yourself into the ground and don’t take care of yourself. Go on now,” he urged with a wave of his hand when she hesitated.

Slowly, she pushed to her feet, casting an uncertain glance at Dunphy. “I’ll just go for a quick bite.”

Dunphy rolled his bruised, bloodshot eyes. “Go for a
long
bite, Zahr. Hell, grab a shower, sleep, whatever, but get out of here for a while. I’ll still be right here when you get back, promise.” He glanced meaningfully at his paralyzed legs and though Alex knew he meant it to be a light, flippant comment, it fell flat. Alex hid another wince and fought not to rub the back of his neck. Gallows humor was one thing, but Zahra wouldn’t appreciate the dark jokes right now.

“Fine, I’m going,” she grumbled to him. “Want anything when I come back?”

“Edible food. And I’ll expect you to feed me by hand, too.”

That got a grin out of her. “Well I’ll be sure to peel some grapes before I come back and find a palm frond to fan you with too.”

“Awesome. See you later. Now, get.” He lifted his head to accept her parting kiss. The moment the door shut behind her, Dunphy exhaled and closed his eyes in utter exhaustion. “God, I thought she’d never leave.”

Alex’s heart went out to the guy. He was clearly trying to hold it together for Zahra’s sake, and the mental effort was taking a visible toll. Alex glanced over at Jordyn and Blake. “If Ellis got medical clearance, why don’t you two get outta here? You’re all booked in a nice hotel for the next couple nights. A thank you perk from Uncle Sam for your part in the op that got Sand Viper.”

Jordyn’s eyes lit up. “A nice hotel, meaning they’ve got a big shower and limitless supplies of hot water?”

“Limitless water I can’t promise. But it’s got king size beds with clean sheets, and probably some of those fancy bottles of body wash and lotion,” Alex said with a grin. “So go on, you guys get outta here too and let this guy sleep.”

“I don’t need to sleep,” Dunphy protested.

“Yeah, you do,” Alex said firmly. He gave Jordyn and Blake the hotel address, then parked his ass in the seat Zahra had occupied as the others left.

Dunphy turned his head to face him and threw him a bland look. “Really? I trade one watchdog in for a bigger one?”

“That’s right,” he said evenly. He set one ankle on the opposite knee and settled back, resting his clasped hands on his stomach. “You either sleep or you get to look at me until Zahra comes back.”

Dunphy grunted and must have realized Alex meant it, because he elected to shut his swollen eyes. Within minutes he was asleep, his breathing slow and steady. Alex stayed next to him as he’d promised, trying not to look at Dunphy’s legs and the outlines of the external fixators beneath the blankets.

The sight of them made Alex’s skin crawl. Could’ve easily been him or any of the others lying there helpless. The spinal injury’s only blessing was that he couldn’t feel the damage to his legs. Those rods and pins and the set broken bones would have hurt like a bitch. But Alex knew Dunphy would rather take the pain without any meds than be faced with the possibility of being paralyzed.

Alex looked away and focused on the view out the window, letting his mind recap everything that had happened in that valley and mulling over how he was going to approach Hassani’s interrogation.

When Zahra opened the door sometime later, Alex put a finger to his lips and stood. He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him before speaking.

“He’s asleep?” she asked, trying to peer over his shoulder through the small window in the middle of the door.

“Zahra.” He set his hands on her shoulders. Her gaze lifted to his, a little worry line forming between her eyes. He’d always been straight with her and wouldn’t stop now. “I know you’re trying to help him, be there for him every second, but you’re wearing him out.”

Hurt flashed in those pretty eyes. “What?”

Alex squeezed her shoulders gently. “He’s not only coping with his injuries, he’s trying to keep a brave front up so you’ll worry less. That’s gonna drain him and set his recovery back.”

She frowned, her expression now tinged with guilt. “I never thought of that.”

“It’s okay. Just remember to give yourselves breaks, okay? You from him, and him from you. Stop hovering. God, we
hate
hovering. And brace yourself, because the longer this goes on, the harder it’s gonna get. I’ve seen wounded guys get fucking nasty with their wives during recovery because they’re frustrated and they’ve got a convenient target right there to yell at.”

Her shoulders sagged. “God, I’m so not looking forward to that.”

Might not happen for a bit, because she and Dunphy were so new, but Alex didn’t doubt for a moment that it would happen eventually. “I know. Just promise me that no matter what he says or does, you stay strong. He loves you, I know that without a doubt, so when he does or says anything stupid, chalk it up to what’s all bottled up inside him. And don’t take shit from him when he gets like that, either. You’re no one’s punching bag, verbal or otherwise.” He said it with such force, the protective male in him bristling at the thought of anyone hurting her.

She’d been through so much, and even though her epic fucktard of a father was rotting in a maximum security prison, Alex still wanted him dead for what he’d done to her. What he’d taken from her.

Zahra smiled fondly at his fierce tone. “I won’t. His mother told me the same thing when I met her, by the way.”

“Good. I’ll bet she had her hands full with him as a kid.”

“No doubt. God, that poor woman.” She sighed, but that little smile was still there and he could see her resolve gathering again. That inner, unshakable strength he’d seen in her in a different hospital, when she’d been the one lying broken in a hospital bed. In time she’d learned to walk again. Dunphy might not be so lucky.

Not wanting to think about that, Alex drew her into his arms for a bear hug. “Hang in there, Zahr.”

“I will.”

“I’m here if you need me, okay? Day or night, just call or text me.”

She nodded against his chest. “I know. Thanks.”

He released her, waited for her to enter the room before he headed to the elevators. He texted Wright to let him know he was coming out, and the Brit pulled the SUV up to the entrance just as Alex stepped through the automatic doors.

“Where to?” he asked as Alex climbed into the front passenger seat and shut the door.

“Hotel,” he answered. He was going to take that well-deserved shower and catch an hour or two of sleep before he went down to the detention facility and went head to head with Hassani. Would be interesting to see how many rounds they clocked today. Cracking someone like Hassani wouldn’t be easy, but Alex had learned that few satisfying things in life came easily.

“How’s your spotter doing?” Wright asked in his northern England accent as he turned out of the parking lot.

“No change so far. Don’t know the final verdict on the spinal injury yet.” He opened his e-mail on his phone to catch up with everything he’d missed since going out into the field. Over seventy messages popped up on screen. He scrolled through them, mentally sorting them and flagging them in order of priority. But when his eyes landed on one particular subject line, his heart lurched in his chest.