Undercover Captor (Shadow Agents #5)(21)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Lee was choking on his own blood. Bullet wounds lined his chest. His eyes were wide and stark, terrified.

This was the man who’d wanted to use her. To hurt her.

Tina sank to her knees. I need tools. “I have to get the bullets out.” Have to stop the blood. Have to try to stabilize him. His blood pressure will be dropping. And—

She heard the wheeze coming from his lungs. When she leaned forward and looked at his mouth, she could see the small mist of blood shoving past his lips.

“He’s got a bullet in his lung.” She grabbed Lee’s shirt and ripped it apart. The rain kept pelting down on her. She needed to get him inside and—

There were two holes in his chest. One bullet had hit his lung. One had driven in close to his heart. Too close.

A hard hand closed around her wrist, jerking on the bruised skin.

“Don’t even think about it, Lee,” Drew snarled in the same instant.

Lee had a tight hold on her. He was trying to sit up.

The man should have realized that he didn’t have strength to waste fighting her. He should also have realized—

Drew had his gun locked on the man.

“You don’t need that,” Tina said softly, sadly. Because unless she could get serious help to the injured man within the next few moments…

He’ll be gone. He won’t be able to hurt anyone.

“M-Mercer’s…daughter…” The words were forced from Lee’s throat. Blood dripped from his lips.

“You need to take it easy,” she told him. No one’s last moments should be filled with agony.

But Lee smiled at her. “Y-you’re gonna die…”

No, you are. In just a few moments. Had she done this? Had her shot hit him?

She’d seen brutal death just like this before. Her father had been hit in the chest with a bullet. Her mother had been hit in the heart.

The wrong place. The wrong time.

They’d gone into the local bank, so happy. They’d planned to close out Tina’s savings account right before she went to college.

They’d walked into death.

The bank robbers hadn’t cared about her family. The robbers had just panicked when Tina began having one of her attacks.

They’d killed her mother instantly.

Her father—it had taken him longer to die. His lungs had slowly filled with blood.

It wasn’t going to take Lee as long to die. Not with that shot so close to his heart. Had it nicked the heart? A valve? She glanced over at Drew. “His heart—”

“I can…feel it…” Lee muttered. “Know…what’s comin’…”

Her gaze slid to him once more. Under the flash of lightning, Lee didn’t look scared. He looked furious.

“Think you’re…winnin’…agent…” Lee’s lips twisted into a gruesome smile. “But he’s not…done…”

Drew pulled Tina away from the dying man. “Who’s not done?”

Footsteps rushed toward them. Dylan and Rachel.

“We checked the rest of the perimeter,” Dylan said as he closed in. “We’re clear.”

The rain eased up, dripping lightly over them instead of pelting down.

The thunder had stopped.

No more thunder. No more gunshots.

“Devast…wants…her…” Lee’s voice was a harsh rasp. “Won’t…stop…until he gets…her…”

“Devast won’t touch her,” Drew swore. “He’s out at the compound now, isn’t he? Your boss? I’m going after him. I’m going to—”

“Devast…won’t stop—”

A sharp breath slipped from Lee.

“Anton Devast?” Drew demanded as he bent over Lee. “I know how many lives he’s taken. He won’t—”

Tina put her hand on his shoulder. “He’s gone.” She’d heard that last, hard wheeze that had stilled in Lee’s throat.

“Damn it!” Drew surged back to his feet.

Tina leaned over the body. She felt for his pulse, just to be certain, but with the massive trauma to his chest…

Gone.

She shivered as the raindrops trailed down her body. The past and the present both slid through her mind.

You can’t save them. The cops on scene had told her that over and over again as she’d clung desperately to her parents.

Tina glanced at her hands. Even in the dark, she could see the blood.

“Get her inside,” Drew said to Rachel as his fingers closed around Tina’s shoulders. “Dylan and I will handle the cleanup.”

Cleanup. Because there were other bodies out there. Wait, maybe… “Are you sure they’re all dead? Maybe some of them are still alive.”

Drew shook his head.

She turned toward the motel room. The place looked totally trashed from the outside. Sarah was there, and Tina saw her edging toward them cautiously.

The chill of death seemed to permeate the air. Tina squared her shoulders. “I’m ready to go home now.” It was time to leave Drew’s bloody world behind.

Time to leave…him.

* * *

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Anton Devast slowly walked toward the waiting helicopter. The compound was being evacuated. The few men left were scattering.

This base wouldn’t be operational—not when the EOD agents swarmed. And they would swarm.

One of those bastards was here.

Mercer was smart, and his agents were smart. It had only been a matter of time until they’d infiltrated his network.

But it didn’t matter. He’d found Mercer’s weakness. Tina Jamison. He had pictures of the woman. Videos.

She wasn’t escaping from him.

Lee hadn’t checked in. That meant the man was either dead or running. If he had tried to flee, well, Lee would be dead in hours.

Anton stared into the waning night. He’d waited years for his vengeance. He’d bided his time, made powerful connections and planned so carefully.

He didn’t have many days left on this earth. The cancer that had ravaged him before was coming back. Before he died, he had to finish his job.

It wasn’t about destroying the U.S. government. Wasn’t even about taking down the EOD and the agents who thought it was their job to stick their noses into private affairs.

It was about Bruce Mercer.

About making the man suffer.

Bruce hadn’t agreed to trade his life for his daughter’s. That had been his mistake. He’d had an option. A chance.

There would be no more chances.

It wasn’t about a trade anymore.

It was about a life.

One life for another.