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Tex thought about Nora and their plans to have children. She wasn’t pregnant yet, but the thought of having a child and being responsible for it made him fully grasp the ambassador’s fear and concern over Maddy. She was a pistol and the right match for Shark. He was determined to get them all out of this mess.
“I promise to do my very best to get her home to you, Ambassador.”
“I know that SEALs excel in these situations. I’ll take that assurance and hold onto it until my girl is home.”
The moment FAST deployed into the compound, Tex, Bondo, Easy, Dagger, Brawler, Beast, and Flash entered the chopper. The pilot took off toward the residence. They would be there in less than fifteen minutes.
* * *
Maddy was terrified and still in a bit of shock at what had happened in the last twelve hours. She’d been through an earthquake, a gun battle, and now she, the man she loved, her friends, and Fabrice’s son were hostages to the reprehensible prime minister.
Diego came in and said, “There’s a chopper coming in from the city. Looks like they were true to their word.” He looked around at the hostages and asked, “What do you want us to do with them?”
The prime minister grabbed onto Maddy’s arm and dragged her up. He put a gun to her head, then said, “Kill the first lady, her son, and that treasonous guard. Do what you want with the Americans. I’ll keep her for leverage.”
Diego nodded with a wide grin. “You kept up your end of the bargain. Good luck with your exile.”
“Good luck with your takeover of the island. You’ll have the Americans to deal with. I’m afraid they’re not going away.”
The gang leader looked specifically at Shark and Noah, and Maddy’s blood ran cold. “They’ll think twice when I use them to my own advantage. American lives are excellent collateral.”
Fabrice’s eyes widened, but contrary to the amount of danger they were all in, she looked more determined than scared. Maddy met Shark’s eyes, and he gave her a reassuring look, like he had some kind of plan. She had no choice in the matter. Her heart was in her throat as the prime minister pulled her from the room. She never stopped looking at Shark, vowing to be ready when he made his move.
He shoved her through the door and pushed her toward the incoming chopper. She tripped over the uneven ground. Then it started shaking, a six-point aftershock. She regained her feet and started running for the chopper, knowing the prime minister couldn’t aim well in the wake of the tremors. But once they stopped, she was going to be a sitting duck.
* * *
Shark signaled to Fabrice that it was time. It was now or never. There was no way Shark was allowing that scum to take Maddy off this island. Fabrice picked up the diaper bag and set it next to Shark. He could see the gun peeking out of the diaper it was wrapped in. While the gang leader and his men’s attention were on what was going on outside, Shark tightened his muscles to move. Suddenly, the house started shaking, and in the chaos of the aftershock, he rose, grabbed the gun from the diaper bag. Noah also rose and jumped the closest guy while he was fighting to remain upright. The other two men shot wildly, but they missed both he and Fabrice by a mile. He pushed her and the baby to the floor, then rushed them both. Noah was choking out the downed thug, and their automatic weapons were limiting in a close-quarters situation.
Shark swung at the gang leader, the butt of the gun hitting his temple hard, sending him reeling and disoriented as he was already unsteady on his feet. Shark turned and shot the only standing thug point-blank and up close. Shark then turned to the leader and shot him.
Taking no chances, he shot both of them again in the head and ran for the door.
When he got outside, he saw Maddy running like hell for the chopper, the prime minister on her heels. He took off, running full out, his arms and legs pumping. He gained on them, tackling the prime minister to the ground.
Maddy stopped running and came back toward them. Shark waved her away as they grappled for each other’s weapons. She stopped when he shouted her name, his attention divided. The door to the chopper opened, and he saw his teammates inside, their weapons bristling. But Maddy was in the way.
The prime minister hit Shark with a stunning blow to his already injured temple, and he reeled away, disorientation making him stagger. The prime minister’s pilot wanted nothing to do with the violence unfolding, and he revved the engine and soared off.
With fury almost making his face turn purple, the prime minister got a bead on Maddy. Shark cried out, “No!” and moved, fear and adrenaline fueling him, putting himself between her and the weapon. The prime minister pulled the trigger, and Shark took the round in his vest. The impact propelled him backward, the air jolting from his lungs, his focus going gray as pain radiated from the power of the bullet to his chest. He fought for breath.
The prime minister fired again, the second bullet slammed into his shoulder, and he fell backward right into Maddy’s arms.
* * *
Maddy clutched at him, filled with anger so potent, she saw red. Without thinking, desperate to save Bale’s life, she grabbed the gun from his limp hand, pointed it at the prime minister and pulled the trigger over and over again, at the same time she heard automatic gunfire.
The prime minister, riddled with bullets, fell to the ground face-first and didn’t move.
The SEALs surrounded her as one of them went over to the prime minister, looking back at them as he felt for a pulse, and shook his head.
Dagger knelt down and took Shark’s body from her, as Brawler pulled her free of him, gently prying the empty weapon out of her hand. She remained on her knees next to him as Dagger checked him. “Let me take this and secure it, Rambo,” Brawler murmured.
“He’s not breathing. Get his vest off,” Dagger ordered, and Bondo knelt down and stripped him in two seconds flat. As soon as it was off—the longest heartbeat of her life—Shark took a quick intake of air, then he opened his beautiful gray eyes. Even disoriented, shot to hell, he searched for her. He reached out his hand and she clasped it.
“Maddy. Are you all right?” he rasped out, his face contorting in pain as he tried to rise, his hand like a vise around hers. She laughed and cried and looked around at the men who had come to their rescue. She swallowed, and touched his face, smoothed her fingertips over his lips. She swallowed and more tears came, and she let them flow.
“Whoa there, Iron Man,” Dagger said, pushing him back down. “She’s not the one who got shot. You saved her, now let me see to you.”
