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Chapter 22
Alysa
He loves me.The tears streamed down my cheeks and I wished my hands were untied so I could brush them away. Burke sat across from me, watching it all.
I ached to be able to tell Jasper that I loved him, too. But this damn gag made it impossible. He was here, risking his life for mine, for ours, and I couldn’t even tell thank him. All I knew was Jasper had backup – Bennett Stone. The man who had sworn never to trust a Henderson was now working with them. Talk about miracles - we need another one. Please let us all make it out of here alive.
My heart was racing, and all the pain in my body seemed to have vanished as I forced myself to focus on what was to come next. All I could do was wait for someone to speak to me through the earpiece and give us a heads-up. Burke and I were not going to be able to assist in any way. I hope to God that Jasper doesn’t try to be a hero. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to him.
I guess Stone knew how Jasper’s words were affecting me, because he barked in my ear, “Pull it together, Marine. This is no time to fall apart.”
He was right. My emotions were wreaking havoc on me, but I needed to remember who I was, and why I was here. Not just to gather information on Jasper, but to protect him if things went bad. Damn they really have, too. With the gag in my mouth, I couldn’t respond. All I could do was prepare for their entry.
“I need to know how many men you’ve seen inside. Moan to the amount for me,” Stone instructed.
I moaned eight times. Burke looked at me, puzzled, and I blinked in Morse code to let him know we had ears. Burke nodded.
“Jasper gave us a basic layout. We believe we know what room you’re in. He said there’s one guard at your door. He had two with him. That leaves five unaccounted for, plus Ocalla.”
I had no idea what numbers Stone was working with on his end, but it’s always risky when you’re on a rescue mission. At any time, the guard could decide to kill us so no witnesses were left. Ocalla was probably thinking he’s got Jasper right where he wants him, but once shots are fired, Jasper would also be at the mercy of his captors.
God, I wish I wasn’t tied to this fucking chair.
“We are going in. Start countdown,” Stone said. “Three. Two. One.”
Instantly, shots rang out and men’s voices shouting in Tabiqian echoed through the halls. I had no idea where Jasper had been taken but I knew he was still in the building. He must be facing the same fear as we were. That we might not make it out of here alive.
The door burst open and a guard entered. He went to the back of the room with his rifle trained on me and Burke. But his eyes were on the door, and I hoped he was too distracted to pull the trigger before Stone pulled his.
The guard made a mistake and stepped too close to Burke’s chair. Although Burke had been beaten, he still had the strength to rock the chair and tip it over onto the guard’s leg, knocking him over. I kicked my chair over as well, to make myself a less visible target.
The rifle went off before slipping from his hand. I knew it would be only a matter of seconds before he got his bearings and finished what he’d come in to do. But as he got up and reached for the rifle, I heard the door open again behind me. Was it more of Ocalla’s men, or was it Stone’s?
I heard three shots fired, each making their mark. The guard dropped to the floor with a thud. From my position I couldn’t see who had shot him, but I heard footsteps leaving and shots fired at a distance.
Burke and I laid on our sides, chafing against our restraints, waiting for it to be over. Moments later, all was quiet.
“All clear,” Bennett announced.
Only then did I realize I had been holding my breath. When I tried to move, a sharp pain ripped through my back and down my legs. I would’ve screamed if I could. But then as quickly as it came on, I felt nothing.
I felt my hands being untied and Stone said from behind me, “You’ll be free in a minute.” Another one of his team was doing the same to Burke.
Once my hands were free, I reached up and removed my gag. “Where’s Jasper?”
“I’m here. Right here,” he said, coming to stand in front of me.
“What happened to you?” I asked, noticing for the first time the cast on his leg and the bandages around his chest.
“Broken leg. Cracked ribs. But one happy heart,” he said “I was afraid I was going to lose you,” he said, extending a hand down to me.
I reached up and tried to lift myself off the floor, but I couldn’t move. I looked at my legs, and told them to move, but they didn’t.
“What’s the matter?” Stone asked.
“I…” I rubbed my legs and didn’t feel the touch. “I…can’t move,” I choked out.
I saw the look in Jasper’s eyes. He was in shock and so was I. Stone dropped to a knee by my side and asked, “Did you get shot?”
