Osborn’s eyes widened, his weapon falling from his fingers as he fell to his knees, then half rolled onto his side with a quiet groan.
Tucker ran to him, kicked the weapon away. The pistol skittered across the floor. He checked the guy’s pulse. Thready, fading fast. Out of his periphery he saw Karen picking the pistol up and tucking it into the guy’s bag, out of reach. He wanted to go to her, pull her into his arms, but he had to make sure the threat was over first.
Osborn was gasping for breath as Tucker patted him down, looking for more weapons. He found none. For the first time since this whole shit storm had started, a true sense of relief slid through him. Maybe he should press on the guy’s wound, try to stanch the bleeding, but that wasn’t going to happen any time this century. The fucker had held a gun to Karen’s head. Trying to stop the bleeding would be pointless anyway. He’d be dead in minutes.
Tucker stood, still holding his own weapon as he did another visual sweep. “Was he alone?”
She nodded, eyes wide and a little bit shaky, but she was alive. “Yeah.”
They moved toward each other at the same time. He holstered his weapon as he crossed the few feet to her and crushed her to his chest. She was alive. He repeated that to himself even as he kept his eyes open, scanning the area. He hugged her tighter, was glad when she returned the hard embrace. “Did he hurt you?” he rasped out, his voice shaky.
She shook her head against his chest and didn’t loosen her grip around him. “No. It’s finally over.” Her voice shook the tiniest bit, but fearless woman that she was, she was keeping it together commendably well.
Better than any civilian.
Out of instinct, he looked over his shoulder just to check on the two men. Vane was still on his stomach, cursing and squirming, but he wasn’t going anywhere.
It was truly over. As they stood there embracing, the backup team arrived. No lights or sirens announced their presence, but when Selene jumped from one of the vehicles, relief damn near overwhelmed him.
He knew that the mountain of paperwork, interviews, and debriefings they’d have to go through would be a giant pain in the ass and very lengthy in the near future, but soon he’d have Karen all to himself. He was counting down the seconds.
Chapter 22
Blown: discovery of an agent’s true identity or a clandestine activity’s true purpose.
Two days later
“I never doubted you boys for a moment,” Mary Southers said, her voice surprisingly strong as she clasped Tucker’s hands tightly in hers. Her husband’s funeral had been this morning and she was holding up better than anyone else it seemed. A slight woman, she had short dark hair and everything about her was soft and feminine.
Tucker’s throat tightened as he looked down at her. They were in her kitchen, along with a few other women who attended Mary’s church. They were getting food ready and talking quietly, but he tuned them out. The majority of the people were in the living room or sitting room, but some were on the back porch despite the cold. It had been a very long day.
He tightened his grip on hers. “I can’t tell you how much that means to me to hear. We wanted to contact you right after . . .” God, he couldn’t even say it and felt weak for it. “But we didn’t want you inadvertently pulled into that mess.”
Pale and tired-looking with slightly puffy eyes from crying, she let the ghost of a smile touch her lips. “You could have called, but I understand. And you’re all heroes now, especially you and Cole.”
Heroes was a stretch, but at least they weren’t painted as terrorist villains anymore. Of course they’d never be able to do undercover work again, but he and his men had been cleared of all wrongdoing. They were still debriefing various heads of agencies, all with the support of the DEA and NSA. He knew there would be more to come in the next couple of weeks. Some of it would go public, but most of it never would. His agency was pissed and embarrassed about their mole since Vane had caused so much damage. They were cracking down everywhere and tightening security.
He cleared his throat, feeling awkward. “I know everyone is saying this, but if you need anything let us know. We’re all here for you and the boys.” Her two sons, both still in college, were in the living room and holding up better than Tucker had expected. They both had friends with them, though, and that always made a difference.
She patted his hand and smiled. “I know that. And I’ll let you know.”
When one of her church friends came over asking about where to place a casserole in the dining room, Tucker made his way out of the kitchen. He didn’t see any of his guys or Karen in the living room or sitting room, so he headed out back.
Sure enough, the four of them along with Burkhart and some DEA guys were all standing near one of the outdoor heaters, talking and drinking beers.
As he approached the group, Cole threw his arm around Karen’s shoulders. “If you ever get tired of him—”
“Don’t even finish that thought,” he muttered, taking Cole’s beer from his hand.
Cole grumbled good-naturedly and left, likely to go grab another beer. Tucker immediately moved in next to Karen and wrapped his arm around her.
She tucked right into him, sliding her arm around his waist. He loved the way she smelled, all fresh and citrusy. “How’s Mrs. Southers?” she murmured.
“She’s a rock.”
Kane and Brooks nodded, their expressions somber.
Burkhart nodded in agreement too, the pain in his eyes clear. “She’ll weather this just like she does everything. She’s a warrior.” He raised his beer bottle a fraction as if in toast to her, and it was clear today was hard on the man.
From Tucker’s interaction with him, he knew Burkhart rarely showed emotion, but he would have known Mary as long as he had Max, since they’d been in the Navy together so many years ago. Max had had a good life and been a truly good man. His loss would be felt for a long time to come.
“So, what are you boys going to do now? Stay with the DEA?” Burkhart asked.
Tucker glanced at Kane and Brooks as Cole returned, beer in hand. They hadn’t officially made any decisions, but they’d been talking the past two days about making changes. Maybe nothing would come of it, but maybe it would. He was leaning toward a job in private security, maybe personal security or something as an instructor. The four of them had even bounced around the idea of starting their own company. But that was way in the future.
Tucker shrugged. “No idea yet.”
Burkhart’s expression turned speculative, but he nodded. “Keep me in mind if you’re looking to move on.”
Tucker nodded once but didn’t respond. Now wasn’t the time.
“I’m going to head out,” Cole said.
Tucker was thankful his friend had said it first. They’d been at the Southerses’ house most of the day, since the morning funeral, and it was time to head home.
After they said good-bye to everyone, Tucker was thankful to finally be alone with Karen in his truck, headed to Maryland. There was no one else he wanted to be with.
“You want to go somewhere else, grab a beer?” she asked, reaching across the console for his hand.
It was instinct to hold her hand now, to reach for her whenever she was near. “No, I just want to tune out the rest of the world for the night.”
“I don’t blame you. I’m sorry you lost such a good friend.” Karen seemed to intrinsically know that Max had been more friend than boss. Hell, more father figure than boss, even though he had a father he loved.