Protecting Salvation: A Shadow Elite Novel

Hurricane walked over to Watchdog who was standing in the corner of Bás and Val’s garden with a beer in his hand. He scanned the garden looking for Peyton but she must have been inside with some of the others because he couldn’t find her. He didn’t know why he’d behaved like he had but her asking about his health had suddenly made him nervous about tomorrow’s operation. He’d lashed out like an asshole at the one person who meant more to him than anything in this world. Yet instead of apologising, he’d doubled down and hurt her very publicly.

He came to stand beside his friend. They watched the garden in silence as kids played and friends chatted, blowing off steam and laughing. This time tomorrow his life would either be over or very different. It was a terrifying pill to swallow.

“Not in all the time we’ve known each other have I ever been ashamed to call you my friend.”

Hurricane tensed at Watchdog’s words but didn’t speak.

“Not until today at least.” He turned and gave him a look which lodged a boulder in his chest. Anger, disappointment, it was all there and he had no real defence. “You hurt a woman who’s been nothing but kind, supportive, and loves you right down to her marrow and you did it publicly and brutally.”

“You don’t know the details.”

“Don’t need to. There’s no excuse for the way you behaved today. Not a Goddamn one.”

Hurricane wanted to defend himself but he knew deep down what he’d done was indefensible. He’d seen the confusion followed by the hurt on her face and at any time he could have got up and fixed it. He could have shown her he was sorry instead of behaving like a brat.

Watchdog turned and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Can I give you some advice?”

“Sure, why not.”

“When you have a woman who looks at you like she does, you fight with everything you’ve got to keep them. You don’t lash out and push them away. You hold them tight because we never know when today will be our last.”

“I’m having surgery tomorrow.” He blurted the words out and felt his composure break.

“Does she know?”

Hurricane shook his head. “I don’t want her waiting in some room to see if I live or die.”

“You got a donor?”

“No. Well, yes, technically but it’s not an option.” He wouldn’t tell him why because it was his decision.

“And your odds?”

Hurricane shrugged. “Sixty-forty.”

“I’m sorry, man, and I want you to know I love you, but it still doesn’t excuse what happened here today. If you die tomorrow and I pray to God that you don’t, then her last memory of you will be of you turning her away. She’ll think you didn’t love her and I know that isn’t the case.”

“I do love her.”

“Then tell her. Make it right.”

Hurricane sniffed and swiped at the tears in his eyes as he turned away and tried to laugh it off. “Fuck, man, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“They don’t call me Watchdog for nothing. I know everything, including the fact your girl left about half an hour ago and took a cab home.”

“What?”

Watchdog angled his head. “She’s strong. Strong women won’t put up with shit like you did today and I don’t fucking blame her.”

“I gotta go.” He was jogging towards the house when Titan stepped in his way. “Man, I need to go.”

“We’ve got a problem.”

“What is it? Can it wait?”

“No. Trevor escaped. It seems McCain helped him.”

Hurricane felt like every single millilitre of blood drained out of his face. “Peyton.”

“Lotus has gone to tell her.”

Hurricane gripped Titan’s shoulder. “No, she left. I was a dick and she left. She went home. She’s on her own.”

“Ah, fuck.”

Hurricane ran toward the door as Titan followed behind, shouting something to him but his sole focus was getting to the woman he loved and telling her he was sorry and that he loved her.

“What’s going on?”

Bás stepped in his way, Bishop and Reaper beside him, Bein coming up behind with Duchess and Snow.

“Peyton left.”

“Not surprised. You were a prize prick today. What the fuck was that about?”

Duchess didn’t mince her words and he loved that about her but right now he didn’t have time. “I’ll explain later but Trevor is out. McCain broke him out and Peyton is alone.”

“Let’s go.”

Bás lifted his arm and waved in a circle and every member of Shadow began to run.

Watchdog confirmed she’d gone into her house and hadn’t come out but his next words made Hurricane almost drop to his knees. “Trevor has her.”

They stood around Bás’ living room TV as Watchdog streamed footage from a CCTV camera near the school that backed onto her garden. It showed Peyton being led towards a dark Vauxhall near the road. Two men were in the shot, one was clearly McCain.

Hurricane dropped his head forward, hands braced on his knees as he sucked in a breath. “Oh, God.”

Snow rubbed his back as she stood next to him. “We’ll get her back.”

“Watchdog, find out where they’re headed. I want to know where they have her and how the fuck this happened. Duchess, get Aubrey on the line right now.”

He had her, he had her, he had her. It was like a fucking mantra in his brain. He could hardly function thinking about the woman he loved being alone with such evil men and it was his fault. If he’d just answered her question and not been a complete dick, she never would’ve left and she’d be here. He could have protected her from them when they got home but no, he was selfish and he’d hurt her and now she might die because of it.

“How did they get in? We have an alarm.”

“It’s offline so maybe they cut the power.”

“It has a backup battery.”

Watchdog looked at him with sympathy. He had no answers and he knew better than anyone the kind of evil that could be done in just a few short hours.

“Okay, I’ve got something.” Lotus was crawling through street cameras but she wouldn’t look at him and he knew she was angry and she had every right to be. Aoife was beside herself and Bram kept looking at him like he was the fucking enemy and was three seconds from knocking his teeth into his belly.

“Look, they’re at the racecourse.”

“What?” He wasn’t sure why they’d be there and then it hit him. A helicopter could take off from there. It was why the air ambulance used it for accidents in the city.

“Helicopter.”

“Shit.”

Bás looked at him and put his hands on his hips. Hurricane was no longer cleared to fly. The new guys were deep in the mountains on some training exercise Bás had sent them on to see if they had what it took for Shadow.

“Don’t you fucking dare try and ground me. I’m her only shot and you know it.”

“We both know that you’re not fit to fly, that your tumour is worsening.”

“Maybe. But I’m her best shot. If I fly from here you can have Watchdog track us both and meet us on the ground.”

“And if you crash because you pass out or your vision goes?”

“If I die trying to save the woman I love then I’m fine with that. I won’t live without her so don’t ask me to. You’d do the same. Any of you would.”

The room fell silent and he knew he’d struck a chord, but they didn’t like it. “I love her and I have to try.”

“You should let him go.” Snow stepped up beside him and Bás glared at her but then Val did the same.

“You’d do it, Niall.”

“Fuck’s sake. Fine.”

“I’m going with him.”

“Me too.”

Lotus stepped up beside him and so did Titan.

“No.”

“Boss man, I’m going. He needs someone with him and I don’t have someone waiting for me.”

“You have us, Lotus.”

She smiled sadly. “Not the same and you know it.”

“Fine but if any of you die, you’re all fucking fired.”

“Absolutely, boss man.”

“Bein, you know what to do.”

Bein was already running toward the large barn at the back of the property because, of course, Bás had a helicopter on site. Everyone had laughed when he’d bought it but now he’d never been happier to be proven wrong. Lotus handed him equipment, including comms and a weapon as Bein pulled the chopper out using a tractor. The helicopter was set on a trailer which made it easy to hook up.

In no time he was flicking the controls and hearing the familiar whirring of the blades. It was like coming home, but he’d give up all of it to have Peyton safe. Lotus and Titan buckled in and they were lifting off. His vision wasn’t perfect but he was okay as he turned the chopper and headed out following Bás’ directions in his ear.

“We’ll meet you at the location. Watchdog is staying on-site to coordinate.”

“Roger that.”

As he flew over familiar views of mountains and fields of green and gold he saw beauty everywhere and yet his heart was breaking and the guilt and panic clawing at him were like the blades of a blunt knife.

He’d get her back safe and he was never letting her go and if it took his entire life to get her forgiveness, he’d gladly sacrifice every second of it. Peyton was everything to him and he just hated that she didn’t know it.

“She’s smart. She knows you’ll figure it out and come after her,” Titan spoke trying to bolster him, but Lotus just looked out the window.

“Does she know that? After today I doubt she does.”

Lotus swung her head to him from the co-pilot’s chair. “Why were you such a dick today?”

Her arms were folded, her expression fierce. She might have his back but she was pissed as hell and he was sorry he’d disappointed his friend but happy that Peyton had a friend like Lotus. She was loyal and would fight a lion barehanded to keep those she loved safe.

“She asked about my health.”

“What? Are you fucking kidding me? She asked about your health and you froze her out?”

“I’m having surgery tomorrow and it’s risky. I didn’t want her to know and I panicked.”

“You panicked?”

“Yes, Lotus, I fucking panicked. I have more to live for now than ever in my life. I might die tomorrow and never get to see the woman I love with a child we share or hold her hand as we watch our grandchildren and it fucking guts me. So when she asked I was a dick and I regret that more than you’ll ever know.”

“Well, good.”

“Good? Is that what you have to say to me?”

“What do you want? A big dance number?”

“Fucking hell.”

He shook his head but Lotus smiled. That was it. As far as she was concerned all was forgiven. He just hoped he got to do the same with Peyton, otherwise, he might as well be dead.