Read Online RYDER: A Standalone Military Romance (Blake Security Book 1) by Celina McKane - Free Book Online

static.
    As I ran down the stairs, I heard twelve more shots in rapid succession. They sounded like they were all coming from different directions. I was disoriented by the time my feet hit the cement of the bottom floor. I didn’t know which way to go. I called out for Dawson, and when he didn’t answer, I checked out the bottom floor. I found him in the third room I looked in…with his throat cut and a single gunshot to the head.”
    “Damn. I’m sorry, man.”
    His eyes were still thousands of miles away as he went on. “I knew that I had to stay focused and find the rest of my team. I left his body there with every intention of going back for him unless I ended up dead myself. I exited the building and stood close to it out front and scanned the area. Another shot rang out, that one whizzed by so close to my head I could almost feel it. I hit the dirt, and I just lay there, like a damned coward.”
    “Blake…”
    He ignored me and kept talking. “I don’t know if they thought I was dead or what, but that was the only shot they took at me. I couldn’t even remember how much time had passed later when I had to tell command what happened or fill out my reports. But when I finally pulled myself up out of the dirt and went to look for the rest of them, I found them all in the exact same shape as Dawson. They were all scattered out. I have no clue how they got them to split up. They’d never willingly leave their teammates. Anyways, I realized at that moment that out of six, I was the only one left alive. I was their leader and I’d failed them.”
    “Wait, Blake, listen to me. You said you heard shots while you were still in the building and only one after you came out. Those men were dead before you took cover. And damn it, what good were you going to be to anyone if you were dead, too?”
    At least I was beginning to understand what happened to him.
    “I radioed our back-up unit. They were only a couple miles behind us, but I still wasn’t getting anything back but static. I just started going from building to building. If I was going down, I wanted to take at least a few of the murdering SOBs with me, you know?” I nodded, and he said, “I cleared four of them before I heard the final shot. I’m not even sure I heard it. To this day I’m not sure if what I remember are actual memories or my imagination or what I was told. The back-up unit got there apparently before they had time to cut my throat. I had a bullet in my chest, and I was bleeding out. And while all of that was happening, a mortar shell hit the building Dawson’s body was in. There was nothing left of him. His family got to bury an empty coffin.”
    I felt sick for my friend. I’d had similar experiences that sometimes still had me waking up shaking and sweating in the middle of the night and looking for my weapon. Blake had been in charge of his unit, and that made it all that much worse. It was like a father sending his child into a burning building. “I’m sorry, man. Have you talked to anyone…?”
    “I’m talking to you.”
    He knew what I was asking, I could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t going to discuss therapy with me. I realized I should be thankful he was at least talking to me. I let it go and said, “So the trip to California has something to do with Dawson?”
    “I have been looking for his sister all of this time. I finally have a good lead on her in California. I need to talk to her face to face. It’s the only way I think I’ll ever get any peace. While I’m out there, I can talk to Celia’s mother as well and let you know if it looks like she has anything to do with this. When I get back, I’ll give you a week off, but for now I need you to take over this kidnapping investigation. The only other things we have going on are protecting that actress while she’s in town and the senator at that convention next week. This isn’t coming at a good time, I know. The actress…what the hell is her name?”
    “Starr