Free Seized (Hostage Rescue Team Series, #7) by Kaylea Cross Page A

go.” Schroder slapped him on the right shoulder as he stood and Sawyer bit back a growl, narrowing his eyes at his teammate.
    Dammit, once the freezing wore off in the stitches, both his shoulders were going to ache like a bitch. Sawyer hitched up his pants and did up the fly. This whole night had been one giant goatfuck so far. He just wanted this situation dealt with so he could talk to Carmela, see if he could smooth things over between them. He couldn’t stand this.
    “Well, good news is as of right now, unless something comes up we’ve got mostly meetings for the next few days. Whatever exercises we do, if you’re not up to them, you tell me right away. Got it?” DeLuca told him.
    He’d never jeopardize his teammates’ safety by taking part in an exercise or mission if he couldn’t physically handle it. But he wasn’t going to pussy out because of a few stitches and a possible tear in his rotator cuff, either. “Yes, sir.”
    The affirmative response and respectful tone seemed to placate his boss. DeLuca nodded and straightened in the doorway. “You need a ride to the station?”
    “Nah, but thanks.”
    “Okay. You need anything else, let me know. Before you ask any of the guys next time,” he added with a pointed stare.
    Sawyer inclined his head and hid a smile. “Will do.”
    When DeLuca was gone Sawyer and Schroder cleaned up the bathroom and rinsed out the bloody washcloths in the tub. Another knock came at the door a few minutes later and Carmela answered, letting Tuck in.
    The team leader handed Sawyer a fresh shirt and did his own visual inspection of the wound. Seeming satisfied with how things had been handled, he left. Sawyer put on the clean shirt, thanked Schroder for his help, and walked down to the lobby with Carmela.
    She sat in the back seat beside him, didn’t say anything as the cab pulled away from the front of the hotel. The silence became uncomfortable so Sawyer filled it. “This shouldn’t take too long, hopefully. I’ll have you back to your hotel soon.”
    She glanced over at him, her features illuminated by the rhythmic flicker of streetlamps they passed. “You sore?”
    “Not yet. Still numb.”
    She turned her head to look out the windshield. “I didn’t thank you yet, by the way.”
    “For what?” Him putting her in a dangerous situation they’d been lucky to get out of with only a scratch? He definitely didn’t deserve thanks for that.
    “For protecting me,” she finished softly, lowering her eyes to where her hands were wrapped around the purse in her lap. “So, thank you.”
    He should never have allowed them to get into that kind of situation in the first place. “It was nothing,” he muttered instead, not wanting to talk about the incident when they had way more important things to discuss.
    He couldn’t wait to get the damn police statement out of the way so they could get to what really mattered, starting with clearing the air between them once and for all.

Chapter Five
    ––––––––
    N ow that the freezing had worn off, the wound in his shoulder was throbbing like a freaking toothache.
    Sawyer sat beside Carmela at the station while they gave their official statements and answered more questions for the cops involved with the case. Officers had initially responded to the scene of the shooting a few minutes after Sawyer’s call from the SUV, and from the security camera footage they’d reviewed, they’d identified both suspects. Both were known to them.
    Using mug shot photos, Sawyer and Carmela confirmed the identity of the two men they’d seen in the stairwell. After signing their statements and giving their contact information in case police required anything more, they were free to go.
    Finally , Sawyer thought, both dreading and welcoming the coming talk. He was sore and tense and not in the best frame of mind for this conversation, but it had to be done and it had to be now. And if she didn’t accept his reasoning about why they