“Shut up Rome,” Antonio said. “I don’t harm what’s mine until I have a reason to. Chey come to me and you and I will walk out of this room. I’ll ignore the way he touched you just now.”
                          
“I don’t think you heard me the first time,” Jaxon said. “She’s not going anywhere with you and I don’t think you’re going anywhere either.”
                          
“My daughter would say differently,” he said pointing the gun at the blanket he held in his arms. “How do you think a bullet would affect a baby this small? She only weighs about ten pounds. She’d bleed out much faster than a grown man or woman don’t you think?” Jaxon heard Chey take a shuddered breath behind him.
                          
“Stop and think before you do anything. There are three guns trained on your head. You even twitch and you’re a dead man.”
                          
“I drop, the baby drops, we both die and I don’t think Chey would forgive you for that, would you Chey?” Antonio said with a smile. “I have a question, who was better in bed, this marine or the dead one?”
                          
“If we are going to go comparing things like bed prowess, why not let us settle this like men?” Jaxon said. “A man would be willing to fight for what is his and I believe you think Chey is yours.”
                          
“Chey is mine and she’ll be properly punished after you leave.”
                          
“We fight,” Jaxon said. “One on one and whoever wins takes the baby and Chey. No guns just hand to hand combat.”
                          
“What if I win?” Antonio asked.
                          
“You get the girl and the baby.”
                          
“That’s not enough,” Antonio said. “I’ve got it. You’ll watch me punish her. You seem to have the misconception that Chey has a choice to be with someone other than me, but I’d be glad to correct the mistake.”
                          
“If those are your terms,” Jaxon said.
                          
“Boss you can’t be serious,” Rome said, without hesitation Antonio turned around and shot him in the leg. Rome fell to the floor clutching the wound and screaming. “Are you crazy?”
                          
“Don’t ever question me,” Antonio said simply. Then he turned back to Jaxon and motioned for him to put down his gun.
                          
“I hope you don’t mind, but my friend over there is going to hold on to his weapon, just to make sure your friend doesn’t get any ideas.” Jaxon said lowering his gun to the floor. “Chey go take Mack.”
                          
“Yes, Chey come and get our daughter,” Chey walked cautiously over to Antonio and reached for the baby only to be backhanded. “You’ll learn not to disobey me.”
                          
“Hand over the baby,” Jaxon said through clinched teeth. Antonio handed the baby over to Chey who moved to stand next to Burt. Antonio put down his gun and stepped forward taking a fighting stance with his left foot forward.
                          
“You ready Marine?” Jaxon didn’t answer he just stepped forward taking his own fighting stance. Chey closed her eyes saying a prayer that Jaxon would win the fight. Burt looked at his watch; he knew that soon cops would swarm the place, cleaning up the rest of the mess for them and that it was important that they not be there. This operation wasn’t anywhere close to being in the books.
                          
Antonio made the first move swinging his left arm in a sucker punch; Jaxon blocked the blow and came back with a leg kick. Antonio grunted, but didn’t fall and came back with a high kick only to have Jaxon respond with a flurry of punches. They backed away from each other and started circling again, both men were breathing hard and it was hard to tell who was winning.
                          
Antonio came forward and landed a kick to Jaxon’s side and followed closely by an uppercut, Jaxon spun around and spit the blood out of his mouth. He hadn’t expected Antonio to be able to fight this well. He’d thought this would be easy and he could get Chey and Mack out quickly. He had only a few more minutes to finish this before the cops showed up. Jaxon threw a right hand punch that landed square across Antonio’s jaw. Antonio swung back but instead got caught by a quick left followed by a right hook that landed right against his temple with such force that he flew into the wall causing an indent where his body landed. The next thing he knew Jaxon was there with another flurry of punches. Finally Jaxon took a step back to see if Antonio was going to attack again. He heard a loud crack and felt the burn of a bullet in his side, another crack sounded and he saw a gun fall from Antonio’s hand. He stumbled back and Chey was there trying to catch him. They both fell to the ground.
                          
“Burt, get her out,” Jaxon said.
                          
“I’m getting us all out,” Burt said lifting Jaxon in a fireman’s carry. “Leave no man behind and all that jazz.”
                          
November 8, 2011, Annapolis, MD
                          
Chey smoothed her hand over Jaxon’s hair and watched him sleeping. She’d been scared bringing him to this stranger’s house, but Burt had assured her that this was the best option. This was an old medic from a few years back and if anyone could keep Jaxon alive, Layla Montgomery was the one to do it.
                          
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Layla said to Burt. His arm snaked around her waist.
                          
“You did it because you love me,” Burt said. Layla rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the stomach.
                          
“It was never a question if I loved you,” she said moving closer to the bed. “It was if you loved me.” Burt took a deep breath. He’d told her many times that she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but she’d placed an impossible ultimatum on the table and when he hadn’t immediately folded to her demands, she’d broken it off.
                          
“No, love was never a question,” he said.
                          
“Hey Burt I think he’s waking up,” Chey said touching Jaxon’s cheek.
                          
“Please tell me that someone got the license plate on from the truck that hit me,” Jaxon mumbled. Chey smiled.
                          
“We blew it up,” Chey said smiling down at him.
                          
“Does the fact that you’re sitting next to my sick bed, mean that you’ve forgiven me?” he asked with a smile.
                          
“You did save my life and the life of my child and that’s got me feeling all kinds of merciful.”
                          
“I promise it won’t happen again,” he said with a smile. “You can always count on my promises.” She leaned down and kissed him and he reached up holding her to deepen the kiss. “Mack?” she smiled loving that he’d already taken to calling McKenzie by her nick name.
                          
“She’s fine, sleeping in the next room.” He looked over her shoulder.
                          
“Nice to see you Layla, thanks for patching me up.” Layla rolled her eyes.
                          
“Don’t make this a regular thing. I’m not in the service anymore.”
                          
“That makes two of us,” Jaxon said ignoring Burt as he waved his arms in warning.
                          
“Oh, why did you get out?” Layla asked. Burt cleared his throat.
                          
“Why don’t we let these two have a moment,” he said knowing Jaxon’s answer would get him in trouble. Jaxon smiled, and winked at Chey. He watched as Burt pulled Layla out of the room.
                          
“Are you trying to get Burt in trouble?” Chey asked.
                          
“I think it’s his turn,” he said cupping her cheek.
                          
“His turn?” Chey asked.
                          
“You’ll see,” he answered, and then he pulled her back down for another kiss, knowing that he’d never break one of his Steele promises.
                          
THE END