If you don't know what chapter this is then you have not read A Secret Service, cause it's THAT chapter.

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Anger tore through Donovan as Carter helped him lower Link onto the cot. Unconscious, Link looked younger, almost like the little kid Donovan had first met. A boy so small he barely came up to Donovan's shoulder. Rage seared through him.

"I'm sealing you in here with Link and I'm going to get those bastards," he said to Carter, his fists clenched.

He moved to the door, but Carter darted forward, blocking this path. She pressed her hands against his chest. The touch halted Donovan, breaking a piece of his anger. 

"What are you thinking?" she said, glaring at him, her eyes full of defiance. "Did you not see the mammoth man we took down? Do you honestly think you can just go out there without a plan, when you have no idea how many more are out there?"

"They came for Link!" he said, eyes as hard as granite.

"I know!" Carter shoved him. Despite her strength, Donovan barely moved. "But that doesn't mean you can get yourself killed! Or do you want me to tell Link how you were really brave and got yourself shot?"

"Get out of my way. And stay here." His voice was low and menacing.

He needed to do something, needed to make someone hurt. Carter didn't move, didn't even flinch, her stance unwavering. 

"No! I'm not letting you do something stupid."

Donovan stared at her, wishing she would back down.

"I have to make this right!"

"Link is safe!"

"But he wasn't! I failed! Something almost happened to him and it was my fault."

Carter held his gaze, her blue eyes seeing through him.

"That may be true," she said, her voice quiet. It was a tone he had rarely heard from her, but it held all the understanding he didn't want to hear. In that moment, Donovan felt like tearing someone limb from limb. "But Link is safe now and he still needs you to protect him. I'm not letting you leave because you have to fix your pride."

Her words were like a blow. They held him from storming from the safe room, but did nothing calm his temper. Still fuming, he turned away. He tore off his blazer and flung it at the wall, wishing is was made of glass so it could shatter and ease some of his frustration. The fabric hit the hard surface with a soft thump and crumpled to the floor, unharmed.

As he stalked back and forth along the wall, he felt Carter watching him. Her gaze was hard, daring him to make another attempt to leave. Despite the anger coursing through Donovan, he was not so blinded he couldn't see the logic in what Carter said. In someways that made it all the more irritating. His muscles flexed at the cage he felt himself trapped in, but he didn't make any sign of leaving. After a tense minute, Carter left her post at the door and crossed to the speaker.

"Smith," she said, connecting the device to its counterpart.

The response was immediate as Donovan knew it would be. If he had to guess he figured Smith had been counting the seconds, waiting for them. 

"What's your status?" Smith asked, his gruff voice crackling through the black box.

Carter glanced at Donovan to see if he would talk, but he said nothing his brain still furious with himself, with the men after Link and the traitor who had sold Link out.

"Link is secure," Carter said. "He was the target."

"What?" Smith's exclamation was echoed by Mason's in the background.

Donovan spared half a thought to what this meant that Mason would be clued into Link's importance even more. It was a situation that would have to be dealt with later. Right then Donovan wanted to strangle Philips. His gaze darkened with his thoughts.

"We had to neutralize one of the men," Carter said. "We don't know how many more. We only came across two. They were searching the building. They had a picture of Link. It was his school ID."

"Current?" Smith asked.

"Yes," Donovan said, his voice a growl.

"This is not good," Smith said.

Mason's muffled voice in the background asked why. Donovan answered, the words burning inside his head.

"This is bad," he said, still pacing, "because it means that someone in the school helped orchestrate all of this. All the student records are sealed, including photo IDs."

Donovan could see how the words effected Carter, making her expression drop.

"Could it be hacked?" she asked.

"No," Smith said, "this school has one of the highest security systems because of who attends."

She looked at Donovan. "You got my records."

"I have clearance."

"So that means someone with the right clearance-"

"Or someone who works here," he finished. "That could be a long list, but how many of those people would know Link's identity?"

Donovan saw the moment all the dots connected in Carter's mind. Her eyes snapped to him, realization bright in her eyes.

"Philips," she said.

He gave a brief nod, his jaw flexing again. "Yes."

When he showed no sign of surprise, Carter's eyes narrowed, knowing he had already figured this out. For a fraction of a second irritation flickered over her face, telling him she was annoyed that she hadn't put it together as well. Even in his current state, Donovan found the look endearing, but Smith's voice banished the emotion.

"Knowing the who is not what is important at this moment," Smith said. "We are still without military aid. That is our next step."

Having a problem to solve helped drag Donovan from the edge of his anger and back into logic. Stilling, he pulled the radio and ear piece from his pocket.

"Give me a second and that might change," he said, his pent up energy finding release.

Carter explained to Smith what they had obtained from the man, while Donovan hooked the ear piece in and started working with the radio. He adjusted the dial, searching for a connection beyond the school, beyond the voices on the single band of static that filled one frequency. When nothing changed, he swore under his breath. He met Carter's gaze his frustration rising again.

"It's a secure line. Only communication is between the other men." He gripped the radio in his fingers, the plastic casing straining against his hold. Part of him wanted to break it, feel it snap under his strength, but he released his fingers before his emotions could overrule him. "Our best move now is to take out the signal jammer."

"It seems so," Smith said. There was a pause as if he hated saying his next words. Donovan already knew what he would say and knew why we was regretting it, to him they simply looked like teenagers, untrained, unruly and unpredictable. But luckily for him, that was not what they were in the slightest. "I'm sealed in this safe room and can't leave Mason," Smith finally said. "It falls on you two, to disable it and get a call out for support."

Donovan nodded. With a task ahead of them, he forced his emotions into submission. He looked at Carter, his gaze a challenge and a question. Knowing she would, she met his look with unflinching certainty.

"Don't worry," she said, eyes still holding Donovan's as if to constantly remind him that he was not leaving that safe room without her. "We'll take care of it. What are the access codes to the security booth?"

Smith conveyed all the information he could think of that would be useful to them. He finished with a pregnant pause, as if he couldn't bear to put this on two high schoolers.

"Now, what do we have to work with?" Carter asked.

The supply closets still had nothing of value. She laid out the contents of the man's pockets on the edge of the cot: zip ties, lighter, pack of cigarettes and a case of gum. In light of their task, it amounted to very little. Donovan studied the items, his brain firing off in every direction concocting plan after plan.

As they talked, Donovan turned up the volume on the radio, listening for any information worth knowing. It remained silent for the most part, only making noise when a voice spoke, saying an area was cleared.

"So far, we have one tranquilizer gun," Carter said. "No clue to the amount of men we are going to face, with the closest access to the security booth three hallways away...passed the chemistry room..."

She trailed off and Donovan waited, seeing as her gaze traveled over the odd assortment of items. When she didn't speak, he ran a hand through his hair, searching for something, anything that would aid them.

"And we're wasting time," he said, his need to move pushing him off the wall. "They will discover that one of their men is out cold soon. We need to move."

The radio crackled into life as if hearing his words.

"Holcom, check the library, Robinson isn't responding," a commanding voice said.

Carter's gaze snapped to Donovan's, something sparking in her eyes.

"I have an idea, but it's not a good one and it might not work," she said.

"Let's hear it."

She explained the simple plan. As she spoke, Donovan's brows edged closer together with each word.

"You're right, that's not a good plan. It's barely a plan," he said. "But it's all we have and we need to leave."

With Smith's resigned 'go ahead', they quickly pocketed all the items they needed. Donovan tucked the gun into his waistband. The weight of it felt familiar and reassuring. He hooked the ear piece in and slid the radio into a pocket; at least this way they would be tapped into the group's communication and would know what areas to avoid.

Before they left, Donovan gave Link one last look. His glasses were perched on the edge of his nose as if they were too big for him. It was a sight that reenforced the fact that he was still just a kid. A kid that didn't deserve to be trapped between a lie and a truth that would destroy everything. Donovan's anger at himself and the men after Link solidified into something hard and unyielding. As he stepped out of the safe room, Carter followed, glancing back just once. Smith offered a final good luck before they shut the door, sealing Link inside.

Carter guided him through the maze of gray cement tunnels. Each step was sure, like she had run around these tunnels all her life. As the distance grew between the safe room and them, Donovan felt himself pull away from thoughts of Link. For now he was safe and all of Donovan's focus was needed in keeping him that way. His heart rate remained even, his body sinking into a rhythm that hummed along with the adrenaline in his veins, making his mind sharp.

Carter led them up a short flight of stairs and then stopped before a blank wall. The space was tight and Donovan could feel the energy radiating off of her. In the light of the tunnels,  he studied her. Despite the calm look on her face, he could see the emotions tumbling around in her eyes. For a moment, he forgot about everything, all he could focus on was the girl before him, determined to not leave his side against what it could mean if she stayed.

"You don't have to do this," he said.

He said the words without any emotion, letting her know that she could back down without feeling guilty. That she could say that she would stay behind and let him take this one on his own. Knowing she never would and part of him loving that she wouldn't, he knew she would never leave him. Not here. Not now.

Then without warning, she kissed him.

Donovan didn't have time to react before she was pulling away, her face even as if it was nothing. But it wasn't.

"That's in case something happens to one of us," she said.

Even though he had heard the words, they meant absolutely nothing to him.  It was as if it had been a dull buzzing. All the emotions and thoughts he had been trying to fight for so long all came crashing into him. In that instant all he could think about was her, her lips.

Grabbing her waist, he kissed her.

As he pulled her against him, his other hand moved to the back of her neck, digging into the her hair. Carter responded instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck, her strong fingers gripping his shirt, deepening the kiss. Donovan tightened his hold on her, as if needing to know that this was all real. Carter felt like a fire that was burning him, consuming all that he was but in that moment he didn't care.

The intensity of the moment made it seem timeless. When they broke away it had only been seconds. Donovan stared down at her, memorizing every detail of her face all over again. There was a devilish look in her blue eyes and the edge of her perfect lips were quirked to one side. 

"Well," she said, slightly breathless. "Let's make it out of this alive, cause I want to do that again."

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Fight me!

Actually please don't, I have weak wrists and bruise easily. 😳

Gonna be honest with you, I went back and forth over every single cuss word I put in my book. Seriously, I wanted to keep it as clean as possible but "Let's get these guys" just doesn't have the same ring to it and doesn't convey the same amount of anger at all. So I went with it but still I sometimes wonder if it's too much?

Anywho! Tell me what you think of his version!

Was it fun seeing it from his point of view when you knew what was coming?

Cote, tomment, mollow!