Page 39 of Almost There
“Help me get him inside,” Sgt. Sierra cried. His voice was an echo through the pounding in Landon’s ears and he grabbed the discarded keys off the floor, finding the right one to open the door with shaking hands.
Both men grabbed the boulder of a man by his shoulders, heaving him into the apartment.
“Get away from me.” GySgt. Fuimaono swung his fist and Landon jumped back before it connected with his skull. He lunged forward again, wrapping his entire torso around Gunny’s bicep, as Sierra tried to get control of his other arm. Even with the two of them clinging for dear life, Gunny crawled to his knees, still fighting.
“Gunny, you’ve got to cool off.” Tears streamed down Sierra’s cheeks.
“Please Gunny,” Landon begged. They weren’t going to be able to hold him. “Let’s figure out what happened before you tear this place apart.”
“I am calm,” GySgt. Fuimaono screamed; his face twisted with rage as he flung them to the ground. “And you can see what happened. Someone hurt her. Someone is going to die.”
“We need to find her.” Landon scrambled to his feet with his heart beating out of his chest. He scanned the room, terrified her body would be there somewhere.
“I’ll check the bedrooms,” Sgt. Sierra whispered.
“She’s gone,” GySgt. Fuimaono spit through clenched teeth as he pointed to the message written in black on the wall behind the table. Landon blinked, rereading the words again and trying to make sure his brain wasn’t snapping.
“Why would she be with Tessa?” Tessa was here. Landon put his fist in his mouth to stop the scream that was building and threatening to crack him in half. What if something happened to Tessa too?
Landon backed to the door with his heart still pounding. “Let’s go Gunny. We know where she is. Let’s go get her. Now.”
“You go.” GySgt. Fuimaono’s eyes were bloodshot and his lips curled into a snarl. “You tell her I’m going to fix this for her. I’ll be there as soon as I’m done.”
“Don’t be stupid, Gunny!” Spit flew from Landon’s mouth as he screamed. Sgt. Sierra’s jaw dropped and he stepped back with his hands raised as GySgt. Fuimaono stood toe to toe with Landon. The man towered over him, but Landon wasn’t backing down. Not when his wife’s name was written on that wall. The gunnery sergeant’s whole body began to shake and he raised his fists, pressing them against the sides of his head as if he could beat the image from his brain.
“This is my shame.” Hot tears escaped from the man’s closed eyes as the pain broke him. “I wasn’t here to protect her and I can’t face her until I figure out who did this. You go tell her I said I’m sorry and make sure she is safe. I’ll be there when I have this bastard’s head to set on a platter at her feet.”
“Or you could go ask her who it was…” Sgt. Sierra’s voice trailed off as GySgt. Fuimaono stormed through the open door. He looked to Landon helplessly. “What are we going to do?”
“It’s not like we can leave him like this.” Landon clenched his jaw, wanting to smack some sense into the man and knowing it wouldn’t do any good. Why was Tessa even here? He glanced down at the blood soaked mattress that was ripped apart on the walkway, its springs and stuffing spilling like innards by his boots. If something happened to her…
Landon tightened the grip on his rifle as he ran after Gunny.
“Guess we’re doing this,” Sgt. Sierra muttered, hurrying to keep up.
The wood bounced and threatened to crack as GySgt. Fuimaono beat his fist against the apartment complex manager’s door. The blinds parted a fraction of an inch before the locks were shifted and the door creaked open to reveal the bruised face of a skinny man with long hair tied on top of his head in a bun. There was a braided bracelet tied around his wrist that hung suspended in a makeshift sling.
His eyes widened with hope at seeing the men in uniform and the military vehicle behind them, but GySgt. Fuimaono instantly crushed that when he put his hand around the man’s neck and lifted him off his feet.
“What happened to my fiancé?” GySgt. Fuimaono demanded, inches from the man’s terrified face.
“He can’t answer if you break his trachea, Gunny!” Landon yanked on his elbow and pried the apartment manager from GySgt. Fuimaono’s grasp. The manager took a step back, gasping for air, as Landon tried to keep him upright.
“What the hell, man?” He coughed out the words once he regained his footing. “I don’t even know who your fiancé is.”
Sgt. Sierra moved in front of GySgt. Fuimaono, providing a physical barrier for the manager’s safety. “Apartment 3B. A tall blond named Robin. There was a mattress outside her door.”
“That wasn’t me if that’s what you think.” The manager’s bottom lip began to quiver. “She pulled that out last week after the first group of jerks came through.”
“The first?” Sgt. Sierra cocked his head to the side.
“It’s been pretty quiet after that until today.” The manager tried to straighten his chin. Landon and Sierra moved as one, holding GySgt. Fuimaono back before he burst through the doorframe.
“Do you have a death wish?” Sierra called over his shoulder. “What jerks are you talking about? What did they do?”
“I don’t know, man.” The manager jumped back further out of reach, cradling his injured arm to his chest as his voice raised an octave. “It was some gang or something. They all had teardrop tattoos on their cheeks and they went door to door ransacking food a few days after the lights went out.”
GySgt. Fuimaono tensed with his heated glare zeroed in on the man. “Did you do anything to protect her?”