Marcus

Chapter Thirteen

 Marcus ~

Medics rushed Caroline into the medical unit and got her set up with an IV for dehydration while Marcus and the rest of his team waited outside.

The initial shock of seeing Caroline alive and breathing was starting to wear off enough for Marcus to experience the complete and utter joy of knowing that he didn't have to wait a lifetime to see Caroline again, she was in the next room, with nothing but a door between them.

An uncontrollable smile spread across Marcus' face and his chest rose and fell with fast paced breaths of excitement.

"Holy fucking shit." Austin said in amazement.

"You got that right." Marcus agreed, running his hand through his hair with a smile still plastered on his face.

The man Caroline was with came around the corner with fire in his eyes and anger that Marcus knew was meant just for him. 

Taking a step forward to try and separate himself from his teammates, Marcus readied himself for whatever the man had to say, which didn't look like it was going to be pleasant.

"Who the fuck are you?" The man said in a furious tone.

Watch your tone little man.

"I could ask you the same question." Marcus returned, folding his arms across his chest.

Marcus eyed the man and prayed that he wasn't going to say he was Caroline's boyfriend. Even the thought of her dating someone else made his stomach twist into knots.

"I'm her partner." The man said.

"Like life partner?" Austin asked, arching a brow as he upheld his role as teammate and wingman.

The man's expression became pinched and he shook his head in confusion.

"What? No. CIA partner." The man corrected Austin who grinned back at him and then at Marcus.

"You got a name partner?" Marcus grumbled.

"Cooper. And you?" Cooper asked, growing more irritated with Marcus with every passing second.

"Marcus."

The blood in Cooper's face drained slightly and he refocused his attention directly onto Marcus' face.

"Marcus what?" Cooper asked flatly, narrowing his eyes at Marcus.

"Cordell."

Cooper's eyes went wide and he swallowed hard at Marcus' statement.

"Holy fuck... Lizzy's Marcus?" Cooper muttered under his breath.

Lizzy, I'm gonna have to get used to that. She's got to be using that alias for a reason.

"But you're - she said you were..." Cooper's voice trailed off allowing Marcus to finish his sentence.

"Dead? Yeah there's been a lot of confusion about that lately."

Cooper huffed out a hard breath and leaned against the wall, staring at the floor as he let Marcus' words and existence sink in.

"This doesn't make any sense...you had a casket, Man and a head stone, I've seen pictures."

"A casket?"

"Yeah. I hadn't started working with Liz yet, but My buddy Lewis was here when they loaded your casket onto the cargo plane. Said Lizzy wouldn't leave you, that she clung to your casket for over an hour in the rain while a group of enlisted men held umbrellas over her. Most guys that were around at the time remember it well. Said it was the saddest shit they'd ever witnessed."