Glennon’s spine tingled. She’d gotten that right. That’d been one of the two reasons she’d called him for help in the first place. The man had been sculpted from steel and infused with a determination like no other. Like the good Ranger he was supposed to be. As for the other reason... Heat crawled up her neck. She ran her hand through her hair as a distraction.
“But I should tell you, he’s not going to be very happy when he wakes up,” Elizabeth said.
“What do you mean?” Glennon straightened in the bed. Had he changed his mind? Would she have to find Bennett on her own now that they’d discovered Mascaro’s involvement in her partner’s disappearance? She swallowed hard. If the past two days revealed anything about this investigation, it was that she couldn’t do this on her own.
“During the firefight downtown, something happened.” Elizabeth reached into her jacket pocket, her expression guarded. She extracted a tangle of titanium. Shoving to her feet, she crossed the room and offered the mess to Glennon. Short dark hair hid her expression. “And I’m not sure what he’ll do when he finds out about it.”
Recognition flared. Anthony’s favorite pair of aviator sunglasses. The exact pair she’d gifted him once upon a time had been destroyed. Lenses cracked, one earpiece missing completely. A laugh bubbled up Glennon’s throat. “I can’t believe he still has these.” Well, had. She ran the pad of her thumb over the tinted glass. “I bought them for him right after I graduated basic training.”
He’d kept them after all this time. Just as he’d kept her engagement ring around his neck. Her head pounded. Damn it. This was supposed to be easy. She’d had a plan. Find Bennett. Resign from the Military Police. Put in her discharge papers and get on with her life. Her and Hunter. The two of them against the world. That was it.
But now... Anthony was there. Protecting her. Risking his life for her. Resurrecting a part of her she hadn’t expected to feel ever again.
And now he’d been centered in crosshairs meant for her.
Because of her.
“What about the shooter?” she asked.
The lighting from behind the bed sharpened the edges of the Elizabeth’s jawline. “What shooter?”
Her throat tightened. Glennon struggled to swallow and she could only imagine how bad the bruises on her neck looked. “We were ambushed. He ran us off the road.”
“The team has been scouring that scene for the past eight hours with Anchorage PD,” Elizabeth said. “There wasn’t any evidence of a shooter.”
Air rushed from her lungs. He’d gotten away?
“Then I need to get out of here.” Glennon set the sunglasses on the bedside table and threw back the sheets. She pulled the catheters and monitors from her skin. Rushing to collect her clothes from the nook under the window, she spun toward the bathroom. “I’ve wasted enough time when I should be out there looking for my partner.”
“I can see why Anthony’s broken Sullivan’s number one rule for you.” Elizabeth’s voice stopped her cold. “You’re as stubborn as he is.”
Glennon turned. “What rule?”
“We’re warned about falling for our clients or coworkers.” Elizabeth stood, crossing her arms across her middle. The gun inhibited some of her movement, but the network analyst didn’t seem to mind. Might’ve even been used to it. “Causes too many problems with our assignments. Once emotions get involved, makes it hard for us to focus on the job. Leads to risks that might’ve been avoided in the first place.”
Elizabeth wanted to talk about risks? The tiny muscles along Glennon’s jaw jerked. She’d risked everything—her job, her partner, her life—in going to Anthony for help. If she hadn’t? The price would’ve been far greater. Not just for her but for everyone in her life.
“Sounds like you’ve learned from personal experience.” Besides, Anthony wasn’t falling for her. Couldn’t be. Not after what she’d done to him. Not after dragging him into this mess, after putting his life in danger. Glennon shook her head, thankful the rapid flutter of her heart rate couldn’t register on the screens anymore. None of this had been part of the plan. A blast of cold air from the vent above reminded her how exposed she was standing there in only a thin sheet of a gown. How vulnerable. She hugged her still damp clothing—and her empty shoulder holster—tighter. “I thought you were the computer expert. Not the profiler.”
“I don’t need to get inside Anthony’s head to see something clearly staring me in the face.” Elizabeth headed for the door. Wrenching the thick door open, she turned back, frozen in the doorway. “Be careful, Glennon. If anybody on this team is compromised, we’re all at risk. And so are our clients.”
Elizabeth disappeared into the hallway.
She was right. Glennon clutched her clothing tighter. Letting old feelings come between her and Anthony, letting him in again, would endanger them both. The investigation. That was all that mattered. All that could matter.
She pushed her legs into her jeans and finished dressing as fast as she could. Her army credentials had been set on the table beside the bed. Hospital administration had most likely registered her into the system using her ID. The army would know she’d been here, had probably already sent someone for her. The marshal wasn’t the only compromised operative in Nicholas Mascaro’s unit. The two shooters from the garage had been military. So she didn’t have much time.
Where was her service weapon?
Palming her credentials into her hand, Glennon paused as she reached for Anthony’s broken sunglasses. Every second she wasted in this room stacked against her chances of recovering Bennett, but she didn’t move. Couldn’t. Anthony had broken Blackhawk Security’s number one rule. For her.
Her forehead throbbed as she backed toward the door, leaving the sunglasses behind. If she left now—
The door swung inward. “Going somewhere?”
Anxiety flooded the muscles down her spine. That voice... She closed her eyes, committing it to memory all over again. Glennon tamped down the need to hear his heart beat against her ear, to confirm for herself he was okay. “Elizabeth told you I was leaving.”
“You hired me to protect you.” He stood directly behind her. How had he moved so quietly? So quickly? Anthony’s voice dipped into dangerous territory. “I don’t stop when I’m tired or injured. I only stop when the job is done. And I’m not done with you.”
A tremor chased across her back, loosening the small muscles down her spine. She automatically leaned toward him, her weight shifting onto her heels. That pull he had on her... She’d always been weak when he’d gotten so close. Tendrils of his controlled exhalations raised the hairs on the back of her neck. All she had to do was fall. And he’d catch her. He’d already proved as much over the last few days. So why did the thought of taking that final leap paralyze her to the core?
Elizabeth’s claims echoed through her mind. Emotional attachment brought risk, could compromise the entire team. And no matter how much she wanted—no, needed—that human connection right now, Glennon couldn’t risk the fall. He’d left her without a net once. She wouldn’t let it happen again. “Is that all you see me as? A job?”
That would make moving on after the investigation a lot easier.
“I want you, Glennon. Always have.” The words were nearly a growl from between his lips. He moved into her, his chest pressed against her spine. Predatory. Dangerous. But at his core, Anthony was a man who’d fight desperately for his clients. Fight for her. His body heat tunneled beneath her clothing, chasing away the myriad aches and pains. “We’re in this together. Until the end. And I’ll be damned if I let you walk out of my life again.”
Chapter Nine
Hypothermia. Stab wound. Bullet wound in his thigh. It would’ve been a hell of a way to die.
But all of that vanished with Glennon turning into him, her rosy scent spreading through his system. He’d meant every word. Every cell in his body, every
thought, wanted her. Always had. What that meant for their future—if they even had a future—he didn’t know. But he wasn’t about to lose her all over again. Not without a fight.
The bruise on her forehead had faded slightly, but guilt ate at him. He framed her jawline, running the pad of his thumb across the lump where her head had hit the steering wheel. To her credit, she didn’t flinch. First the bullet in her shoulder then the head wound. Some kind of bodyguard she’d hired. “I’m sorry I didn’t take better care of you.”
“I’m alive, aren’t I? That’s what I hired you to do.” Brilliant green eyes locked on him. A small curl of one side of her mouth brought his attention to her lips. How in the world could she stand there as though they hadn’t just been through hell and back? “But in the future, not dying while we’re trying to escape a pair of corrupt soldiers would help your cause.”
A laugh rumbled through his chest. Right. She’d saved his life, too, hadn’t she? Dragging his ass out of that garage while dodging an onslaught of bullets couldn’t have been easy. Her determination to get the job done had saved his life. No matter the risk. “Guess that makes us even.”
“Not even close, Ranger. You...” She dropped her hand, her smile disappearing, but didn’t move away. Her shoulders rose on a strong inhale, color draining from her features. “I thought you were going to die. All that blood—”
“I owe you my life.” He closed the slight distance between them.
She lifted her gaze to his. Her expression said she didn’t believe him.
Anthony set his hands on her hips, locking her against him. He understood. All too easily, those agonizing seconds of panic, the memories of almost losing her as he’d fought to expel the water from her lungs rushed to the front of his mind. And he never wanted to think about them again.
He moved slowly, giving her a chance to escape. Planting his mouth below her earlobe, he inhaled as much of her as he could, making her a part of him. Forever. “We survived. Together. That’s all that matters.”
Glennon nodded into his chest but hesitation stiffened the muscles along her back. “I just... Not knowing if you were going to make it out of that garage alive, if I could get you the help you needed, were the worst seconds of my life. I never want to go through that again.”
“Keep talking like that and I’ll think you care about me, sweetheart.” The steady thump of his heart pulsed into his left ribs and thigh. Nearly sixty stitches ached as they stood there in the middle of her hospital room, but Anthony didn’t dare move. He’d stay in this moment forever if she’d let him, hold on to her as long as he could. Pretend nothing bad waited outside those hospital doors. Pain be damned. She was worth every agonizing second. He slid his fingers beneath her jaw, notching her chin higher. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good. Because I can’t do this by myself. I don’t want to do this by myself.” She passed her tongue across the small cut in her lower lip. “I need you.”
“You have me. You always have.” The control he’d held on to so tightly since that first kiss in her barracks drained from his veins. Anthony crushed her against his chest, his mouth on hers, his fingertips digging into her lower back. Careful of each and every wound, he memorized the one woman who could break him inch by slow, agonizing inch. The remnants of spearmint exploded across his tongue as he explored her mouth. Fresh. Invigorating.
Damn, he’d missed this. Missed her. Desire barreled through him, tightening the muscles down his back and across his shoulders. He kissed her slowly, carefully, savoring every move of her mouth against his as he threaded his fingers through the base of her ponytail. Forget her missing partner. Forget Nicholas Mascaro. Forget the past. All he needed was Glennon. Here. Now. Forever. His lungs worked overtime to keep up with his racing heartbeat. He’d let her slip away once, but the truth rang clear as he broke the kiss. He’d kill to keep her by his side.
Hell, he already had. And he’d pull that trigger all over again if it meant she stayed here.
“This is a bad idea.” Stiffening, she pulled away, running one hand through her hair. She did that a lot. Used that single action to distance herself from him. Emotionally. Physically. But she wouldn’t get away that easily. Not this time. “It’s not part of the plan.”
“And at exactly what point in your plan did you expect to be shot, get run off the road by a contracted soldier, and drown in Turnagain Arm?” he asked.
“You make a valid point.” A laugh burst from between her lips and she pressed her fingertips to the cut at one corner. “Do you remember anything after the crash? I hit my head pretty hard. It’s still all a bit fuzzy.”
Anthony let her take a step back. His skin cooled at the loss of her natural heat, but he’d remember the feel of her pressed against him. Forever. “Bits and pieces.”
The memories of those final moments before his body had finally shut down had replayed in his head over and over since he’d woken in his room a few hours ago. How could he possibly tell her the truth? This entire investigation—her investigation—depended on her partner’s innocence. On Sergeant Bennett Spencer being Mascaro’s target, as Glennon had become.
Only they’d been wrong from the start.
“Elizabeth said the police couldn’t find any evidence of the shooter that followed us out of the garage. How is that possible?” she asked. “Some Good Samaritan witnessed the whole thing but he never saw the shooter and his accomplice in the Mack truck run us off the road in the first place?”
Good Samaritan? That wasn’t how Anthony remembered it. He curled his fingers into his palm. Damn it. He couldn’t hide this from her. If they were going to find Bennett and put an end to this investigation, he had to tell her the truth. “There is no Good Samaritan. The driver of the truck isn’t working with the shooter. He killed the shooter.”
Glennon froze for a split second, one hand fastened around the back of her neck. “How do you know that?”
“After I resuscitated you on the shoreline, the shooter came to finish the job.” Pressure built behind his sternum. He’d fought like hell to get to his weapon, but he’d been helpless. Worthless. Now that he thought about it, Anthony supposed he owed the driver a thank-you. “He didn’t get the chance.”
“Why would the driver do that?” She sank onto the edge of the hospital bed, her gaze distant, questioning. “If they weren’t working together, why run us off the road in the first place? Why drive us to the hospital? It doesn’t make sense.”
No. It didn’t. But in a missing persons investigation, there were no easy answers. And she wasn’t about to like his next one, either. “Bennett Spencer was driving the Mack truck, Glennon. He ran us off the highway. He killed the shooter before the bastard had a chance to abduct you.”
Her attention snapped to him, lips parting on a strong exhale, features smooth. Her white-knuckled grip tightened on the edge of the mattress. “That son of a bitch. I knew it.”
She knew what, exactly? “I just told you I recognized your partner as the man driving the truck who ran us off the road, and that he killed one of Mascaro’s operatives. And that makes sense to you?”
“I was going to wait until I was sure...” She pushed to her feet, one hand diving into her jacket pocket then out again. Her fingers uncurled and centered in her palm was a small American flag pin. It wasn’t anything special, available at any drugstore, but it obviously held some kind of significance. She wouldn’t have kept it otherwise. “I found this at your cabin. After the operative broke in.”
“Is this supposed to mean something to me?” Anthony took the pin, his fingertips sliding against her palm. A surge of awareness shot up his arm, resurrecting only a sliver of the desire burning through his veins, but Glennon didn’t seem to notice. Or was she focused on the pin to avoid looking at him?
“No, but it means something to me. It’s Bennett’s.” She nodded toward the evidence—evidence she’d k
ept secret from him for two days. “He’s kept it in his desk drawer as long as I can remember. It was his sister’s. Never wore it, never told me why he’d held on to it after all these years, but it was important to him.” Glennon crossed her arms over her chest. Shaking her head, she turned away from him as a hint of pink colored her face and neck. “I couldn’t find it after he went missing. Now I know why.”
“Because the marshal was telling the truth.” Anthony’s stomach dropped. Hell. Things were about to get bloodier and messier. With Glennon centered in the middle of it all. “Bennett is part of Mascaro’s crew.”
“Looks that way. So you have a choice. You can return to your surveillance assignments and get back the life you had before I added you to Mascaro’s hit list. Or you can help me bring the bastards down. All of them. Bennett included.” Red tinged her cheeks. “Either way, I have to go. What’s it going to be, Ranger?”
“When have you ever known me to shy away from a fight?” He handed the pin back to her and patted himself for weapons. The staff had confiscated everything when Sergeant Spencer had dumped them at the hospital’s front door. They were going to have to make a pit stop. “Just tell me where we’re going.”
“At the moment, to get my gun back.” Glennon rushed past him, her shoulder clipping his arm. She ripped open the door. Half turning her face toward him, she froze. “Then to protect my son.”
* * *
HOW COULD BENNETT do this to her? Two years as partners. She’d trusted him with her life, trusted him with her secret. She’d let him inside her house, made him part of her son’s life. Uncle Bennett. What was she supposed to tell Hunter now? Pressure built in her chest as she ground her back teeth together. Bennett had known everything about her. Obviously she couldn’t say the same for him. She was an investigator, for crying out loud. How could she not have seen the truth?
Rules in Rescue Page 10