by Rebecca Deel
“Great. I’m starving. What about you, Zoe?”
“The idea of eating a hamburger this early in the morning isn’t appealing.”
Matt smiled. “Good thing I insisted we stop for a blueberry bagel. Comfort food should settle easily on your stomach. How is your ankle?”
“It hurts,” she admitted. “The pain has been steadily increasing for the past thirty minutes.”
“Did the hospital give you a prescription?”
“We filled it before we left the medical center,” Simon said. “She hasn’t taken a pill yet.”
Matt looked at Zoe. “Take the meds to get ahead of the pain.”
“The doctor said the medicine will probably knock me out. I was saving it for when I really needed it.”
The medic glanced at Cade, who found a bottle of water and handed it to Zoe. “Take the meds.”
“What if the police show up to question me?”
“They can talk to me,” Simon said. “I’ll take you to the station tomorrow to answer questions. You have to take care of yourself. After all, you have to be mobile to reopen your bakery.”
That last bit of logic seemed to do the trick because Zoe stopped protesting and swallowed a pain tablet. Matt badgered her into eating half the bagel before she waved him off with a promise to finish the rest later.
When she fell asleep in his arms a few minutes later, Simon looked at his teammates. “We have some loose ends to tie up.”
Liam’s hands fisted. “The bounty.”
“You have a plan?” Trent asked.
“I have a few ideas.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
When Zoe woke hours later, the suite was quiet, lit only by the early afternoon sun peeking through the cracks in the curtains, and no one else in evidence except Simon who held her securely in his arms. She could get used to this. Waking in Simon’s arms was a pleasure like none she’d ever known and addictive to boot.
“Feel better?” Simon murmured.
“How long did I sleep?”
“Ten hours.”
Good grief! “Please tell me you slept, too.”
He tightened his hold around her shoulders. “I’ve never slept better in my life. You didn’t answer my question. How do you feel?”
“Sore,” she admitted. “My ankle is achy. Other than that, I’m grateful to be alive and in your arms.”
He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
“Where is everyone?”
“The rest of the team relieved the Texas unit. Brody is sleeping in the other bedroom so we’ll have backup close at hand if we need it.”
“Aren’t Barone and his buddies in jail?”
“They are. We still haven’t resolved the problem with the bounties.”
She twisted to face him. “What will you do?”
“We have a plan. If it works, I won’t have to do anything.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“I’ll do anything necessary to protect you, my family, and my teammates.”
That’s what she thought he’d say. “Will you tell me the plan?”
“Zane and I are gathering information on the major players in the Barone organization.”
“Information?”
“The incriminating kind.”
“Of course.”
“We’ll email an ultimatum to the head of the family organization tonight at midnight. Either the bounties are withdrawn or the first packet of information including pictures and documentation of crimes committed by a major player will be delivered to the FBI within 24 hours. For every 24 hours that passes with the bounties still active, another packet will be sent to the FBI. If they delay too long, their top lieutenants and family members will be arrested for various crimes. If we have to, we’ll send every last one of them to prison and drain the bounty account ourselves. How this plays out is ultimately up to the Barones.”
“Do you think the plan will work?”
“From what Zane and I unearthed in the past few hours, the head of the family doesn’t know Blake and Garrett were after the bounty for themselves. The information ties attempted murder charges back to the family name and the person who funded the account.”
“Do you know who funded it?”
“Matteo’s wife. If she doesn’t drain the account, she’ll either end up in prison or a coffin. I don’t care which option she chooses as long as the danger to the people I care about ends now.”
She studied him for a moment. “Would you kill her?”
“Do you need me to answer that?” he asked, voice soft.
“No, I don’t. You will kill her without a second of regret if she continues to threaten those you love.”
He stilled, intense gaze locked on her. “That’s right, Zoe. That includes you.”
Her breath caught. Did he mean what he said? “Simon?”
“I know it’s too soon to say this, but after almost losing you to Barone and his cronies, I can’t keep the truth to myself any longer. I’m in love with you, Zoe Lockhart.”
Joy exploding inside, she smiled as wide as her sore mouth would allow. “I love you, too, Simon Murray.”
“Enough to make me the happiest man alive by becoming my wife?”
“That much and more.” Zoe wrapped her arms around his neck and dived into a long, heated kiss. She would never forget this moment, she realized. Finally, she was free to share the depth of her feelings without fear that the handsome operative would reject her. Building a life with this man would be the greatest privilege imaginable.
They ended the kiss when both were desperate for air. Simon hugged her tight. “Don’t make me wait long to place a wedding band on your finger. A long engagement might kill me.”
Zoe laughed. “We need to give your father time to heal and you have yet to meet my parents.”
“Fine. Can you plan a wedding in two weeks?”
More laughter. “Let’s aim for three months.” When Simon protested, she kissed him gently. “Three months,” she repeated when she eased back. “I need to find the perfect dress and line up a baker to cover for me when we’re on our honeymoon. That takes time.”
“Not one day longer,” he insisted. “Or I’ll kidnap you and whisk you off to Las Vegas for a quickie wedding.”
“Deal. How long will our honeymoon last?”
“A lifetime.”
Those two words melted Zoe’s heart. “I need to know how many days to arrange for substitute bakers, Simon.”
“Four weeks. I want to spend every minute of my month off mission rotation with you.”
Wow. Four weeks alone with Simon? She couldn’t think of anything she wanted more. “When you give me a definite start date, I’ll make the calls.” A few of her baker friends owed her favors. Maybe the best thing to do would be to arrange for several bakers to pick up a couple of days so covering for her wouldn’t be a hardship on anyone.
“Perfect.” Simon dropped a quick kiss on her mouth and helped Zoe stand. “Come on. You’ll need extra time to get ready and we have to stop by the police station once we eat. Detective Chisolm wants to interview you as soon as possible. He’s waiting for us. After that, I want to check on Dad.” He smiled, eyes alight. “I can’t wait to tell my parents we’re getting married.”
The rest of the afternoon and evening passed in a whirlwind of activities, including a lengthy interview with the detective. At the hospital, Simon led her into his father’s room with a grin on his face.
His parents looked at each other, then back at their son. “Spill it,” Don demanded. “You’re about to burst with a secret.”
Simon threaded his fingers through Zoe’s. “Zoe and I are getting married.”
Lisa enfolded Simon in a hug, then turned to embrace Zoe. “Congratulations. We’re thrilled for both of you.”
“Good work, Simon. I’m proud of you and happy you wised up. When is the wedding?” Don asked.
“Too far off,” Simon complained.
Zoe smiled. “We d
on’t have an exact date yet, but around three months from now. We have to find out when Simon will be off mission rotation and I need to line up bakers to cover my shop for me.”
“Do you know where the wedding will be held?” Lisa asked.
“Otter Creek. We have many friends who will want to attend.” Zoe knew without asking Simon that most of his friends wouldn’t be able to leave Otter Creek. After all, Durango and the other members of the staff and instructors at PSI had to keep the classes going on schedule.
Throughout the rest of the evening, Simon touched base with his siblings and gave them the good news. He accepted all the razzing with a tolerant smile and assured his brothers and sisters that he would take good care of his bride-to-be.
Finally, they returned to the hotel. After nailing down details and gathering the last of the data for the first volley with the head of the Barone family, the email prepared by Zane and Simon appeared in Mrs. Barone’s email at midnight.
Simon wrapped his arm around Zoe. “Now, we wait and hope for the best.” Twelve hours later, they had their answer. He turned his computer around for Zoe to read the response.
“The account’s been drained. How do we know if she’ll live up to her bargain?”
“We’ll wait a few more days before we relax our guard, but Zane will monitor the Barone family’s communications and accounts from now on. He’ll also periodically send reminders of the consequences of breaking the bargain. However, based on what I’m seeing, I don’t think we have anything more to worry about from the Barones.”
When his father was released from the hospital four days later, Simon and Zoe accompanied his parents to the ranch. Once his father was settled, Don looked at Simon and said, “It’s time for you to return to work.”
“Dad, I can take a leave of absence to help out around here.”
He shook his head. “I’ll be fine now. You’ve been invaluable and I’ve treasured every minute with you, but you’re restless and itching to be back on duty. My healing process will be long and slow. I don’t need you here for that.”
“What if you need me?”
“I’ll grab my phone and call. Go home, Simon. You and Zoe have a life to plan and jobs to return to.”
Lisa hugged Simon, then Zoe. “I’ll update you on his progress. Be at ease, Simon. You’ve done all you can. It’s time for us to release you back to your work. We love you.”
Simon chuckled and wrapped his arm around Zoe’s shoulders. “I know a town that will be thrilled to have your bakery open for business.”
“Working will be interesting with this boot on my foot.”
After Simon notified Trent that they were ready to go home, they returned to the hotel and packed their bags. The team loaded their gear into the SUVs and helped Hollister into Trent’s vehicle.
Within minutes, they boarded one of the Fortress jets that had been waiting on the tarmac to fly the rest of Bravo to Knoxville. Once the bird leveled off, the operatives and Hollister settled down to sleep for the return trip.
“Are you glad to be going home?” Simon murmured.
“I’ve missed being in the bakery. What about you?”
“My day is not complete without a five-mile run or a chance to grouse at my trainees.”
Zoe laughed softly. “You know what I’m looking forward to the most?”
“What?”
“Planning our wedding and building a life with you. I love you, Simon.”
He kissed her, slow and sweet. “I love you, too, baby. I’ll work hard every day to be worthy of your love. I’ll do anything I can to make you happy.”
“That will be easy. All I need to be happy is you.”
He groaned. “This is going to be the longest twelve weeks of my life.”
“The wait will be worth it.” The two of them had a lifetime to celebrate their life together and their love. A few weeks was nothing compared to a lifetime of bliss with the man of her dreams.
About the Author
Rebecca Deel is a preacher’s kid with a black belt in karate. She teaches business classes at a private four-year college outside Nashville, Tennessee. She plays the piano at church, writes freelance articles, and runs interference for the family dogs. She’s been married to her amazing husband for more than 25 years and is the proud mom of two grown sons. She delivers devotions to the women’s group at her church and conducts seminars on personal safety, money management, and writing. Her articles have been published in ONE Magazine, Contact, and Co-Laborer, and she was profiled in the June 2010 Williamson edition of Nashville Christian Family magazine. Rebecca completed her Doctor of Arts degree in Economics and wears her favorite Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt when life turns ugly.
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