Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay #6)

by Jill Shalvis

  She choked out a laugh that might have been more like a sob of relief.

  Lucas blinked and appeared to focus in on the blood all over her. Suddenly looking far more alert, he struggled against his restraints to sit up. “You’re hurt,” he said. “The blood—”

  “Mostly yours,” she said, trying to hold him still. “Santa’s dead and Janet’s MIA with Tommy, but they’re going to come back. We need to go out the window. Now.”

  “Talk to me, Molly,” Joe said from inside her bra. “I’m ten minutes out. What the fuck is happening?”

  “Lucas has been shot,” she said. “He also took a pipe to the temple and has a head wound. Mrs. Claus lost her shit. Hurry.” Then she grabbed a chair—she had no idea why she hadn’t thought of it sooner, probably because her brains were scrambled—and shoved it near the table. She turned back to Lucas and pushed him toward the chair. “Get on the table. We’re going out the window.”

  She kept her hands on him to keep him steadied and climbed up beside him. Then she bent for the chair. “Duck,” she said to Lucas. And when he did, she threw the chair against the window.

  It broke straight through the glass and hit the ground. It didn’t sound like too far of a fall, she assured herself.

  There were glass shards still in the window. Lucas was leaning heavily against the wall, looking more unconscious than conscious, but he straightened and pulled off his shirt, grimacing as it brushed his head wound. He tossed it to her. She wrapped her already bleeding hand in the material of the shirt and knocked out the rest of the glass, and then tugged Lucas to the window. “You first, big guy.”

  He resisted, crouching and giving her a push with his shoulder, lifting her with some reserve of strength she hadn’t imagined possible.

  “No,” she gasped. “You first—”

  He never slowed, just shoved her through the window opening.

  For a single heartbeat she clung to the window ledge, the remnants of glass biting into her hands. She didn’t feel it. Her eyes were locked on the ground, only ten feet down or so, her entire body frozen in terror. Well, not exactly frozen since she was shaking like a leaf.

  “Molly.”

  She lifted her head and locked eyes with Lucas’s.

  “Listen to me,” he said, leaning as close as he could without the use of his hands. “You saved us. You did it. You’re amazing, but we’ve got to move. Right now they’re overconfident, unsuspecting that we’re on the move. They won’t stay that way. We have an edge and we need to keep it.”

  “I can’t jump.”

  “Yes, you can. Loosen your arms and lower yourself until your arms and legs are both fully extended. Then it’s only a few feet. I promise, you’ve got this.”

  “But you’re shot and you don’t have use of your hands—”

  “I’ll be right behind you, don’t doubt that for a second.”

  She stared at him and in spite of the urgency, he nodded patiently, no frustration or irritation showing in his face or body.

  “Keep your body loose, not tight,” he said. “Don’t lock your knees. You’ve got this,” he repeated, his gaze calm on hers. Calm and patient, even with one pupil clearly blown and blood dripping down his jaw and onto his bare chest.

  Behind him, she heard the lock rattle, and her fear for him overcame her fear of dropping out another window. “Promise me you’re right behind me!”

  “I promise you.”

  So she took a deep breath, relaxed her body and let go.

  Chapter 25

  #GoElfYourself

  Lucas came to lying flat on his back on a stretcher with people hovering over him using medical speak and poking him with what felt like a very large needle. He hated needles. He tried to sit up, but he also had an oxygen mask on his face, which he shoved aside. “Molly.”

  A hand settled on his chest. Not Molly’s. Joe’s, and not to comfort, but to restrain him.

  “We’ve got Mrs. Claus and Tommy Thumbs in cuffs,” Joe said immediately, knowing that intel was the only way to calm any of them down. “Santa’s in a body bag. The elves made it safely to Reno.” His voice was tight, his eyes were hot. He was pissed that he’d been left out of the loop, and Lucas knew he had every reason to be.

  “Molly,” Lucas said again, shoving one of the EMS’s hands aside as he tried to replace the oxygen mask. “Where is she—”

  “Also being treated. She’s got a few cuts and bruises, but no bullet holes, which I can assume is thanks to you,” Joe said. His voice softened. “Thanks, man, for having her back here tonight and saving her ass.”

  Lucas shook his head. “You’ve got that backwards. She saved my ass. I was out from the moment I got shot. She . . .” He started to shake his head in marvel and pride, but that hurt too much so he closed his eyes. “She fought like pro, and even when she was overpowered, she still got herself out of the cuffs. And then she managed to drag my dead weight over to the window, up onto a table, and get us out. You should’ve seen her.” He opened his eyes again and met Joe’s. “It wasn’t easy for her, but she handled it. She’s handled everything on this case from start to finish like one of us would have. Maybe even better than one of us.”

  Looking troubled, Joe nodded. “They’re transporting you to General—”

  “No, I don’t need a hospital.”

  “Yeah,” Archer said, coming up behind Joe. “You do. You’ve got a bullet lodged in your thigh and a gash on your head that’s going to need like twenty-five staples and maybe a lobotomy while you’re at it since you didn’t call your team. We’re going to circle back to that later when your brains aren’t in danger of leaking out, believe me.”

  Great. He could hardly wait. “Since I didn’t call, why are you all here?”

  “Molly called. Apparently she’s smarter than you. Also, nice look.”

  Lucas looked down at himself. He was still in the elf costume. Correction: half an elf costume, meaning just the short shorts.

  Archer slid Joe a look. “Might want to get a pic of that for future leverage.”

  Joe patted his pocket. “Already did.”

  “I’m going to release you,” the ER doctor told Molly.

  She started to get up, but he held out a hand to stop her. “But only,” he continued, “if you promise me to take it easy for a few days and let those cuts and bruises heal before going back to work.”

  “It’s okay, my work isn’t—” She broke off. She’d been about to say her work wasn’t dangerous, that it was desk work, but given the past twenty-four hours, she’d be lying. “I’ll rest,” she promised. Not a lie since, thanks to a nice, big fat pink pill, she was feeling pleasantly numb. “Where’s Lucas?”

  “Coming out of surgery.”

  “I want to see him,” she said and this time managed to sit up, hiding her wince of pain that the movement caused.

  “You need to move slowly,” the doctor said. “As for Lucas, someone will let you know when that’s possible.”

  When he was gone, Molly looked at Joe sitting moodily in the chair in the corner. He hadn’t left her side, but nor had he uttered a word.

  “I’m going to see him,” she said stubbornly.

  He ran a hand down his face. “Do you have any idea what went on tonight?”

  “Yeah, Joe.” She waved her bandaged, stitched-up hand. “I’ve got a pretty good idea considering I had a front row seat.”

  He sat back with a heavy sigh. “You took ten years off my life.”

  “Welcome to the club,” she said. “Remember last year when you got hurt on the job and were in the hospital for two days before we knew you were going to be okay? I was sitting right where you were, so I get it. I know. And for the record, what happened tonight doesn’t come anywhere close to all the times I’ve been in your shoes.”

  Joe grimaced, looking pained. “Look . . . I know, okay? And I’m sorry.”

  She stared at him, waiting for the rest of that sentence. When Joe held his silence, she shook her head. “Wow.
A sorry without a but on the end of it. Did it hurt?”

  “Okay,” he said. “I deserve that. I’ve . . . been hard on you.”

  “Not hard,” she said. “Impossible.”

  “I’m working on that.” He paused when she gave him a disbelieving look. “I am,” he said. “I swear. But that’s going to lead to an argument I don’t want to have with you until you’re up to it. Let’s try a different conversation. Lucas.”

  Well, hell. “As it turns out,” she said, lifting a shoulder. “I’m not really in a talking mood.”

  “Too bad. I don’t know exactly what’s going on with the two of you, but—”

  “—What’s going on is that he took a bullet meant for me,” she said. “And he was hit in the head with a steel pipe—also for me—and I’m not leaving here until I see for myself that he’s okay.” She slid off the bed, holding onto the railing for support while she got her sea legs.

  Joe was there in an instant, having risen out of his chair and putting his hands on her arms. He had brought her cane, which she absolutely did not intend to use.

  “I want to know what’s going on,” Joe said.

  “I just told you.”

  “I don’t mean on the case—the one you weren’t supposed to take, by the way. I mean between you and my partner and best friend.”

  The question gave her a flashback to how she’d felt the night before, sleeping in his arms. Contented. Happy.

  Fulfilled.

  And though he hadn’t said as much, she’d seen the look in his eyes that morning. She’d felt the way he touched her. How he said her name.

  Things had changed.

  She wasn’t exactly sure when or how, but she knew they had. He’d fallen for her.

  And unbelievably, and against all odds, she’d fallen for him too.

  “Molly.”

  Shaking her head, she yanked the curtain from around her bed and eyed the large ER, decorated with garland and some twinkling lights. She took in all the other curtained beds. Fine. Eeny, meeny, miny, mo it was. “Lucas!” she called out, making a scene and not caring.

  “Damn, Molly.” Joe grimaced and shoved her cane at her. “At least use this while you’re yelling your fool head off.”

  She snatched the hated cane and leaned on it. “Lucas!”

  Archer’s head appeared from behind one of the curtains across the room and he stared at her.

  It used to be that Archer intimidated her. He was an intimidating sort of guy, dark eyes, dark thoughts, and until Elle had bashed through his brick walls, he’d also led a dark life. Joe had gotten Molly the job, but she’d still had to prove herself to Archer. She’d started out as receptionist, only answering phones and keeping the schedule. She’d slowly proven her worth to the company and now he trusted her to run his office and his world completely. It was a compliment of the highest order, and she loved and appreciated both the job and the chance.

  But as he knew, she’d wanted more for a while now. She felt as if she’d really proven herself on this Santa case—and he hadn’t even known. It was frustrating. And being frustrated, and maybe also a little bit high on pain meds, turned off her inner filter.

  “I want to see him,” she said.

  Archer stepped outside the curtain and held his ground as she stormed toward him.

  “Get out of my way,” she said.

  “Molly—”

  She moved around him and whipped open the curtain.

  The bed was gone. Her heart stopped. Everything stopped, including her ability to talk. Blood rushed through her ears and she felt her vision start to go.

  Archer swore beneath his breath and scooped her up. He set her on the chair in the cubicle and whipped the curtain closed for privacy. “He had surgery to remove the bullet. Now he’s having a CT. He’ll be back any minute. Alive, I promise. You should be in your bed.”

  “I’ve been released.”

  “Where’s your keeper?” Archer asked.

  Joe slid into the cubicle. “Here,” he said grimly. “She’s not real good at staying put.”

  “No shit,” Archer said and both men just stared at her, good and well pissed off because they’d been left out of the loop—which was their own damn fault.

  Molly tossed up her hands. Well, her one good hand. “Hey,” she said. “I just worked a case from start to finish and got my man. Or in this case, Mr. and Mrs. Claus and his felon brother. You should both be patting me on the back and asking if I want to go out for a beer after work, like you do with each other after a job well done.”

  They both looked at her in shocked disbelief. “Okay,” she admitted. “Since you didn’t know I was even on a job, I guess that might be taking it a little too far. How about just something along the lines of ‘hey, sounds like you handled yourself, Molly, welcome to the team.’”

  Archer let out a breath, a rare show of frustration from the guy who rarely if ever broadcasted his thoughts. “First of all,” he said, “you’re right. You didn’t tell us you were on a job. You didn’t tell us when it started to detonate. Neither did Lucas. Let’s start there.”

  Huh. This wasn’t exactly going in the direction she’d hoped. “I tried to bring you in on it,” she started but Archer interrupted her.

  “And I told you that you weren’t ready.”

  “Well,” she said, “I disagreed.”

  “That’s the thing, Molly,” he said in that hardass boss tone. “You don’t get to disagree with me on the job. I’m the boss. I’m your boss.”

  And he’d given her a job when she’d needed it. He’d done so with her having little to no experience in his world, and he’d never been anything but generous, with both money and his time. She tried to remember that. “I understand all that. And you’ve been amazing. But you’re only in charge of me when I’m on the clock.” She paused and then said gently but firmly, “What I choose to do off the clock is none of your business.”

  Archer slid Joe a look.

  Joe tossed up his hands. “Man, if you think I can talk any sense into her, you’re sorely mistaken. Why do you think I came up with the idea of putting Lucas on her six?”

  “Wait,” Molly said slowly. “What?”

  Joe’s expression went from mildly pissed off to oh shit.

  Molly pointed at him. “Repeat that.”

  “Hell,” Joe said and scrubbed a hand over his face.

  “You asked Lucas to watch over me?” she asked. “When?”

  Joe blew out a heavy breath. “Does it matter?”

  “Oh my God, Joe,” she said, horrified. “From the beginning? Are you serious?”

  “I was trying to protect you.”

  Furious, and also more than a little hurt, Molly turned to Archer. “How attached to him are you because I’m thinking of killing him.”

  Archer looked pained. “This is on me, not him. I’m the one who actually insisted Lucas make sure you turned the elves down. When you didn’t, I kept him in place to make sure you stayed safe.”

  She blinked a few times, but nope, she wasn’t sleeping or dreaming, or in fact having a nightmare. This was all real and it was happening. She stood up to leave, realized she was shaking, and sat back down just as Archer got a text.

  “He’s in recovery, we can go see him now,” Archer said and they all paraded through the hospital, where they found Lucas in another cubicle.

  He was awake, but just on the wrong side of green. She hardened her heart. “Are you okay?” She needed to know that he was before she killed him too.

  He nodded.

  Of course. Typical man. He’d say he was fine even if he had body parts literally falling off of him. “Lucas,” she breathed. “Are you sure?”

  “Quit babying him,” Joe said. “He’s going to be fine.”

  Lucas flipped his partner the bird without bothering to look at him. He never took his eyes off Molly. “You saved my ass,” he said, sounding just surprised enough to piss her off.

  She narrowed her eyes and he smiled
. It was a tired, pain-filled smile, but there was also so much more in those dark eyes that she felt her breath catch.

  “You were amazing, Molly,” he said softly, reaching for her hand. “Kickass.”

  She felt herself flush with pride, until she remembered and tugged her hand free when what she really wanted to do was stroke the hair from his forehead and lean in and kiss his pain away. “They had you spying on me,” she said, jabbing an accusatory finger behind her at Archer and Joe. “A fact you kept to yourself. And you,” she said to Joe. “I didn’t tell you about the case before tonight because I knew you’d take over and try to keep me out of it. And you and Archer tried to do exactly that.”

  “Whoa,” came a female voice. “What?”

  Everyone turned and found Elle and Sadie standing there.

  Elle crossed her arms and looked at Archer.

  Her man wasn’t showing much but there did seem to be the slightest twitch in his left eyelid. “What are you two doing here?”

  “Making sure my friends are okay.” Elle came in and slid her arm around Molly, giving her a hug. Sadie flanked Molly’s other side.

  “Great,” Joe muttered. “Girl power.”

  Molly drew in a deep breath. She appreciated the backup, but all her cuts and bruises hurt, and so did her head. And her heart. That hurt most of all. She was mad at all three men, and more than anything, she was over having everyone think they had to constantly babysit her. Coddle her. She’d proven herself, dammit.

  Lucas locked eyes on Molly. “Out,” he said in a soft but deadly voice.

  She stopped breathing. She was angry, oh so angry, but he didn’t have a single reason to be mad at her, and she opened her mouth to blast him because no man spoke to her like that, not ever, and—

  His hand caught hers. “Not you,” he said.

  Oh. Well, then. She tried to pull free again just on principle, but he wasn’t having it this time. He held on, gentle enough to not hurt her, firm enough that she wasn’t going anywhere without making a scene.

  And she 100 percent intended to make a scene, but it’d be nice not to have an audience for it, so she waited it out impatiently, listening to the rustling behind her indicating that people were leaving the small cubicle.