The Protector
Page 32
Gigi scoffed.
Loathe curled over his lips. “You’ll be surprised to learn that karma is a bigger bitch than you.” Chance turned to meet the emergency technicians, adding with a cold laugh, “Finally, something that will hold my interest about the Thanes.”
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
When Jane awoke in the hospital with machines whirring and beeping around her, she needed a minute to figure out where she was—and why. Vaguely, she grasped at pieces until she recalled enough to understand. Her last memory was Dax holding a cloth to her face a second time. They’d tried to kill her—they’d do it again.
Panic gripped Jane. She struggled upright and opened her eyes. “Chance.” He gripped her hand in his. His lips moved. She could hear him—but couldn’t, as though he were far away. What had they done to her? “I can’t hear you.”
He squeezed her hand as he spoke to her again. Fear climbed in her chest. She clung to him and then saw the gauze bandages around her wrists. Her head pounded and her ears ranged loudly.
“Chance.” Jane shook his hand. “My ears. My arms.”
He climbed onto the bed and tucked her under his arm, petting her, soothing her like he believed it would be fine. Tears flooded her eyes and Jane buried her face into his neck.
“You’re okay,” he said.
She jerked back. She’d heard that. Or, had she only felt the vibrations in his throat? Either way, she could hear a never-ending ringing.
He reached for a small pencil and notepad laying on the table by his chair, then Chance jotted a note and gave it to her. It read: Are your ears ringing?
She nodded.
It took him another second to write out a response. Doc said that would happen. It will stop.
“Can you hear me?” she asked, unable to regulate how loud her voice should be.
He grinned and nodded.
“They tried to kill me.” Jane glanced to her wrists. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t—”
Chance cupped her cheeks. “I know.”
She understood and, relieved, Jane didn’t have the energy to care about how or why; just that she would be safe.
“Jane.” He pushed her hair back and then, slowly made sure she understood. “I love you.”
Her heart flooded. “I love you, too. With my whole heart.”
He reached for the notebook and pencil again, turned the page, and wrote her a longer message. After a quick re-read, he handed it to her.
In her head, she read his words as though she could hear his voice.
I was wrong before. There wasn’t a right or wrong time to tell you that I love you. I love you—at work, in a hospital bed, anywhere, good or bad. I will always love you.
She nodded. Tears slipped free. “Always.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Good.” He took the book back and penciled another message. She laughed, swiping away her exhausted-but-happy tears.
With a sweet, goofy grin on his face, Chance stood after he handed the note back.
Jane glanced down. He’d drawn… a ring. She looked up, but he dropped down onto one knee.
“Chance!” Then she read his words through a sheen of blurry joy.
I’ll do this again—out loud and with your pick of rings. But I can’t wait to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me. I’ll be your family. I’ll be your whole damn world. Marry me.
EPILOGUE
Two Months Later
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Jane walked into the newly-finished hotel suite that would serve as their new home in Abu Dhabi. She’d taken a look at the hotel room that Chance had been living in and, with Angela’s help, decided that they could do better. Better wasn’t on the thirteenth floor, next door neighbors with his teammates. Their new apartment on the fourteenth floor was close enough that Chance didn’t mind and Jane wouldn’t feel like she lived in a fraternity house.
They’d also been able to convince Liam and Chelsea to set up an apartment on their floor. Jane guessed that Chelsea and the baby would be part-time residents of the under-construction hotel soon enough.
She tossed her keys onto the hallway table. “Hello?”
“In here.”
Jane eyed a box that must have come from his old apartment. Angela had had her things boxed, shipped, and unpacked before they returned from their honeymoon. “What’s in there?”
“Cans of stew,” Chance explained as he and Hagan lounged at the kitchen table, T-shirts appropriately damp with sweat, drinking beer and basking in their recent victory—moving his couch that he couldn’t live without to their new place. It had looked like a perfectly ordinary couch to Jane, but he’d insisted that it had conformed to his body. He didn’t want to start all over again. Such was married life.
Jane sat in his lap and took a sip of his beer. “I can’t believe you got that thing up here.”
“The bastard’s heavier than it looks,” Hagan added.
Chance flexed his muscles and grinned. “But, ya know, piece of cake.”
She rolled her eyes.
“So?” he asked. “How’d the call go?”
Jane beamed and handed the beer back. “That’s what I wanted to tell you about. It went way, way better than expected.”
“Don’t kill us with suspense.”
“They each took a deal,” she said.
“Wait—what? Really?” Chance popped his knees up and made her squeak. “Seriously?”
“Yup, really!”
“Gigi vowed to go down fighting.” He snickered. “At least, that’s what I thought she said when I swung by federal lockup for a quick hello.”
Hagan snort-laughed. “That’s not passive aggressive at all.”
Chance shrugged, then faced Jane. “I don’t get it. Just like that?”
“Well, as it turns out, staging my death for ratings wasn’t their only problem.” She bit her lip. “Remember that time I asked you if the bullets were real?”
“No—” Chance sobered and cocked his head. “You mean in Syria?”
Jane nodded. “The federal prosecutor shared a hell of a story.”
“I knew it,” Chance whispered.
“They planned the whole thing?” Hagan searched their faces for clarity.
She nodded again.
Chance added on, “Until the locals realized they had the upper hand.”
“True,” Jane said. “But they didn’t fess up until the photographer from the trip found himself in hot water.”
“With the Feds?” Chance crooked his eyebrow. “Like the production company?”
The Thanes and Lark hadn’t been alone in their greed. The more Jane learned, the angrier she became. But then it clicked. They went to extremes, desperate for happiness. Money and fame were like drugs. As soon as she accepted that, Jane pitied them. They’d destroyed their lives, willing to do the same to others, to find what was available and free. Love and acceptance. “Yeah. The photographer cut a similar deal, but only after they got him with blackmail.”
“What?” Both men hooted.
“I know, right? She shook her head. “Dax told him what to expect. Joe played his part, believing the whole thing was a farce for most of the trip. Until he didn’t. Then he blackmailed Dax and Gigi.”
“Bet they gladly paid up,” Chance muttered.
“And,” Jane continued. “Because they planned the trip, the Feds got all of them on several new charges, from child endangerment to manipulating consumers and shareholders.”
Hagan whistled.
Sad, but her story had a happy ending. “All of which means… drum roll, please.”
The guys obliged, laughing and drilling the table.
“I don’t have to testify in person,” Jane announced.
They cheered. She took a bow as though the show were finally over. Chance gave her a big kiss. Hagan popped up to retrieve another round of beers. He cracked the top off of a fresh one and gave it to Jane. “Congratulations.”
They
clinked bottles and took a drink.
“There’s more good news.” She rolled her bottle between her palms. “You are looking at the newest martial arts instructor for one of the hotels across the street. They have a beautiful dojo and will be ramping up a children’s program. I start next week.”
“Awesome.” Chance lifted his bottle. “Let’s hope your new employers aren’t as crazy as your last ones.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Hagan held up his bottle hesitantly. “Any other good news?”
Jane smiled. “Courtney emailed an update. Teddy loves his new school and joined a Lego club. He’s so happy now.” Her eyes grew watery. “But I’m going to miss seeing him every day.”
A loud knock shook the front door, killing her misty moment. Chance and Hagan groaned.
Jane arched her eyebrows. “Who is that?”
“Boss Man,” Chance explained, finishing off his beer. “And he sounds so cheery.”
She tsked them. Hagan chuckled. Chance cracked open his second beer. Jane went to answer the door. The second she opened it, Jared blustered in.
Maybe the guys were right… She hurried to catch up and sidestepped the angry storm of a man. Jared had a basket in one hand and a crumbled piece of paper in the other.
“Hi—”
He thrust the basket into her arms. “Angela says you need this.”
“Okay.” Jane eyed him suspiciously then read the card with a grin. “It’s a housewarming gift.”
He grumbled. “I gave you a house. Isn’t that enough of a gift?”
“Thank you.” She gave him an awkward but well-meaning squeeze. The gesture shut down his grumpy tirade, though it left her husband and his teammate speechless. “That was very thoughtful.”
Jared cleared his throat. “Enough of that. Let’s talk about this.” He flung the half-crushed paper onto the table. It softly landed between the beer bottles. “Is this your way of owning up to the signs?”
Jane stepped closer. Chance and Hagan sealed their lips. They didn’t say a word, turning a dark shade of red as they tried to hold back their laughter.
“What is it?” She flattened the paper on the table.
WARNING
Love is in the air
Take all precautions
Face Masks. HazMat Suits.
Do Not Drink the Water
Jane set the housewarming gift basket down and flipped the paper over and back. Blank. She glanced at Jared questioningly. “Where did you get this?”
“Taped to your door,” he groused.
She squinted, trying unsuccessfully to decode what was going on. Jane turned to Chance. “I just walked in. Nothing was on our door.”
Hagan stood like a lawyer making a closing argument. “Proof that it was not us.”
Jared didn’t speak so much as he growled—without opening his mouth. Apparently Boss Man didn’t need words to say shut your mouth.
“Well, guys.” Hagan grabbed his beer and retreated. “This is where I leave you. Enjoy the couch and the company. I’m out.”
He quickly disappeared. Still grumbling, Jared snatched the paper and stormed out behind Hagan, leaving Jane confused. “Um, what am I missing?”
Chance bellowed with laughter before he clarified. “Someone’s hanging signs around the building. They’re driving Boss Man to the edge.”
Her lips quirked. Maybe their apartment wasn’t on the frat house floor, but she could tell the antics couldn’t be avoided. The more she thought about it, the more Jane liked having the Aces team so close. They could be like her big, rowdy, paper-sign-making family.
Their laughter subsided and she pulled Chance to the new-old couch. Their place was very nice. She noticed a few more boxes that had arrived with the couch. They could unpack and figure out what else needed to be done. She already had a list brimming with ideas on how to make their hotel room suite look like a home. She leaned into her husband. “What should we do now?”
He pulled her close. “Since love is in the air… I think we’re supposed to do each other.”
Laughing, she pressed a kiss onto his lips.
“What?” Chance gave her a not-so-innocent look that made her toes curl. “That’s not an option?”
“It’s the best option.” She kissed him again but stopped short. “I just thinking about something and realized I had it all wrong.”
His eyebrows knitted. “HazMat suits aren’t needed for birth control. We’re fine.”
She slapped his chest playfully. “I was thinking about how to make this place look even more like our home.”
“Jane, babe. Right now, I don’t care about anything other than the mattress.”
“Hear me out.” She grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. “So long as I’m with you, it will always feel like home. See what I did there?”
He shook his head and jumped up with her in his arms, muttering about making her feel at home as he raced to their bedroom. Jane giggled until they fell into bed again.
“See what I did there?” he asked then stripped away their clothes and wrapped her close.
With nothing between them, she nodded. “You gave me everything.”
THE SURVIVOR
Ten years ago, against the advice of the most influential people in the world—her family—Amanda Hearst walked away from her security detail. She wouldn’t allow another person to risk their lives to save hers.
Hagan Carter wants the truth about the mystery woman who works with Titan Group. Her lethal moves and skilled evasion fuel a volatile attraction.
Their past should stay buried, and their future is impossible unless the couple risks their lives to understand why they can’t be together.
THE SURVIVOR is the next book in the Aces series. Read it on Kobo!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cristin Harber is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author. She writes sexy, steamy romantic suspense, military romance, new adult, and contemporary romance. Readers voted her onto Amazon's Top Picks for Debut Romance Authors in 2013, and her debut Titan series was both a #1 romantic suspense and #1 military romance bestseller.
Connect with Cristin: Email | Facebook | Instagram |Twitter | Team Titan
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The Aces Series:
Book 1: The Savior
Book 2: The Protector
Book 3: The Survivor
The Titan Series:
Book 1: Winters Heat
Book 1.5: Sweet Girl
Book 2: Garrison's Creed
Book 3: Westin's Chase
Book 4: Gambled
Book 5: Chased
Book 6: Savage Secrets
Book 7: Hart Attack
Book 7.5: Sweet One
Book 8: Black Dawn
Book 8.5: Live Wire
Book 9: Bishop’s Queen
Book 10: Locke and Key
Book 11: Jax
Book 12: Deja Vu
The Delta Series:
Book 1: Delta: Retribution
Book 2: Delta: Rescue*
Book 3: Delta: Revenge
Book 4: Delta: Redemption
Book 5: Delta: Ricochet
*The Delta Novella in Liliana Hart’s MacKenzie Family Collection
The Only Series:
Book 1: Only for Him
Book 2: Only for Her
Book 3: Only for Us
Book 4: Only Forever
7 Brides for 7 Soldiers:
Ryder (#1) - Barbara Freethy
Adam (#2) - Roxanne St. Claire
Zane (#3) - Christie Ridgway
Wyatt (#4) - Lynn Raye Harris
Jack (#5) - Julia London
Noah (#6) - Cristin Harber
Ford (#7) - Samantha Chase
7 Brides for 7 Blackthornes:
Devlin (#1) - Barbara Freethy
Jason (#2) - Julia London
Ross (#3) - Lynn Raye Harris
Phillip (#4) - Cristin Harber
Brock (#5) - Roxanne St. Claire
Logan (#6) - Samantha Chase
Trey (#7) - Christie Ridgway
Each Titan, Delta, and 7 Brides book can be read as a standalone (except for Sweet Girl), but readers will likely best enjoy the series in order. The Only series must be read in order.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As with all of my books, this one would not be possible without the love and support of my family. Courtney, I knew what to name Teddy’s aunt the moment I re-read her description—blunt and practical. Two of your many awesome qualities. Whether it’s wrestling away chemistry sets or teaching the kids how to fly, you are the coolest sister and aunt in the world.
I want to thank my readers for sticking with me as I took much needed time to spend with my little ones. Over the years, so many of you reminded me that they are only young once, and that time flies. I took your comments, emails, and messages to heart. Thank you for your patience, encouragement, and incredible stories that you’ve shared with me.
Thanks to the great team behind this book, including cover designer Kim Killion. Cindy, I would never have attempted an outline if we hadn’t talked—even if that outline was twenty thousand words. This book didn’t follow my usual pants-it-to-the-end approach, and because of that, I was able to work with many wonderful editors. It was a pleasure! Finally, Amber. *fist bump* Titan strong all the way. Do what you do. You’re amazing.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2019 by Cristin Harber
ISBN: 9781951085087
All rights reserved. This book or any portions thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author and publisher except for the use of brief quotations used in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally.