by Apryl Baker
“Definitely your girlfriend.” Donovan smiled, his eyes as bright as a kid’s in a candy store. “Don’t you want to know what I did to your girl? We’ve had so much fun together.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Viktor moved closer, and Kade took a step toward Donovan, his vision tinted red.
“Uh, uh, uh, Agent.” Donovan pressed the knife into the officer’s throat. To his credit, the man didn’t so much as make a sound when the blade bit into his skin and blood oozed from the cut. “You take one more step and he dies.”
Kade stopped, but Viktor didn’t. He kept edging closer and closer, inching along the wall and staying away from the glare of the hallway light so his shadow wouldn’t appear on the floor.
“She has exquisite skin. Those cinnamon rosebuds of hers like to pucker up just so when you suck on them first, and then use your teeth to pull them. She tastes so good. She felt even better when I buried my cock inside her. All that tight, wet heat. Her voice goes all raspy when she moans around my cock. Yes, Agent, we had so much fun while we waited for you. Best fuck I’ve had in a long time.”
Viktor pounced the same time Kade lost it and rushed the unsub. The officer stomped down hard on Donovan’s foot when Viktor forced the knife away from his throat, causing Donovan to relax his grasp enough for the officer to free himself and move just as Kade’s fist met the unsub’s stomach.
Donovan grunted and leaned forward, slamming his head into Viktor’s hard enough to make Viktor release him. Kade’s grin matched Donovan’s and they slammed into each other, fists flying. It was a dance of punch and move, duck and swing. Donovan wasn’t a weakling. He fought as hard and dirty as any of Kade’s brothers.
Donovan’s eyes were cold, madness swirling in them as the knife swung toward Kade. He leaned back and followed it up with a swift punch to the man’s jaw, taking advantage of the forward motion of Donovan’s swing. What he didn’t count on was Donovan absorbing the punch and using Kade’s momentum against him. The hot sting of the blade entering his flesh barely registered as Kade let out a roar and grabbed the man by the throat, rage guiding him as he stared at the grinning madman who’d raped his wife. He choked him, following him down as Donovan’s legs gave out.
“Kade, let go!”
He ignored Bailey, ignored the futile attempts to pry his hands away from Donovan. He wanted to see the light leave the bastard’s eyes as he died.
“Kade, if you kill him, you’ll go to jail. Then what’ll happen to Angel? She needs you, and if you go to jail, you’ll have left her all over again. Let go.”
Kade tightened his grip on Donovan’s throat, his fingers digging in, but he couldn’t ignore Viktor’s words. He wouldn’t leave her again, and she needed him more than he needed to kill this piece of shit. He let go and several officers rushed him, pulling him away from the unsub.
Angel watched, horrified as they fought. Gagged as she was, there was no way to tell them he was lying, that he hadn’t penetrated her. She saw the rage turn to blind madness in Kade’s eyes. They struggled, and she twisted, ignoring her pain as she tried to see what was happening. When the two of them fell to the floor, she struggled harder. Kade would kill him. Then she’d lose him all over again. Her eyes begged Viktor to stop him. He leaned down and whispered something to his brother. What, she didn’t know, but Kade released the man they called Donovan. Her whole body sagged in relief. He hadn’t killed him. Thank God.
Kade turned toward her, shaking off the officers holding him, and took several steps, but he stumbled. He looked down at his shirt, and she followed his gaze. Several dark red spots were blooming across the fabric. He was hurt. The crazy man must have stabbed him.
“Angel…I’m coming, moye serdtse.” Kade took several more steps toward her, his face going white as more and more blood soaked his shirt. He was trying to get to her, and Angel started thrashing. She needed to make them help him. She couldn’t lose him. Not again. One of the officers rushed to her, taking the gag out of her mouth.
“Viktor!” she screamed.
Viktor hurried toward her, but stopped when he saw his brother, who looked pale and began to sway. He cursed in Russian and barely caught Kade before he fell. “Get EMS in here now!” Viktor yanked Kade’s button down shirt open and gasped. He took off his own shirt and pressed it down on one of the wounds.
“Viktor, is he okay?”
Viktor’s eyes met hers, and she knew. It was bad.
No. God couldn’t be this cruel to her. He’d just given Kade back. He couldn’t take him away. Not now. Please, don’t take him.
“I’m good,” Kade said and tried to sit up. His brother held him down.
“Stay still, fucker. I can’t get this bleeding to stop if you keep moving.”
The officer finally got her cuffs off, and she fell off the bed, not caring she was as naked as the day she was born. She crawled over to Kade and took his hand, ignoring the pain every movement caused.
“I’m sorry, moye serdtse.” Kade’s grip on her hand weakened, and he coughed. “I tried to get here in time.”
“You did, though. He lied. He didn’t rape me. He was about to when his alarm went off. You saved me, Kincaid. You kept me safe.”
“He didn’t?”
“No. He didn’t. I swear it on our son’s grave. He didn’t rape me.”
Kade coughed again, and a small trickle of blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth, causing her and Viktor to flinch.
“Where the hell is EMS?” Bailey screamed into his radio when he caught sight of Kade.
“At least I did one thing right.” Kade took a strangled breath. “Maybe one day you’ll forgive me for all the horrible things I did to you, but I want you to know I love you, Angel. Remember that.”
His eyes closed.
“No, damn you!” Her fist hit him in the chest. “You can’t leave me.”
Viktor tried to pull her away from Kade, and she fought him.
“No. I won’t let him die.”
“Easy, Angel. Let EMS work. He’s not dead yet. He’s a fighter, and he has something to live for. He has you.”
Another crew of EMS swarmed her, but she didn’t pay them any attention. She watched as they worked on Kade, praying and cursing God all in the same breath. When they loaded him up on a stretcher, she made Viktor help her over to him, and she leaned down so her lips were against his ear. “I forgive you, Kade. Do you hear me? I forgive you for all of it, but I swear if you die on me, I will never forgive you for that.”
Viktor pulled her back and picked her up, his gentle movement belying his savage appearance. EMS rolled another stretcher in for her, and Viktor guided her onto it. They made her lie face down and put a wet sheet over her burns. She felt nothing. Her whole body was numb.
She was empty.
Alone.
Kade couldn’t die.
He couldn’t.
“We’ll get you to the hospital in no time, Miss Lemoraux,” the EMS woman told her.
Angel took a deep breath, daring God and fate and whoever else was listening to let him die, before she looked at the woman. “It’s Mrs. Kincaid.”
***
“How is she?”
Kade looked over to see Dimitri wheeling himself through Angel’s door. Dimitri was still having problems with his legs. Not all of the feeling had come back, and the doctors were concerned about the effects of the homemade neurotoxin. It had been a little over a week since the capture of Boston’s now most notorious serial killer. Two of Viktor’s men were having problems as well.
Angel wasn’t suffering the same effects. She’d told Bailey she’d yanked the dart out as soon as she felt it. The doctors thought it saved her from the same complications as the others who’d had that dart in them far longer. She wasn’t out of the woods, but they were hopeful.
“Better. She’s been in and out. Her burns are healing nicely. Thank God, they were only second degree burns. She hasn’t been awake long enough for them to test her sensory depth, though. I kn
ow they’re still concerned about her movement.” Her nightmares hadn’t let up, though. She woke up screaming almost every time she closed her eyes.
“And you?” Dimitri inquired. “It’s not every day you get stabbed multiple times.”
Viktor told him he’d been in surgery for hours while they worked to repair his spleen and liver. The knife had done some serious damage. He could barely move without pain, but he refused high doses of pain meds. He’d almost become an alcoholic, so he knew how easy it was for an addiction to take root. He’d deal with his pain.
“I’d be better if they moved me into the same room as Angel.”
“You two had a chance to talk yet?” Dimitri yawned.
“No. Every time we get five minutes, people are rushing in to visit, or the nurses are kicking me out.”
“They need to kick you out or you wouldn’t eat.”
Kade smiled when he heard Angel’s voice. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Did we wake you?”
“No, my stomach woke me. I’m starving.”
Dimitri laughed. “Finally, someone who can eat as much as I can. How about I order us some delivery?”
“Pizza?” Angel asked hopefully.
“Pizza it is, sestra. I’ll be back when it arrives. I need to go convince the nurses to let me sneak it in.”
Angel shook her head as she watched him wheel himself out of the room. He was quite a character. He flirted with every nurse who so much as looked at him. At least she now knew where Nik got it from. Dimitri was the original manwhore.
“How are you feeling? Do you need anything?”
Kade’s anxious voice pulled her attention back to him. He’d lost weight. It worried her. He didn’t look so good. “I’m fine. Sore, but fine. You look like shit, Kincaid.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t look like roses either, Mrs. Kincaid.”
She scrunched up her nose. Her hair was an oily mess. She could smell it. The nurses promised her a shower in a day or two. The plastic surgeon had better give her the go-ahead. Sponge baths were not her thing.
“You up for talking?”
She swung her gaze back to him. He sounded so serious. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Me and you.” He bit his lip. A new habit she’d noticed he did when he was nervous. He looked more than nervous. There was fear in his eyes.
Angel had been trying to find a way to talk to him about their relationship too. The fear that plagued her the first two days after his surgery still lived like a live wire in her stomach. She’d almost lost him. She wasn’t prepared to let him go.
“I’ve been thinking about us too.” She fiddled with her blanket.
“I’m hoping you’ll think about giving us another chance.” Kade wheeled his chair closer to her bed so he could take her hand. “I know I don’t deserve a second chance, Angel, but I’m asking for one. I love you. More than you can ever possibly know.”
“I’m not going to promise that it’ll work out, Kade, but I love you too. Always have. A wise old flower told me fate sometimes gives us a good kick in the ass when we fall off the path. Seeing you almost die was my kick in the ass. So, yes, Kade, I’ll give us another chance. No more lies, though.”
“No more lies,” he promised and gave her the biggest shit eating grin, which made her laugh.
“Aww, isn’t this just precious?” Nikoli waltzed in. “So, you’re staying in the family, Angel girl?”
“It appears so. At least for now. Kade and I still have a lot to talk about, but it looks promising.”
Nikoli slapped Kade on the back then leaned in to carefully hug her. “Welcome to the family, sestra.”
“You always did have the worst sense of timing,” Kade grouched.
“Don’t be a sore loser.” Nikoli pulled up a chair and plopped down. “You have all the time in the world to spend with your wife. I came to visit. Lily and I are leaving tonight for Virginia. We’re spending Christmas at Adam’s family’s farm. Her mom is flying up. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need me. I can stay if you do.”
“No, I’ve got Viktor, Dimitri, and Angel. We’ll be fine.”
“Look what I found!” Dimitri rolled back in, Viktor behind him carrying bags of food, the labels reading Joe’s.
“You could have helped me, motherfucker.” Viktor glared at Nikoli, who blew him a kiss.
Angel looked over at Kade, and he smiled, shaking his head. There went their alone time.
But it was good to be surrounded by family. They would have all the time in the world to spend alone later. Right now, they would enjoy their family.
Epilogue
Kade closed the door behind his brothers then made his way back over to Angel’s couch. She’d passed out a while ago, and they’d all been mindful of her. She didn’t sleep well, so anytime she looked restful, Kade dared anyone to disturb her.
After three weeks in the hospital, she’d wanted to come home to her own apartment. As grateful as she was for the use of the penthouse, she seemed more at ease here in her small, cozy apartment. It soothed her. Kade had seen the difference in her almost immediately. She was back in familiar territory, and it comforted her in a way Nikoli’s expensive fort of a penthouse never could.
Viktor and Nikoli had come over to discuss which job offer Kade was going to take. They’d both offered him positions in their companies. Kade loved his work with the FBI, but he loved Angel more. His position with the BAU kept him on the road more days than he was home. As tenuous as their new relationship was, he didn’t want to sabotage it by being gone all the time or causing her undue worry when he went off hunting a serial killer. She’d seen enough violence to last three lifetimes. Nikoli wanted him to be head of security at his gaming company and Viktor offered him full partnership in the small private security firm he’d built in New York. The latter was more attuned to his skills. It offered him a way to serve and protect and still keep Angel happy.
After what she’d gone through, she deserved some happiness. The man they knew as Wes Donovan currently resided in a maximum-security facility awaiting trial. The real Wes Donovan died at the age of six months of SIDS. His identity had been assumed by their serial killer. Angus, his supervisor at the BAU, had called Kade and spoken to him at length about the unsub. He fascinated Angus. Kade wished him all the best in discovering the secrets buried in the psychopath’s psyche. If Kade never had to see him again, it would be too soon.
She whimpered, and the sound echoed in his heart. He’d give anything to take away her fear. Angel’s sleeping form twisted, her arms flailing. She kicked out, and Kade caught her leg before it could do him much harm, but it only made it worse. In her panic, she fought harder, her fear and anger evident in her cries.
Kade caught both her hands and pulled her to him, dragging her across his lap, careful of her still healing back. He shook her gently. “Wake up, sweetheart.” She opened her eyes, the nightmare still holding her in its grip. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, and she fought—she kicked, she bit, she twisted so hard, Kade almost lost his grip on her. “Angel, wake up. It’s just a dream, baby. Wake up.”
Angel blinked, Kade’s face coming into focus as the memory of the peeling wallpaper and the feel of her attacker’s hands dissipated. A low sob broke free from deep within her, and she wrapped herself around Kade as he continued to whisper and try to soothe her.
“Easy, baby, I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
His gentle assurance only made her cry harder. Safe. She never felt safe once her eyes closed and the memories tormented her. All she dreamed about was the feel of his hands on her, the memory of watching her attacker push his fingers inside her, the way he’d fingered her while he’d scalded her skin with boiling water.
“Why won’t it stop?” She buried her head against his chest, her tears making dark stains on the blue shirt. “Why can’t I get him out of my head?”
“Shhh, don’t cry, baby.” He stroked her hair, and Angel snuggled deeper into him, his near
ness chasing away the last vestiges of her dream. “What can I do? What do you need?”
Could he erase every memory she had of Wes Donovan and that bedroom?
Angel hated feeling like this, hated herself for being so weak. Why couldn’t she shake this awful fear? She jumped at the smallest noise. If anyone touched her before she knew they were there, she screamed. She felt an obsessive need to check all the doors and windows to make sure they were locked. She’d started researching home security systems and self-defense classes.
“Just tell me how to help you.”
The need to make it all better vibrated in his voice along with a sense of helplessness. Angel looked up at him. “You do help me. Just by being here when I wake up, you chase away the nightmares. Don’t you understand that, Kade?”
“I would do anything in the world to take away your pain and your fear, moye serdste.” He stroked her cheek. “If I had listened to you at Target and taken you home, none of this would have…”
Angel stopped him with a finger against his lips. “None of that. What happened wasn’t your fault, Kade. I don’t blame you. He was crazy, obsessive, and hell-bent on taking me. He would have found a way no matter how many precautions we took. I know that.” She sat up, straddling him, and took his face in her hands. “But you saved me, Kincaid. You. Don’t blame yourself for what we can’t control. Remember that you came for me, and you saved not just me, but every other woman he would have killed after me. You’re the hero of this story, the hero of my story.”
Emotion choked Kade. He’d thought of himself as the villain of her story for so long. He hugged her tightly, wishing he had the words to express what that meant to him. When she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, it caught him by surprise. She slid her hands down his face to rest on his shoulders, her lips softly caressing his.
She pulled away, her green eyes serious. “Remember what you told me?”
What did he tell her? Kade searched his memory, trying to figure out what she was talking about. His brain refused to cooperate, only focused on how soft her lips had felt against his.