“I’m okay.” At least she thought she was. Her back felt like she’d been singed by fire, but nothing hurt deep inside. Maybe she’d managed to avoid a full stab.
Brian immediately went to Alena and got the girl to look at him. “Now, we’re going to take our time and get this thing off of you, all right?” He looked at Kit and his unspoken message was clear. Time to get out.
Alena’s eyes darted between the remaining people in the room. Kit saw the tears had stopped, but the fear hadn’t faded one bit.
Noah helped Kit to her feet and she swayed, then got her legs to work. His pale features worried her, but she had to check on Alena. She walked over to the girl and took her hand. “Brian is the best. He was on the bomb squad once upon a time and is still here to talk about his experiences, all right?” Alena’s fingers felt ice cold and they wrapped around Kit’s in a grip she didn’t think she’d be able to break even if she wanted to. She looked at Noah. “Get everyone else out.”
Noah spoke into the microphone connected to his earpiece and faint sounds of the house being vacated filtered up from below. The SWAT members all saluted and left with one last look at Brian.
Kit interpreted the looks to mean, Don’t mess up.
“All right, guys,” Brian ordered. “You two are next. Go on. Get out.”
Alena’s fingers spasmed and Kit squeezed. “No way. I’m going to stay right here with you, Alena, all right?”
“Kit . . .” Noah’s soft voice tinged with warning reached her, and she shot him a look that said she meant business. “I’m staying with her.” Turning her attention to Brian, she said, “Let’s get this done.”
Taking a deep breath, Brian exchanged a look with Noah, then using the wire cutter he had on a belt loop, he got to work on the bomb around Alena’s neck.
Alena let go of Kit’s hand. “Wait.”
Brian paused.
Alena bit her lip, then said, “I don’t want anything to happen to you. Please. Go.”
Kit shook her head. “Not a chance.”
“Then wait where I can’t see you, okay?”
Confused, Kit looked at the girl, but didn’t want to waste time questioning her. “Sure.”
Noah’s grip tightened as he pulled her across the room, wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face in her hair. “You scared me,” he whispered.
“I was pretty scared myself,” she muttered into his chest. A chest that felt good to lean into. He smelled of aftershave and sweat. She breathed in the scent, glad she was alive to experience the wonderful sensation of being in his arms once more.
“Please don’t ever do that again.”
“What? Walk blithely into a serial killer’s house?”
“Yeah. That.”
“Okay. Sounds good to me.”
She pulled out of his arms and turned to find Brian watching them. He’d freed Alena from the bomb. He offered a half smile. “From the brief look I got before Edward discovered us, I was already 99 percent sure which wires to cut. Didn’t take long.”
His voice was light, but hurt and resignation mingled in his gaze. She walked over and offered him a sad smile. “Thanks. You did good.”
“You too.”
“Um, Kit?” Noah’s voice made her turn. She cocked a brow at him.
He held up a hand covered in blood, and she gasped and stepped toward him. “Noah, are you hurt?”
“No, darlin’, you are.”
“Um . . . Noah?” She placed a hand against the side of his neck that disappeared into the collar of his shirt and pulled back a matching blood-covered hand. “You are too.”
His eyes rolled back and he dropped to the floor.
44
At the hospital, Kit paced the floor in the surgery waiting room. When Noah had passed out on her, she’d nearly gone into shock. Thankfully the paramedics had been right there and had gotten to him quickly.
No one knew how he’d been wounded yet, but CSU was on the job and Kit hoped they’d have an answer soon. She looked around the waiting room. At least thirty people had gathered in one corner. All concerned and waiting to hear about Noah.
Kit shoved her hands into her pockets and winced as she pulled the stitches in her back. She’d had a nice cut, but stitches and yet another antibiotic would fix her right up.
But Noah . . .
Please, God, she prayed, please let him be okay. I know I haven’t been a big fan of yours for a while, but I want that to change. And not just because of Noah, she hastened to assure the Almighty, but because of his example. He’s shown me who you really are and I want the kind of relationship with you that he has. So, please . . .
She broke off her plea when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Swinging around, she saw an older man with the face of a bulldog. A very tall, intimidating man who reminded her of someone associated with the Mafia.
But he had the kindest eyes she’d ever looked into.
“You must be Kit.”
Kit smiled. “I am. And you are?”
“I’m Myles Cleary.”
“From the boys’ home.”
Myles raised a brow. “He told you about me?”
“A little.” She looked around. “Where are his parents? Family?” Her own had stopped by to reassure themselves she was okay and now waited in a huddle in the opposite corner from all of Noah’s friends. All except Dakota, who’d been called out to another case. Jamie went back to work in the morgue and Samantha held a sleeping Andy against her while Connor couldn’t seem to keep his hands off either of them. Tucking Andy’s blanket around him, running a hand through Samantha’s hair, or just holding her hand. He’d had his world well and truly rocked.
But all was well now except for Noah.
Please, God . . .
The man frowned down at her. “He hasn’t told you?”
A little wary now, Kit cut her eyes at him. “Told me what?”
Looking decidedly uncomfortable, Myles shifted, then shrugged. “Well, if he hasn’t said anything about his childhood, then I guess he has good reason.”
“It’s all right. You don’t have to tell me.”
He seemed to make up his mind. “No. I don’t think Noah would care. At least he never has in the past. Noah doesn’t know who his blood relatives are. He grew up in foster homes and orphanages. For some reason he was never adopted even as an infant.”
Kit gasped and felt the blood drain from her face. “What?”
“He’s an orphan in the truest sense of the word.”
She could feel herself gaping at the man but couldn’t seem to stop.
He raised a hand to tap her chin. “Don’t look so shocked. It happens to some children.”
“But . . . but . . .”
Myles swept his hand over the people who’d come to wait for Noah to get out of surgery. “These are his family. Family’s not just made up of people who share the same blood, it’s made up of people who love you.”
If he’d punched her in the gut, she would have had the same trouble breathing. She had to sit down. Her fingers groped behind her for the arm of the chair and she plopped into it without taking her eyes from the man in front of her. “Noah? An orphan?”
He nodded. “When he landed in my home, he was an angry sixteen-year-old. He’d been bounced around so much, all he was living for was his eighteenth birthday so he could finally just be on his own.”
“And then what did he plan on doing?”
Myles gave a small chuckle. “He wasn’t thinking that far ahead. He just wanted out of his current circumstances.”
“Of course.” Kit took in his words, but her mind swirled. Why hadn’t Noah ever said anything?
Because she’d already whined to him about what she was going through because she had two families that she felt torn between! Two families who loved her and wanted her.
No wonder he dodged her questions about his personal life.
Suddenly she felt incredibly selfish. And petty.
And the tears surged
. She jumped up. “Excuse me. I’ll be in the chapel. Please come get me when he’s out of surgery.”
And without another word, she fled the room.
Bypassing the elevator, she hit the stairs at a run. It was only one flight. And then she was in the chapel. Silence hit her as she stepped inside.
Two others sat in the pew to her left. She walked on quiet feet to the front row and slid in.
Bowing her head, she prayed. Oh Lord, I’ve been so selfish, so consumed with myself I haven’t been able to see anyone else’s pain but my own. I’ve let anger blind me. I’ve let self-righteousness stop me in my tracks and keep me from having the kind of relationship with you that I want. I need to let it go. I need to make things right with my mother, and I really, really need for you to let Noah live because I love him so much. I want to be there for him. I want to share his life. I want him to feel like he can open up and tell me about that life. And I want so much to be able to tell him this. So please . . .
Tears fell as she sobbed out everything in her heart to the Lord she’d shoved aside. I want to make a difference like Noah. One by one, helping others find you like Noah helped me. I’m sorry for allowing my anger to cause a rift between us. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for forgiving me. And thank you for who you’ve allowed me to be. Even though I don’t like myself very much right now.
Another sob gripped her.
The hand on her shoulder made her jerk, and she swung around to see her adoptive mother standing there. The woman looked at her with such compassion and love that the only thing Kit could think to do was to throw her arms around her mom and cling.
Her mother let her, as Kit let more tears fall.
“I’m sorry, darling.”
“It’s okay, Mom. It’s all really okay. Or at least it will be.”
“Noah’s out of surgery.”
Kit pulled back and swiped at her eyes with her palms. Relief hit her. “So he’s okay?”
“He’s fine. The doctor’s got the bleeding stopped.”
“What about you? What are you doing here? How are you feeling? I was going to come back and see you when the case was over.”
The spurt of questions flooded from her, and her mother just smiled. “I’m recovering. But there was no way I was staying home while you were going through all this trauma. Brig drove me down, and I figured I’d be sitting with you in a hospital so if something happened, help was close by.”
Kit breathed a laugh and then sobered. “Thank you. I needed you to be here.”
It was her mother’s turn to tear up. “Oh my. I love you so much, Kit.”
“I know, Mom. And I love you too. I’m sorry I’ve been such a pain.”
“Well, you’ve certainly been that. But you had your reasons.” She looked away and bit her lip. “Ones that I can’t necessarily fault you on.”
“It’s in the past. Let’s look to the future, okay?”
Surprise and hope flared on her mother’s face. “That sounds wonderful.”
“Now, I want to go check on Noah.”
Together, they made their way to the elevator and Kit felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Peace like nothing she ever remembered feeling before flooded her soul. And while she was still worried about Noah, she now knew who to turn her worries over to.
Now to go convince a very good man that she loved him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
Noah blinked against the light. Had he fallen asleep in the kitchen again?
And why was he so thirsty?
He tried to move and groaned. Pain. All right, where had that come from?
“Noah, wake up, Noah.”
The light got brighter. Had he died and gone to heaven?
“Noah. I need you to wake up.”
Kit. His senses became sharper. The memories flooded him. He remembered the hostage situation. Edward. Smells assaulted him. The room came into focus. A hospital.
But why was he in the hospital? Kit had been the one hurt.
He turned his head. And winced at the tug on his neck.
“Wha—?”
The door opened, but he kept his attention on Kit. She rubbed his hand and he squeezed his fingers around hers. A tear leaked out and he tried to brush it away. He wound up knocking a knuckle against her lip. She breathed a little laugh, then frowned. “A fragment from a bullet bounced off the knife Edward held and caught you in the neck. Amazingly enough, it lodged in your carotid artery. When it moved, you started bleeding profusely and passed out.”
“Good thing you had some excellent paramedics right outside,” the doctor said from the foot of the bed. “Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“And that would make me very sad,” Kit whispered.
Noah looked at her and said the words he’d been wanting to say for a while. “I love you, Kit.”
He watched her blink furiously against more tears. “I love you too.”
“Um . . . I’m just going to be outside,” the physician muttered. “Buzz me if you need me.”
Noah vaguely registered the doctor’s departure. It took all of his energy to focus on her words. Had she really said she loved him? “Oh, I need to tell you about my family.”
“You can tell me later. You need to rest and regain your strength and then we’ll talk. Because I’ve got a lot to tell you too.”
“Okay.” His eyes fluttered shut against his will. He forced them back open. “What do you need to tell me?”
“I want to go to church with you when you feel better.”
“Really?” Joy flooded through him.
“Yeah, God and I had a pretty intense conversation and I believe he’s who you kept telling me he is. I want to be like you, Noah, and love God with my whole heart.”
He’d been waiting to hear those words. He hadn’t realized they’d make him cry.
She squeezed his hand and wiped a stray tear from his temple. Then he felt her lips on his, very soft, very sweet.
He felt himself slipping back into sleep. Struggled against it one more time. “Oh, I bought you a house.”
Then the blackness covered him and he gave in to it.
45
Kit stood at the edge of the property and gaped. Two weeks ago she’d been afraid the man at her side might die. She’d taken medical leave from the department and except for filling out paperwork and talking to Internal Affairs, she’d not left Noah’s side.
He’d told her about his childhood, his raging insecurities up until he’d moved in with Myles Cleary and how the man had made an amazing difference in his life in a two-year period. Through Myles’s patience with the angry teen, Noah had finally come to understand that Myles wasn’t going to give up on him and send him away.
Just like the God he served.
And Noah watched Myles make a difference in the lives of the kids who came through his door.
One by one.
Kit shifted and slid her hand into Noah’s. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
A sigh of relief slipped from his lips. “So you like it?”
“I love it.”
“Good. I signed the papers yesterday.”
She squealed. “I thought that was the drugs talking when you said you bought me a house!”
He laughed. “No, I didn’t realize I said that out loud.”
“And then when you didn’t say another word about it, I just forgot about it.” The two-story brick house sat at the top of a small hill surrounded by green grass and a white fence. A horse pasture lay behind it. And yet it was close enough to be at the office within fifteen minutes. “Are you serious?”
Noah turned and pulled her against him. He placed his lips against hers for a long, lingering kiss. When he lifted his head, he said, “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life. I can’t believe everything that’s happened in the last few months, but I knew the moment I met you that you were special. That hasn’t changed.”
&nbs
p; “Ah Noah. I don’t know what to say.” Tears clogged her vision. “You’re too good to be true.”
He gave a choked laugh. “Not hardly. I just know what I want, and that’s a lifetime with you.”
“When did you have time to do this? How? Who helped?”
“The iPhone is a great tool. Skip found it and emailed me about a hundred pictures. Then I drove out here before work one morning. I prayed about it a lot too.”
She blinked and felt emotion well up inside her. “You got me to get over my spiritual temper tantrum and showed me how to get close to God again.”
A brow raised. “I did that?”
She gave him a light punch in the side. “You know you did. How did you manage to put up with me?”
He planted a kiss on the top of her head. “It wasn’t that hard, I promise.”
She gave a laugh and wrapped her arms around his waist to give him a squeeze. “I can’t believe this. This whole day has been unreal.”
“How so?”
“Jamie called me this morning. She’s pregnant. I’m going to be an aunt again. And then this . . . it’s enough to take a girl’s breath away.”
“Jamie and Dakota are going to have a baby, huh? That’s great.”
“I know. I’m so excited for her. After all she’s been through . . .”
“So what do you say we get married so little Andy and Baby Richards have a cousin who’s not too much younger?”
Joy and love ruptured through her. “I say that sounds like the best offer I’ve ever had.”
His lips met hers again and she sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the God who didn’t give up on her and loved her enough to bless her in spite of herself.
“Want to go ring shopping?”
She grinned. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Yeah, let’s go tell Ms. Michelle at the jewelry store she knew what she was talking about when she said she’d see us again.”
Hand in hand they headed for his car.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my family. You are my strength, my reason for getting up in the morning, and the reason I write. I love you so much!
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