Total Surrender

by Velvet Vaughn

“What are you talking about?”

  “We’re rocking so much, I feel like I’m on an inflatable raft in the middle of a turbulent ocean.”

  That’s when she noticed she’d been bobbing her leg up and down repeatedly in frustrated agitation.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled, planting her feet firmly on the floor.

  Wyatt patted her arm in sympathy. “He’s tough. He’ll pull through just fine.”

  “He lost so much blood,” she murmured.

  “Lucky for him, it’s replaceable.”

  Blood might be…but he wasn’t. He’d quickly become the most important person in her life. She would be lost without him.

  #

  Hunter woke slowly, his entire body aching. His head was pounding like someone was hammering dull nails into his skull. He forced his lids open and the first set of eyes he saw were not the ones he’d hoped to see.

  “Hey sleepyhead,” Luke Colton said. “How’re you feeling?”

  Hunter licked his lips. “Like I got shot.”

  “You did. Several times.”

  Note to self, don’t get shot again. Hurts like a bitch.

  “Upper and middle arm, left hip, lower leg. The first and third were through-and-throughs. No major damage. The fourth left a deep groove. The second one nicked your humerus and fractured it. You also have bump on the head and a concussion.”

  No wonder he felt like he’d been run over by an eighteen-wheeler. Though it hurt to move his head, he searched the room anyway. She wasn’t here. Had something happened to Talia after he’d been incapacitated? His heart thumped in his chest.

  Obviously, Luke read his mind. “She’s reuniting Margaret with her parents.”

  Hunter huffed out a relieved breath. She was okay. He was glad she was the one who got to bring the case to closure. She’d been worried about taking off so much time for her father’s funeral. This would be a big red checkmark in her win column.

  “You two did an outstanding job,” Luke praised. “Not only did you accomplish the mission, but you also exposed a major crime operation.”

  “Is Elijah in custody.”

  “Unfortunately, no. He was tipped off and fled before the police could apprehend him.”

  “What about Tilly?”

  “She’s gone, too.”

  Hunter closed his eyes. He knew Talia would be upset. She’d become attached to the girl. She hadn’t said so, but he knew she wanted to take her home with her when Elijah was arrested. Now she wouldn’t be able to do so unless Elijah was captured.

  If the authorities hadn’t picked him up yet, Hunter thought that he might just get away with his crimes. He’d managed to stay under the radar for years. That took acumen and cunning, two traits Elijah possessed.

  The door swished, and his eyes popped open. He leaned forward in excited anticipation, his heart galloping, hoping to see Talia’s beautiful face. Instead, Sawyer sauntered in with a big grin. He plopped back to the pillows.

  “Ah, you’re awake. How’s the new and improved Hunter McGrath feeling?”

  “New and improved? What, they put bionic parts in me while I was asleep?”

  “Better,” Sawyer boasted. “You’ve got pure Oldham blood coursing through those veins.”

  “What?”

  “Hey, don’t look so offended,” Sawyer groused, looking offended. “You lost blood, I had some to spare. A ‘thanks for giving me some of your vital life force, Sawyer’, would be nice.”

  “Vital life force?” Luke sputtered.

  “I believe the definition is the red liquid that circulates in the veins and arteries, carrying oxygen to and carbon dioxide away from tissues, so yes, I stand by that statement.”

  Hunter sighed. “Thanks for giving me some of your vital life force, Sawyer.”

  Sawyer ignored his mocking tone. “You’re welcome, bro.”

  Luke and Sawyer started discussing the case and he wanted to ask more questions, but the pull of unconsciousness was too strong. He gave in to the comforting lure of darkness.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Elijah followed Cindi into her stylishly-decorated condo. He had to give it to her…from what he could see, she had great taste. As soon as the door closed, he backed her against it and attacked her lips. Cindi was an active participant, scoring him with her nails as she climbed his body. Clothes started flying and then they were stumbling to her bedroom. Being a nurse, she was prepared, so he sheathed himself with the condom and took her hard and fast. He watched her face for telltale signs that she was close. He moved his hands from her breasts to her neck. His thumbs started to dig in and soon, he was pressing down, squeezing the life out of her, just as he had Nadine. Her eyes widened in shock and fear. Her mouth opened but nothing came out. She clawed at his hands, her body bucking, but he was too strong for her. The second the light left her eyes, he came so hard he almost passed out. Might have, actually. He thought it’d been a fluke the first time, but if anything, it was even more intense this time. Damn, he really was a freaking ghoul.

  Once feeling returned to his lower extremities, he retreated to the bathroom and flushed the condom. After a quick shower to clean up, he rifled through Cindi’s purse for cash. He possessed a veritable fortune he’d access once he and Tilly were somewhere safe. He grabbed her laptop and cell phone, thinking to remove the battery in case anyone put two and two together and figured out she’d aided and abetted him.

  He’d give it a few months and once the smoke cleared, he’d start making plans. He had no doubt he’d come back better and stronger than before. Maybe he’d head to Phoenix because he felt like the mythological beast. Reborn from the ashes.

  He’d learned things from this last job, just as he had from the ones before. He was close to perfecting his technique. He wouldn’t have María and Rosa anymore, but he’d deal. Everyone was replaceable for a cost. He’d look Henry and Tina up and have them join him. Talia would have access to her trust fund by then. The thought of all those zeros made him giddy with excitement.

  Rifling through Cindi’s closet produced a sweatshirt and sweatpants that fit, so he pulled them on. A survey of her pantry provided junk food and staples he could use to feed Tilly. After making sure to wipe down any surface he’d touched, he headed back to the garage. Tilly was still out like a light. He loaded the supplies in the car and found the bag of drugs Cindi had smuggled out for him. Sweet of her.

  After backing out of her garage, he used her onboard GPS to locate a chain motel outside of Denver.

  #

  Logan’s cell rang and as he talked, he punched an address into the GPS. After he disconnected, he told Mason, “We need to make a detour before we head to the hospital.”

  Talia jerked forward and grabbed the seat in front of her. She wanted to scream. To protest. She didn’t care that Logan was her boss. She needed to see Hunter. Now.

  “The authorities identified the nurse who aided Elijah and Tilly’s escape. The cops are headed to her house now. It’s on our way, so I say we swing by and see if we can close the book on this case.”

  Talia flopped back against the seat. He was right…they did need closure. Elijah’s capture was the final piece. She wanted to make sure Tilly was okay, but that warred with her need to see Hunter.

  They were close, so they made it to the condo complex before the cops arrived. Mason parked across the street and killed the engine. The lights inside the building were off, but the garage door stood open and the bay was empty.

  The cops arrived silent so their lights and sirens didn’t tip Elijah off if he was indeed inside. They didn’t want him harming the nurse or taking her hostage. After a perimeter check, the police tried banging on the door. When the knocks went unanswered, they broke it down, fearing Cindi Perry was in imminent danger.

  They needn’t have worried. They were too late.

  #

  Elijah requested a room in the back of the motel and paid with the cash he found in Cindi’s wallet. He wore a cap he found in the nurse’s cl
oset as a disguise, but it was a moot point since the old man behind the counter barely took his eyes off the television screen to check him in. When he handed him the key, Elijah thanked him and headed back outside.

  He found the room number and parked next to an older model Taurus. The lot was deserted at this time of night, so switching the license plates was an easy task. Thankfully, he’d thought to grab a screwdriver from Cindi’s garage before he left. One more check of the lot and he dropped down to remove the plates from the back of the Ford. Arizona. That had to be a sign!

  Once the switch was made, he peered into the back seat. He didn’t think he could move Tilly by himself, so he left her in the car with the windows cracked and the doors locked.

  It took some wiggling and jiggling, but the motel door finally popped open. The room was old, but looked clean. It wasn’t up to his standards, but they wouldn’t be here long.

  He fired up Cindi’s computer, shaking his head and tsking at her lax security. She’d disabled the sign-in screen. He checked CNN and other news outlets but there was nothing on the raid of his compound, if that was what happened. He felt clueless. Totally in the dark. He wanted to call Henry for details, but what if the authorities were able to zoom in on his location? He shook his head. Until he knew what was going on, he would stay out of sight.

  Another check of news websites and he was convinced María and Rosa had been hitting the hooch hard. There wasn’t even a hint of a raid. The voice calling him Richard Caraway sounded in his head and he knew something bad had happened. He just didn’t know what.

  He navigated to his offshore bank accounts and checked the balance. Zeros flashed at him. He goggled at the screen. “What?” He frantically typed in the code for another account, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. More zeros. Someone had cleaned him out. Darkness hovered at the edges of his vision and his entire body tingled. He was having trouble breathing.

  Except for the money he stole from Cindi, he was flat broke. Destitute. He hadn’t brought any of the money from his office with him to the hospital. He’d been too worried about Tilly to think straight. Now they were on the run. He obviously couldn’t just swing by the compound and clean out the safe. It’d been compromised.

  He really needed to get in touch with Henry. He would help him. But how would he do that without notifying the authorities? They had Rob, possibly Clint. What if they’d arrested Henry, too?

  Horror had him jumping to his feet. If someone had flagged his accounts, it was just a matter of time before they traced the computer he was using right now.

  Leaving everything he brought inside the room, he dashed for the car and jumped inside. After starting the engine, he shifted into reverse and punched the accelerator, not even looking to see if anyone was behind him. He didn’t care if he ran someone over. Once he squealed into the street, he wiped moisture from his eyes and started driving with no destination in mind.

  ###

  Epilogue

  Something woke Hunter. Though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, he kept his eyes closed, trying to decipher what lured him from a very naughty dream of Talia, a king-size bed and a bowl of whipped cream.

  It wasn’t a sound. There was a constant buzz in the hospital that never went away. Whether it was the beeping of machines or doctors being paged over the intercom, you just learned to tune it all out. It wasn’t anything visual, since he hadn’t yet opened his eyes. He could sense that the room was dark and since it’d been late afternoon the last time he was among the living, he figured it must be nighttime by now.

  It was touch. Someone was holding his hand. If he pried his eyes open and it was Sawyer, he’d deck the guy with his casted arm. But wait…it was also smell. He knew that scent. Recognized it even when he was dead to the world. Flowers and sunshine and strength and beauty. Talia!

  He jerked his eyes open to see the object of his dreams in the flesh. She looked worn out and disheveled and when she smiled, he had to suck in a breath. She was so damn beautiful.

  I love you, I love you, I love you, his heart cried. “Hey,” his mouth said. Although he wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, how he wanted to be partners…not just on the job but in life as well…he knew better than to just blurt it out. He needed to convince her of his feelings. Let her get used to them before he sprung them on her. She would run spooked if she knew how he felt. I love you, I love you, I love you.

  “I love you, too, Hunter.”

  Hunter sputtered. After all that inner dialogue about keeping his feelings to himself, he’d gone and blurted them out loud. Smooth, McGrath. Real smooth. He closed his eyes in shame. But wait…she said—

  “I think I’ve loved you from the first moment I stepped foot into Senator Mullins house.”

  He snorted. “You thought I was a no-good flunky working for a corrupt politician.”

  Her teeth flashed white. “But you were a gorgeous no-good flunky working for a corrupt politician.”

  God, her smile was like sunshine after a violent storm. He knew he was grinning like an idiot and the machine monitoring his heart rate picked up speed, but he didn’t care. She loved him back. He didn’t think it was possible.

  There was a knock on his door, breaking the spell between them. Logan Bradly stuck his head inside. “You awake?”

  “Yeah.”

  “There are some people here who want to see you.”

  Margaret was the first in the door, followed by her parents.

  Talia stood and moved aside so Margaret could bend down and hug him, which wasn’t easy with the cast and various wires attached to his body.

  “I can never thank you enough for saving me and my baby,” Margaret said through tears. “Thank you for taking bullets so we could be free.”

  “You don’t need to thank me,” he protested. “It was Talia—”

  “You might as well save your strength,” Mr. Conrad said, shaking Hunter’s hand. “She’s already given us the same speech about you.”

  He glanced at her to see her cheeks glowing a beautiful shade of rose.

  “We are in your debt,” Mrs. Conrad said with a gentle, motherly hug. “We didn’t want to leave town without thanking you in person.”

  “Robby is okay?” he asked.

  “Braden,” Margaret corrected. “I changed his name. And yes, he’s wonderful. He’s been checked out by a pediatrician and cleared to fly home. Mr. Colton is watching him for us. I didn’t want to bring him here where he might catch something.”

  They talked for a few minutes before they thanked him and Talia again and then with a final goodbye, Logan escorted them out the door.

  “We’re two for two,” he told Talia, holding out his hand. She clasped it and retook her seat beside him.

  “We do make a very good team,” she agreed.

  “My thoughts exactly. In fact—”

  “Knock, knock.”

  Hunter bit back a curse at being interrupted again. Then his brother stuck his head inside and his anger melted away. He hadn’t seen Joe in months.

  “You look great,” Joe praised, coming inside the room.

  “Thank—” Hunter’s joy turned to confusion as his older brother pulled Talia into his arms.

  “Did you get some sleep?” Joe asked her with concern.

  “When…where…” he sputtered.

  “You look beautiful.”

  “Uh, hello?”

  “Hi,” Joe said without taking his gaze from Talia…or his hold. Hunter leaned forward and swiped at the couple, trying to break them apart. The tubes attached to various parts of his body protested but he didn’t care. What the hell was happening here? When did they meet?

  “You are upsetting him,” Talia chastised his brother.

  Joe chuckled. “Only because I love him.” Then he did let Talia go. “Chillax, bro,” Joe said, ignoring the death glare he was shooting at him to lean over and hug him. “I’m not making a move on your woman. I wouldn’t do that to you when you are looking so path
etic. Where’s the challenge in that?”

  Hunter growled, which Joe chose to ignore as he winked at Talia.

  “I will let you two catch up,” Talia said, backing out of the room.

  “Don’t go,” they said in unison and Hunter growled again.

  “Do not mess with your brother,” Talia warned Joe with a stern look and a pointed finger before she disappeared out the door. They both watched until the door closed.

  “Damn, she’s beautiful.” Joe turned back to Hunter. “And I am just messing with you, little brother. I met her in the waiting room and by the way she talked about you, I knew the scoop. You hit the jackpot.”

  Yes, he did. To have Talia’s heart was still something he couldn’t wrap his mind around yet.

  “Please tell me you didn’t call Mom and Dad. They don’t need to fly here.” Joe was his emergency contact since his parents traveled frequently.

  “I did, but after I talked to the doctors and they assured me that you would recover. I was also assured by some dude, that you will be, quote “better than before with super-blood coursing through your veins’.”

  Hunter huffed out a laugh. He was never going to live that down. He supposed he owed Sawyer a steak dinner or something.

  “They insisted on booking a flight out of Cairo, but I talked them out of it. You do owe them a call though. Mom said if she didn’t hear from you, she was getting on a plane, like it or not.”

  “I’ll call. They don’t need to come. I’m ready to get out of here anyway.”

  “Just do what the docs say,” his brother instructed him.

  Easy for him to say. He wasn’t being poked and prodded at all hours of the day and night. So he had a slight headache from the concussion, and maybe his arm throbbed and the bullet wounds burned, nothing he couldn’t handle. He meant to tell his brother that and he also meant to tell the nurses to quit pumping painkillers into him. They made him sleepy. But before he could do either, he winked out again.

  #

  Talia watched Hunter rest, his chest rising and falling reassuringly in a steady rhythm. She spoke with the doctor when he came to check on him and he told her that if Hunter felt good in the morning, they would release him.