by Sandra Owens
Lauren tried to pull her arm away from Stephan’s hold, but he dug his fingers into her skin. She winced, which no doubt pleased her ex. How was she going to get away if he wouldn’t let her out of his sight? But somehow she would because she was not getting back on this plane or any other bound for Russia.
She glanced at the pilot, who was looking back at her with concern. Was he suspicious that something wasn’t right? If so, that was good and bad. He could be an ally, but that could get him killed. As much as she longed to signal him somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Stephan was edgy, and there was no telling what he’d do if he caught on. She smiled, hoping that would allay any worries the pilot might have about her.
“Well, my mama taught me ladies always go first, but whatever,” the pilot said. “The sooner everyone’s off the plane, the sooner we can get it to maintenance.”
Someone in the cockpit—the copilot?—started humming “Just the Way You Are.” Her heart stuttered. It sounded just like Court, but that was impossible. Who else would hum that song at this precise moment, though? She had thought for a brief moment on boarding that she’d caught a whiff of his scent. Could he really be on the plane?
“Who is that?” Stephan asked.
The pilot glanced behind him, a frown on his face. “My copilot. He tends to hum when he’s bored.”
A fireman appeared in the open doorway. “Everyone okay here?”
Lauren eyed the man. She couldn’t remember his name, but she’d danced with him at Alex and Madison’s wedding several months earlier. Since he didn’t give any indication of knowing her, she didn’t show any sign of recognition. Was he really a fireman, or was he an FBI agent like Court and his brothers?
Almost certain that was Court in the cockpit and the fireman wasn’t a fireman, she felt her knees almost buckle in relief. Somehow Court had done the impossible and put himself on the plane before they’d even boarded. The humming stopped, and although she realized he’d only done it to let her know he was here and it was better not to raise Stephan’s suspicions, she wished he’d keep doing it because it soothed her nerves.
Next to her, Stephan tensed, as if suspecting something wasn’t right. He glanced at his brother, and a message passed between the two of them. She needed to act before they had a chance to think things through and decide there really was something going on.
“Well, I for one am getting off this plane. Where’s the ladies’ room?” She jerked her arm away, but before she could step away from Stephan, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against him.
“You stay with me, wife.” He nuzzled her ear while pushing the barrel of the gun he had in his pocket into her spine.
Lauren shuddered. Sweat pooled under her arms and down her back. She’d been raised to believe God heard prayers, so she prayed that no one would die because of her.
“Out, all of you,” the pilot yelled, as if he’d lost patience with them. Then he stepped into the cockpit, disappearing from view.
The fireman-hopefully-FBI-agent didn’t flinch at the pilot’s outburst. He kept his gaze steadily on her. She widened her eyes, asking him what she should do now.
He stepped inside the plane. “Glad to see everyone’s okay. I imagine an emergency landing is frightening, but you’re nice and safe now. The ground crew’s waiting to tow the plane, but can’t do that until you leave.” He held out his hand. “Ma’am, I’ll help you down the stairs.”
“Thank you.” She reached for him, had her fingers on his.
“No,” Stephan said. He poked her back again, reminding her that he had a gun. “Peter, we will follow you down.”
The fireman smiled as he stepped back. “See you at the bottom, then.”
Peter muttered something in Russian, then stepped out. Stephan pushed her forward. At the doorway, the sun hit her eyes, and she paused, halfway out, blinking against the bright light.
“Oomph.”
At hearing someone grunt behind her, she glanced over her shoulder, trying to see inside the airplane. Another grunt sounded as two men wrestled in the confines of the cabin. They rolled over the seats, and she caught a glimpse of Court’s face before they fell to the floor. She almost cried out, but snapped her mouth closed, realizing she would distract Court.
They were fighting over the gun, Court holding it away as Stephan tried to point it at him. Not only was Stephan bigger and bulkier than Court, he knew how to play dirty. Lauren looked around for something she could hit Stephan over the head with.
Suddenly, she was shoved from behind, causing her to stumble into the plane. Peter tried to push past her, but then he seemed to jerk back. On her knees, she glanced behind her to see Nate and the pretend fireman hauling Peter down the stairs. The pilot stood at the door to the cabin, watching the men fight.
“Do something,” she said.
“He’s got a gun. I’ll just make things worse.” He grabbed her hand, pulling her up. “You’re going to distract the FBI man. Get in the cockpit.”
The plane’s galley was right in front of her, and she headed for it. The heaviest thing she could find was a bottle of wine. She grabbed it, hefting it in her hand. It should put a nasty bump on Stephan’s head when she smashed it on his skull.
Back in the cabin, she watched for a chance to knock Stephan out. With his hands still wrapped around Stephan’s wrist, forcing the gun away, Court somehow managed to hook a leg around Stephan’s, flipping him over, and then straddling him. Their heads were facing her, and if Court would only lean away, she could slam the bottle down on Stephan’s forehead.
Stephan twisted his head, looked straight at her, and then his lips lifted in a smile so disturbing that she shivered. Suddenly, a loud crack filled the air. It took a second to process that Stephan had pulled the trigger. It took another second to feel the sting in her leg. The wine bottle fell from her grasp and rolled down the floor toward the two men. She rubbed her palm over the burning pain. When she lifted her hand, she stared stupidly at the blood running down her fingers.
The bastard had meant to shoot her, had tried to carry out his promise that if he couldn’t have her, no one would. She fell to her knees, reaching for the dropped bottle. By the time she finished with him, Stephan was going to wish he’d never laid eyes on her.
“Get her out of here,” Court yelled.
She lifted her gaze to see him staring at her. Before she could tell him not to worry about her, that he needed to concentrate on Stephan, she was pulled against a hard body. As she was dragged out of the plane, her last glimpse was of Stephan wrestling his gun free of Court’s hold.
“Let me go.” She glanced up at Nate. “I’m okay. You have to help Court.”
He tossed her into Alex’s arms, then raced back up the stairs. Before he reached the top, another gunshot sounded. Lauren stared at the doorway as Nate disappeared into the plane, tears falling down her face.
“Please let him be okay,” she whispered. “Please, God.”
“He’s too mean to die,” Alex muttered. “He better be too damn mean.”
Court wasn’t mean. He was everything a man should be. Honorable, caring, hardworking. And he loved her. But as she stood on the tarmac, not knowing what was happening inside that plane, whether Court was hurt or worse, it confirmed the truth she’d been coming to accept. She would take even one day with Court if that were all they were blessed with over not having him at all.
“These guys need to take a look at your leg,” Alex said, picking her up and carrying her to a stretcher where EMTs waited.
She grabbed his hand. “I’m fine. Go see to Court.”
“He would want me to stay with you.”
“Please. What if he’s shot? Go to him, Alex.”
He glanced over at the plane. “He better not be.”
He called to the fireman. “This is Rand. He’s one of us. He’ll stay with you.”
One of the EMTs poked at her thigh. “The bullet’s still in her leg. We need to get her to the h
ospital.”
Lauren gritted her teeth when the EMT prodded at the wound. Her leg was throbbing, but she didn’t want him to know how badly it hurt. They’d want to take her to the hospital. She needed to be here for Court.
“Don’t leave her side,” Alex said to Rand, then raced to the plane. Against her protests, the EMTs shoved the stretcher into the back of an ambulance.
“You can ride up front with me,” one of the EMTs said to Rand.
“Please, don’t leave,” she said to the one who got into the back with her. “He might need you more than me.”
“Who’s he, love?” the man said with a Spanish accent as he pressed a square of gauze to her leg.
“Court Gentry. He’s an FBI agent. I think he might have been shot.” She tried to push his hand away. “He’s special,” she whispered as the ambulance sped away.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Court reached for the wine bottle rolling toward him. Stephan Kozlov was a mean sonofabitch and outweighed him by a good thirty pounds or more, but Court had rage on his side. The fucker had shot Lauren.
When he’d been sure Lauren was on her way out of the plane, he’d jumped out of the cockpit, deciding that the risk of taking Stephan down using the element of surprise outweighed letting him walk down the steps, still in control. He’d expected a fight. The man was obsessed beyond all reason with having Lauren.
Because of his strength, Kozlov managed to angle the gun at Court’s chest. It was too confined in the cabin to use his martial arts skills or this fight would have already ended. Court grabbed the bottle, bringing it up and smashing it down with all his might on the man’s head. The gun went off, the bullet whizzing past Court’s ear, and then the weapon fell out of Stephan’s hand. That was too damn close. Before Court could grab it, Nate whisked it away.
“Should I shoot him? He tried to kill you. I think I should shoot him.”
Court pushed up. “If anyone’s going to shoot him, it’s going to be me. You’re the one who said to remember I’m sworn to obey the law where this asshole’s concerned.” He glanced down at the unconscious man. “Get him out of my face before I really am tempted to put him out of his misery.”
Alex ran up behind Nate. “Bro, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Where’s Lauren?”
“With the EMTs.”
He glanced out the doorway. “Where?”
“They took her to the hospital.”
Court glared at Alex. “You should have stayed with her.”
“Rand’s with her. She insisted I come see if you’d been shot.”
He held out his hand. “One of you gimme your keys. I have to get to the hospital. You two can deal with this piece of shit and his scumbag brother.”
Alex tossed his car keys to him. “Go see about your lady. We got this covered.”
“Call me later,” Nate said.
He lifted a hand in acknowledgment as he ran down the stairs.
“Lauren Montgomery,” Court said to the emergency room receptionist. “She was brought in with a gunshot wound.”
The woman typed Lauren’s name on her keyboard. “She’s being prepped for surgery.”
“Where is she? I need to see her.”
“Are you family?”
“I’m her fiancé.” He eyed her name tag. “She thinks I was shot, too. Please, Debra. She needs to know I’m okay.” Her eyes widened. Apparently, Debra thought she had a Bonnie and Clyde on her hands because she scooted her chair back, putting more distance between them. Court was losing his patience. Time to bring out the big gun. He whipped out his badge, setting it on the counter. “Where is she?”
The badge seemed to reassure her—she walked her chair back to the counter. “Is she really your fiancée? Not someone you’re going to arrest while she’s on the operating table?”
“Yes, Debra. She really is my fiancée.” He leaned toward her. “Swear you won’t tell her I said this, but I will arrest her and put her in protective custody if it means keeping her safe.”
That got him a smile and directions to the surgery department. “Thank you.” He took a few steps, then returned to the counter. “Her father was brought in earlier today. Can you tell me if he was admitted? William Montgomery.”
She keyed in his name. “Yes, he was. The Montgomery family doesn’t seem to be having a good day.”
“I intend to see that their day gets better.” After getting William’s room number, he went in search of Lauren. Unfortunately, they’d already taken her into surgery. His pleading to get an update on her condition fell on deaf ears since he wasn’t family, nor did his badge impress the nurse. All she’d tell him was that the patient wasn’t in critical condition. Although he knew that, it was a relief to hear it.
While he waited for Lauren to come out of surgery, he decided to go see Lauren’s father. The elevator door opened and he got in, not realizing it was going down instead of up. When it reached the lobby, he noticed a gift shop. He should get something to take to William.
A shelf with green plants caught his attention, and he headed for it. He picked up one in a pretty blue pot, and as he carried it to the cashier, he noticed a display of stuffed animals. Sitting on the floor was a huge teddy bear with a heart-shaped patch sewn on its chest with the words I love you. When he picked it up, the damn thing came to his waist.
Ten minutes later, he walked into William’s room, the bear draped over one arm and the plant in his hand. Julie—her eyes red and puffy from crying—sat by her father’s bed, holding his hand. Court glanced at William and saw that he was asleep. As soon as Julie noticed him, she jumped up. He set the plant next to another one already on a shelf.
“Where’s Lauren?” Julie whispered.
He motioned for her to follow him into the hallway. When she gave the bear a puzzled look, he said, “It’s for Lauren. She’s going to be okay, but she was shot in the leg and is in surgery right now.”
“Stephan shot her?” At his nod, she scowled. “I hope you killed him.”
Court swallowed a grin. Bloodthirsty little thing. “No, but he and his brother will go to prison for a very long time.”
“Well, that’s something, anyway. Are you sure she’s okay? Can I see her?”
“I’m hoping you can get more information from the nurse than I was able to since you’re family. How’s your father?”
She glanced into the room. “He has a concussion, so they’re holding him overnight. He should be able to go home tomorrow.”
“Can you leave him for a few minutes?”
“Yeah. If he wakes up, he’ll think I’m either in the cafeteria or in the waiting room, watching TV.”
“Good. Let’s go see what you can find out.” Still carrying the bear, he led her to the elevator.
“Where did Stephan take her?”
“His intention was to take her to Russia with him. I wasn’t about to let that happen.” He told her a scaled-down version of the events.
“Wow. So you’re an FBI agent. That’s totally cool.”
He wished her sister thought so. A different, friendlier nurse was at the desk. Julie found out that Lauren should be out of surgery in about thirty minutes, and then she’d be in recovery until they moved her to a room.
“Why don’t you go back and stay with your dad. As soon as your sister’s coherent enough to talk, I’ll come get you.” He wanted to see Lauren alone first, find out what was going on in her head. There was a good chance she’d tell him she couldn’t be with him, but he’d already decided he’d just have to change her mind.
An hour later, a nurse and a man in scrubs rolled a gurney past the waiting room. Court’s eyes zeroed in on the patient’s pink-tipped hair. He gathered up the teddy bear, dropped the cup of god-awful coffee into a wastebasket, and then followed them.
“How is she?” he asked the nurse, the same one who’d given Julie an update.
“She’ll be groggy when she wakes up. The doctor will stop by later to check on her. He’ll gi
ve you an update.” The man wearing scrubs, who Court now realized was an orderly, left, and once he was gone, the nurse said, “Her leg will hurt for a while, but she’ll be fine.”
Court let out a relieved breath. He’d been afraid that she’d have permanent damage. Now all he could do was wait for her to wake up. He pulled up a chair, set the bear on his lap, and closed his eyes. Although he was determined to find a way to get her past her fears, he hadn’t a clue how to go about that.
They’d certainly had an odd relationship, falling in love so fast when they were young, and then not seeing each other for six years. Now that she was back in his life, he didn’t want to lose her. He needed a plan.
Alex had won Madison back by kidnapping her and taking her on a romantic getaway. A bit drastic, but it had worked. Court didn’t see that working with Lauren after all she’d gone through. He needed something bigger, something that would prove to her that he’d do whatever it took to keep her. There was only one thing he could think of that would make her happy. Did he love her enough to make the sacrifice?
What was that antiseptic smell? Lauren tried to open her eyes, but someone had glued them shut. She tried again, finally forcing them open. She yelped. There was a bear sitting in a chair staring at her. Blinking to clear her vision, she pushed herself up.
Everything came flooding back, Stephan kidnapping her, getting shot, her worry about Court. She needed to find someone who could tell her if he was okay. When she moved her legs to get out of the bed, pain shot up her leg.
“Ah, that hurts,” she moaned, pressing her hand against her thigh.
“You shouldn’t be moving around,” the bear said.
She was obviously hallucinating. What kind of drugs had they given her? “Bears don’t talk,” she muttered. The bear stood, but the fog that had clouded her eyes cleared, and it was a relief to realize it was a giant teddy bear being held by a man. She studied the forearm wrapped around the bear.