by April Zyon
Cass didn’t even hesitate. She ran into Travis’s open arms and all but jumped, hugging him tightly. “Oh God,” she whispered with tears streaming down her face. “I thought he killed you.” She pulled back. “No more guns. Okay? And I’m so damn sorry.” She cupped his cheeks with her hands and then moved back to hug him again. “So glad you are okay, that everyone is okay.”
“I’m fine,” he said. He was holding her tight, his cheek to hers as he rubbed her back. “As soon as I saw him, I headed out of his line of fire as quick as I could. I may have bruised a few important parts of my anatomy, though. It didn’t really go according to the plan in my head at the time, and nothing like you see in movies.”
“That’s fine, you don’t have a hole in you. Bruises I can deal with, holes in you I can’t.” She bit her lower lip. “You are okay, right?” She began to run her hands over his body, wanting to touch and ensure herself that he really was unhurt.
“I’m fine, but you may need to check my back. I think I left some of my skin behind in my less than graceful leap.” He kissed her cheek, her jaw, the corner of her mouth. “I’m all right, sweetheart. I’m safe and so are you. I was scared for you when I saw him head inside. I wanted to race in, but Brant wouldn’t let me, and since he had the gun, I let him go.”
“I’m just glad you are okay.” She nodded and bit her lower lip. “I will check your back after we get inside. We will grab your mom’s medical kit and I will take care of you, then we are locking ourselves in our bedroom for a time. Deal?”
“Agreed, once I know Brant has that piece of shit off the property,” he told her. Tugging her closer, he tucked her head under his chin. She could hear his heart beating fast in his chest. He wasn’t letting her go either, holding her tightly as he turned enough for her to see Brant pushing Scott out of the barn ahead of him, the bound man stumbling and muttering the entire way.
“Yes, we will watch him getting taken away, but that’s it. I mean it, Trav. I want to lock your happy ass away. I swear I lost ten years of my life when I thought that he shot you.” No, she had lost everything when she thought that Travis had been shot. She had been tempted to walk out of the stall and stand up to Scott, but something held her back.
“Shh,” he whispered. “I’m right here, Cass. You’re not getting rid of me that easily, not now that I’ve got you committed to marrying me.” He pulled back enough to smile down at her. With a kiss to her forehead, he tucked her close to his side as they followed behind Brant back toward the house.
“That’s right. I’ve committed myself, and I’m darn tootin’ keeping up my end of the bargain.” She was holding onto him tightly as well, her cheek to his bare chest. “I would offer you your shirt, but I don’t think you would be happy with me walking around with my boobs hanging out.”
Brant shot her a look over his shoulder, grinning.
Travis squeezed her, shaking his head. “No, you can keep the shirt. Anything to keep you nicely covered. Especially in front of my brothers.”
Another shove from Brant had Scott stumbling into the side of a car. A few swears later, and Brant had him tucked in the backseat. “All right, you two. Behave yourselves while I go and lock Scott up for the night. I think tomorrow, he and I, along with several other agents, will have a lot to talk about.”
“Well, you make him talk, but if you need someone to deck him again, give me a call and I will come running.” Cassidy’s hand was hurting like hell, but it felt good that she had been able to take out a little bit of her frustration on the dickhead who’d been after her. “Thank you, Brant. Thank you for getting him out of here.”
“No problem, Cass. Put your hand in some ice,” he advised. “I’ll be back later for the night, but I have a feeling we won’t see one another until tomorrow at some point. I’ll keep you updated on anything I find out.”
Travis gave her another squeeze as Brant got into the front seat of the car. Lifting their hands, they waved as he pulled out of the yard. “Come on, let’s get inside,” he said once the car was headed up the road from the house.
“Sounds good.” Cassidy looked up at Travis and smiled. “Well, you wanted a memorable day for our engagement. I don’t think anything could be more memorable than this. What do you think?”
The look that comment got her could only be called nasty. Rolling his eyes, Travis urged her into the house. “The med kit should be up in the main bathroom. Go and grab it, love. I’ll meet you in our room. Be quick, I’m going to grab a shower to get rid of the grime before you get to work on cleaning my back.”
“Sounds good.” She hesitated only a moment and then gave him another hug. “I will be up shortly. You do whatever you need to do so that we can get you bandaged up and we can curl up into the bed together.”
“Yes, ma’am. You hurry up too. Think of me all naked, in the shower, nice and warm with water flowing down my body.” He was messing with her now, big time. “I’ll be thinking of you, sweetheart.” She had a bit of lead before she heard his footsteps on the stairs coming up behind her as he went toward their room.
“Damn.” Now all she could seem to focus on was the thought of Travis in the shower, naked with water running over his form. “Right, med kit,” she said to herself and took off for the main bedroom so that she could hopefully find the kit and get upstairs to Travis before he got too into his shower without her there.
When she got to the bedroom, she could hear the water running. Nothing else, just the water. “Cass, that you, love?” Travis’ voice reached her. “If it is, get your naked ass in here and scrub my back, please. If it’s not, I don’t want a naked ass in here, but I still need my back scrubbed. I can’t reach, damn it.”
“It’s me.” She locked the bedroom door and dropped the medical kit on the bed before stripping down to her skin again and walking into the bathroom. “So, you can’t reach?” She saw his back and she gasped. “Holy balls.” She stepped closer. “Damn, you really did do a back dive, didn’t you? You poor man.” He had dirt all over his back, as well as many rough, bloody spots where he had obviously slid on the dirt.
“Damn, I was really hoping you wouldn’t say that. I was kind of hoping it was feeling worse than it actually looked. All right, I can take it.” Travis turned a bit to look at her. “How bad is it?”
“You have a couple of really ugly places that will need to be cleaned with soap as well as antiseptic and then gauze. A couple of small places as well, but it’s the big ones that are going to cause you pain. Especially tomorrow.”
“Well, there goes my modeling career. Damn shame, too. I was so looking forward to Paris in the spring as I strutted my fine self down the runway in a thong.” He smiled at her and shrugged, then winced. “It’s fine, Cass. Let’s get it cleaned up, though, before I seize any more. I’m already stiffening up, and all I really want to do is hold you close and sleep.”
“Okay.” She began to wash his back carefully, using her hands instead of a cloth so that it didn’t hurt him as much. “Do you know that this is the second time that you’ve been hurt when I’ve wanted to attack your body?” she teased, referencing when Joshua had made him work a week ago. “For now, though, we will worry about getting you out and your back medically cleaned.”
“Trust me, I realize this fact. Especially since I had a raging hard-on when I dove over that damn fence. Thankfully, it didn’t get caught up on anything. Otherwise, I’d be in a lot more pain. For a lot longer. Damn, that would suck,” he muttered. He flinched when she got to a particularly nasty spot, but he didn’t say anything, just held still for the most part and let her tend to him.
“Sorry.” She winced and bit her lip again. When she had him cleaned fully with the soap and water, she pulled back. “Okay, turn and rinse off, babe. I’m going to get out, put a towel down on the bed, and get the med kit ready. Hope you don’t mind peroxide.”
“Oh sure, we’ll go the whole route of torture. Why not? You sure you wouldn’t prefer a little rubbing alcohol instead?
” he asked with a grin. He turned his back into the stream of water and hissed out a slow breath. “Maybe some salt to rub into the wounds? No? Okay,” he said when she just glared at him.
“Ass,” she muttered, and smacked his ass in turn. Thankfully, it wasn’t scuffed and hurt, so that was good. “Hurry up, babe. I want to get you all cleaned up and stuff. Then I’m going to go and find some ice for my hand, come back up here, and curl up into the bed with you for sleep. No monkey loving. Sleep.” Even though they had only been up a few hours, Cassidy was exhausted and knew that Travis was as well. The ordeal that they had gone through, the emotional toll that it took on them, was enough that they both needed rest and knew it.
The water shut off at her words. A moment later, he stepped out of the bathroom. “You are so damn impatient,” he muttered. He was grinning, though, when he climbed onto the bed. Once he was settled on his stomach, she climbed up next to him.
“I do love you,” she whispered, and kissed the base of his neck. “Now then, this is going to hurt, and for that, I’m sorry. Maybe you should hit Scott next? That might make you feel better? It made me feel better.” She grabbed the peroxide and shifted to move to his side. “Okay, ready?” She didn’t wait. Instead, she poured the peroxide on his back and caught the run off with her extra towel she had. “Sorry,” she hissed out in apology.
“Holy mother of a damn piece of shit, that fucking hurts!” His hands were gripping the bedding tight, his body straining and shaking as he held himself in place. “I love you, Cassidy, but your skills as a medic need just a bit of work.”
“Sorry.” She capped the peroxide once more and then got the ointment out. “Okay, I will be more careful with this. This is the ointment for the help of healing for the scrapes. It might burn, and I will blow on it if it does.”
“Go ahead. I can’t feel much of anything right now, so do what you need to before all my nerve endings wake back up.” He was still clutching at the bedding. His breathing had slowed down a little, though, and he didn’t seem to be nearly as tense. “Remind me, the next time I have the brilliant idea to go diving over fences, that I’m not twenty anymore and can’t bounce back from stupid shit like I used.”
“Oh believe me, I plan on it,” she muttered as she quickly took care of the scrapes and cuts on his back and bandaged them. Once his back was covered, she sighed and sat back. “Okay. I’m going to go and find ice for my hand. Do you want anything while I’m down there?”
“Just some water, I think,” he told her softly. He had rolled to his side, a hand landing on her leg. “If you’re going to go wandering around, make sure you cover up. Grab my robe from the closet, but be quick. I don’t want to sleep without you here.”
“Sounds good.” She nodded and touched the backs of her fingers to his cheek. “No partying while I’m gone.” She pulled back, putting on his robe and then walking out before she decided she couldn’t leave him.
“Ha!” she heard from behind her followed by a chuckle.
She wasn’t gone long, just long enough to grab an ice pack and a couple bottles of water. When she returned, Travis was right where she’d left him—draped on the bed, a corner of the sheet covering his lap, and his head tilted back on a pillow.
When she entered the room, Cass looked at Travis and smiled. He was a sight. Flipping off the lights, Cassidy climbed into the bed with Travis and snuggled in close to him. Pulling the blankets up and around them, she sighed. “I love you, Travis Carver. Sleep well.”
“Night, love,” he whispered.
Epilogue
Brant handed Cassidy the sheets of paper. “Give a read, and if it’s accurate, sign and date it at the bottom,” he said. It was her statement. They’d been going through it over the last couple of days. This morning, it was all typed up nice and neat as could be. Brant handed Travis a couple pages as well. “Same with you. Read it, and if it’s accurate, sign it. If there are any changes, make a toe off the side, initial it, and we’ll go from there. Anything less than four changes, I’ll get you to sign the bottom.”
Travis took his pages and shot her a look. He looked as ready as she did to have this over with. It wasn’t, wouldn’t be for a while yet, but they were getting a step closer finally.
Scott was being evaluated by a psychiatrist now that he’d finally been calmed down. It had taken a bit of pharmaceutical assistance, as well as a handful of agents with big guns, but he’d gotten there. From the little Brant had shared, so far, it sounded like Miles was in deep with the cartel. Not in the way Scott was, but he’d grown up with the cartel and they were his “family.” He’d gotten into Scott’s life to ensure that Scott didn’t try to run for it.
No one knew where Miles was currently. No one was even sure if he was still in the U.S., let alone in Miami any longer. With the connections the man apparently had, he could be long gone and never again found.
Travis had signed his statement, was handing the pages back to Brant, and both men were looking at her. Shit, she should read hers.
“She’s a little distracted, I think,” Travis said. He was smiling at her—with good reason. He was to blame for most of her distraction.
“Huh, can’t imagine why,” Brant muttered. “You’ve obviously been working on it since we haven’t seen hide nor hair of either of you for more than the evening meals.”
Cass grinned. “Well, he’s trying to make sure that I realize what a great catch that he is.” She read over the papers and, in the end, signed them. “It all looks good, Brant. So, Miles was behind Scott coming for me the whole time? I never would have believed that he had it in him. He seemed so spineless.”
“He was a consummate actor, apparently,” Brant said. He took the papers, signed them, and then tucked them into his folder. “From what Scott has told us, Miles was the perfect guy at the perfect moment. Only once they were involved did Miles fess up and tell Scott just why he was there. Scott didn’t believe him, not until Miles nearly shot off his balls. Apparently, it was the game changer and made Scott a believer.”
“Oh wow.” Cassidy didn’t know what to think about that. “I never saw him as someone who would even lift a flyswatter to kill a fly. He seemed the type to be very squeamish if there was even anyone who cut themselves with a piece of paper.”
“Appearances can be very deceiving,” Brant told her. “I’m not saying everyone out there is lying their ass off about who they are. I’m just saying, in some cases, there are people who appear differently from who they truly are. Like me, when I’m undercover, I’m an entirely new individual. I throw myself into that role because if I fuck it up, even for a second, it’s my life on the line and those of my team.”
“Wow. See, I could never do undercover work because I’m me all the time. What you see is what you get. I don’t do facades, and I think that is why I was such a hit on the news. People knew that if they saw me in the grocery store or whatever, I would be the same person that I am on the television.”
Brant didn’t say anything to that, just gave a shrug and got to his feet. “All right, I’m out of here. I have a flight to catch with Scott. We’re off to D.C. for some debriefing before we figure out which jurisdiction wants to prosecute him. I’ll let you know if we need anything more from you two. We likely will when we get around to whatever trial there might be, but it will be a while. In the meantime.” He tucked everything under his arm. “Ensure I get an invitation to the wedding. Be nice to see one of my brothers get married.”
Cass grinned. “Don’t worry. We will invite you, promise. And don’t give Joshua such a hard time. He was ready to get married and I can understand that. Be careful?” she added in there quietly. “I really don’t want to see anything happen to my future brother-in-law. I’ve never had siblings before, so take care of yourself?”
He waved off her concern. “You have several spares to pick and choose from. Though, since I have no intention of getting myself shot or anything, don’t worry about it.” He came over and pulled her up from
her chair. Wrapping her up in a hug, he squeezed her tight. “Be good to him, Cass. You both deserve nothing but the best of life.”
Cassidy nodded and hugged Brant right back. “Thank you, big brother,” she whispered for him alone. “I plan on being good to him since he’s so good to me. I kinda love the guy.” She gave Brant a kiss on the cheek. “Now then, get the heck out of here so that you can go and put Scott under the jail, if you wouldn’t mind?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. Smiling down at her, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. After hugging his brother, he left the house with a quick wave.
Travis wandered out onto the deck, wrapping an arm around her when she joined him to see his brother off. They both lifted a hand to him as he pulled out of the drive and headed for the road. “Well, that all seemed highly anticlimactic, or was it just me?”
“It was, but you know what?” She looked up at him and smiled. “I’m good with that. I honestly don’t mind that it was. Just having you here with me and having the bad guys gone is a good thing.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “Besides, this is only the start of our lives. We have the rest of forever together to make a mess, don’t you know?”
“Oh, hell,” he groaned. “What did you have to go and say that for, love? It’s not enough to point out we have a lifetime still to come, but you have to challenge the universe on top of it all? Really?”
“Hey, we will be in this lifetime together making a mess, so I see nothing wrong with it.” Once more, she hugged Travis close. “I am a happy woman, Travis Carver. I’ll be even more so when we finally get around to getting married. However, I’m good with a long engagement, how about you?”
“I have you, Cass. Doesn’t matter when we get ourselves hitched. Though, if we want a long engagement, we should likely mention that to my mother. She’ll have us hitched quick if she’s got any say on the matter. One bonus is, if we insist on having Brant there, we’ll have to work around his schedule, and we both know he’s going to be busy at least for the next little while. So there’s a plus.”