Worth the Risk (COBRA Securities Book 21)

by Velvet Vaughn

  She’d met most agents and their families, and they were all so friendly. They’d opened their arms and welcomed her into their fold. She genuinely started to feel like one of them. If someone told her a month ago that she’d spend an evening drinking wine and gossiping with the likes of Jade Bradley, aka Juliet LaRue, Layla Brooks Colton, bestselling author Taylor Hudson Costa, granddaughter of the President Harlow Duquesne Oldham, Olympic legend Peyton Durant Addison and several other women, both famous and not, she’d have laughed in their face. But she did, and it was fabulous.

  She’d gotten the chance to meet BeBe Hale, and she was as incredible in person as on the phone. Kaiya decided not to resign, much to Vanessa’s relief. She’d even forgiven her for insisting they run to the shelter when Derek Newman called. She’d quickly become Vanessa’s best friend—after Quinn.

  As much as she enjoyed everything about the compound, the evenings spent with Quinn were the best. The first two nights, they just held each other, despite his assurances that he was fine. She wasn’t taking chances with a head injury. He slowly wore her down until they made love, and that’s what it was. Love.

  With the dawning of a new day, reality set in. As much as she wanted this to be her permanent home, it wasn’t. She needed to fly back to finalize the sale of her business. It would be bittersweet. She was proud of the clinic and all she’d accomplished. It had flourished before everything blew up—literally. She was handing over a healthy practice with an impressive roster of satisfied pet owners. It made her glad to know it would continue without her. Taking care of the animals was what mattered.

  She also wanted to visit Todd. They’d texted or skyped every day, and she was so relieved he was doing well and recovering more each day. His relationship with his parents was going well. He seemed genuinely content. She wasn’t too proud to admit she’d been wrong about them. If he could forgive them, she could, too.

  She needed to figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her life. She’d have to move since she couldn’t open another clinic in the area, and that meant selling her condo, too. Plus, she never recovered her Jeep from the police.

  What would Quinn think if she relocated to his hometown? He didn’t know it, but she’d spent some time driving around the city checking out apartments. There were tons since it was a college town. If she rented her own place, he wouldn’t feel like she was crowding him or pressuring him. She just needed to be near him. She couldn’t give him up.

  Knowing she was leaving soon, she walked around the compound, committing everything to memory and the photos folder on her iPhone. It was so peaceful and serene.

  Running footsteps sounded behind her, and then Kai Costa appeared at her side.

  “Hi, Vanessa.”

  “Hey, Kai.” She’d fallen in love with the sweet boy at first sight.

  “Where’s Rocky?”

  “He’s at the dog park, having a grand time.”

  Adjacent to an incredible playground with several apparatuses that she’d been tempted to try out herself was a fenced-in dog park. It had space for both large and small dogs, but they all seemed to play together, no matter the size or breed. She’d been leery of taking Rocky since he was still recovering from a life of being chained up. It helped that Kilo accompanied him on his first trip. After his initial hesitation, he loved it. He ran with abandon and made new friends. She was afraid she’d never get him to leave.

  “Midas is there, too. I bet they’re playing together.” Midas was Kai’s golden retriever. “Do you know what the dog said when he sat on sandpaper?”

  “No, what?”

  “That’s ruff.”

  She laughed. “That’s a good one. Do you know why a dog sweats so much?”

  Kai shook his head, a lock of black hair falling across his forehead. “No, why?”

  “Because he’s a hot dog.”

  Kai fell to the ground in laughter. It wasn’t that humorous, but his reaction was priceless, and she couldn’t help but laugh with him.

  “What’s so funny?”

  She wiped tears from her eyes and turned to see Quinn coming up behind her with an amused expression on his handsome face. Her heart flipped. He did that to her every single time.

  “Kai was entertaining me.”

  Kai jumped to his feet and brushed off his clothes. “More like the other way around. She’s hilarious, Quinn. She’s a keeper.”

  He disappeared with a dimpled smile and a wave. Vanessa’s heart pounded. How would Quinn react to Kai’s parting words? She chanced a look to find him staring at her. Her heart beat faster, like a caged bird trying to escape its metal enclosure.

  “I want to show you something.”

  “Okay.”

  Taking her hand, he led her to the training center and down a hallway to a wing he’d bypassed on the initial tour. Opening a door, he guided her inside a room and flipped on the lights. At first, she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. It was clean and white and sterile. Then her eyes canvassed the space. Examination and procedure tables, scales, x-ray machines, a cauterizing machine, an ultrasound, anesthetic equipment, IV pumps, disinfectors and sterilizers, incubators, infusion pumps, surgical lighting, everything needed to run a veterinary clinic. Whoever the doctor was that worked here was extremely fortunate and blessed, not only with the high-tech equipment but getting to work so close to Quinn.

  A thought struck, and her stomach churned. He’d dated a vet before he met her. Was this hers? Vanessa wasn’t sure how to feel about him seeing his ex on a daily basis.

  “This is incredible.” She turned to him with a wavering smile. “Why didn’t you show me this before? I’d love to meet the person who works here.”

  #

  This was the moment Quinn had been waiting for since he’d reconnected with Vanessa. Despite all the planning in his head, he was surprisingly nervous. When he’d designed the training facility, he’d envisioned an on-site vet, but he hadn’t hired one. Now he knew he’d been waiting for Vanessa.

  A week ago, it’d been an open space. Now it was filled with the latest veterinary equipment and supplies. He’d had it all delivered but not set up. He wanted Vanessa to design it to her specifics. If she wanted walls, he’d have them erected. This would be her domain. He couldn’t picture anyone else working here.

  What if she said no? He’d deal with the blow and figure a way to go on.

  “About that,” he started, his mouth suddenly as dry as the Mohave Desert. “I wanted to talk to you about the possibility of you becoming our official vet.”

  What was that look on her face? Had he rendered her speechless? Moved too fast? When tears flooded her eyes and poured down her cheeks, he felt them like a punch to his midsection. Why wasn’t she saying anything?

  “I didn’t mean to pressure you or put you on the spot—”

  “You want me to work here?” She waved a hand to indicate the room.

  “Well, it’s unfinished right now. I left it that way so you could design it to your specifications. I called around and found out what equipment and supplies you needed, but if you don’t like anything, we can send it back.”

  “You want me to set up a clinic here, inside your facility?”

  “Actually, it’s something I’ve been thinking of doing for a while now. It would be not only for the dogs I train, but almost everyone in the compound has a pet of some kind. “You’ll need to hire staff, and I thought Todd might want to work here with you.” He couldn’t seem to quit talking. “You could also open a practice in town if this isn’t enough.”

  Her tears were about to make him cry. Why was she staring at him like that?

  “If you don’t—oof.”

  He hadn’t been prepared for her to launch herself in his arms, and he stumbled back until he steadied himself. Then she was kissing him senseless. He spun around and placed her on one of the stainless-steel examination tables.

  She broke the kiss and shrieked. “Cold!” Then she burst into laughter. Grasping his s
hirt, she tugged him closer and wrapped her arms around him. “Do you mean it?”

  “About you being our vet? Absolutely.”

  “And Todd, too?”

  “Anything you want.” He’d give her the moon if she asked.

  She pulled back, her face sober. “Why me? You dated a vet. Why didn’t you ask her?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “It didn’t feel right. I couldn’t picture her here every day working with the dogs. The moment I saw you again after all those years, I knew I created this space with you in mind.”

  “Not the moment you saw me,” she challenged.

  “Yes.”

  “I was dirty and drugged and chained to a wall.”

  “I know.”

  She made a choked sound, and tears flowed again as she gripped him tightly. “I love you, Quinn.”

  Ah, damn, now he was going to cry. “I love you too, Vanessa. So much.”

  “Yes, I’ll take the job. I’ll be your vet.”

  He eased back and brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “I want to make something clear. You won’t be working for me. This will be your practice to do as you please. You’re your own boss.”

  She buried her face against his chest again. “I couldn’t have dreamed of anything more perfect.”

  In for a penny… “I have one more question to ask.” He stepped back and dropped to one knee. Reaching into his pocket, he opened the black velvet box containing his mother’s engagement ring. He’d already talked to her father to secure his blessing. He’d flayed open his chest and laid it on the line to his former commanding officer. Mort had grilled him mercilessly until he finally admitted that he’d always hoped they would get together. He told Quinn that he couldn’t pick a better husband for his daughter, and he would be proud to call him son. Swallowing a lump like the one that formed when Mort said those words to him, he asked, “Will you marry me?”

  Her hands flew to her mouth as she looked from the ring to his face. Then she nodded, tears dripping off her cheeks. “Yes, Quinn, I’ll marry you.”

  Surging to his feet, he framed her face with his hands and kissed her like she was the air he needed to breathe. She was. Before he got too carried away, he reluctantly pulled back and removed the ring from the satin bed. She held out a shaking hand, and he slid it on her finger for an exact fit.

  The jewels sparkled brilliantly from the overhead lighting. “It’s beautiful.”

  “It is,” he agreed, but he wasn’t looking at the diamond band. He was gazing at her.

  “Aren’t you afraid of what my father will do? He can be very intimidating, you know.”

  He chuckled. “Babe, whatever he dishes out, I can handle. Besides, you’re definitely worth the risk.”

  # # #

  Notes

  I hope you enjoyed Worth the Risk, the twenty-first book in the COBRA Securities series. Several characters from previous books made appearances in Worth the Risk. If you would like to read their stories, you can find them here:

  Logan Bradley from The Fan

  Luke Colton from Face the Music

  Kai Costa from Hide and Seek and Kidnapped

  Hillary and Reed Steele from Tough as Nails

  Wyatt and Dr. Amelia Hollister from Without a Trace

  Tank and BeBe Hale from Held Hostage

  About the Author

  Velvet Vaughn is the author of The List, The Fan, Committed, Violets are Blue, Trust No One, Hide and Seek, Killer Cuisine, Vigilante, Face the Music, Tough as Nails, Total Surrender, Hunted, Say Goodbye to Melody, Last Dance, The Viper, Golden Girl, Fatal Dreams, Without a Trace, Running Scared, Iron Cross, and Worth the Risk, the first twenty-one books in the COBRA Securities series, as well as Saving Santa, Kidnapped, and Held Hostage, COBRA Securities Short Stories. In addition, two novellas: A Christmas Miracle and Flying High Christmas are available as stand-alone books or in the anthologies All I Want For Christmas and Yuletide Treasures, respectively. Dressed to Kill, the twenty-second book in the COBRA Securities series, will be published soon.

  Connect With Velvet

  Website: www.velvetvaughn.com

  Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/authorvelvetvaughn

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  Twitter: https://twitter.com/velvetvaughn/

  Email: velvet@velvetvaughn.com

  From Velvet

  Thank you so much for purchasing Worth the Risk. I hope you enjoyed Vanessa and Quinn’s story. If you did, I would appreciate you leaving feedback at Amazon.com, Goodreads or anywhere book reviews are accepted. Thank you!

  The twenty-second book in the COBRA Securities series will be out soon. Dressed to Kill is COBRA Securities Agent Gage Monahan and Supermodel Brooklyn Fontaine’s story.

  If you would like to read the story of one of the characters from my books, let me know. You can reach me through the contact page on my website or my Facebook Fanpage. I'd love to hear from you. And be sure to like my Fanpage so you can take part in giveaways, and sign up for my newsletter for a chance to win a gift certificate in each issue.

  Thank you again for your support!