by Leah Brooke
Usually calm and controlled, King looked frantic, his face pale. “Jake, there’s been an attempted robbery at the bank. Shots fired. Damn it, Royce is in there.” He turned and ran back out, disappearing as quickly as he’d appeared.
A wave of panic washed over him, and another when he thought about who might be inside. Saturday was a busy day at the bank, and any number of his friends and close neighbors could be in there.
Jake shouted to one of his sales clerks to take over and headed out the door, his heart pounding furiously at the thought of Jesse being one of the people inside.
Rushing down the street, he saw several others closing their stores and running toward the bank, and mentally checked people off of his list, hoping like hell that Royce was okay.
He glanced down the street toward Indulgences, praying that Jesse had already finished her banking and was safely back in her store.
Seeing her running toward where several other people had gathered outside the bank, he breathed a sigh of relief, his relief short-lived when she spotted him and changed direction, racing toward him, tears streaming down her face.
“Jake! Jake!” He caught her before she could run out into the street, the momentum nearly knocking him over. With an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, he looked toward the bank and saw Ace and Linc race inside, gesturing toward a clearly distraught Clay and Rio to keep everyone back.
Yanking Jesse out of the way, Jake pressed her up against the building, keeping his body between hers and the bank. “Easy, honey. Thank God you aren’t in there.”
Jesse sobbed. “Nat’s in there!”
Jake’s heart stopped as the horror of Jesse’s words penetrated.
“No!” It came out as barely a croaked whisper, his throat too dry and tight to speak.
Everything went out of focus, his world crumbling all around him.
Nat. His wife. His life! Please, God. No. Please don’t take her from me.
He had to get to her.
A strange numbness settled over him, and the voices around him faded. He turned, broke away from Jesse’s grip on his shirt and raced for the bank.
He came to an abrupt halt, but couldn’t figure out why at first, and then realized something was holding him. Fighting to break free, he cursed, stunned to see Rio’s face in his.
Rio held on to him, putting his body between Jake and the bank. “No, Jake! You can’t go in there.”
Jake shoved at him. “Get out of my way!” Nothing mattered except getting to her. She was everything.
Rio stood firm, not letting him past. “Jake, damn it. Stop.”
Jake shoved at him again. “What would you do if it was Jesse?”
Jesse pressed herself against his side. “Please, Jake. Please.” She gripped the front of his shirt, another sob escaping. “It’s all my fault! Hoyt was going to the bank and I asked Nat to go make the deposit.”
Jake stilled, meeting Rio’s gaze, once again becoming aware of his surroundings. “Hoyt’s in there with her?”
Rio nodded, wrapping an arm around Jesse, his expression grim. “Yeah.”
Knowing that Hoyt would do everything in his power to keep her safe, Jake took a deep breath and let it out slowly, fighting the urge to run in after her. “Hoyt will protect her.”
He had to believe that, but he couldn’t get over the feeling that she wouldn’t be safe until she was in his arms again.
She could even now be lying on the floor in a pool of blood.
“Jake!” King’s voice, filled with fear and sympathy, came from his right. “Christ, I’m sorry. I just found out Nat and Hoyt are inside, too.”
Jake looked from the bank door to King, recognizing the fear in his eyes. “Hell, Royce is inside. You said that. Where’s Brenna? God, don’t tell me she’s in there, too!”
Shaking his head, King looked in the direction of the club he, Royce, and Blade Royal owned. “I snuck out without telling her. I told Sebastian to keep her occupied until I found out what the hell was going on.”
Jake nodded, running a shaking hand through his hair as he stared at the door to the bank. “Good.”
King ran a hand over his face, glancing from the direction of the club to the bank and back again. “She’d be frantic if she knew Royce was in danger.”
“Yeah, frantic.” Frantic didn’t even come close to what Jake felt. “What the hell happened?”
Rio grimaced. “Evidently a shot was fired several minutes ago, but no one could figure out where it came from. Hoyt and Nat walked in just as people started to realize it had come from the bank.”
Running a hand over his face, he stared at the entrance to the bank. “Just before you got here, three shots were fired. That’s when Ace and Linc ran inside.”
No. Please, God. No! Don’t let them be hurt.
The thought of losing his wife turned his stomach to ice and sent that strange numbness through him again.
The minutes dragged on, the tension building as the residents of Desire stood across the street from the bank on all sides, everyone speaking in low tones, their eyes trained on the door.
Jesse gripped his arm, trembling against him. “She’s all right. I know she’s all right. Nat can’t be anything but all right. If she was hurt, I’d know about it. She won’t be hurt. She can’t be hurt. No. She’s fine. She’s okay.”
“Of course she is.” Hugging her close, Jake ran a hand down her back as the seconds ticked off with excruciating slowness.
“Hoyt’s in there and Ace and Linc went inside. There’s no more shooting. I’ll bet Ace has whoever it is in custody.”
“Then why the hell aren’t they coming out?”
Good question.
He shared a look with King, seeing the same fear, and had to swallow the lump in his throat before speaking. “They’ll be out soon, honey. Hang in there.”
“Royce!”
“Damn it!” King turned just in time to catch Brenna against him. “Easy, honey. Easy.” Lifting her high against his chest, he pressed her face against his shoulder.
“King, Royce is in there, isn’t he?” Lifting her head, she wiped her eyes. “Is he hurt? What’s going on?”
King blew out a breath, pulling her face against his shoulder again and sharing another look with Jake. “We don’t know what’s going on in there, honey. Ace and Linc just went in.”
Lifting up again, Brenna stared toward the bank. “Why isn’t anyone coming out? What the hell’s going on in there? Oh, God, King. If he was okay, he’d be coming out, wouldn’t he?”
Facing the bank again, Jake took several steps forward, needing to be as close as possible. Fear made him dizzy, his head spinning with thoughts of Nat lying in there injured. Or worse. It seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes before the sound of sirens split the air.
Jake watched in horror as three ambulances roared down the street toward them, their tires squealing as they braked in front of him, blocking his view of the door to the bank. Cursing, he raced around the ambulance, scanning the area in the front of the bank in case Nat had come out.
He held his breath as the door to the bank opened again, and a hush went over the crowd as everyone waited, the tension and fear in the air thick enough to cut with a knife.
Standing between Hoyt and Royce, Nat suddenly appeared, white as a sheet and clearly shaken.
She was safe.
Applause broke out as the people who’d been inside poured out—their friends and family rushing to them.
Blowing out a breath, Jake braced himself against a nearby car, relief weakening his knees. Straightening, he swallowed the lump in his throat and moved toward her, letting his gaze rake over her and checking her for any sign of injury.
She didn’t appear to be hurt—just shaken—and clung to Hoyt like a lifeline, stumbling several times as they made their way across the sidewalk toward him.
Hoyt supported her with an arm wrapped around her waist, half carrying her. Bending low, he said something to h
er, his smile encouraging while his eyes glittered with ice. Others came out behind them, but Jake only had eyes for his wife.
Tears filled her eyes, and with a cry, she broke free of Hoyt’s hold and raced toward him. Leaping the last couple of feet, she threw herself at him. “Jake! Oh, God!”
He gathered her close, tears stinging his eyes. Bending his head, he buried his face against her neck, breathing in the scent of her.
Each breath he took settled him a little more, easing some of the dizziness and loosening the hard icy rock in his stomach. “Thank God! Christ, I was so scared.”
“Oh, Jake. You don’t know how much I needed this.” She buried her face against his neck, a sob escaping. “Hold me tighter.”
Lifting his head, he saw Hoyt standing behind her, his hands clenched at his sides. “As tight as you want, baby.” He ran a hand down her back. “Are you all right?”
Nodding, Nat took a shuddering breath. “Yes. I’m fine. Hoyt made me get on the floor and he shot all three of them.”
Jake looked to Hoyt for confirmation, breathing a sigh of relief when Hoyt nodded.
“She’s okay. Might have a couple of bruises on her arm from me picking her up. I wasn’t exactly delicate about it.”
Leaning against Jake’s chest, Nat reached back to Hoyt, who immediately took her hand in his. “We have to go back inside for questioning. Ace knew he’d have a riot on his hands if he didn’t let everyone out so that you and the others knew we were all okay.”
Hearing a squeal, Jake turned his head to see Jesse pushing out of Rio’s arms and racing toward them. Reluctantly setting his wife on her feet, Jake met Hoyt’s gaze over the two women’s heads, the horror of the past several minutes passing between them.
Love for her, the horror of what could have happened united them like never before.
The relationship between them suddenly became more intense, the sobering experience they’d just had a sharp reminder of the responsibilities they would share.
After today, things would never be the same.
Nat patted Jesse’s hand. “You shouldn’t have worried so much. I just stayed behind Hoyt. What’s the point in putting up with these big lunks if you can’t use them as a shield when you need one?”
Everyone around them laughed, some of the tension easing as Jake suspected Nat had intended.
Clay and Rio looking relieved, smiling indulgently as the two women hugged.
Rio yanked Jesse against him. “Come on, baby. Let’s get that lunch that Hoyt and Nat were supposed to get for us. Now that I’m not scared shitless, I’m hungry again.”
Flattening a hand on his chest, Jesse looked up at him adoringly. “You’re always hungry.”
Hoyt tugged Nat’s hair playfully as he pulled her back against him. “Is that all I am to you? A shield? I’m just glad that you’re smart enough to follow orders.” Pushing her hair back from her forehead, he touched his lips to hers. “You did just what I told you to do and didn’t distract me. I’m proud of you.”
Blushing, Nat shrugged. “Yeah, well don’t get used to it. Doing what you tell me to do when guns are pointed at us is one thing. Don’t expect it again.”
Hoyt’s lips twitched. “We’ll see. Ace is over there gesturing for us to go back inside. Come on. Let’s get this over with so you can go home with Jake.”
Nat frowned. “What about you?”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he steered her toward Ace. “I shot two people, Natalie. They’re going to have a hell of a lot more questions for me. Come on. The Feds and state police are on their way, and they won’t take kindly to Ace letting us out before we’ve been questioned.”
Nat nodded, leaning into him. “Ace understands the way this town works. They don’t.”
Their ease with each other shocked Jake, and fighting jealousy, he stared after her, surprised when Nat turned back to him.
Although she looked better, she was still a little too pale for his peace of mind. “Do you have to go back to the store, or can you wait here for me?” The haunted look in her eyes made him want to run after her and carry her home.
Humbled by his wife’s unusual display of neediness, Jake smiled, some of the tightness in his chest easing. “Of course, I’ll be here. Nothing’s more important to me than you are.”
Her shoulders relaxed, the tension in her body easing. “Thanks.” She winked at him, a smile playing at her full lips. “You’re always there when I need you.”
Jake smiled, his smile falling as soon as she disappeared back into the bank. “I always will be, baby. I always will be.”
Chapter Ten
She’d avoided looking at the injured men being taken outside, but walking back into the bank, Nat automatically looked at the floor where they’d been, grimacing at the blood left behind.
With a hand at her back, Hoyt urged her along. “Keep going, and just look straight ahead.”
They made their way to the manager’s office, where Ace waited, his eyes glittering with barely repressed fury.
Nat knew that as sheriff, Ace would take the attempted robbery as a personal insult.
He took great pride in protecting the residents of Desire, and didn’t take kindly to troublemakers.
What happened today would have him ready to chew nails.
Frowning, Nat dropped into one of the office chairs while Hoyt closed the door behind them. “How’s the guard?”
Ace leaned back in the chair behind the desk and sighed. “He’s alive, but that’s all I know right now.” Sitting forward, he eyed Hoyt, folding his hands on the desk in front of him. “The state police and the Feds should be here soon. I wanted to talk to Hoyt first and find out what happened before they get here. The Feds and state police are going to want to question him, too.” His gaze met Nat’s, softening. “Are you okay, honey?”
“I’m fine.” Surprisingly, she was. Shaky, but calmer than she’d expected.
Hoyt took the other seat, reaching out to take her hand in his, running his thumb over the tops of her fingers, the comforting gesture also a protective one. “You can question her now. Jake’s waiting to take her home. If anyone has any other questions, they can ask her there.”
Nat blinked at his arrogance, his hard, cold demeanor so chilling that she shivered. To her further surprise, Ace’s lips twitched.
“I’ll do my best, but the Feds might feel differently.” Sitting forward, Ace picked up a pen. “So you want to tell me what happened here? Nat, you start.”
Shrugging, Nat glanced at Hoyt. “Hoyt was coming to open an account, since he’ll be living here now. I came with him to make the deposit.” Her stomach clenched. “Oh, shit. I dropped it on the floor.”
Ace held out a hand when she started to jump up. “The bank manager has it. He’ll take care of it for you. Tell me what happened.” His sharp demand didn’t surprise her. He would be mad as hell, and she would bet he’d be in a mood for weeks.
She tightened her hold on Hoyt’s hand, her heart racing again at the memory. “We walked in, and I saw everyone lying on the floor, and those three bank robbers. It didn’t really hit me at first. I saw masked men with guns, and at first, I thought someone had to be playing some kind of joke. Things like that don’t happen in Desire.” Her voice broke. “I thought we were dead.”
She didn’t think she’d ever forget the horror of that moment.
Gripping her hand, Hoyt wrapped his other arm around her and began rubbing her back. “Take a couple of deep breaths, baby. It’s over. You’re safe.”
Nodding, Nat swallowed heavily, a little surprised that some of the panic she’d felt when she’d walked into the bank came rushing back. “I’m okay. It’s over. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Frowning, she looked at Ace. “I swear, Ace, I stood there like an idiot. It was like my brain couldn’t wrap itself around what I was seeing. I mean, that’s not what I expected to see when I walked in. This is Desire. Nothing ever happens here. I’ve never been that scared
before. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t stop staring at the guns.”
Shaking the mental image away, Nat blew out a breath and squeezed Hoyt’s hand. “Before I could really process it, Hoyt told me to get down, and I did. I guess I did, but to be honest, I was on the floor and didn’t even remember getting down there. The guy standing on the counter yelled something at one of the other masked men—the one closest to Hoyt. The other guy came rushing up to Hoyt, screaming at him to get down. He lifted his gun, and—” Irritated that her voice broke, she waved off Hoyt when he leaned closer. “I’m okay.” Lifting her gaze to his, she smiled tremulously, shocked at the sting of tears. “He lifted the gun toward Hoyt, and I thought he was going to kill him.”
Uncaring that Ace watched, she leaned toward Hoyt, thrilling at the feel of being gathered into his warm, secure embrace. “He just came back into our lives.” Breathing in the scent of him, she lifted her head again, turning to frown at him. “You just grabbed my arms and yanked me right off the floor. How the hell did you do that?”
Hoyt smiled, bring her hand to his lips. “You don’t weigh as much as the men I’ve had to lift.”
Shaking her head, Nat smiled back, warmed by the way he kept her hand in his as she looked back at Ace. “Anyway, I was lying on the floor, but I watched the man rush up to Hoyt. I thought for sure he was going to shoot him. Then, Hoyt moved.” Frowning, she tried to remember what had happened, but only remembered a blur of movement. “I swear, I watched it but I couldn’t tell you what happened if I had to.”
Turning her head, she looked into Hoyt’s eyes. “Damn, you moved fast.”
Nat jumped at the knock on the door, spinning around as the door opened to admit Royce.
Hoyt took advantage of the distraction to lean close to Nat, whispering against her ear. “And I can move just as slowly when it suits me.”
Nat shivered as he straightened and sat back in his chair, the look of satisfaction in his eyes telling her he’d teased her on purpose to help her settle.
Surprised that after all the years they’d spent apart, he still could read her so easily, Nat smiled up at him, her breath catching at the tenderness in his eyes.