by Anna Blakely
His cock twitched inside her, the sensation of her velvet lips encasing his bare skin unlike anything he’d felt before. Though they hadn’t talked about a future together, Grant knew in his heart, he was in it for the long haul. She was it for him.
Grant had spent the last several years avoiding the sort of pain and loss loving someone could bring. Never wanting to feel that way again, he’d shut himself off to the possibility of building a future with someone.
He’d welcomed the knowledge that he’d never have children of his own, convincing himself he didn’t want them. Not with anyone.
Then he met Brynnon.
As he lay over her now, their bodies connected in the most intimate way possible, Grant found himself wanting to see her round with his child. His heart swelled at the thought of spending the rest of his life with this woman. Raising a family with her.
The knowledge sent a shocking jolt to his heart. I love her.
With a silent promise to share his feelings and desires with her soon, Grant put those thoughts aside and began to move. Without words, he used his body to show Brynnon everything he felt in his heart.
****
Chapter 19
Hours later, after Grant made love to her in the sweetest, most affectionate way, Brynnon woke to the sound of a phone ringing. Lost in a sleep-riddled haze, she heard him answer. She thought he uttered a low curse before mumbling something else and ending the call.
With a hand to her shoulder, Grant gave her a gentle nudge. “Sweetheart, wake up. We have to go.”
The alarm in his voice broke through the fog. Looking up at him, Brynnon blinked against the last remnants of sleep. “What is it? Did something else happen?”
“Coop just called. It’s your brother.”
“Billy?” She sat up quickly, her heart beating faster as her hands swiped at the wild hair in her face. “What happened? Is he okay?”
Regret filled Grant’s tired eyes. “He’s been shot.”
“What?” she gasped. “Oh, my god!”
Wide awake now, Brynnon threw the covers off her legs and jumped out of bed. Dressing like a mad woman, she began firing out questions as she slid on a pair of jeans and the nearest T-shirt she could find.
Her chest heaved with rapid, shallow breaths as she spoke. “I-is he okay? Do they know who did it? W-where was he? Did someone break into his apartment, or was he—”
“Brynnon!” Grant spoke sharply. Dressed in only his boxers, he wrapped his large hands around her shoulders, forcing her to stop and look at him. “Sweetheart, take a breath.”
Her eyes shot to his. “It’s my brother.” She tried worming her way free from his grasp.
“I get that, but you’re no good to him if you’re passed out cold.”
His words resonated within. Following his example, she drew in several slow, deep breaths.
Grant gave her a nod. “Good girl. Now, all I know is that Billy was found shot in his apartment a few hours ago and taken straight into surgery.”
“Okay.” Her mind whirled. Licking her lips, she repeated herself. “Okay. Dallas Regional isn’t too far from here, right?”
Seeing she was no longer on the verge of hysteria, Grant let her go, dressing as he spoke. “Your father arranged for him to be transported to Homeland’s private medical facility rather than the public hospital. Coop’s headed there now with your dad. I told him we’d meet them there.”
She hastily slid on her boots. “Homeland has a private hospital here?”
“They do. It’s southwest of the city, near the Dallas Executive Airport.”
Brynnon finished tying the last shoestring and stood. Running a hand through her untamed hair, she blew out breath. “Okay. I’m ready.”
Not wasting any time, Grant shoved his gun into his waistband at his lower back, his wallet into his back pocket, and threw on his coat. Grabbing his keys, he headed for the door with Brynnon in step behind him.
The ride to the hospital was one of the longest of her life. Staring out the window, memories from when she and Billy were just kids plagued her mind as they sped through the night.
Her heart filled with love when she remembered all the good times they’d had together...before their mom had passed. Sadness tore at her when Brynnon’s thoughts turned to the dark times after. When Billy struggled with drugs before straightening himself out.
A more recent memory struck, along with overwhelming guilt.
“I saw him arguing with someone,” she spoke woodenly.
Grant’s gaze spun toward hers. “When?”
“The night of the ball.” She turned to face him. “I was waiting for you to get our coats, and I saw him through the glass doors. He was standing across the street, and he looked upset.”
“Who was he arguing with?”
Brynnon shook her head, tears welling heavily in her eyes. Emotion leaving her voice rough. Raspy.
“I don’t know. He was wearing a dark coat and hat. His back was to me. I thought about going over there, just to check on him, you know? But I was too selfish.”
Reaching over, Grant covered one of her hands with his. “Why do you say that?”
She gave Grant a sad smile. “I had a feeling things were finally about to happen between us. I didn’t want...” Brynnon put a hand to her trembling lips. After taking a few seconds to compose herself, she glanced out the window again. “I didn’t want Billy’s never-ending drama to interrupt our night.”
“You’re allowed to have a life, Bryn.”
“What if it was the person who shot him? What if I could’ve done something to keep this from happening? I should have gone over there. I should’ve—”
“Hey,” he squeezed her hand. “Look at me.”
Brynnon swiped the tears from her face, but continued staring out the window. Grant refused to let it go. Speaking more sternly, he gave the order again.
“Brynnon, look at me.”
Reluctantly, she did.
There was an unyielding certainty in his eyes when he told her, “This is not your fault.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes,” he stated with confidence. “I do. If you’d gone over there, it could’ve escalated the situation. You told me before, Billy had a tendency to hang with the wrong crowd, so—”
“Are you saying this was his fault?”
“Maybe,” he answered bluntly. “Maybe not. I can’t tell you that, but what I do know is whatever happened tonight is not on you. So, get that shit out of your head right now.”
Brynnon still wasn’t convinced, but she also wasn’t in the mood to argue. Instead, she told him about the conversation she’d had with Billy when he’d called her earlier.
“He seemed agitated. I thought he was just upset about what happened at the cabin, but...” She swallowed back more tears. “Do you think the person who shot him also set the bomb?”
“It’s possible,” Grant told her honestly. “What did Billy say to you?”
Brynnon thought a moment. “Not a lot. H-he asked if I was okay, and then told me again and again how sorry he was. He kept repeating it. I thought it was because I’d lost the cabin, but now, I’m not so sure.”
Grant’s spine straightened. “You think, maybe he had something to do with it?”
“No,” she adamantly denied the question, despite the fact that she’d just been wondering the same thing. “Billy and I had our fair share of issues, but he’d never try to hurt me.”
Though the statement came out with unquestionable certainty, a sliver of doubt began creeping in as Brynnon thought back to the way he sounded on the phone.
At least, I never thought he would.
With a sideways glance, Grant squeezed her hand. “You’re probably right. He probably just felt bad because he knows how much you loved the cabin.”
“Yeah,” Brynnon nodded absentmindedly. “After the explosion, I was sure Jessica Price had decided to come after me again. But then Coop told me about what happened to her
father today, so I know it wasn’t her.” She got choked up again. “That poor man. I really wanted to help him find some peace before he passed.”
“We’ll figure this out, Bryn.” He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “No matter how long it takes, I won’t stop until we have the answers we need.”
Several minutes later, after showing his I.D., Grant pulled his truck into the secured parking area. After opening the passenger door, he took her hand and helped her out of the truck.
Wrapping her arms around herself, Brynnon shivered against the cold wind. She’d rushed out in such a hurry, she hadn’t thought to grab her coat.
With a low curse, Grant shrugged out of his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. She thanked him for the chivalrous gesture as they walked toward the building’s entrance.
“I’ve driven by this place a handful of times, but I had no idea it was a hospital.”
Grant gave her a tiny smirk. “That’s because Homeland doesn’t want people to know.”
Once inside, Brynnon couldn’t help but notice how familiar Grant seemed to be with the facility. Not only did he know exactly where the elevators were located, he’d also lead her straight to the Intensive Care unit, where he’d been told her brother’s room was located.
“You’ve been here before,” she stated the obvious.
“A few times.” He looked down at her as they walked. “Someone at R.I.S.C. gets hurt badly enough to see a doctor, this is where we come. Also, Olivia, our boss’s wife, is a nurse here. She won’t be working tonight, though. They’re expecting their first kid in a couple of months. Liv had some issues with the pregnancy early on. As a precaution, she took a few months off from work. Jake’s also been taking a lot of time off from R.I.S.C. to be with her.”
The big guy was talking way more than was his norm, and Brynnon had a sneaky suspicion it was for her benefit. He knew she was terrified at the thought of losing her brother and was making every effort to take her mind off it. Even if only for a few moments.
If she wasn’t already hopelessly in love with the man, that small act of kindness would have tipped her over the edge.
Seeing the guards standing by one of the ICU room’s doors, Brynnon instinctively knew it was her brother’s. Recognizing Grant, the serious men allowed them entrance with a tip of their heads.
Sitting in a chair next to the bed, her father’s puffy, red-rimmed eyes met hers the second she walked into the room. Heaviness pressed down onto her chest when she realized the powerful politician had been replaced by the sad, hopeless man before her.
To her left stood Coop, his arms crossed at his chest as he leaned against the room’s sink. His expression was grim.
Unable to put off the inevitable, Brynnon tried hard not to react when her gaze fell upon her brother. Lying in the middle of the stark white room, he looked pale and small. Several tubes and cords ran from his body to the many machines surrounding the head of the bed.
A heart monitor beeped with the steady thrum of his pulse and a breathing tube had been inserted and was taped to his mouth, providing some much-needed oxygen to his lungs.
“Billy.” Releasing Grant’s hand, Brynnon shrugged out of his coat and handed it back to him before rushing to her brother’s side.
Her father stood, leaving the chair he’d been using to go to her. With an arm around her shoulders, he did his best to comfort her while sharing the grave news.
“The doctor said he’s critical. Apparently, the bullet nicked his aorta. He’d already lost a lot of blood before anyone found him. Crashed twice during surgery. We should know more in the next hour or two, but should prepare ourselves for the worst.”
“Oh, God.” Brynnon hugged her father as they stood there, crying together. When the two parted, she wiped her face dry and asked, “Do they know who did this?”
Before her dad could answer, Martin Downing came rushing through the door. “Sorry, it took me so long to get here, sir.” He looked at Billy then eyed the others in the room. “I-I would have left sooner, but I had to make a couple phone calls first. Damage control with the press.”
“It’s fine, Martin.” Her dad looked warily at his chief of staff. “I was just filling Brynnon in on Billy’s condition.”
Barely able to look at his friend, Martin asked, “How is he?”
“The doctors aren’t hopeful,” Brynnon said tearfully.
“Damn.”
“To answer your question, Bryn”—Coop continued the interrupted conversation—“no. We don’t know who did this. But we will soon.”
“How can you be so sure?” Martin asked anxiously. His eyes bouncing back and forth between Billy and Coop.
Brynnon actually felt sorry for the man. It was no secret they merely tolerated each other, but personal feelings aside, Martin and her brother had been best friends for years. It was no wonder the guy was upset.
“Billy was shot inside his apartment,” Coop backtracked to give them a full picture of the night’s events. “A neighbor heard the shot and called it in.”
Martin put his hands into his pockets. “Did the neighbor happen to see who shot him?”
Coop shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. According to the woman’s statement, she heard a gun go off. A minute or so later she heard Billy’s door slam shut. The woman was afraid whoever shot the gun would come back, so she waited several minutes longer before calling apartment security.”
“That still doesn’t answer my original question,” Martin challenged, his normal state of arrogance even stronger than usual. “How can you say with certainty you’ll find the guy who did this? The neighbor didn’t see anything. Do the police have another lead, or are you just assuming your team is that good?”
Coop stared back at Martin, his lips rolling inward. From what she’d seen, Sean was a very laid-back kind of guy. Currently, however, Brynnon could tell the guy was working hard to keep his demeanor as calm and professional as possible.
“Derek’s on his way here, now,” Coop finally answered. “He’s been working with apartment security to access the footage from the cameras in the building.”
Brynnon caught the look Coop gave Grant and understood perfectly. Derek would have no problem gaining full access to the building’s security footage...but he’d be doing it alone.
“That’s great and all.” Martin continued on. “But unless they got a good look at the guy’s face as he left the apartment, I don’t see how that will be of any help.”
“Martin, I’m sure Mr. Cooper and the rest of his teammates know what they’re doing.”
Coop smirked. “It’s okay, Senator.” He looked at Martin. “Derek West is the smartest man I’ve ever known. Trust me. If anyone can figure out who shot Billy, it’s him.”
Martin’s gaze slid to his injured friend then back to Coop. With his entitled chin in the air, he nodded, “Good. That’s really good news.”
“Martin, you don’t look too well,” Brynnon stated. “Are you okay?”
“What?” He looked back at Brynnon. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. I guess all of this is starting to sink in.”
In a rare form of affection toward the other man, Brynnon walked over to Martin and gave him a hug. “I know you’re scared, but Billy’s strong. He can still fight this, I know he can.”
Martin pulled back, giving her a tight smile. “You’re right. If anyone can beat this, it’s him.”
“First, someone puts a bomb in my daughter’s cabin and later that same night, my son is shot. That can’t be a coincidence.”
All eyes went to her father, who was staring expectantly at Grant.
“I agree,” Grant spoke for the first time since entering the room. “That’s why as soon as Derek gets here, I’d like to set up a command post.”
Brynnon’s stomach clenched. “You’re leaving again?”
Cursing under his breath, Grant ate up the distance between them. Uncaring of the audience around them, he cupped her face with his hands, his eyes locking with hers.
“I’m not leaving the building, Princess. I’m just talking about finding private office somewhere here in the hospital. A place for Derek to set up all his tech crap so we can have some privacy to work while you and your father spend time with your brother.”
“Oh.” Suddenly embarrassed by how needy she’d sounded, Brynnon looked away and whispered, “Sorry.”
“Hey.” He used his thumb and forefinger to tip her chin, gently forcing her to look at him again. “You’ve been through hell tonight, so no apologies. Got it?”
Biting her lip, she nodded as best she could. “Okay.”
With a quick kiss to her forehead, he released her chin and turned to her father. “Whoever did this is still out there, and I won’t stop until I find them. Now, every person on staff is a Homeland employee. Same with the guards standing outside this room. No one can get in or out of the building without clearance, so you’ll be safe. This way you and Bryn can remain here, with Billy, while we work to find the son of a bitch responsible.”
“I like the way you think, son.” Her father gave Grant a look of approval.
The door opened and Derek walked through. With a black bag hanging over each shoulder and two smaller ones in his fists, the shaggy-haired man scanned the room before looking to Grant.
“Hey, man.”
With a tip of his chin, Grant responded with, “I was just explaining how we’ll be in one of the other rooms so they can have some privacy.”
After glancing toward the bed, Derek looked at Brynnon with genuine sympathy. “Sorry to hear about your brother. How is he?”
“Not good.” More tears began to form but she pushed them back.
Derek frowned, his expression turning fierce when his eyes met Grant’s once more. “You ready to get started?”
“Faster we get started, the sooner we’ll find answers.”
Martin chose that moment to start for the door. “I’m going to go find a restroom.”
Sliding to the side, Derek gave the other man plenty of room to move past. After, Brynnon watched as the three men she knew to be warriors turned their focus on finding the shooter.