by Kaylea Cross
“Hey, sweetheart.” Avery reached out to hug her.
Nina let go of the blanket with one hand to embrace her friend. “Hey.” She squeezed hard, clung a moment, then let go.
Avery’s golden eyes assessed her critically as she sat beside Nina on the edge of the ambulance deck. “You hurt anywhere?”
“Not really. J-just bruised and scraped all over. Especially my f-feet.” She straightened her legs to show Avery the bandages covering them. Her friend had been busy talking to various law enforcement people while the paramedics treated Nina. Running through the forest barefoot like that had taken a toll on her tender soles. “They hurt the worst.”
Avery nodded, then met her gaze. “I couldn’t get anything out of him before he passed out.”
That was unfortunate. Not that Nina had expected him to confess to anything. “Is he going to die?”
“I’m not sure. But I think so. Tate hit him in the stomach, to take him down without killing him outright.”
“I hope it h-hurts like hell.”
Avery grinned, then frowned when Nina shuddered. “You’re still freezing.”
Nina nodded. Someone had given her sweats and a jacket, but even all of that and the blanket from the paramedics wasn’t doing the trick. “I can’t s-seem to w-warm up.” Her jaw shook, making her teeth clack together for a moment.
“Well, let’s see if I can help with that until Tate gets back.”
Nina huddled close to her friend, sighing at the feel of Avery’s arms around her. It felt good to be held right now, but as much as she loved her friend, it was Tate’s arms she wanted around her.
“Was he… Was he the one who raped you?” Avery asked after a moment.
“Y-yes.”
“When did you recognize him?”
“When he d-dragged me out of my b-building.”
“He was wearing a mask.”
“His s-smell.” She wanted to gag just thinking of it. If she ever smelled that cologne again, she would throw up instantly.
“His smell,” Avery murmured, her voice full of approval. “That’s incredible, but it makes perfect sense, since smell can trigger powerful memories. For me it’s the scent of bacon frying. Reminds me of my dad cooking Sunday breakfast. I used to lie in bed on Sunday mornings, breathing that in and waiting for him to call us down, but mostly hoping he’d call us too late for us to make church later.”
Nina chuckled softly. “For me it’s my m-mother’s f-flan. The smell of the caramel sauce.”
“Flan.” Avery looked down at her, quirked an eyebrow. “That’s something you haven’t made for the twisted sisters yet. Like to see them make anything out of that.”
Nina grinned, then laughed softly. It felt so good, warming her insides and chasing away the deep chill. “Good c-call.”
“What are you two laughing about?” a deep, delicious male voice asked.
Nina snapped her gaze to Tate, drinking in the sight of him as he strode toward them. Her heart skipped a beat, rolling over in her chest. Her hero. Tall, strong and today he’d saved her life. “N-next step in our dessert war,” she explained.
His lips quirked, then he lowered himself to sit on Nina’s other side. “Mind if I take over the warming duties for a bit?” he said to Avery.
“Yeah, I do mind,” Avery said, leaning in to envelop Nina in a hug. “We’ll make a Nina sammich.”
Nina giggled softly, joy filling her with more warmth. She leaned into Tate’s big frame and sighed at the feel of her man and best friend surrounding her.
No one spoke after that. Tate and Avery continued to hold her between them. Gradually the shivers began to slow. Her muscles no longer jerked. Exhaustion hit her, lulling her into closing her eyes.
She must have dropped off to sleep, because the next thing she knew, Tate’s voice reached her.
“Wake up, sunshine.”
Her eyes snapped open. They were still sitting on the back of the ambulance deck, but they were alone now. Her heart lurched as everything from earlier came flooding back.
She swallowed, forcing the fear back. She was safe now. Tate had seen to that. “How long have I been sleeping?” Her voice was raspy. She had a kink in the side of her neck. And the soles of her feet felt like they were on fire.
He drew his fingers through her damp hair, his face only inches from hers. “A while.”
“Where’s the Avery part of the me sammich?”
A grin curved his lips. “She had to go take care of a few things. And now we do too.”
Nina looked past him to where Avery was talking with several police officers and FBI agents. “FBI? When did they get here?”
“Let’s just say, better late than never.” Tate kissed her temple and shifted his hold, sitting her up more. “We have to do a few more interviews before we can leave. Are you up to it?” His gorgeous hazel eyes were full of concern. “If not, they can come talk to us tonight.”
“No, I’d rather do it now and get it over with.” She wanted this done, so they could get out of here and go home.
She reached for his hand. Hers was all scraped and bloody, but he didn’t seem to mind at all, curling his large, warm fingers around hers. Dread and vulnerability twisted inside her. “Will you stay with me?”
Raising her hand to his lips, he pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Through everything.”
Something hitched in her chest at the way he said it, the serious look in his eyes. He’d just given her a vow, and she had the feeling he meant he’d stay with her through a lot more than the police business.
The urge to tell him how she felt pressed against the inside of her ribcage, expanding outward until it felt like her chest would explode. But she was prevented from saying anything by an FBI agent heading straight for them.
Tate squeezed her hand gently in reassurance. “We’ll get this done and then go home.”
Home. Whether to her place or his, she didn’t care, as long as she got to be alone with him.
The entire process after that took a lot longer than she’d expected. By the time everything was done the sun was setting. She shivered, pulling the folds of the blanket tighter around her as she digested everything she’d just learned.
The monster who had put her and other women through hell was Vince Reimer, a cop on the Missoula police department. Married, with two young daughters.
It made Nina sick. He’d used his skills and know-how to pick and choose his victims, and had orchestrated the attack today by calling in the fake active shooter threat. As one of Missoula’s tactical officers, he’d known he would be one of the first people on scene and have direct access into the locked down building.
All to get her. To silence her and prevent her from identifying him. Currently he was being operated on. His chances of survival were fifty-fifty.
Tate looped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her into his side. “She’s exhausted. Are we done here?” he said to the two Feds they’d been talking to for the past half-hour, a bite to his tone.
The older one looked at Nina, then nodded. “Sure. You can head out now. We’ll contact you tomorrow to follow up.”
Thank the lord.
“Let’s go,” Tate said to her, then scooped her up and carried her to his truck where Avery was already waiting inside.
“Good to go?” Avery asked from the back as Tate set Nina in the front passenger seat.
“Yep. We’re outta here.” Tate shut Nina’s door and went around to the driver’s side.
Avery reached forward to wrap her hand around Nina’s shoulder and squeeze lightly. “Warmer now?”
“Yes. Just tired.” So damn tired. It felt like a week since she’d last slept. “He was a local cop.”
“I know, they told me. Here.” Avery handed up her wadded-up jacket. “Use this as a pillow.”
“Thanks.” She settled herself against the doorframe as Tate turned the truck around and headed back toward town.
He glanced over at her, smiled, and reache
d out to stroke his fingers down the side of her cheek. “Sleep, baby. I got this.”
She smiled back, then closed her eyes and let sleep take her, knowing on a bone-deep level that she was safe. Tate was beside her. And the monster who had hunted her was gone, and would never hurt anyone ever again.
She woke when strong arms slid around her. She gasped and stiffened, Vince’s face flashing before her eyes for a moment.
“Just me,” Tate whispered, lifting her out of the truck. “We’re home.”
Nina blinked and looked around. It was almost dark and they were in Avery’s driveway. She curled her arms around Tate’s neck and leaned into him as he carried her toward the side pathway.
“If you guys need anything, just let me know,” Avery said, heading for the front door.
“Will do,” Tate answered, then nuzzled the side of Nina’s face. “I’m gonna feed you, then get you cleaned up and into bed.”
“Sounds heavenly.”
Inside her suite, he set her on the couch and tucked her throw blanket around her before making them sandwiches. They ate quickly, then he picked her back up and carried her to the master bathroom.
“Bath, or shower?” he asked.
“Bath.” She didn’t want to stand up right now, her feet hurt too much.
In the bathroom he filled the tub and helped her strip. “We’ll keep your feet out. I’ll do them separately,” he told her, taking out a facecloth from the vanity drawer.
Nina didn’t answer, just enjoyed the pleasure of watching him move, the muscles in his back and arms flexing. “Thank you for rescuing me,” she said after a few moments.
He stopped, turned to face her. “Don’t thank me for that. You saved yourself by getting out of that trunk and then running for it. By jumping into the river even though your hands were tied behind your back. If you hadn’t done all that, I wouldn’t have been able to get him in time.” He cupped her cheek in his hand, his eyes searching hers. “I’d do anything to keep you safe. You know that, right?”
Her heart squeezed so hard it hurt. “Yes,” she whispered. “So that means you’ll stay with me?” She didn’t want to be alone. Definitely not tonight. Maybe not for the foreseeable future.
Empathy flashed in his eyes, then his expression turned serious. “I’m not going anywhere, sunshine.”
I love you. Love you so much. Somehow, she held the words back.
It wasn’t until later, after her bath when he’d tucked her into bed and climbed in next to her and propped his head in his hand to study her in the soft lamplight, that she knew something had shifted between them. Her heart began to beat faster at the look on his face. There was a softness in his gaze that she’d never seen before. Because he’d never allowed her to see it until now.
“I never expected anyone like you to come into my life,” he murmured, easing his thumb across her cheek.
“A sexy, brilliant physics and astronomy nerd?”
He grinned. “Yeah.” Then his expression sobered. “I’ve been holding back because of my own issues, but I’m done with that. I want you and no one else.”
Nina searched his eyes. “You want to be exclusive?”
“Hell yes. I want you all to myself.”
Ohh, she liked where this was going.
His gaze was steady on hers. Unflinching. “Because I’m in love with you.”
Nina sucked in a stunned breath even as joy exploded inside her. “Tate,” she whispered, instantly tearing up.
“Aww, damn, don’t cry,” he said, wiping her tears away.
She shook her head, grabbed his hand and pressed it to her cheek. “Happy tears,” she whispered. “And oh, God, I love you too. So much.” She wound her arms around his neck and hugged him, letting out a soggy laugh. “I can’t believe it. Those are literally the last words I expected to hear from you today.”
He chuckled low in his throat and gathered her close, banding those hard, powerful arms around her. Emotion flooded her. He was so strong. Strong enough to protect her, stand beside her.
And better yet, strong enough to overcome his fear and surrender his heart to her.
“I wasn’t going to say it yet. Thought it was too soon.” He sounded almost embarrassed. “But it’s how I feel.”
She shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat. “It’s never too soon to say what’s in your heart.”
“Well, good, because I love you.”
It sounded even better that way. Nina eased back to wipe at her face and drew her fingertips over the stubble on his jaw, unable to stop smiling. This had been both the worst and best day of her life. How strange and incredible. “See? Told you you’re a closet romantic.”
A rueful grin curved his lips as he leaned in for a kiss. “Guess you bring that out in me, sunshine.”
Epilogue
Pausing in Tate’s homey, log-walled kitchen to close her eyes a moment, Nina took in a deep breath and smiled. Ahh, the sweet sound of silence.
She loved her family to death, but she was glad they’d finally left because she wanted her space back, and she wanted alone time with Tate. Rylee was also gone now, having moved back to campus. She had a new roommate, and seemed to be doing well so far with weekly visits to a trauma counselor.
Tate was currently at a business meeting with Mason and their friend Braxton, who was checking in via video call from somewhere in the Middle East. They’d all agreed that the property Tate had chosen would be ideal for their plans, so they were making plans together for what came next.
Nina was excited for them. Tate was still leery of quitting his job, and Avery sure didn’t want him to leave. He’d stay on as detective for now, but if all went well, he’d be part owner of Rifle Creek Tactical in a few more months.
She hummed to herself as she bustled around the kitchen getting everything ready. By the time Tate came home she wanted everything finished and waiting for him. He’d been taking care of her these past two weeks with her family, and after all of that he deserved something romantic done for him too.
As she carried the bottle of champagne in its ice bucket to the sliding door that led out to the back deck, the doorbell rang. She set it on the kitchen table and hurried down to answer it.
Nina’s eyes widened. “Bev. Pat. What are you two doing all the way out here?” Tate’s house was a solid nine-minute drive from their neighborhood, so there was no way they’d just come here for the heck of it.
“We stopped by your place but Avery said you were here. So we came over to give you this.” Pat smiled as she handed Nina a basket. “Your flan was so delicious, we couldn’t possibly outdo it. So we thought we’d start over.” She winked at Nina.
Nina took the basket and pulled back the gingham cloth. She laughed. “Kale?” Eww. How was she supposed to make something sweet and delicious out of that?
Pat nodded, eyes twinkling. “From our garden. You’re really good. We decided we need to challenge you more.”
“Well. Challenge accepted.” She shook her head. “It was really nice of you to come here just to see me.”
Pat waved it away. “Don’t be silly. We miss seeing you. I hope you’ll stop by for tea and goodies next time you have a minute.”
“I’d love that. And maybe you could give me some pointers about gardening. I’d like to put a small one into Avery’s backyard as a surprise, to thank her for everything she’s done for me. Something low maintenance she won’t have to fuss much with, because she’s busy.”
Pat’s face lit up. “We’d love that! Wouldn’t we, Bev?” she said, turning to her sister.
Bev pushed past her sister and handed Nina something else. “I made these for you and Tate,” she said softly, almost shyly.
Nina opened the little box, inhaled and smiled. “Peanut butter chocolate chip?”
“Chocolate chunks,” Bev said. “I know how much you love them.”
Aww. “That was so sweet of you, thank you.”
Bev nodded, her cheeks turning pink. Then she
shocked Nina by pulling her into a hug. “We’re just so glad you’re okay, and that the asshole who attacked you is dead.” She gave Nina a maternal pat on the back.
Nina didn’t know what shocked her more, the hug, or hearing Bev say asshole. “Thank you. I’m glad too.”
Vince Reimer had died a couple of days after surgery. Investigators had only gotten minimal information from him about other cases, but it was safe to say he’d raped more than ten young women from the university over the past two years. They’d never know the true number because so many women didn’t report rape out of fear of being judged or blamed.
“All right, all right, enough mushy stuff,” Pat announced, pulling her sister away. “Time to go home and let Nina think about how to improve upon our challenge ingredient.”
Nina stood on the doorstep and waved as they drove away in their little red Volkswagen beetle, smiling. Was this the greatest community ever, or what?
She turned to go back inside, then stopped when she heard Tate’s truck coming up the street. He pipped the horn at Bev and Pat, who honked back, and pulled into the driveway. He climbed out and shut the door, giving Nina a sexy smile that had her heart knocking. “Did they stop by?”
“Yes, with another offering.” Nina held up the basket. “The rivalry continues.”
He chuckled and came up the steps to wrap his arms around her waist. “Hey, sunshine,” he murmured.
“Hey.” If her voice sounded breathless it was because he made her heart pound. “How was your day?”
“Good. And I just saw something very interesting on the way home.” His eyes twinkled.
“Really? What?”
“As I was driving past Mrs. Engleman’s house, who should happen to come out the front door tucking his shirt into his pants?”
Nina gasped. “No way. Curt and Mrs. Engleman?” Nina had only met her once, but she seemed really prim and proper, and a little standoffish.
“Yep.” He chuckled. “Dude grins at me and waves, then sauntered to his truck, looking mighty pleased with himself.”
Nina laughed. “I love it. Curt and Mrs. Engleman…”