by Allie Adams
“I want to hear your voice,” he whispered. His eyes closed and another tear escaped. “Talk to me.”
“Do you remember the first search we were ever on together? I fell in love with you that day. And every day since then. I will always love you—” she stopped when he struggled to take a breath. He slowly let it out.
And didn't take another breath.
Grief overtook her and she wailed as the pain consumed her. “Spencer! Damn you! Don't leave me! Don't you dare!”
Her phone rang and she scrambled to answer it. “Rand?” She sniffed and wiped her eyes.
“The bird is in the air. Expect some company on the ground as well.”
“TREX?”
“Yep.”
“Rand,” Kat cried into the phone. “Spencer stopped breathing.”
Rand dropped an uncharacteristic f-bomb. “Kat…”
She dropped the phone to the floor, missing the rest of his statement. She didn't want to hear his 'I'm so sorry' or words of false hope. Spencer's chest hadn't moved. She knew what that meant.
No. She refused to accept it. He couldn't be gone. She wouldn't let him go.
Not now.
Not ever.
The faint sound of a helicopter caught in her ears. The steady chopping of the air vac echoing into the night air grew louder and louder. And fast.
Running outside, she flagged them down by jumping and screaming. A light from the helicopter beamed down, landing on her. They didn't have anywhere to land, not in the middle of the forest. As the bird hovered, several TREX men in their typical black tactical gear jumped out and shimmied down ropes. Black BDUs. Tight black turtlenecks. Black hats. They even had black paint streaked across their faces. A litter came next. Four men grabbed it and ran inside the cabin. Kat ran in after them.
And skidded to a stop. They already had him in the litter. How did they do that so fast? The TREX team worked in perfect tandem as they strapped him in and lifted. Without a word, they had him up and out. Kat followed them and watched as they attached him to the ropes hanging below the bird.
“Let's go!” One of them yelled and made a motion with his hand.
And they were gone, leaving her alone.
“Ms. Davis?”
She turned to see Dan Weber standing there. She threw her arms around him, needing that human contact. She didn't care that she was half-naked and covered in Spencer's blood. He didn't either, apparently, and held her.
“Oh, Dan. Please tell me he's going to be okay. I need to know that he's going to be okay.”
“He's strong, Kat. He'll make it. Come on. I'll stay with you until your ride gets here.”
“My ride?” she asked, barely audible. Now that Spencer was on his way to the hospital, the adrenaline that kept her upright and focused drained and left her exhausted and disoriented.
Weber didn't say anything more and led her back inside the cabin, over to the table then lowered her down on the bench. She saw Salazar's and Travis's bodies out of the corner of her eye and shifted to put her back to them.
He pulled out a blanket—from where she didn't know—and wrapped it around her. “Better?”
She nodded and stared at the floor. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't ignore the copper smell of blood or the gunpowder residue that caused it all.
Within minutes it sounded like an entire caravan of vehicles drove up and parked outside tires crunching in the snow, engines idling. Several men poured into the cabin, some in the same outfit Weber had on, others in plain clothing. A few even had on suits.
Kat closed her eyes and shook her head. Why did she notice what they wore? A man handed Weber a bag, which he in turn handed to Kat.
“What is this?”
“A change of clothes. Boys?”
In a flash, a wall of TREX men lined in front of her, their backs to her. She hurried into the sweats and sweatshirt before adding the thick socks and slippers. The warmth of the clothes hugged her and made her feel an inch better. She tapped on the shoulder of one of the men and they parted.
“Let's get you home.” Weber reached for her and helped her to the door. He turned back to the room of men. “Give me a full sweep. Take the bodies. We don't need any unwanted attention until we're ready to strike. One hour. Let's move, people.”
She remained silent and let him take her over to a giant black SUV. She eased into the back and scooted over when Weber joined her. Another man, this one in a suit, turned from the driver's seat and smiled.
“Ron Donovan, at your service.”
“She doesn't care,” Weber barked, returning to the no-nonsense SAC she'd come to know. “Let's get her out of here.”
THIRTY-SIX
Kat paced back and forth at the door of her bathroom. Five short minutes, my ass. Her heart beat in time with each second as it ticked away.
She should have just paid the extra two dollars and gotten the box that guaranteed immediate results. At least then she wouldn't have had to pee in a cup, eye drop a few drops into a little box, and pace back and forth waiting for an answer. No, she would have just peed on a stick. The little red line would have either shown up or not.
She looked at the clock. Three minutes to go. Seriously? Nothing this important should take this long. Cautiously, she leaned over and stole a peek at the window. Why was the entire window a blurry pink? What did that mean? Did she do it wrong?
“Gah!” She went into the kitchen. There had to be something that would take three minutes to do. She flipped through her mail again. She wiped down her counters. She thought about sweeping, then decided against it. The last time she'd done anything that required that much physical movement, she threw up.
Two minutes to go. Just in case, she took another peek at the test. The window still looked hazy and pink, but a slight sign started to appear. She grabbed it and watched as the sign grew stronger and stronger.
Oh shit. She hadn't expected that.
The sound of a car horn brought her out of her shock-induced trance. She went to the window to investigate. A distinctive vehicle pulled into the parking lot. Too curious to ignore it, she left her apartment and hurried down the stairs.
A bright yellow Xterra stopped right in front of her. She couldn't see who drove it until he stepped out.
TREX Special Agent in Charge Dan Weber.
He jumped out of the SUV and walked over to Kat. “You got yourself a new set of wheels.”
“What?” She blinked. Twice. No way. A brand new Xterra for her? And in her favorite color?
He grinned—a first for him. “I may have made a few calls. What's the point of me being in the position I'm in if I can't make a few things happen?”
“You did this?”
“Well,” he said with as much of a gleam in his eye as Weber ever gave her. “In all honesty, Rand did it. But I gave the order.”
She'd already made the connection when Rand called them up in that cabin. “How long has Rand worked for TREX?”
He eyed her cautiously before answering. “He's been there almost as long as I have.”
“I knew it.”
He dropped the keys into her hand and lifted his gaze to the new roof over the covered parking. “They did a nice job.”
Kat glanced at the roof over her shoulder. What was once wood and had little woodpecker holes all through it was now a nice and shiny metal.
“I don't know what to say.” She focused on the keys in her hand. TREX did this. Her new vehicle. The new roof. Saving her life. As it all sank in she almost threw her arms around him. But she still had the test with her. Abruptly, she shoved her hands behind her back.
She had to call Rand. Screw that. She'd take a drive in her new Xterra and thank him in person. “Thank you.”
“Don't thank me just yet. The rig was only part of this special delivery.” He walked to the passenger door and opened it. “I found this guy wandering around. Wanted to know if you want him.” He reached in and helped the passenger out. She didn't even see him
through the heavily smoked windows.
Her heart hammered in her chest and sent heat racing through her. Spencer Allen, looking absolutely beautiful as he smiled at her. Those beautiful gray eyes shined and she shimmied right along with them.
Kat ran over and threw her arms around him, kissing his face. He sported a large white bandage over his left temple and his left arm was supported with a sling. He grunted and wrapped his good arm around her.
“Hi, baby.”
“Hey, Allen? You left this at HQ.” Weber tossed Spencer's TREX credentials at him. Spencer caught them with his good arm.
He stared at them for the longest time before glancing back to Weber. “You know what? Keep them.” He tossed them back.
Weber's face fell slack. “Are you shitting me?”
Spencer pulled Kat closer to him. “I'm hoping to get in with K-SAR.”
Shock held her speechless. Did he just say what she thought he just said? “You're giving up TREX? For me?”
“For us.”
Weber gave them both a shocked look and shook his head. “Your choice. I'll just leave you two to do whatever.” He climbed into a giant black SUV that had pulled up behind the Xterra and left.
Spencer kissed her forehead. “I've missed you.”
“Is that all I get?” She leaned into him and really kissed him, lingering for as long as her giddiness could stand. He pulled her closer and made a rumble in the back of his throat.
“No,” he said after they broke their kiss. He walked to the rear of the Xterra. “I have something else for you.”
He placed his hand on the back handle, then stopped and turned to her. “Hey, why didn't you come visit me in the hospital? I was in there for three days, you know.”
Kat nodded and brought his good hand up to kiss his fingers. “I wanted to, but I couldn't stop throwing up. And with you having surgery, and then in ICU, I didn't think it was a good idea. Even after they moved you out of ICU and into your own room, I couldn't take the chance at getting you sick. Rand kept me in the loop.”
“I wondered why he called so many times. It started to annoy the nurses.” He lost his smile as his expression grew somber. “Why didn't you visit me? Are you really sick?”
She smiled. She was better than ever. “I'm great. I just didn't want to upset you.”
“What upset me was not seeing you for three days.”
“It won't happen again.” She squeezed the test behind her.
“Good. Now I'll show you what I have for you.” He opened the back and pulled out a yellow fluff ball. It whined as it tried to jump out of the little cardboard box. When it looked up at Kat with its big puppy dog eyes, her heart melted.
“A puppy?” she whispered as her emotions flooded her.
“You said you didn't have a dog.”
She lifted the little darling and hugged it until the poor thing whined. “My apartment doesn't allow pets.”
“Well then, I guess I'll have to take you both home with me.”
Her heart skipped a beat. As much as she'd love to go home with him, she wouldn't let him win so easily. “Now just a minute.”
He raised his hand. ““For once, please don't argue with me. We can't raise our family in an apartment.”
Her heart skipped wildly. “F-Family?”
“My house is plenty big, and it's where I want to grow old with my wife.”
Wife? Kat opened her mouth to speak, but only a squeak escaped.
“That's right, Kathryn Louise.” He riveted his gaze to hers. “I want you to be my wife. I love you. Marry me?” Short, simple, sweet.
She threw her arms around him until the puppy whimpered between them. “It's about time.”
Spencer petted the puppy, then reached over and took the test from her.
“What's this?” He squinted at it. “What's a plus mean? Is this what I think it is?”
Oh my God, how embarrassing. With all the excitement she'd forgotten she still had it in her hand. She looked into her his eyes and smiled. “Looks like we'll be bringing two babies home with us.”
* * * *
Six Months Later…
“I'm going to get something to drink. You want something?” Spencer walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
“Yeah. Get me a beer.”
He returned and handed her a glass of orange juice. “One calcium-filled glass of nutrition coming up.” He kissed her, then moved lower and kissed her swollen belly. “Only the best for my son.”
“I already told you we're having a girl.” Kat sipped her orange juice and set it on her giant belly. It stayed.
Spencer chuckled and removed the glass so he could rub her belly. Since she'd started to show, he couldn't keep his hands off her. But Kat didn't mind. Not at all.
Turbo ran in and jumped between them. For a tiny golden retriever who once fit in a shoe box, he'd exploded into a monster of a dog and just kept growing.
“Off,” Spencer ordered and pushed him down. Turbo licked his hand and went to find something else to tear up. “How do you suppose he'll do when he realizes he'll have to share being the baby with an actual human?”
Kat laughed. “Turbo thinks he is human. But if he's anything like his master, he'll protect his little sister to the death.”
“Or little brother.” He kissed her soundly and nuzzled her neck. “You are so beautiful, Mrs. Allen.” He softly caressed her abdomen.
The glory of his touch tickled her flesh, causing it to hum. “You know, when the baby comes I won't be able to race out of here whenever there's a search. What are we going to do?”
“You could always retire. Hell, we both could.”
Kat dismissed the idea with a shake of her head. “I love K-SAR. I don't think I'd ever be able to leave it. Besides, I'd go insane if I let someone else try to run it. It's my baby.”
“You've got another baby to think about,” he said as he rubbed her belly. “Besides, you can't fit through the door of the Com Van now.”
She slapped him and he winced. She winced as well when she realized she'd hit him right where the bullet had gone into his shoulder. “Oh! I'm sorry, honey.” She kissed it and batted her eyes at him. “Does it hurt?”
“Yeah, it hurts. In case you forgot, I was shot.”
She giggled and kissed it again, this time a bit more slowly and softly. Her lips lingered as she slid them along his skin. The tank top he wore made his delicious shoulders easily accessible. “Does it hurt now?”
“It's getting better.” He cupped her cheeks and brought her lips to his. “But now I've got a pain somewhere else.”
“Cheesy line.” Her cell phone rang and she grabbed it from Spencer before he took it from her. “Hello?”
“Good afternoon, Ms. Davis.”
“It's Mrs. Allen now. How are you, Dan?” She switched the call to speaker, knowing Spencer would like to talk to his former SAC.
“Weber?” Spencer leaned toward the phone. “The answer is still no.”
“Hear me out,” Weber defended. “This time the offer comes straight from Martin Miller. He's ready to put you into an SAC role.”
“Who's?”
“Mine.”
Spencer sat up straight. “Are you leaving TREX?”
“Taking a new assignment,” Weber explained. “I'm stepping down as SAC and leading a team on a spec op.”
“A find?”
“No can do, Allen. Only HQ and the team know about it. It's higher than top secret. So how about it? Interested in my old post?”
Spencer and Kat exchanged glances. Most SACs stayed chained to a desk. Well, most SACs except Dan Weber. It made sense that he'd step down.
As much as Kat would love for him to not do anything to put him in danger, she couldn't do that to him. He loved being in the middle of it all, saving the world one find at a time.
“I like working searches.”
“You really aren't making this easy on me, are you?” Weber let out a long sigh that came out as a gr
oan. “Fine. Here it is. No SAC. Stay with K-SAR like Rand, but still work for TREX.”
“So you're not asking me to leave K-SAR?”
“More like,” he paused. “Repurposing your skills. You won't have to change a thing. You will, however, be required to take the occasional leave of absence to go on assignment. Nothing that would put you in harm's way since you're going to be a father.”
“How did you know that?” Kat sat up straight.
“Because I'm TREX. It's my job to know everything about my agents.” The smug son of a bitch.
Spencer set his jaw. “I'm not one of your agents anymore, Weber.”
“If you accept,” he went on, ignoring Spencer. “You'll get a bonus.”
Spencer put his arm around Kat. “You're offering me more money now? Let's see. You've offered me my old team back and when that didn't work, you gave me the green light to put together a new team. Then you offer me your old SAC position, and now more money. Why does TREX want me back so bad? There's got to be a catch.”
“Why does there have to be a catch?”
“Because you didn't want me getting back together with Kathryn. When I did, you went ballistic.”
“I may have overreacted,” he finally admitted.
“You fired me,” Spencer pointed out. He rested a hand on Kat's knee. “Sorry, Weber. I'm exactly where I need to be.”
“We're branching out,” Weber explained. “TREX is looking at getting into search and rescue and needs a solid pilot to start with.”
Kat's mouth fell open as her temper immediately skyrocketed. “You think you can take K-SAR from me?”
“More like a partnership,” Weber corrected. “Think about it, Kat. Unlimited access to TREX resources. Agents. Vehicles. Connections. You'd be the most sought after SAR firm in the world.”
Her heart skipped. It sounded too good to be true. “What's the catch?”
“What's with you two and there having to be a catch?”
Kat and Spencer exchanged looks before she spoke. “Because there always is, especially when TREX is involved.”
“Turn on the TV,” Weber interrupted. “Channel five.”