Protect & Serve (Love at First Sight Book 3)

by Mia Madison

  I heard running footsteps followed by a sickening crunch and another thud. I opened my eyes and watched the man who had grabbed me tumble to the ground, his nose bleeding profusely. Trent pulled me to a standing position and immediately moved me behind him, his eyes scanning the area.

  “One is missing,” he muttered so quietly that I could barely hear him. “Stay low.”

  The van that had pulled up suddenly roared to life and Trent cursed loudly, barking out an order for me to get in the car as he went running for the van. He fired multiple shots at the tires and a few seconds passed before the sound of the van slamming into something reached my ears.

  “Stay here,” Trent called, glancing back at the man clutching his nose and walking over to deliver another hard punch to his face.

  When the man was definitely unconscious, Trent jogged over to the van. I stayed down in the backseat of my car, waiting for the all clear from Trent before moving again.

  The sound of sirens in the distance made me release a heavy sigh of relief. Trent had been right once again—my dad had probably called the cops when he realized I was missing.

  “Ava?”

  I slowly pushed myself up, looking at Trent as he jogged back through the parking lot toward the car. I opened the door and crawled out, glancing behind him to see the crumpled form of the driver on the ground beside the van.

  None of them got away.

  But not all of them were unconscious.

  One of the men on the ground nearby rolled over with a groan and reached for his dropped weapon, raising it in my direction and pulling the trigger just as I opened my mouth to scream.

  But it didn’t hit me.

  I was shoved hard and my ass hit the ground just before my head knocked back against the car door—the force of the blow making me dizzy. Another shot was fired—a silenced one—and I blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear my vision.

  What I saw would haunt me for the rest of my life.

  Trent’s gun dropped to the gravel and he fell to his knees shortly after, reaching up to clutch at his shoulder. I ignored my own pain as I crawled over to him, tears filling my eyes when I saw the blood soaking his white t-shirt.

  “NO!” I screamed, my pain forgotten as he fell back. I pressed my hands to the wound, not sure of what I could possibly do to help him. “Trent? Trent!”

  “Told you,” he breathed out, his eyelids fluttering as he blinked over and over again. “I told you I’d take a bullet for you.”

  A small part of me wanted to laugh, but I only cried harder. His hand came over mine, pressing down over the wound as we listened to the sirens growing closer.

  “Wh-What do I do? Trent—tell me what to do!”

  “Just stay,” he said, tightening his fingers around mine. “Just stay with me.”

  I opened my mouth to reply, but his eyes shut as he lost consciousness. I tried to call out his name to wake him back up—that’s what they always did in movies—but it was no use. I could feel his heart beating, but he looked so… dead.

  My heart froze in my chest as emotion battled with logic. I repeatedly told myself that he was alive in my head and the internal voice was so loud that I jumped when a hand gently touched my shoulder.

  “You’ve got to let him go, sweet pea.”

  “No! No, he’s fine. He has to be. I—”

  “The ambulance can’t get him to the hospital unless you let go of his hand.”

  Startled, I looked up and finally noticed the sea of faces surrounding me and Trent. I hadn’t even realized the sirens had gotten so close, nor did I hear the sound of the police officers reading the Miranda rights to Callahan’s thugs as they were arrested before being taken to the hospital themselves.

  “No,” I whispered as I shook my head back and forth. “I told him I’d stay. He asked me to stay.”

  “She can ride with us. She probably needs to be checked out as well.”

  I gave a grateful look to the paramedic and back up to my Dad, who nodded in agreement.

  “Give me your keys. I’ll follow you there with the car.”

  I let go of his hand for just enough time to give my purse to my dad and let the paramedics get him loaded into the ambulance. I hopped into the back and sat on the bench beside him, clutching his hand as they cut open his shirt to survey the wound and began administering the medication to prepare him for surgery.

  “Ava.”

  His voice was muffled, but I heard it anyways.

  “I’m here.”

  He hummed and gripped my hand, giving me hope that he’d be okay before his entire body went slack and the medication took him back under.

  13

  They made me leave his side when we got to the hospital. I didn’t want to, but there was no way they’d let me into the surgery room and I knew it was for good reason.

  They checked me out in the meantime—making sure I didn’t have a concussion after banging my head so hard against the car. There had been a tad bit of blood caked in my hair, but the doctor agreed that it was a better alternative than being shot.

  After getting checked over and declared fine, all that was left was to wait. The doctors and nurses refused to give me any information considering I wasn’t family, but I knew with every fiber of my being that he would ask for me when he finally woke up. So I waited.

  My leg was bouncing up and down from nerves when I heard a squeak of dress shoes down the hall. I looked up and watched as my father cautiously approached. There were dark shadows under his eyes and a miserable expression still on his face… but he carried two cups in his hands.

  He handed one to me without a word—a peace offering of sorts. I gave him a small smile before gesturing to the seat beside me which he took with a heavy sigh of relief.

  It was quiet for a long time. The coffee was piping hot so I could only take small sips at a time, but even so, the cup was still nearly empty when Dad finally spoke and broke the silence between us.

  “I don’t know what I would’ve done if they had taken you.”

  “I know,” I admitted in a whisper, still feeling responsible for the clusterfuck that my thoughtless actions had caused. “And I understand.”

  “Do you?” he asked, his voice breaking. “Do you have any idea what it did to me to find you covered in blood like that? What if—”

  “I do understand. Because I don’t know what I would have done if I lost Trent. If I… if I lose him.”

  He was quiet again, staring down at the top of his cup. “He’s going to be fine, Ava. The bullet missed all the major arteries.”

  “How do you—”

  “I explained our situation to one of the nurses and I… might have bribed her a little bit.”

  “Dad,” I gasped, even though I was secretly thankful for him doing it.

  “In my defense—I didn’t make the offer. When she found out that I’m a lawyer, she asked if I had any experience with traffic tickets. I just went with it.”

  I knew how my dad felt about bribery and the likes, so a part of me still couldn’t believe that he had gone through with it. I knew it was more for my sake than for Trent’s, but I wasn’t going to bother splitting hairs about his motivations.

  I reached out for his hand and softly said, “Thank you.”

  He smiled back at me, but I could see his eyes starting to get glassy. We broke contact and slipped back into silence, though it was far more comfortable than it had been before.

  “I meant it, you know.”

  “Meant what?”

  “When I said I’d do it all over again for you,” he elaborated, sighing as he stared down at the floor. “You’re worth everything to me, sweet pea. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “I don’t want to lose you either, but I’m an adult now. You have to let me go. I don’t want to become like—”

  “I know,” he interrupted. I looked into his eyes and I knew he understood my greatest fear. “I don’t want you to turn into her either. If letting you go is the only way
to prevent it… then I suppose that what I’ll do.”

  “What are you saying?” I asked, feeling tears threatening to spill for what felt like the millionth time that night.

  “I’m saying that I’m going to give you access to your trust early. You’re a smart young woman and I know you won’t blow through the money like your mother seems to think you will,” he said bitterly. “It’ll be enough for you to live on for a long time while you figure out what you want to do with your life.”

  I was stunned. I stared at him, waiting for the catch that never came. When all he did was offer me a hesitant smile, I sat my coffee on the end table and stood up. When he stood as well, I wrapped my arms around him.

  “Thank you,” I whispered. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You can say that you’ll stop seeing him.”

  I pulled away, frowning at the caveat. “No. I’d rather be poor than be without him. How can you even suggest it after what he did for me?”

  “Can’t blame me for trying,” he muttered with a shrug. “But I didn’t expect a miracle.”

  It wasn’t a blessing—far from it—but I recognized it for what he meant it to be. He didn’t like me seeing Trent, but he wasn’t planning to punish me for it either. He’d do whatever he had to do to not lose me, just like Trent would.

  “I’m really lucky, you know. To have you.”

  Dad smiled even as his glassy eyes started to spill. “Oh, sweetie. I’m so sorry.”

  I hugged him again, my fear for Trent momentarily forgotten as I felt the bridge between my father and I being rebuilt. I knew I’d never feel this close to my mother, but I considered myself truly lucky to have one parent who cared so much about me.

  “Miss Black?”

  I turned away from my Dad and looked warily at the nurse, wiping my eyes and nodding as I said, “That’s me.”

  “Mr. Morgan is awake and asking to see you. You’ll have to be quick, though. Visiting hours are almost over for the night.”

  I looked up to my dad and he nodded, gesturing toward the nurse as he said, “Go. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

  With that, I followed the nurse down the corridors and past the ER to the room where they had moved Trent after the surgery. He was propped up just a smidgen, looking around the room in a daze when I softly knocked on the open door.

  Trent turned his head and a delirious smile stretched across his lips.

  “You stayed.”

  “Of course I did.”

  I closed the door behind me and approached the bed, propping myself on the edge. When he tried to scoot over to give me room, I placed my hand on his chest and shook my head.

  “They aren’t going to let me stay long.”

  “Bastards. Told them I was fine.”

  “You were shot.”

  He shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t held in the sling.

  “I’ve had worse. You’ve seen it.”

  That I had, in the scars that covered his body. But seeing the aftermath of old wounds was completely different than seeing his blood coating my hands. I drew in a shaky breath as I recalled the memory, not shaking out of it until I felt Trent’s warm fingers touching my hand.

  “Hey. You okay?”

  “I was so afraid. There was so much blood.”

  “I’m built of tough stuff, doll. I’m fine.”

  “I know that now. But it’s been a long night.”

  He grunted in agreement and started to shift, shooting me a glare when I tried to stop him. I let him fidget for a moment, frowning when he suddenly slumped in relief.

  “I was itchy,” he explained, sighing hard as he looked up at his IV. “And I’m tired.”

  “I’ll ask the nurse when the visiting hours are and come back tomorrow, I promise. Do you know how long you have to stay?”

  “Two days for observation, at least. Probably longer.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Another half-shrug. “They won’t let me out unless there’s someone at home to watch out for me.”

  “I could do that,” I said, brightening instantly. “I can take care of you if they tell me what I need to do.”

  Trent snorted, his shoulders shaking as he started to laugh but the sound dying when he winced with pain. I stood to go get the nurse, but he clasped my wrist and shook his head.

  “I’m good. It’s just—I can’t imagine your pops is going to be okay with you staying at my place to take care of me.”

  “Actually, we… we kind of made up. He even bribed a nurse to get information about how you were because they wouldn’t tell me anything.”

  “He’s here?” he asked, his eyebrows raising in surprise. When I nodded, he let out a huff of disbelief. “Well that’s… a start, I guess.”

  “He’s going to let me go, Trent,” I said softly, smiling when his eyes widened. “He’s giving me access to my trust fund and letting me go.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he knows you’re the most important person in my life and he doesn’t want to lose me completely. It’s the only way.”

  “So that means—”

  “Excuse me, miss?”

  We both turned to the nurse, Trent frowning at her while I lifted a finger.

  “Just one more minute. Please.”

  She hesitated, but eventually nodded and stepped back into the hall. I turned to Trent and leaned down to softly kiss him. His hand wove into my hair and held me there, our lips lazily moving together for a few long, blissful seconds. When we parted, I kept my lips so close to his that they brushed together as I spoke.

  “It means we can be together.”

  Trent smiled as I stood up, grabbing my hand one last time.

  “I love you, doll.”

  “I love you, too. Now get some rest.”

  We shared a sappy smile until the nurse came back in to shoo me out of the room. After asking her when the visiting hours began and promising to come back in the morning to discuss what I’d need to do to take care of Trent, we said a quick goodbye and I shuffled down the hall to where my father was waiting with fresh cups of coffee.

  “Is he all right?”

  “He’s fine,” I confirmed, smiling when I saw the relief in my father’s eyes. “He needs to stay for a few days, then he’ll need someone to stay with him while he finishes recovering. I volunteered.”

  “Ava, I—”

  The words died in his throat when I raised an eyebrow and he snapped his mouth shut, holding up his free hand in a gesture of surrender.

  “Forgive me. It’s… It’s going to take some getting used to.”

  “I think it’s going to be that way for a while—for all of us.”

  Dad chuckled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he led me toward the exit of the hospital.

  “Let’s go home and get some sleep. We’ll come back in the morning to discuss what happens next.”

  “You’re coming back?” I asked, surprised when he nodded.

  “I’d like to. Just in case Trent needs support when the police come by to take his statement.”

  “Thank you, Dad.”

  “Anything for you, sweet pea.”

  The fresh air that filled my lungs when we stepped outside had never smelled sweeter. I wished that Trent had been well enough to leave with me, but I was filled with hope that he would be soon and we would be free to start a new life together. I smiled as the joy he told me I’d feel when I finally got something right filled my entire being.

  14

  Trent snarled as I helped him out of the passenger seat, growling from the pain as he stood.

  “Fucking hell,” he groaned, leaning back against the car. “The stairs are gonna be a bitch.”

  “Stairs?” I asked nervously as I cast a glance toward his building. “There isn’t an elevator?”

  Trent snorted. “Did you see the building? This look like a place with a fucking elevator?”

  “Are you always so pissy when you get shot or are you la
ying it on extra thick just for me?” I asked with an eye roll, feeling a smirk form on my lips when he growled at me. “I just feel like I should have been warned about this before I offered to take care of you.”

  “I’m not pissy,” he hissed before pushing out his bottom lip. “I’m hurt, baby.”

  “Aww, you poor thing,” I said, pouting back at him and pressing my cheek gently against the side of his chest that hadn’t taken a bullet. “It’s okay. I’ll nurse you back to health.”

  I tried to pull away, but he tugged me back with his good arm.

  “No, doll. I’m aching,” he huskily said, turning me around and pulling my ass back against him. “I hurt all over.”

  “Oh my God. Aren’t you in pain? How in the hell are you hard right now?” I asked when I felt him grind his erection against me.

  “Your shirt is see-through in the light. Are your panties red as well?” he muttered, leaning down to kiss my neck as my face flamed at the thought of how many people had seen my bra at the hospital. “Plus, the idea of you playing nurse really turns me on. Want to take my temperature, baby? Or maybe I can take yours? I got my thermometer ready.”

  “Settle down, Trent,” I told him as I struggled not to laugh. “You’re just going to make it harder to get you upstairs.”

  “Oh it’s already harder,” he said with a chuckle. “But I see your point. Let’s go.”

  He was able to walk perfectly fine, but he occasionally began to sway on his feet from either pain or the drugs that lingered in his system. We found that out during the walk to the car at the hospital, where he apologized profusely for leaning so heavily against me.

  Not that I minded it. I’d take any chance I could get to have Trent’s weight on me.

  Perhaps telling him that was also part of what led to his current predicament. I stole a glance at his crotch and stifled a giggle at the obscenity of his bulge.

  Trent didn’t notice my amusement, though. He was too busy gesturing to his motorcycle.

  “How’d my bike get back here?”

  “Dad had it towed a few hours after you were admitted to the hospital. He had the keys dropped off with your landlord.”