His Heart (HIS Series Book 7)

by Sheila Kell

  “Shit. Could we move them all? People and dogs?”

  “It’d be such a big production to pack up the stuff for the staff, the dogs, and the veterans that just arrived, and Ripley would only have to perch in a tree out in the woods where we can’t see him and watch through binoculars. Besides, we don’t have a setup to house that many dogs at the safe house.”

  “You’re right. Does the sheriff have anything?”

  Matt pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger and heaved a heavily burdened sigh. “Nothing. There’s no trail to follow. Ripley disappeared from Water Valley after he attacked Adam, but hasn’t been seen in Winchester.” He paused to collect his frustration. “It had to be Ripley.”

  “Are you sure that Melvin guy didn’t tie up the dog so he could take a piss and fell, hitting his head? Your men didn’t find any evidence of foul play at the house and training facility. Did they?”

  “No, I don’t know, but it doesn’t feel right.” With Melvin still unconscious, they’d had him rushed to the hospital. Although what Jesse said could be a viable option to what had occurred, Matt knew it to be wrong. Somehow, Melvin had been lured into the woods and attacked from behind. He still held that it had been the attacker’s hope to catch Caitlyn when she rushed to the rescue, or to quite possibly set a trap of some sort at the house or facility. But nothing had been there. No one had been in hiding, and nothing had been disturbed as far as they could tell, and the other animals were fine. Regardless, it still didn’t feel right to Matt.

  They’d been in the emergency room waiting area since Melvin had been brought to the hospital. It stretched their resources protecting Caitlyn at this location while keeping her home site clear, but he had to be there when Melvin woke up. He had to know the truth and didn’t want to wait for the answers.

  “Look,” Jesse said, “I’ll get you extra help there as soon as I can. Devon still hasn’t located Ripley, but we’ll assume he’s in your area. Tighten up what you can until we’re there.”

  “He’s here. I’m just not sure what he’s planning, and that pisses me the fuck off.” The blood flowing in Matt’s veins picked up as he ended the sentence. He couldn’t help the emotional response to what might happen to Caitlyn. Anyone really, but definitely Caitlyn.

  Jesse grunted. “If it’s anything like what I felt when Kate was a target, I understand. I also understand I’ll never be able to send you enough men to protect her in your mind, but continue to trust your team. You might want to speak with Ken. He’s bound to be kicking himself for this incident, especially after Holbrook.”

  “How? He was with me when Melvin wandered off. The team didn’t know he wasn’t allowed to go into the woods with the dog. As for Holbrook, he was way the fuck out in deep woods as cover. Ken couldn’t have caught that. Hell it took Neftali and his sniper scope to see him and that was pure luck considering the expanse he searches.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You know how close to the vest he takes it all.”

  Ken would definitely take this as a personal affront to his ability to do his job. He’d try to work harder—if that were possible. Matt made a mental note to speak with him when they returned.

  “Listen, talk to everyone, whether she wants you to or not. Make up a bullshit threat if you must, but get everyone on the same page. Especially since she’s about to start that class with the four you mentioned. Speaking of the vets, Devon says all four all check out. He’s sending you their workups. Even though the men pass muster, are you sure you can’t get her to cancel that class?”

  “No. I’d rather she didn’t do it, but I know she must. The vets have been promised these service dogs for a long time and the canines are ready. The good thing is she can leave some of the training to her employees. They’re quite competent. And they’ve been watching out for anything out of the ordinary since we returned.” He had to hand it to Rick and Tonya. They hadn’t freaked out when they’d heard about the potential threat. In fact, Tonya had seemed to recognize the Ripley name, so maybe Caitlyn had shared with her. But the two had been smart, observant workers, and he couldn’t ask for more from them.

  Knowing his options were limited, he thanked his brother for his support and told him that while they’d make do for the time being, the benefit bothered him. If HIS couldn’t be there in force, then he’d hire security to fill in the gaps. No matter what Caitlyn said about that decision.

  After signing off with his brother, he placed his cell phone in his pocket and returned to Caitlyn’s side, sliding down into a thoroughly small and uncomfortable chair in the waiting room. Without asking, he reached over and laced his fingers with hers and squeezed, trying to comfort her. He just needed to touch her. When he noticed her body relax, he inwardly smiled. Baby steps in their relationship.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked quietly.

  “Of course,” he offered, even though it would not be okay until Ripley was behind bars or six feet under. At this point, he didn’t care which. The man had abused Adam and now terrorized Caitlyn. If that motherfucker ever laid a hand on her, Matt couldn’t guarantee his response would be acceptable to most. To make his answer seem more sincere, he picked up their joined hands and placed his lips on her skin in a soft kiss.

  She shivered at the touch, which shot a stream of exhilaration through him, setting his heart to flip.

  “Holden family?” a hospital personnel dressed in scrubs and a white lab coat said at the entrance to the room he, Brad, Caitlyn, her veterans, and one of his men had commandeered.

  They all stood, but Matt spoke for the group. “We’re here for Mr. Holden.”

  “He’s awake, and we’re admitting him and moving him to a room. We’ll keep him overnight for observation, but he seems no worse for the wear. The nurse will give you the room number once we get him settled and you can visit him.” She looked around the large group waiting. “Maybe a few at a time,” she suggested.

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Matt said, sticking out his hand to shake hers. She did and turned back to where she’d entered.

  The mood in the waiting room was less depressing after they’d been given that news. Melvin not waking had worried them greatly. Clifford and Marshall had their heads together whispering. He figured they had questions for him. When he’d spoken to them for the first time earlier, he’d alluded to possible trouble and that his men would be armed and watching the place, but hadn’t come out and said exactly what or who or why to expect trouble. Jesse was right. It was time he did. The men would be great assets, even if the military had given up on them due to their disabilities. Some skills never went away. And from what he’d begun to learn about the two men, he had a feeling they had continued to hone those vital survival skills in any manner they could.

  Only in the beginning when he’d first lost his leg had he allowed loathing and self-pity to settle into his mind. It hadn’t taken long for his father to be all over him, pushing him and pissing him off on a regular basis before he began to realize he wasn’t worthless—that he could live a normal life.

  He’d had to learn to get around on one leg, and not all tasks were easy to do. Some were still impossible, but he didn’t stop until he was sure he physically—not mentally—couldn’t do something. And that list was very short.

  The day he’d received his prosthetic leg had changed his life. It’d taken a lot of getting used to, but he didn’t allow any minor failures to set back his entire outlook and attitude. Then he’d learned of an outfit in Memphis, Tennessee, who made custom socket liners and suspension sleeves to use with his prosthetic leg. That had made all the difference in comfort and control. Sure, his leg would need rubbing out after a day on the prosthetic, but it was worth any pain or discomfort he felt while being as close to whole as he could be. The prosthetic was part of him, and he’d accepted that and it wouldn’t change.

  The only thing that worried him was how Caitlyn would actually take looking at his stump. So far, she hadn’t balked at his prosthetic leg
, but that was a lot easier to look at than the leg without it. If they continued the path he wanted for them, eventually they’d spend the entire night together. That would mean taking off his prosthetic for the evening and putting it on when they woke. He could do it all after she fell asleep and before she woke up the next morning, but he needed her to accept him as he was.

  Would she turn away from him then? She had enough to deal with in the lovemaking department to not worry about what her man looked like with half a leg.

  Before he could ponder it any longer, they’d been shown in to see Melvin. He, Brad, and Caitlyn entered first. She grasped the man’s hand and lightly squeezed. “How are you?”

  “Feeling pretty stupid. Is Cooper okay?”

  “He’s fine. Melvin, these are Matt and Brad Hamilton and they’re in charge of the security at the facility. I don’t think you met either of them earlier.” She grinned and her eyes twinkled. “Brad’s the oldest, and he’s wearing the red T-shirt.”

  Brad was older by two fucking minutes. Not even two full minutes. It meant nothing more than his twin got his butt spanked first. Although she was cute when she was mischievous, Matt couldn’t deal with any fun now. They had a problem to tackle, but he had to admit he was happy to see her have a laugh and bring a chuckle to the wounded man, even if it had been at his expense.

  Since Caitlyn held Melvin’s hand, Matt stuck with a head nod in greeting. “We’re glad you’re going to be okay,” Matt said.

  “Thanks.” Melvin closed his eyes. “I bet you have some questions.”

  When he opened his eyes back up and held Matt’s gaze, he nodded. “Tell me what happened.”

  “I was working Cooper and I heard something. It sounded like a wounded dog. I was a ways away from everyone, including the man patrolling the area, so I thought I’d check it out. I’d hate for one of Caitlyn’s dogs to get hurt.”

  That was a sentiment the entire group of people surrounding Caitlyn shared. Although, they didn’t want her hurt either.

  “I thought I saw something, so we went in that direction. Cooper started barking and before I knew it, I felt a sharp pain in my head and then I woke up here.” He squeezed Caitlyn’s hand and looked at her. “I’m sorry. I know the security guy I met when I went outside told me to be careful and stay in sight, but I thought it was one of your dogs loose.”

  “It’s okay, Melvin. You just rest now.” Caitlyn let go of his hand and fussed with his blanket, her hands shaking.

  After speaking with Melvin, Matt ushered Caitlyn home and quickly ensconced her in the safety of the HIS team.

  Sitting on the couch in her living room, he turned to her. “Caitlyn—” He cleared his throat somewhat nervously. “I’m in no way trying to scare you, but we need to tighten things up, and we need to share with your veterans the danger that potentially surrounds us.”

  Her mild expression crumbled and it nearly gutted him. “It’s Luke. Isn’t it?”

  He thought for a minute on the best way to respond, then nodded. “I think so. We can’t be sure, but it’s probable since Holbrook is still in jail.”

  “Are you sure he is?” she asked hopefully, as if she could have her choice of maniacs after her.

  Matt nodded his confirmation. “Yes, I checked.”

  A tear silently slid down her cheek and, without thinking, he reached out and picked her up, depositing her on his lap. Instead of freezing up, which was what he expected to have to deal with, she ducked her head onto his shoulder. “I’m so scared,” she whispered.

  Matt never would’ve guessed considering how brave she always was when he was near. She did what he told her without hesitation and never acted fearfully. Granted they hadn’t actually faced Ripley yet, but still, she’d had Holbrook shoot at her and this incident where she could’ve been injured or killed had she not called him and his men first.

  To soothe her, he rubbed a hand up and down her back while the other held her, anchoring her in place to keep her from bolting, but not feeling a captive. “I’d be surprised if you weren’t.”

  Because it appeared she needed it, he remained steady while she cried into his shirt, leaving it wet with the remnants of her tears. He’d wanted to pull her closer but didn’t want to destroy the breakthrough she’d made by being so close to him, even if she hadn’t realized she’d done it.

  As she dozed in his arms, his mind played through memories of times like this before when they’d been so carefree. Could those types of days really exist for them again? God, he hoped so, because his love hadn’t changed.

  Standing, he toted her to her bedroom and deposited her on her bed. After removing her shoes and socks, he used a throw blanket to cover her. If she was like he’d remembered, she’d have her feet kicked out of it in no time.

  Although he wanted to stay with her, Matt found himself tired but watching her. In sleep, her face was peaceful… relaxed… beautiful. She shifted and poked a foot out from under the covers. He smiled as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’ll protect you, Caitlyn. You can count on that.”

  Back in his room, he removed his communications system and placed it on the dresser. With a yawn, he moved to the bed. After stripping off his clothing, he sat on the side of the bed and began removing his prosthesis with the suspense sleeve first. Next, he unlocked the artificial leg, then removed the socket liner and the thin sock he wore underneath, placing it all within easy reach before massaging in lotion on his stump to help with the discomfort.

  He scratched his chest as he lay on the bed. Why the hell was he so damn tired? The day hadn’t been that demanding and stressful. Nothing to make him so drowsy.

  As he dozed fitfully, his head began to hurt. He fought for coherence so that he could get an aspirin from the bathroom. But, he had to fight harder than he should. Then nausea hit his gut and he wanted to scream as he noticed the faint smell of rotten eggs.

  “Fuck! A gas leak.” They had to get out of the house, which meant he had to wake Caitlyn and the team off-duty. He took a shallow breath and coughed. His blood raged in anger and fear. That bastard must’ve come in the house when they’d been looking for Cooper and Melvin. Matt would get that asshole, but first they had to get to safety.

  Where the fuck was his comm set? He needed to raise the red flag and get help from the outside team. Where was Brad? He should’ve been close to the house, but he may not be inside it. Or, had he fallen asleep too, unaware of the deadly consequence of that action?

  With a fumbling swipe, he grasped his socket liner and quickly worked to pull it on. Sitting up awkwardly, he reached for his prosthetic leg and locked the mechanism in. The bed-to-bath mode, which bypasses the other sock and sleeve, was the setup he’d be using to save the woman he loved.

  Matt stood and immediately collapsed on the floor. His limbs weren’t strong enough to hold his poisoned body. With a pounding heart and not allowing himself to be defeated, he shook his head in hopes of clearing it and pulling himself to the dresser where he’d left the comms. Grabbing handfuls of the carpet reminded him of the times before he’d had his prosthetic leg. It had been dangerous times. Now didn’t seem to be any different since his life was on the line.

  At the dresser, he prayed it was weighted down enough as he pulled himself up by the drawer handles until he could run his hand over what he needed. Releasing the dresser, he slid back down to the floor and said, “Gas leak. Get Caitlyn clear.”

  He had no idea exactly what happened after that, but he woke outside, lying on the ground beside Caitlyn, who was still asleep. Ken and Neftali, who must’ve been sleeping like he had been, were sitting up with their heads in their hands. Matt understood completely, his head hurt like a fucking bitch, but all his worry was on Caitlyn. He awkwardly made his way to her side.

  The fire department, an ambulance, and a sheriff’s deputy arrived in short order, and Caitlyn was given oxygen and monitored until she woke. Her beautiful eyes latched onto his and the sight set his stomach tumbling. With a weary si
gh, he thought of how he could’ve lost her. Flat out, he’d failed her.

  Brad came up beside him and slapped him on the shoulder. From what he understood, Brad had roused Matt enough to get him to stand, albeit weakly, and half carried him outside before he collapsed, but only after crying out for Caitlyn who’d been carried out by Steve.

  “Matt?” Caitlyn asked in a scratchy voice as she removed the oxygen mask.

  He smiled at her and pushed the mask back into place. The EMTs recommended he and the other occupants of the house take some oxygen. They’d do it only because they knew their bodies needed it, but not before the men were certain the EMTs had taken care of Caitlyn.

  With his hand, he gently brushed her cheek. “Hey. We’re going to be okay.” He could tell she wanted to ask more, and justifiably so, but he halted that communication and added, “Just rest for now.” He almost added that she was safe, but Christ, that wasn’t the case at all. Was it?

  His headache raged, and his nausea continued, but Matt wasn’t leaving any of this to someone else. He had to know.

  The fire department told them they’d located the propane leak and had stopped it. It’d been in the line to the hot water heater. Matt knew it’d been no accident the line had been loose, but he couldn’t prove it. He couldn’t fault his team for not catching that when they’d cleared the house after returning from the woods.

  According to the fire department, after turning off the propane and airing the home out, then having the propane company come out and double-check, they’d be able to return to her home. He’d prefer to take Caitlyn away from here, but knew she needed to be here to conduct her business. No matter that she said she was scared, he didn’t believe she’d allow this to scare her away from doing the good work she did for veterans. And he’d hate to ask her to halt it, even for a short period of time.

  But he knew she’d listen to him and take her safety seriously. Hell, she’d listened to everything he’d said so far and never tried to run off by herself without protection. He couldn’t ask for more from her. Except to love him again.