She carried it back to where Mike was sitting. As she drew close, he could see she held her BlackBerry. Hands still bound, she tapped at the little keyboard.
Mike let out a relieved breath, making his chest ache twice as hard. “You called for help?”
She nodded. “I asked Evangeline to send a helicopter and warned her the other two are on their way.”
“You’re something.”
Cassie smiled, but something about her expression was more sad than happy or relieved. Tears shone in her eyes.
“What is it?”
She waved his question away. “Don’t talk. It might take a while for the helicopter to get here. You need to save your strength.”
“Then you’d better tell me what is bothering you.”
She peered back in the direction of the mine. “I asked Evangeline to call for a rescue crew. For Grady.”
“Good.” If anyone deserved to die, it was probably his partner. But Mike still couldn’t stomach the idea any more than he could stomach what Grady had become. “He might be still alive. Sometimes there are pockets in the shafts that don’t cave in with the rest. People have been known to come out of something like this unhurt.”
He studied her face. She still wasn’t telling him everything. “That’s not all.”
She pressed her lips together.
“You can tell me. Whatever it is.”
She looked down at the ground. When she returned her gaze to his face, tears tracked down her cheeks, making streaks in the thick dust. “He said I was responsible. That if you hadn’t taken the assignment protecting me, you wouldn’t have been drawn into this mess. You wouldn’t have been shot. You wouldn’t have almost died.”
“He was rationalizing what he did. You didn’t buy into that crap.”
She dropped her gaze, then looked back up when he touched her arm.
“Did you?”
“I wanted to give up. When I heard him say it was my fault, I really wanted to die right then.”
“But you didn’t. You kept fighting. You got out of there.” Gritting his teeth, he reached a hand to her face, touching rock dust over smooth, smooth skin. “I’m the one who let you down, Cassie.”
“You let me down? How?”
He blew out a derisive breath. “I was on my knees. Literally. If you hadn’t jumped Grady with that rock when you did, it would have been over for both of us. I couldn’t do it alone.”
“Oh, God, Mike. You don’t have to always do everything alone. You don’t always have to be strong and take all the responsibility. That’s what backup is for.”
Chills fanned over his body that had nothing to do with the cool air. She was right. He hadn’t seen it until now, but he didn’t have to do everything alone. He never had with Cassie. She’d helped him and been there for him. And he wanted to always be there for her. “I love you, Cassie. More than you could ever know.”
“I love you, too.” She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, probably the only place she could find that wasn’t scraped or bruised. “You’re going to be okay, you know.”
“I will be. Thanks to you.” He wasn’t referring just to his physical injuries. It was more than that. Far more. “I’m grateful you and Evangeline walked into my hospital room that morning. Just the thought of how low I was makes me want to take you in my arms and never let you go.”
“That sounds good to me.”
He could see the love shining in her eyes. Strong. Unconditional. And deeper than any gold mine. “I’m a lucky…” He grimaced as a sharp pain seized his side. Damn broken ribs.
Her eyes widened in alarm. “Shh. Save your strength.” Tears and dust streaked down her face. Her lip and jaw were swollen and starting to purple. And through it all, she looked more beautiful than ever.
He forced his lips to curl into something he hoped resembled a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll get through this. With you backing me up, I can get through anything.”
Epilogue
Cassie stopped at the door to Mike’s hospital room reluctant to interrupt the visitor inside. She wished she could hear what they were saying without having to see their lips. But whatever the conversation was about, good energy emanated from the room. Quiet. Peaceful.
Mike’s father spun his wheelchair around to face her. He gave her a smile, the lines fanning out from the corners of his eyes making him look warm and friendly. “What? No rifle?”
She laughed and tried to ignore the pain in her lip and chin at the sudden movement. “They wouldn’t let me bring it past security.”
“I heard you don’t need guns anyway. I heard you can save the day with your bare hands.”
Raising her bandaged hands and wrists, she crooked a brow. “Rocks. Rocks help.”
“However you did it, thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. It was Mike who climbed up the mountain and tracked me down. And it was Mike who got us out of there in one piece.” She peered past the father and focused on the son, her heart doing a little hop.
Four broken ribs, a broken nose and multiple lacerations and bruises later, he still looked pretty darn good. Angel wouldn’t be able to control herself.
Former Deputy Chief Lawson pressed his lips together and nodded. “He done good.”
In the bed beyond his dad’s chair, Mike pressed his lips together, as well.
Cassie’s throat tightened. It was so good to see father and son working their way back to each other. It might take a while to heal twenty years’ worth of wounds, but the process had begun.
“Did he tell you his lieutenant was here?”
She looked to Mike, trying to figure out what a visit from his lieutenant could mean. “Really?”
“Mike was cleared of any negligence, as far as losing his weapon is concerned. His suspension is lifted. And he’s getting commendations for bringing down Tim Grady and the other three and for saving your life.”
“That’s wonderful.” Cassie beamed at Mike. It was about time the Denver PD gave Mike the reward he deserved. Maybe it would start a new chapter in Mike’s life. One where the people who mattered most would appreciate him. Support him. Love him. She sure was ready to do her part.
“I’ll leave you two alone.”
Cassie started. She’d been so caught up in Mike, she’d nearly forgotten his dad was still there. She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can wait.”
“Nah. If I don’t get back to my room, that busy-body nurse is going to come looking for me.” He slowly wheeled his way out. At the door, he paused and peered up at Cassie. “Treat him good, would you? He deserves it.”
“I sure will.” Cassie walked to Mike’s bed. “He’s right, you know. You deserve happiness.”
He shook his head, though his smile made his face look lighter than she’d ever seen it. “I’m convinced that sometimes good things happen. Whether you deserve them or not. Just the way bad things do.”
She nodded. He might have something there. “Maybe it all evens out. Eventually.”
“Maybe. But I don’t want to question my luck too much. I just want to enjoy it. Every second that we have together.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Here they both looked like they’d been through hell—they had—and yet she’d never been happier.
“Did they find him?”
Grady. Cassie didn’t want to talk about him. The whole thing was so tragic. So misguided. So wrong. “They recovered his body. They’re not sure if he died in the original fall or if the mine’s collapse killed him, but whichever it was, he’s gone.”
Mike nodded. “I’m sorry any of it had to happen in the first place. How about the Dirty Three?”
“The agents of PPS headed off Fisher and Rodriguez. They and Stevens are being held at the county jail.”
“Has anyone been able to question them about who they were working for? Or did they lawyer up?”
“Ethan, Jack and Evangeline had a chat with Fisher and Rodri
guez before the authorities arrived, but they said Grady was the only one who had contact with their employer. Evangeline thinks they’re telling the truth.”
“So it’s a dead end.”
“We have the land coordinates. Lenny’s working on identifying and plotting all the locations. If we find out the importance of those locations, maybe we can figure out who is behind all this.”
He gave her a smile—sexy despite the bruises and bandages. “Maybe. I’m glad they’re handling it. All I want to focus on is you.” He cupped his hand around the nape of her neck. Raising his torso from the bed, he tried to bring his lips to hers.
He sucked in a sharp breath.
Cassie put one of her bandaged hands on his chest, pushing him back to the bed. “What are you thinking? You have broken ribs. You have to heal.”
“Kissing you heals me.”
“I mean it. Recover. Then you can kiss me all you like.” She shot him a teasing smile. “And I need you to do much more than that.”
“I thought at one point you said you didn’t need anybody.”
“I don’t need someone to coddle me. But I would like someone to make me happy. And I have a whole list of things I need you to do to make me happy.”
“Sounds like a very special assignment.”
“It is.”
“What exactly would it entail?”
“Long hours.”
“I’m used to that.”
“Fierce dedication.”
He tapped his chest, covering his wince of pain with a grin. “That’s me. Most dedicated man on the force.”
“I thought you were the most honest man on the force.”
“That, too.”
“Good enough. But there’s one more thing. The most important thing of all. This assignment requires you to believe you deserve as much happiness as you give me.”
“Okay. I give in. From now on, we’ll suck up all the happiness we deserve and more.”
“Tommy would want that. Your dad wants it, too.”
“I know. So where can I sign up?”
Warmth swelled in her chest until she felt like the most special woman in the world. “Right here.” She tapped her lips with a finger and leaned down to him.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to
Ann Voss Peterson for her contribution to the
BODYGUARDS UNLIMITED, DENVER, CO miniseries.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-2271-7
SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT
Copyright © 2007 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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*Wedding Mission
Table of Contents
Dedication
About the Author
Books by Ann Voss Peterson
Cast of Characters
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Epilogue
Copyright
Special Assignment Page 17