by Misty Evans
“You really are making this much harder than it has to be. Just be still. It will all be over soon.”
Lopez.
Bursting through the tree line, Cooper found the monk standing over Celina, a syringe in his hand. He was trying to jam it in her leg. Her hands and feet appeared to be tied, but that didn’t seem to be stopping her from giving him hell.
“Get the fuck away from her!” Cooper growled.
Lopez startled, dropping the syringe. Cooper caught him by the back of the neck, whipped him around and slammed a fist into his face.
There was a satisfying crunch from the impact, though it did little to quench the fury charging through Cooper’s body.
Lopez fell to the ground, a low moan escaping his throat. “You broke my nose!”
“You deserve more than that, you son of a bitch.” Grabbing the front of his shirt, Cooper hauled him up and landed another solid punch to the Father’s face, only satisfied when the man slumped to the ground unconscious.
“Cooper,” Celina gasped. Her face was in shadows, but the relief in her voice shook him to the core.
Dropping to his knees beside her, he helped her to sit up. His hands shook as he ran them over her face and arms, reassuring himself that she was okay. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head, leaning into his warmth. “A little lightheaded and a little bruised, but otherwise okay. Get me out of these?”
She held out her hands and he brought out his pocket knife to cut the knots at her wrists and ankles. Once free, Celina didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck, holding on to him like he was her lifeline. She trembled in his arms and he rubbed her back, kissing the top of her head.
“He killed Ana.” Her voice was small, with a trace of sadness.
“Yeah, I know. Ronni called, confirming the bones belong to Ana, and I found Father Bailey knocked out in his office. He was able to fill in the rest of the story for me.”
Celina gasped, pushing out of his arms. “Is he alright? We need to get him some help.”
Rising to his feet, Cooper helped her up, then slid his hands around her waist, unwilling to let her get too far away from him just yet. “Lopez gave him a pretty good bump on the head, but I think he’ll be okay. I left him at the office waiting for paramedics to arrive while I came to get you.”
Celina slumped against his chest in relief. “I should have known you had it covered.”
Cooper tucked a finger beneath her chin, bringing her lips to his. He savored the velvety heat of her mouth, drinking in the sweetness that was Celina’s. Only Celina’s. “I always do.”
She started to say something when a blow hit him in the side of the head.
“Cooper!”
Dazed, he hit the ground, seeing stars. Damn it. He should have tied up Lopez before checking on Celina. Rolling to his feet, Cooper pushed away the pain, trying to get his eyes to focus and his balance to come to his rescue.
Lopez had an arm around Celina’s waist, a knife pressed to the side of her neck. Even in the shadows, Cooper could see the gleam in the man’s eyes, the tension in his body. It was a look Cooper was all too familiar with—the look of a desperate man.
One who wasn’t afraid to kill.
“Let her go.” Cooper’s voice was steely, determined, laced with anger. It was the kind of voice that would make lesser men quake in their shoes.
Celina should know. She’d seen it happen on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, it seemed to have the opposite effect on Lopez.
The knife dug deeper into her skin and a thin, wet trickle made a track down the side of her neck. Her head still pounded and her eyes kept going out of focus. “My life is over if I let her go,” he hissed. “I have no intention of giving up my only bargaining chip.”
Mouth dry with fear, Celina tried to keep her emotions in check. It wasn’t only her life on the line. She had the baby to think about.
“Agent Harris? Are you out here?” Sergeant Givens’ voice floated to them through the trees. Celina nearly sagged in relief. The rest of the cavalry had arrived.
“This way!” Cooper called.
The crunch of leaves under shoes and the murmurs of multiple people crashing through the woods was a welcome sound. All she had to do was talk Father Lopez out of whatever crazy scheme he had planned. “I suggest you listen to Cooper, Father Lopez. He doesn’t exactly like to play nice with others, and your chances of getting out of here are slim to none, whether you slit my throat or not.”
The Father tightened his grip painfully. “Shut up. You’re in no position to make demands.”
Cooper circled around them, cool, calm, collected, blending into the shadows. Celina knew the tactic. He was looking for a weak spot he could take advantage of.
Trying to keep Cooper in his sights, Father Lopez wheeled Celina around. Backpedaling, he kept her in front of him, using her as a shield. “Stop moving or I promise this will end badly for you both.” He tried to sound gruff, but Celina heard the fear in his voice.
Cooper inched closer.
Father Lopez backpedaled even faster. “I said stop!”
Suddenly, he teetered, the arm at her waist flaying wildly as his body twisted at an odd angle behind her.
“Celina!” Cooper roared, leaping forward, an arm reaching for her.
But it was too late.
Father Lopez crashed into the hole he had dug, dragging Celina with him.
She landed on top of him with a jarring thud that knocked the wind from her lungs. The back of her head, already tender, smacked into his. He didn’t move beneath her, apparently the wind knocked out of him as well.
Get up, a voice shouted inside her brain, reminding her she was far from in the clear. But she was so dizzy, so lightheaded.
Darkness came at her, closing in.
“Celina, take my hand!”
Cooper. She just had to focus on his voice. Scrambling to her knees, she pushed to her feet, lost her balance and careened into the dirt wall.
Luckily, Cooper was reaching down to her. Grasping his hands, she dug her feet into the side of the hole, trying to help with the climb as he hauled her straight up.
A guttural roar ripped through the air. “No!”
A burning sensation ripped through Celina’s thigh, and a scream tore from her throat as Cooper pulled her up and out of the hole. She tried to grab at her leg, gasping in pain as tears streamed down her face, her head spinning. Cooper stopped her from reaching her leg, holding her hands tightly in his grasp. With one of his booted feet, he kicked out and hit Father Lopez in the face. The man’s head snapped back and he went lights out.
Hopefully for good.
“Oh God, it hurts, Cooper. Shit, it hurts,” she gasped, gritting her teeth against the pain. “And the woods are spinning. You’re spinning. I feel like I’m drunk.”
He shucked his shirt, wrapping it around her. “I know, baby. I know. Help is on the way.”
Bodies broke through the trees, and Celina made out uniforms as flashlights lit the area. Reaching Cooper’s side, Givens peered down at them as Celina tucked herself into Cooper’s arms. “What do you need?”
“I need a medic, now,” Cooper said, holding her damaged body. “Lopez is in the hole. He killed Ana Verdoni and buried her alive and he was about to do the same to Celina.”
“Get the EMTs over here,” Givens yelled and Celina wished she had the strength to shush him. He was too loud, his voice grating on her nerves.
Framing her face with his hands, Cooper pressed a kiss to her forehead. This close to him she could see the fear mirrored in his eyes. She inhaled deeply, taking the scent of his aftershave deep into her lungs. It was a soothing contrast to the pain burning a path up and down her leg and pounding like a bass drum inside her head.
“Baby…,” she whispered, the word slurred. She was cold, so cold, the ground under her seeming to turn to ice.
She struggled to keep her eyes open, wincing when spotlights flooded the area around them.
Two paramedics rushed forward, pulling Cooper off of her. The ground was soaked with blood.
Her blood, she realized. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. This was bad. This was really bad. Tremors began to wrack her body.
A disconnected voice floated above her. “She’s going into shock.”
She didn’t know who said it; the voice seemed so far away. Her eyelids were so heavy. Maybe if she could just rest for a little while…
“Celina, I need you to stay with me.” Cooper’s voice was muffled through the buzzing in her ears. She felt him gripping her hand. “Open your eyes, kid.”
He sounded scared. Why did he sound so scared? What was happening? Her mind was fuzzy, everything a blur.
Have to tell him…
With that final thought, Celina succumbed to the darkness.
Chapter Twelve
Cooper hated hospitals.
Sitting in an uncomfortable chair next to Celina’s bed, he shifted his large frame, trying unsuccessfully to relax. The person who thought the ugly ass, foam padded chair would be an enhancement for visitors should have been forced to sit in it for hours on end before putting their seal of approval on it. For Celina, however, he would endure it. This and worse.
The paramedics hadn’t been able to drive their vehicle off road and that deep into the woods, so while they’d bandaged her on-site and hooked her up to an IV, she’d still lost a lot of blood and had taken a bumpy journey back to the bed and breakfast on their stretcher.
The concussion was a doozy too. His own head still throbbed from the shovel Lopez had used to hit him, but it took more than a metal shovel to put The Beast down.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Celina had immediately been taken into surgery where the doctors sewed up her leg and gave her several pints to make up for the blood loss. The surgeon who’d stabilized her had told Cooper the first twenty-four hours would be the most critical, but he had high hopes she would come through just fine.
And then there was the baby.
His baby.
“The baby will be fine, too,” the surgeon had added, patting him on the back.
Stunned didn’t even come close to how that news had shaken him to his core. At least he knew why she’d been acting weird lately, especially with her food consumption.
It didn’t explain why she hadn’t told him.
A soft knock sounded on the door. Bobby Dyer, in his electric wheelchair, rode in far enough to say, “How you holding up?”
The moment Celina had gone into surgery, Dyer had been the first person Cooper had called. Dyer took care of calling the rest of the SCVC taskforce with the news so Cooper wouldn’t have to deal with it. A fact he would be eternally grateful for. It wasn’t long after that Bobby and his wife, Eliza, had shown up at the hospital to give Cooper their support.
Ronni and Thomas had followed.
Then came Nelson and his girlfriend, Sophie.
Cooper scrubbed a hand down his face, feeling weary and older than his almost forty years. He’d spent the past few hours in the chair from hell, despite Bobby and Eliza trying to convince him to go grab some food downstairs. The others had come and gone in shifts, hanging out in the waiting room and checking on him. He just couldn’t bring himself to leave Celina’s side. The doctor had said it might be awhile before she came to, but Cooper was starting to worry. Her brain scan had been negative, and there didn’t appear to be any swelling, but shouldn’t she be waking up by now? “I could use some coffee.”
Eliza pushed the door open, balancing two cups of coffee in her hands as she brushed past Bobby. She held one out to Cooper. “We figured as much. Thomas and Nelson went to the coffee shop on the corner. They said no man should be forced to drink the hospital brew.”
Cooper took a sip, then followed Eliza and Bobby into the hallway where the others waited. “You’re too good to me. All of you. Thank you.”
Dyer’s face split into a cocky grin. “Friends don’t let friends drink cafeteria crud.”
Eliza rolled her eyes. “Says the man who polished off three of the cafeteria’s donuts a few minutes ago.”
“Donuts are donuts, but coffee… You have to be careful with that. What they call coffee here is colored water.”
“How’s she doing? Any change?” Ronni asked, glancing at the door to Celina’s room.
Cooper sighed. “Her vitals are improving and the doctor said everything looks good.”
“And…?” Eliza hesitated, exchanging a look with Dyer. “The baby?”
“Is doing fine.” Cooper shoved a hand through his hair. “It’s funny how she didn’t think to mention that to me.”
Ronni’s face went defensive. “I’m sure my girl had her reasons, boss.”
“Yeah,” Thomas said, leaning against the wall. “You don’t know that she wasn’t planning on telling you this very weekend.”
Nelson and Sophie nodded their agreement.
“I know, I just wish…” He sighed again. Talking about personal stuff in front of his team was more than a little awkward. “I wish I knew what was going on inside her head.”
“Probably the same messed up crap that’s going on in yours. Tell me something, Beast. Did you propose?” Dyer asked.
Reaching into his pocket, Cooper withdrew the velvety box. “I didn’t get a chance.”
Sophie touched his arm. “And now?”
Cooper stared at the door to Celina’s room. “Now I can’t help thinking, what if she didn’t tell me about the baby because she doesn’t want to be with me?”
Those last few words were acid on his tongue. It was all he could think about as he watched over her sleeping form. She’d been so secretive about everything. Was it because she no longer wanted what they had?
Nelson burst out laughing. “Dude, really? Celina is flat out crazy in love with you. She didn’t tell you because she’s probably coming to terms with it herself. Celina doesn’t do anything half-assed. It’s the only explanation as to how she ended up with you.”
Soft laugher echoed in the group. Ronni nodded, leaning into Thomas. “She loves you, Cooper. Even when you’re being overbearing, dictating, and just plain driving a person up the wall…”
“Ditto,” Nelson chirped up.
“Ditto,” Dyer joined in.
Cooper held up a hand, lips twitching with a smile. “I get it.”
“Do you? Do you really?” Dyer said. “Because the way I see it, you’ve got two options. Either man up and do what is in your heart, or be a pussy and walk the other way.”
“The Beast we all know and love isn’t a pussy,” Nelson said, his dark eyes gleaming with a challenge. Sophie smiled beside him. “So guess what, boss? Time to man up.”
Waking up in a hospital bed didn’t surprise her as much as seeing Cooper in a chair next to her, sound asleep. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles, arms folded over his chest. His chin was tucked down, soft snores emanating from his body.
Her heart melted at the sight. “Cooper?”
At the sound of her rough voice, he shifted in his seat and slowly opened his eyes. He jolted at seeing her awake, leaning forward to gently capture her hand. “Hey. How do you feel?”
The words came out as a croak, her mouth so dry it hurt. “Like I got slammed in the back of the head and then stabbed in the leg.”
Cooper poured her a glass of water, holding it up to her parched lips. “Funny, ’cuz you did. But Lopez is in jail, Father Bailey is alright and you get credit for solving Givens’ cold case before he even got started with it.”
She smiled around the straw, sucking in a few tentative sips, testing her stomach. It was more than empty, but she didn’t want to push her luck where the baby was concerned.
The baby!
“Oh my god. I need…I need to talk to the doctor.”
Frozen in terror at the possibility of having lost the baby, she couldn’t even bring herself to say the words aloud. Both of her hands went to her lower abdomen and she rubbed it ins
tinctively.
Cooper set the glass on the nightstand. “The baby is fine, Celina. You lost a lot of blood and you have a concussion, but the doctor believes you’ll both make a full recovery.”
Celina leaned back against her pillow, closing her eyes. Thank God. Everything was going to be okay. She and the baby would both be fine. Slowly, she opened her eyes, finding Cooper’s face.
Oh, crud. He knew about the baby. “How mad are you?”
He cupped her hands between his, his strong fingers gently caressing her skin. “Mad? Why would I be mad? I’m a little…blown away, I guess. Why didn’t you tell me?”
The tenderness in his tone combined with the gentle way he was holding her hands caused tears to spring to her eyes. Seeing her tears, he immediately moved to the edge of the bed, gathering her in his arms.
“Hey, now, don’t cry. It’ll be alright.”
“I know it will be,” she sniffed, wiping her nose on the front of his shirt. “It’s just, that I’ve been so worried about telling you. I was afraid you’d be upset.”
Using his thumbs, he wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Celina, listen to me. I love you. You and Owen? You’re everything to me. And now you’ve given me the chance to share that love with another child. I only wish you would have told me.”
“I’m so sorry, Cooper. I was planning on telling you last night, and, well, you see how well that turned out.”
“Yeah, not our best night for sure.”
“Are you really okay with us having a baby?”
Cooper placed a hand over her stomach, staring at it reverently. “I’m not going to lie. When the doctor first told me you and the baby would be fine, I was stunned and a little hurt that you hadn’t told me.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he firmly pressed a finger over her lips. “But while you were out, I had a lot of time to think things through.”
Her stomach fluttered. “And…?”
His lips curved into a smile. “I want to grow old with you, Celina. I want to raise our kids until we kick them out of the house, then I want to be that doddering old couple who sits on the front porch and yells at children who step on their lawn. I want you, Celina, and I want this baby. Our baby.”