Always (The Protectors Book 3)

by Leeanna Morgan

  The second door opened easily. She locked it, then tore across the living room. The safe room was in the middle of the bunker. Grant had told her the solid concrete walls made it impossible to break into. She hoped he was right.

  She fell against the safe room’s steel door and quickly locked it behind her.

  With her back against the wall, she sank to the floor, sucking in great lungfuls of air. She’d made it to the bunker, but Grant was still outside.

  The SUV and four-wheeler were in the barn. She prayed that he’d heard the first shot and was able to get away before the shooter found him.

  With her good arm, she pulled the satellite phone out of her pocket. John was right—it didn’t work underground. She was about to push it out of the way when she saw a flashing light.

  Grant had sent her a text.

  Bunker. Now. On my way. Love you.

  She held the phone to her chest and cried. Grant had become an important part of her life. If she lost him now, she didn’t know what she would do.

  ***

  Grant wiped his hands on an old rag and studied the drawer he’d assembled. He was pleased with how it was coming together, but he’d work on it later. Mallory was waiting for him. He needed to tell her how he felt, but he didn’t want to sound desperate.

  He shook his head. Who was he trying to kid?

  The only serious relationship he’d ever had was with the military. Most thirty-nine-year-olds had done something other than bury themselves in male company—not him. He’d traveled the world, come home in worse shape than when he’d left, and couldn’t find the one thing he wanted more than anything.

  Now that he’d found her, he didn’t want to let go. If that wasn’t desperate, he didn’t know what was.

  As he passed the barn window, a gunshot echoed across his property. Adrenaline surged through his body. Mallory was somewhere near the cabin. If she’d been hit, she could be in serious trouble. He needed to find her.

  Grabbing his rifle, he opened the back door and ran into the forest, quickly navigating through the undergrowth. Using a tree as cover, he waited for a sound, a sudden movement that would help him locate Mallory.

  His gaze swung to the right. Sunlight bounced off metal. Damn.

  The shooter wasn’t far away.

  Grant raised his rifle, found his target, and…his phone rang.

  He rolled to the side, narrowly missing a bullet. Before he took his next breath, he was on his feet, diving behind some rocks. He wasn’t far from the cabin.

  His chest tightened as he tried calling Mallory.

  Her phone was busy. There was only one other person she would have called. John would be doing as much as he could, but she needed someone beside her. He sent her a text, then did the same to his brother.

  With his phone switched to silent, he crawled to the edge of the rocks. There was an eerie stillness in the air, as if every living creature was holding their breath, waiting for what would happen next.

  He scanned the forest, searching for the shooter. He must have come onto his property from the surrounding hills, missing all of the motion sensors he’d mounted.

  If Juan Garcia wanted Mallory dead, he could have sent more than one killer. If that were the case, they would be surrounding his property, searching for the woman who would be their golden ticket out of Saddle Butte.

  His phone vibrated. He read his brother’s text. John’s team would be here in ten minutes.

  It wasn’t soon enough for Grant. He searched for anything that would give him cover. He needed to get to the cabin and the woman he couldn’t lose.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  If there was one sound that made Grant smile, it was the thwack of rotor blades as they cut through the air.

  From where he was crouching, he couldn’t see the helicopter, but he hoped the shooter and anyone else on his property could. In any language, the presence of a chopper meant one thing—get the hell out of here before World War III erupts.

  His phone vibrated. John had warned him that one of his security team would call as soon as they landed.

  “It’s Karl. Where are you?”

  “In the trees about 300 feet north of the generator shed.”

  “Targets?”

  “One shooter, not in sight. There could be more.”

  “I’ll be with you soon.”

  Grant held his rifle close to his chest. Everything inside of him was screaming to get back to Mallory. He tried calling her again, but she still wasn’t answering. He hoped that was because she was in the bunker and nothing else.

  He scanned the forest, searching for Karl.

  His brother’s security team knew what they were doing. They would have seen the plans for his cabin, the bunker, and the land surrounding him. All he could do was pray that Mallory wasn’t hurt.

  His satellite phone vibrated.

  “I’m coming in now.”

  A twig snapped to his left. Grant lowered his rifle as a man in black body armor stepped toward him.

  “You need this.” He handed Grant a bullet-proof vest.

  “How many men are with you?”

  “Four plus the pilot. I’ll take you to the bunker.”

  Grant fastened the vest. “Is Mallory there?”

  Karl nodded. “Let’s go.” He spoke into his headset, letting the rest of his team know that they were on the move.

  They made their way through the forest, making as little noise as possible.

  When they were directly opposite the generator shed, they ran through the open space, slamming into a wall.

  Grant was surprised no one shot at them. He followed Karl around the edge of the building, keeping low to make them less of a target.

  Karl touched his arm. “On the count of three, we’re going to run to the cabin’s back door. My men will be firing cover shots.”

  He nodded.

  Karl held his hand to his headset. “We’re in position. One, two, three.”

  Grant sprinted toward the cabin. A volley of bullets echoed around his property. He hoped like crazy that none of them were aimed at them.

  Karl threw open the door and they rushed inside.

  “She’s down here.” Grant ran toward the closet. His eyes widened when he saw a bloody hand print on the door handle.

  With a pounding heart he pulled open the trapdoor. More blood. Mallory had been shot.

  The second door was locked. He found a panel on the wall and entered the emergency code. The lock sprung open and he ran toward the safe room.

  His hand shook as he entered the code on the second keyless entry panel.

  He pushed open the door and his heart plummeted. Mallory was lying on the sofa with her eyes closed. Her pale face and blood-soaked clothing told him everything he needed to know.

  Grant fought back tears as he knelt beside her, checking her pulse. “It’s okay. I’m here. We’ll get you patched up in no time.”

  She didn’t react as he kissed her forehead. Her skin was clammy and her pulse weak. She was in trouble and needed to get to the hospital.

  Karl swung a combat medic kit off his shoulders. “Hi, Mallory. My name is Karl. Grant and I are going to get you ready for the hospital.” He checked the pressure bandage she’d used on her arm. “You did a great job of slowing the bleeding.”

  Grant moved out of the way while Karl worked. His quick, assertive movements told Grant that he’d done this before—many times before.

  Karl pulled an oversized syringe out of his kit.

  “What’s that?”

  “XSTAT 30. It plugs the wound faster than gauze and helps the blood to clot.”

  Mallory groaned as Karl inserted the end of the syringe into her wound.

  The sound brought more tears to Grant’s eyes. She was hurting and there wasn’t a thing he could do to help her.

  Two armed men in black combat gear rushed into the bunker. He’d known Jeremy and Connor for years, but right now, all he could focus on was Mallory.

  C
onnor gripped his shoulder. “The chopper’s ready to go.”

  As they carried her upstairs, tears fell from Grant’s eyes. He wanted to be strong, to be the person she could count on, but he was scared she was going to die.

  Within minutes, she was lying in the helicopter with an IV line inserted into her hand.

  “Hang in there,” he whispered. “You’ll be in the hospital soon.”

  Mallory turned her head and mumbled something.

  He leaned forward. “What did you say?”

  She opened her eyes and swallowed. “Love you.”

  Grant kissed her forehead. “I love you, too.”

  Her eyelids closed and tears streamed down his face. He’d fought in some of the deadliest war zones, seen horrific things that most people couldn’t even imagine, but he’d never felt this helpless or scared.

  Mallory was his beginning, his middle, and his end. If something happened to her he didn’t know how he would survive.

  ***

  “Talk to me.” John’s voice cut through the noise in the hospital waiting room.

  Grant held his phone closer to his ear. “She’s in surgery.” His bottom lip trembled as he remembered the flight to Havre. “Mallory’s blood pressure dropped on the way here. If Karl hadn’t been in the helicopter I don’t know what we would have done.”

  He wiped his eyes. Her blood pressure hadn’t just dropped, it had almost flatlined. “She could have died.”

  “I’m glad you got her out of the cabin when you did. Who’s with you at the moment?”

  “Tanner’s sitting beside me. Jeremy and Connor are outside the operating room and someone else is at the hospital entrance. I’m not sure where Karl has gone.”

  “The police won’t be far away.” John paused. “I know this may sound clichéd, but Mallory’s in the best possible place. She’ll get all the help she needs.”

  “How did you know to send Karl?”

  “It was sheer luck that he wasn’t on another assignment when we assembled the team. Before he started working for Fletcher Security, he was a combat doctor in the Army.”

  “He saved Mallory’s life.” Grant wiped his eyes and sat upright. “Have you let Mallory’s parents know that she’s in the hospital?”

  “I’ll call them in a few minutes. I should be in Havre in about three hours. Is there anything you need?”

  “I’m okay. You don’t need to come.”

  “I’m coming because I love you. Now put Tanner on the phone—I want to make sure he’s taking care of you.”

  Grant sighed. “I’ll see you when you get here.” He handed Tanner the phone and closed his eyes. He didn’t know what the future held, but he did know one thing.

  From now on, Mallory wouldn’t be going anywhere without him.

  ***

  Grant looked up as a nurse walked into the waiting room.

  “Mr. Byers?”

  “Is Mallory out of surgery?”

  “She is. You’re welcome to see her.”

  He leapt out of his seat and followed the nurse down a corridor. Tanner wasn’t far behind.

  It had been three hours since he’d last seen her. No one would tell him what was happening or how she was.

  The nurse stopped outside a room. Jeremy and Connor were guarding the doors.

  “I believe you know these two gentlemen?”

  Grant nodded.

  “Mallory’s still a little groggy from the anesthetic. If she drifts off to sleep when you’re talking to her, don’t worry. In a couple of hours she’ll feel more like her normal self. We’ll move her to another ward as soon as she’s feeling better. Come and see me before you leave.”

  Grant took a deep breath before opening the door. A green curtain had been half-pulled around her bed. He stepped around it and stared at Mallory.

  She was lying in bed with her arm raised above her chest.

  His eyes filled with tears. He’d let her down so badly.

  Mallory’s wobbly smile hit him in the chest. “Hello.”

  “I thought you were going to die.”

  She held out her hand and he stumbled toward the bed, kissing the side of her face.

  “I’m okay,” she whispered.

  He wiped his eyes. “What about your arm?”

  She glanced at the pillows propping up her arm. “It will be okay. The bullet didn’t break any bones or damage any nerves. In six months I’ll be as good as new.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Mallory held the side of his face. “It’s not your fault. There was nothing either of us could have done. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re exhausted.”

  He looked into her eyes and sighed. “I’ve had better days.”

  Mallory’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “When I couldn’t reach you on the satellite phone I thought you must have been shot.”

  Grant sat on the edge of the bed and told her what had happened.

  By the time he’d finished, Mallory’s eyes were closed. She was silent for so long that Grant thought she must have gone to sleep. He carefully moved off the bed and sat in a chair. When he looked back at her, she was watching him.

  “Why did John send a team to the cabin?”

  “Juan Garcia was arrested by the Mexican Government. He’s been involved in a lot of other illegal things. He went missing and John was worried that he might send someone to find you.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t want you to worry.”

  Mallory sighed. “This is such a mess. Simon’s parents must have known what Juan Garcia was like.”

  “He’s a wealthy man with plenty of secrets.”

  “I hope the Mexican Government find him.”

  Mallory yawned. “Has anyone found the person who shot at us?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Have to find him…” Her eyelids closed and, between one breath and the next, she was asleep.

  Grant stayed with her, watching her sleep and thinking about what had happened. If it hadn’t been for the first aid kit in the bunker and the team John had sent, she could be dead.

  Leaning forward, he held her hand.

  He hadn’t been able to protect her, and it was the worst feeling in the world.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “There you are,” John said as he sat beside Grant. “What are you doing in the corridor? I thought you’d be with Mallory.”

  “She’s sleeping. Thanks for coming to Havre.”

  “You’re welcome. How are you feeling?”

  Tears welled in Grant’s eyes. He clamped his lips together, trying to stop the trembling that started in the pit of his stomach.

  John wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “It’s going to be all right.”

  Grant shook his head. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t tell his brother just how bad it was.

  With a trembling hand he wiped his eyes. “Mallory wanted to figure skate again. She could have applied for a top coaching job in Los Angeles. It’s all gone.”

  “She’ll be able to skate again.”

  “It will be too late. Her arm will take months to get back to normal.”

  “There will be other jobs. She’s alive—that’s a whole lot better than what could have happened.”

  Grant took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I don’t know how Juan Garcia found us. The property is still registered in my father’s name. I don’t have a landline and no mail is delivered there.”

  “It was Andrew.”

  “What?”

  “Simon’s brother was being blackmailed. Juan Garcia threatened to hurt his family if he didn’t plant a tracking device on Mallory.”

  “But how did he…?” Grant thought about the times Andrew had seen Mallory. “It was when he saw her in the mobile home, wasn’t it?”

  John nodded. “The envelope he gave her had a very small tracking device inside. Mallory must have taken it with her to your cabin.”

&n
bsp; Anger boiled thick and fast in Grant’s veins. “She could have died.”

  “Which is why he spoke to the police this afternoon. Unfortunately, he was too late to stop what happened.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “He’s still in the hospital at Great Falls. The FBI has offered to drop all charges if he testifies against Juan Garcia.”

  “That doesn’t change what he did.”

  “I know it doesn’t, but it might help put Juan Garcia away for a long time.”

  A nurse walked past them.

  Grant didn’t say anything until she went into another room. “Was there really a job at the skating club in Los Angeles?”

  John nodded. “I called the director on my way here. Andrew had spoken with them. They’re big fans of Mallory’s and were excited about her applying for the job.”

  “Why would Andrew tell them about her, then give her the tracking device? He must have known what would happen.”

  “He told the police he was going to spend the night in Great Falls, then see Mallory the next day. He’d get rid of the tracking device and fool Juan Garcia into thinking it was still with her. That would have given Andrew’s wife and children time to leave Orlando.”

  Grant ran his fingers though his hair. “Is this ever going to end?”

  “Finding the Mexican businessman would help.”

  “How are Mallory’s parents?”

  “Devastated. They’ll be here tomorrow morning. How about we go to my hotel? You can have a shower, change your clothes, then come back here when Mallory’s awake.”

  “My clothes are at the cabin.”

  “Not anymore. One of my staff brought your clothes and Mallory’s into Havre. They’re sitting in my hotel room.”

  “Thanks.”

  John stood. “Don’t thank me yet. We still have to find Juan Garcia.”

  Grant forced himself out of his seat. “He needs to be stopped.”

  “And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

  ***

  Mallory looked at the worried frown on her dad’s face and sighed. “I’m going to be all right, dad.”

  “I knew living in Montana wasn’t a good idea.”