by Katie Knight
From his estimation and what data the FBI had gathered about the compound, there were five guards stationed at various points around the cabin in addition to Nathan and Kevin inside. All of them were armed to the teeth and trained to kill. Many were vets. At least that part of Nathan’s story held true. He did like to hire former-military.
The guard opened the door and shoved Jed inside. “He’s here and he’s clean.”
Blinking fast to allow his eyes to adjust to the dimmer light inside, Jed spotted Nathan and Kevin in the dining room. Nathan looked pissed and Kevin was rubbing his neck. It was red and splotched with what looked like finger marks as if someone had grabbed him hard. Jed bit back a smile. Good. Trouble between these two would only help the FBI during the raid.
A whimper issued from the shadows and Jed spotted Tess and Nala huddled together against the wall. Blood was caked on the side of Tess’s head, and both of them were rumpled and shaking, but otherwise appeared unharmed. A tiny bit of the tension inside Jed eased, but not much. He wouldn’t relax until they were out of here and safe.
“You came,” Steenman said, moving around the massive sofa in the living room to stand before Jed, arms crossed and expression stern. “Wasn’t sure you would.”
“Unlike you, my word can be trusted.” He met Nathan’s stare directly, a tiny muscle ticking near his clenched jaw. “I kept my end of the deal. Let them go.”
Nathan’s frown quirked into a half-smile. “Don’t be naïve, Jed. I can’t do that and you probably already know it. You’re a smart guy. You’ve figured out how this works. I need to keep my secrets. My lifestyle depends on it. My son’s legacy depends on it. I can’t have you or them or anyone else going around tarnishing my reputation. I’m a good man. I give back to my community. No one wants to see all that money disappear.”
Jed snorted. “Yeah, you’re a real hero. Killing innocent people because they’re standing up for the truth. What a patriot.” He didn’t miss the spark of fury in Steenman’s cold green eyes and knew he’d struck a nerve. Good. He kept the hits coming. He needed the guy off-balance with rage if this was going to work. Light from the kitchen beyond glinted off the hilt of the Glock holstered at Steenman’s waist. “I’m sure Scott would be so proud.”
“Don’t you dare talk about my son!” Nathan took another step forward, teeth bared. “Scott died a true hero. His memory is what’s kept all of this going for so long. It’s all I’ve got left. I won’t have it defiled.”
Kevin moved in beside his boss, clicking the safety off on his Desert Eagle and aiming the weapon between Jed’s eyes. “Let me shut him up. Permanently.”
“No!” Tess shouted from near the wall. She tried to scramble to her feet then fell back against the wall, her face white as a sheet. Nala clung to her, crying softly. Every fiber of Jed’s being wanted to run to them, hold them and carry them away from here. Given the head wound, he guessed that Tess probably suffered from a slight concussion, yet she’d still tried to save him. His heart swelled to bursting with love for her. He did his best to hide it though. No sense giving these assholes any more ammunition to work with.
Apparently, he didn’t disguise it as well as he’d hoped though, given Kevin’s slow, evil grin.
“Aw, look. He loves the bitch.” Kevin’s eyes were flat, emotionless. Jed had seen that look too many times on the battlefield from guys who’d given up, given in to the darkness inside them, lost themselves in the mess and gore and carnage of war. Usually, he tried to help those men, tried to get them the counselling and care they needed to overcome their demons. He had the sense, though, that Kevin was beyond help.
Kevin transferred his aim to Tess instead. “How about I kill her first and make you suffer through watching it?”
This time, with too much at stake and the lives of the women he loved on the line, Jed didn’t hesitate to use those demons against Kevin. “You like that, don’t you? Making people suffer. Were you always a psychopath or did that happen in Iraq?”
“Fuck you!” Kevin growled, but kept his focus on Tess. “You don’t know nothing about what happened in Iraq.”
“Oh, but I do. I know you probably did a lot of things you weren’t proud of, things that kept you up at night and made you cry when you thought no one was looking. Maybe you even threw up the first time you shot an innocent or set fire to a school. Maybe you didn’t. Either way, it ate at your soul until there was nothing left.”
“Go to fucking hell!” Kevin yelled, his hand holding the gun shaking. “How dare you judge me? You know nothing about me. Nothing. You’re just fucking with me, trying to get me to lose it, but I won’t.”
“Maybe he will, maybe he won’t,” Nathan said, the smug look on his face making Jed want to punch it off, “but either way, you won’t be around to see it.” Nathan glanced at the clock on the wall then pulled his Glock and fired, shooting Jed. “Say goodbye, Mr. Tremayne. I wish I could say it’s been nice knowing you.”
Pain flared white-hot from the wound in his thigh and Jed bit back a scream of agony. He wouldn’t give these bastards the satisfaction. Nathan aimed for his head next, but before he could pull the trigger, all hell broke loose.
Shouts outside were followed by a hail of gunfire and the blast of spotlights on the cabin. Bright illumination pierced the windows, temporarily blinding Nathan and Kevin while the FBI raid got underway. Jed made his move, knocking Nathan’s feet out from under him with a swipe of his good leg. Steenman crashed to the ground, his Glock firing in the melee. The bullet ended up going wide and lodging harmlessly in the wall.
“Jed!” Nala screamed.
Jed was aware of several things at once as time seemed to slow. He struggled to his feet as the front door to the cabin burst open and Owen charged in yelling that this was an FBI raid and for everyone to put their weapons down. Tess pushed Nala beneath her and covered the little girl’s body with her own as Kevin fired at Owen. Nathan Steenman tackled Jed to the ground again, and they struggled for the gun.
More agents charged in and the whirr of chopper blades outside drowned out everything except the pounding of Jed’s pulse in his ears, the searing pain from his leg, the adrenaline sizzling through his veins, giving him the strength to wrench the gun away from Steenman and fire a shot into the other man’s chest.
Reality seemed to stretch for an infinite moment as Steenman’s eyes widened with shock then went blank as he collapsed, lifeless, atop Jed. Then it all snapped back to normal, and Jed’s vision tunneled around the edges. Kevin’s body hit the floor, a bullet hole right between his eyes. His dead eyes stared at Jed. Jed felt nothing but relief.
Tess. Nala. He needed to make sure they were okay, needed to see them, touch them, hold them close. But blood loss was rapidly stealing his consciousness. Steenman must’ve hit an artery. He was bleeding out fast. As his pulse stuttered, he was vaguely aware of Owen crouching beside him, tying a tourniquet around his injured leg, of sirens blaring in the distance.
“Stay with me, buddy,” Owen said, his brown gaze concerned. “Help’s on the way. Stay with me.”
“No!” Tess was there then, cupping his cheeks, tears filling her lovely eyes. “Please don’t leave me. I love you!”
“J-jed, d-don’t go!” Nala was there too, holding his hand and sobbing. “You’re my new d-daddy. P-please don’t g-go!”
Jed had never felt so loved, or so exhausted. He wanted to stay, wanted to tell them how much he loved them, wanted to hold them and never let them go. But his eye lids were so heavy and as his vision darkened, all he could manage was to squeeze their hands.
Then he was being lifted by strong arms and placed on a gurney, rolled out into the night and the chaos of the raid’s aftermath. Tess and Nala followed him into the ambulance, and they took off for the hospital. Just before they strapped the oxygen mask to his face and darkness descended once more, he croaked out, “L-ove y-you. B-both of you.”
Thirty-Three
The next few hours passed like a small eterni
ty for Tess. Seeing Jed wounded and bleeding before her brought back all the torment of Theo’s death. Now, as she sat in the hospital waiting room with a sleeping Nala at her side, she felt strung out and more exhausted than she could ever remember.
After answering an endless litany of questions from law enforcement, then getting patched up down in the ER, then making sure that Nala was fed and properly hydrated, all Tess wanted to do was crawl into a bed next to Jed and sleep for days on end.
They’d gotten him stabilized in the ambulance ride over and, upon examination, had determined that the bullet had missed his femoral artery by only a few centimeters. Still, there’d been enough damage done to muscle and bone that they’d need to go in surgically to repair it. He’d been in there for what seemed forever now, but in reality, was only about an hour.
Nala stirred at Tess’s side and snuggled in tighter, her arms around Tess’s waist. She leaned down and kissed the girl’s head, stroking her braids gently. In all the chaos of the raid, she hadn’t really had time to process it all, but now as they sat quietly, alone in this room, Jed’s parting words to her came back like a clarion call to her heart.
Love you. Both of you.
Something tightly coiled unfurled inside of Tess. Jed loved her. Just as she loved him.
Sure, it might have been the blood loss talking, but the sincerity in his icy blue eyes had said otherwise. A giddy joy bubbled up inside her. If Jed really did love her even half as much as she loved him, then they’d do just fine.
She stared across the small room at the TV on the wall, the volume muted. Things would be different this time. They’d take things slow, really get to know each other, make a true home for Nala. She’d have to tell her friend in DC that she wouldn’t be continuing to interview for the job at the Smithsonian, but in the end, it wasn’t really a sacrifice. She loved Jed, and whatever obstacles stood in their future path, they’d tackle together.
Now, all she needed was for him to get through this surgery.
Tess closed her eyes for what seemed like a moment, but must have been longer, because next thing she knew, Nala was shaking her.
“Tess, wake up. The doctor’s here,” the little girl said.
She blinked her eyes open and squinted at the surgeon in his green scrubs. He was a middle-aged Asian man with a nametag that read Chen.
“You’re here for Mr. Tremayne?” Dr. Chen asked.
Tess nodded and straightened, running a self-conscious hand over her mussed hair, her fingers skimming over the bandage on her temple. God, she must look a fright, but at the moment she didn’t care. All she cared about was hearing that the man she loved was going to be okay. “Is Jed all right?”
“He came through the surgery well. We had to repair some muscle damage and the bullet nicked his femur, but there was no permanent damage done. He’s a very lucky man.”
In all honesty, Tess felt like the lucky one, but she just nodded and smiled. “Can we see him now?”
“Yes. He’s still pretty groggy from the anesthesia, and we’ve got a brace on his leg to keep him from moving it too much while it heals, but he’s good to go.”
Tess stood and smoothed a hand down her wrinkled sweater and jeans then took Nala’s hand. “Great. Which room?”
“Follow me.” Dr. Chen led them through the brightly lit hallways, around a corner, and into another section of rooms marked by a sign overhead that said Recovery. No better place to be, in Tess’s opinion. Recovery from that whole mess with Steenman. Recovery from the past. Recovery of their love and their future together.
Dr. Chen left them at the door to Jed’s room then discreetly walked over to the nurses’ station to give them some privacy. Tess took a deep breath then walked in with Nala. The air smelled of antiseptic and floor wax. Machines beeped rhythmically around Jed. His eyes were closed and his complexion was pale beneath his tan. He was still the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen.
Nala wriggled free of her grip and ran over to Jed’s bed side to grab his hand though the slats of the bed rails and hold it to her cheek. “J-jed?”
“Be careful, honey,” Tess said, walking around to the other side of the bed to take Jed’s other hand. His skin felt warm and dry and infinitely comforting against hers. His chest rose and fell evenly as he slept, yet all she could picture was him lying on that floor, deathly white as he slipped into unconsciousness. Tears welled in her eyes before she could blink them away. If she’d lost him too….
“Hey, none of that,” a deep male voice croaked, rough and low. Jed squeezed her fingers. “Please.”
Tess looked up to find his warm blue gaze on her. Her heart tripped with affection. “Sorry. I’ve just been so worried about you.”
“Same here,” he said, giving her a weak smile.
“Are you really o-okay?” Nala asked, still cuddling his hand.
He cupped her cheek, the look on his face so sweet it made Tess’s heart ache. “I am now. I was so worried for you, Nala. I’m so happy you’re safe.” His voice caught and Tess’s tears flowed once more. “Once I get out of here, I’m coming home and we’re going to make a real family this time. You and me.” He stopped and looked over at Tess again, his thumb tracing softly over her knuckles. “And Tess, if she’ll have us. I want us to be a real family and stay together.”
Tess gave him a brief nod and a watery smile. “I’d love that.”
Jed looked back to Nala. “How about it, sweetie? Feel like getting stuck with me for the rest of your life?”
“Yes!” Nala bobbed up and down on the tips of her white Converse sneakers. “I want to live with you and Tess.”
“Good.” Jed fiddled with some controls on his bed and lowered the sides down. “Then both of you get in here with me. I’m in desperate need of some hugs.”
“Oh, I don’t…” Tess started, but Nala had already crawled up onto the mattress to lay beside Jed, careful of his leg brace. Two in the bed was doable, especially when one was a child. Three would’ve been pushing it, so she pulled up a nearby chair instead and kept Jed’s hand in hers, kissing his palm before holding it close to her heart. Nala, tired as she was, soon drifted off to sleep again, leaving her and Jed to talk. “I was so scared at the cabin. Especially once I figured out what was going on. But deep in my heart, I knew you’d find us.”
“I’ll always find you,” Jed said, looking at her with such love that her chest squeezed with warmth. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For telling you that what was between us was just…” He glanced down at Nala snoozing on his chest then back to Tess. “Well, just physical. It was always more to me. Always. Even that first night. But I was too damaged from my past to be able to admit that. I’m going to try harder now not to let that get in the way of us again, okay? I won’t be perfect, I never have been. But I promise to try. For you. For us. You make me want to be a better man, Tess. I love you for that and for so much more. You’re the sweetest, kindest, most loving, wonderful woman I’ve ever known, and if I have the privilege of showing you how much I care for you each and every day, then I’m the luckiest man alive.”
She bit her lips and blinked back fresh tears, this time of joy. With his hand still pressed to her heart, she leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips, letting her forehead rest against his, taking in his warmth and his love and good Jed smell, still present even under hospital antiseptic. “It wasn’t your fault. I kept you out too, because of what happened with Theo, because I was scared to let anyone close again, because I wasn’t sure I could handle it if they left. But you taught me I could be strong, that I could stand on my own two feet, that I didn’t have to take care of everyone else, and that it was okay to let someone take care of me sometimes. You gave me back my heart, my joy, my life. I love you too, Jed, and I’m yours if you want me.”
They kissed again, this time more deeply, but still aware of the sleeping child nearby.
Jed broke away at last, his cheeks now flushed a healthy pink. �
�Oh, I want you all right. Once I get out of this hospital bed and get you home, I’m going to show you how much. Until then, you’ll have to take my word for it.” He winked then nudged a sleeping Nala awake. “Hey, sweetie. My arm’s going numb and it’s almost time for my next pain meds. Why don’t you take Tess home and make sure she gets some sleep. You guys can come back up tomorrow and see me some more, okay?”
Nala sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her braids were standing out at odd angles, but she looked completely adorable and Tess couldn’t have loved her more. “Are you really going to be my new daddy, Jed? Or did I dream that?”
“I am.” He kissed the top of her head then held her hand as she climbed down off his bed. “Your daddy was a special man, and I know I can never take his place, but I’d be honored to call you my daughter, sweetie.”
The little girl nodded and Tess walked around the bed to take her hand again. Nala gave them both a tired smile. “Then I accept. On one condition.”
Tess gave Jed a side glance before asking, “What’s that?”
“I want a kitten. A golden-colored one that I can call Aslan, and he’ll grow up to be big and strong and honorable, just like in the Narnia books. And maybe we could get a goat too. Just a little one, like the kind I see in those videos. They’re so cute and they could help mow the lawn and….”
As Nala chattered on about the veritable zoo of animals she wanted to have at home, Tess couldn’t help laughing, a mix of joy and peace and to release all the stress bottled up from their ordeal. She looked over to find Jed grinning from ear to ear too.
Dr. Chen poked his head around the door, brows raised. “Sounds like you all are having too much fun in here.”
“Sorry.” Tess did her best to sober up, but her smile refused to be dimmed. After all this time, the past few years of heartache and sorrow, she finally felt like she’d found her place again, found her footing. And no, it wasn’t where she’d expected to be or how she’d expected things to turn out. It was better. So. Much. Better. “We’re just leaving.”