No Regrets

by Rebecca Deel

  She followed him to the hall. “Any word on Cade?” she asked the dark-haired chef standing guard at the door.

  “Matt said he’s hanging in there.” He escorted her to the waiting room.

  Paige and Marcus Lang stood as Sasha approached.

  “Sasha.” Paige enveloped her in a tight hug.

  “How did you know I was here?”

  “Nate called Marcus. He thought you might need some company.” Paige urged her to sit. “Marcus, I think Sasha would appreciate chamomile tea with sugar.”

  “I’ll be right back.” The pastor of Cornerstone Church squeezed Sasha’s shoulder and left.

  Although Sasha expected Nate to go with the preacher, he leaned one shoulder against the wall in the hallway. He was far enough away to give her and Paige privacy, but close enough to intervene if a problem developed. She should have known he wouldn’t leave her unprotected.

  “Are you okay, Sasha?” Paige wrapped her hand around Sasha’s.

  “I’m fine.” She waggled the ice pack. “A bruise, nothing more. Cade was the target, not me. I was the bait.” She still couldn’t believe her own brother tried to kill Cade.

  “What happened?”

  Sasha recounted the events, sure this wouldn’t be the only time she was asked to do so. She expected Ethan had many questions for her.

  “Oh, Sasha. I’m sorry you had to go through that.” Paige squeezed her hand again. “Cade is strong, and he has someone worth fighting for. You.”

  “I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose him.”

  “You’ll honor his memory by living your life to the fullest. Let’s not anticipate the worst, though. Your boyfriend wants a future with you.”

  Marcus returned with a to-go cup in his hand. “Chamomile tea with sugar.”

  “Thanks.” She wrapped her hands around the warm cup, savoring the heat. At least the shakes had stopped. Made drinking tea without spilling the liquid easier.

  As Sasha finished the last of her tea, Nate straightened from the wall, his gaze focused down the hall. Sasha hurried to the hallway, followed by the Langs.

  Matt walked from the treatment room. “It was close, but he’ll be okay,” he said without preamble.

  Overwhelmed with relief, she threw her arms around the medic. “Thank you.”

  He patted her back. “Do you want to see him for a minute?”

  She drew back. “A minute?” If the medical team thought they would keep Sasha from Cade’s side, they were crazy.

  “The doctor wants to admit Cade for observation overnight. Once he’s in a room, you can stay at his side.”

  “Let’s go.” She wanted to see for herself he was alive and recovering. Maybe then the tight band around her heart would loosen, and she’d be able to breathe.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Cade opened his eyes when the door to the exam room opened. His fingers itched to draw his weapon, but the medical team had insisted Matt take his Sig when they started working on him. Now, he was stuck in this hospital bed in an ugly, drafty gown that left nothing to the imagination if he moved wrong. He wanted to go home with Sasha. Where was she? Was she safe?

  Sasha shoved open the door and ran inside the room. Relief swept through him in a deluge.

  “Cade.” She sped across the expanse of floor separating them. Although acting as though she wanted to throw herself into his arms, something he wanted as well, Sasha held back, reaching down to touch his cheek instead.

  “Come here.” Cade spread his arms.

  She leaned down and hugged him, her hold gentle.

  “I won’t break, Sassy.”

  Immediately, her arms tightened around him. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

  He’d been afraid of that, too. If Cade had arrived at the hospital five minutes later, he wouldn’t be holding the woman he adored. He pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her neck, eliciting a shiver from his girlfriend. “I’m fine.”

  Cade eased her away and pushed back her dark hair. He scowled at the bruise on her cheek. Ingram had nailed his sister good. If he got thirty seconds alone with the clown, Cade would return the favor with interest. “You’re all right?”

  She nodded. “Matt said the doctor is admitting you for observation. I’m staying with you. Don’t even think about sending me home.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He preferred to have her in his sight until he knew the danger to Sasha was gone.

  Matt peered into the room. “Orderlies are here to take you to your room.”

  Ten minutes later, Cade raised the head of the bed and held out his hand to Sasha. “If you need anything, tell Matt. He’ll take care of it for you.”

  “He’s your bodyguard?”

  Cade flinched. “Not a bodyguard.” He wasn’t that bad off. Didn’t need that level of protection. Maybe.

  “But he’s keeping watch.”

  “Fortress operatives protect teammates when they’re injured. Otherwise, the injured operative doesn’t sleep.” He sent a pointed glance her direction. “If I didn’t have at least one of my teammates close, I wouldn’t rest, especially with you in the room.”

  She squeezed his hand and moved her chair closer to the bed. “I’m glad you have friends and co-workers to watch your back.”

  “And yours. Because you’re mine to love and protect, you are a priority for them, too.”

  A sharp knock on the door. Ethan Blackhawk strode in. His gaze dropped to their clasped hands, sharpening when he spotted the engagement ring. His eyebrows rose. “You’re engaged.”

  Cade smiled. “Are you surprised?”

  “Only that you took this long. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. You here to take our statements?”

  The police chief nodded as he pulled out his notebook and pen. “You able to answer a few questions?”

  Not really, but he didn’t want to put this off. Ethan wouldn’t ask if he didn’t need the information. “Sasha stays with me. I won’t be separated from her.” If he had his way, he’d never be separated from her again except when he deployed with Bravo. Yeah, Matt and Nate were still on duty, and he trusted them with Sasha. Regardless, she was his to protect.

  “I understand. How do you feel, Cade?”

  “Like a bus ran over me a dozen times. Every muscle in my body hurts. Can’t figure out why anyone would pump poison into their bodies.”

  “Most people only take enough to zone out and forget their problems for a while. According to Matt, you had a massive dose of heroin in your system.” Ethan turned to Sasha. “Did the doc check you?”

  She nodded. “A few new bruises to show for my second kidnapping experience in a week.”

  “I’m glad you’re all right.”

  “Do you know anything about Dean?” she asked, voice soft.

  “In surgery. He took a bullet to the shoulder.” Ethan’s face hardened. “Ingram drew on Trent. He’s lucky to still be breathing.” He turned his attention back to Cade. “Tell me what happened this morning.”

  “How did Fortress know we were in trouble?” He knew how Z had found them. Sasha’s jewelry. He hadn’t felt the tracking tag under his skin activate. But he couldn’t figure out how his teammates were en route when Sasha called Zane.

  “Josh was on shift overnight. He routinely does a sweep of businesses on the square. He noticed your SUV parked at the back of Perk but no lights on in the shop. After spotting the open back door, he called me, then Fortress. Durango and Bravo mobilized and we put together a plan. Tell me what happened, Cade.”

  He recounted the events from the time he woke until he passed out from the drug overdose. “The next thing I knew, Nate was driving like an Indy car driver to get me to the hospital in time and I was puking my guts out.”

  Ethan flipped to a fresh page of his notebook. “Your turn, Sasha.”

  She summarized events from her perspective. “I can’t believe Dean would do something like this. I understand why he wanted to form his own black ops group. Ca
de said my brother applied to Ranger school, but didn’t make the cut. Sacrificing lives for his own agenda to murder Cade?” Sasha shook her head. “That isn’t my brother.”

  “Wait.” Cade frowned. “The fake bank robbers said a guy named Wes was their boss. Who is Wes?”

  “Dean’s full name is Dean Wesley Ingram. He must have used his middle name to help camouflage his identity.”

  The police chief closed his notebook. “What you’ve given me is enough for now. I want to ask more questions, but I can tell both of you are tired. When will the doctor release you, Cade?”

  “Tomorrow.” Not soon enough for his taste. Too many security risks in spite of his teammates keeping watch over him and Sasha.

  A nod. “Stop by the station tomorrow and we’ll go through everything again.”

  When Ethan left, Matt stepped inside the room. “Nate’s on watch in the hall. Do you want me out there with him?”

  Cade shook his head. “Pull up a chair. Any news from the compound?”

  “Seventeen dead, all Black Dog.”

  “Injuries on our side?”

  “Bullet kissed Simon’s side. Rio patched him up.”

  Cade felt his eyes growing heavy.

  “Go ahead and sleep,” the medic said. “Your body fought hard against the heroin. Give yourself a chance to recuperate.” He eyed Sasha. “You could use a nap yourself. Climb up beside your boyfriend and rest.” He stood. “I’ll be in the hall if you need me. No one will slip past me or Nate.” Lifting his chair, he carried it from the room and left them alone.

  Cade tugged on Sasha’s hand. “You heard the medic’s orders.” He scooted over as far as he could and patted the mattress. When she reclined on the bed beside him, he eased her head on his shoulder and let the fatigue take him under.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Cade cupped Sasha’s cheek, his thumb brushing her bottom lip. He didn’t want this for her, dreaded what would most likely be an ugly confrontation.

  “Want to? No, I don’t. I need to, though. He’s my brother.” She turned her face toward him, the shiner Ingram had given her a reminder of the hardship she’d endured.

  “All right. I’m going in the room with you.”

  Sasha placed her hand over his heart. “I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Then we have a problem, Sassy. I won’t let you go in there alone.” He was firm on that. Losing her would gut him, and Cade didn’t trust Dean Ingram with the most precious thing in his life.

  “He’s handcuffed to the bed.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I could slip out of the cuffs in less than a minute and so could my teammates.”

  “Dean isn’t in the same league with Fortress operatives or he’d be working for Maddox. Would Liam come with me?”

  Cade’s teammate had taken over protection detail early in the evening so Matt and Nate could go home and sleep. Although Cade longed to be there for her, his presence would inflame Sasha’s brother and make Dean more antagonistic when he realized his plan to murder Cade had failed.

  He walked to the door, grateful Trent had dropped off clothes for him to wear instead of the hospital gown. “Liam.” He stepped back to allow his teammate to enter the room.

  “What do you need?”

  “Sasha wants to see her brother. Ingram has a room on the fifth floor. Ethan cleared Sasha with the policeman at the door. If I accompany her inside the room, I’ll set Ingram off.” His lips curved. “I’m not on his friend list anymore. I don’t want her alone with him.”

  A nod from Bravo’s sniper. “I’ll take care of her.”

  “Leave the door open. I want to hear everything.”

  Another nod. Liam turned to Sasha. “Ready?”

  “Yes. Thanks, Liam.”

  “Not a problem.” Cade’s teammate trailed them to the elevator.

  On the fifth floor, they walked down the deserted corridor and headed for the policeman at Ingram’s door.

  “Glad you’re okay, Ms. Ingram. That’s quite a shiner.”

  Sasha wrinkled her nose. “Not my best look.”

  Cade turned her toward him, his touch gentle. “You’re beautiful, shiner or not.”

  “You’re biased.”

  He shrugged. “I’m telling the truth.” Cade eyed the policeman. “Is Ingram awake?”

  A snort. “If you stand here for more than five minutes, you’ll hear him demanding a lawyer and cursing the nurses. He’s not in a good mood. You might want to wait a day or two before you visit him, Ms. Ingram.”

  “Time won’t make this better. I’m taking Liam with me.”

  “Uh, well, the chief didn’t clear him. Just you and Ramsey.”

  “Call Ethan.” Cade threaded his fingers through Sasha’s. “We’ll wait.”

  The policeman turned his back toward them and made the call. After a quick, hushed conversation, he slid his phone into his pocket. “Go on in.”

  After a pointed glance at Liam and receiving a nod from the sniper silently promising to take care of Sasha, Cade released his girlfriend’s hand. “I’ll be here if you need me.”

  Liam escorted Sasha inside the room, leaving the door to the hallway open. Cade shifted to the opposite side of the doorway where he could observe Ingram in the window reflection.

  “Dean, how do you feel?” Sasha asked.

  Her brother stared at Liam. “Who is that? You moved on from Ramsey before he’s planted in the ground?”

  Would she tell him his plan failed or let him find out when he showed up in court to testify? Although Cade hadn’t told her to keep the information a secret, Sasha ignored the opportunity to tell Dean. “This is a friend from PSI.”

  Cade marveled at Sasha’s quick thinking. He didn’t believe Ingram would be out of prison anytime soon. Still, Sasha protected Liam’s identity. If Dean knew Liam was part of the team who had taken Black Dog apart, he might exact revenge when he released from jail. Prison gave people a long time to think, either reflecting on their mistakes and vowing to change their ways, or plotting revenge on their enemies.

  “How do you feel?” Sasha eased nearer to Ingram’s bed.

  Cade moved a step closer to the room before he caught himself. Inside the room, Liam extended his arm to prevent Sasha from approaching the bed. Cade took a breath. Good.

  “Like I’ve been shot,” Ingram growled.

  “You’re lucky you aren’t dead,” she countered. “The man you drew on is Special Forces. He spared your life for my sake.”

  A sneer. “Shouldn’t have done me any favors. If he’d killed me, at least I’d be with Emily. I’ll be behind bars for years, staring at walls. That’s no kind of life.”

  “You made your choice,” she said, her voice soft. “Every choice has consequences.”

  “I guess we’ll both be dealing with those consequences for the rest of our lives. Leave, Sash. I don’t want to see you again. The sight of you turns my stomach. I expected you to choose blood first. Instead, you chose that low-life Ramsey. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing he’s dead.”

  Cade’s hands clenched. Ingram had spewed enough hatred and anger. Whatever Sasha had wanted to accomplish seemed doomed to failure. Cade couldn’t stand by and let Ingram hurt her with his words any longer.

  He walked into the room with silent steps and stopped at the foot of the bed to stare at Sasha’s stunned brother.

  “No,” Ingram choked out. He crushed the blanket in his fist. “You’re supposed to be dead. The heroin should have killed you in less than ten minutes.”

  Liam eased away from Sasha and moved out of the injured man’s sight as Cade threaded his fingers through Sasha’s. “Our medics carry Narcan.”

  Hatred filled Ingram’s gaze. “No jail cell is going to hold me. You won’t see me coming next time, Ramsey. I’ll just shoot you and be rid of you for good.”

  Cade shook his head. “I doubt you’ll ever see the outsi
de of a prison cell. If you do, you’ll be an old man.” Ethan Blackhawk and his detectives were the best. By the time they finished tearing apart Black Dog, they would have sufficient proof to charge Ingram with murder and conspiracy to murder several times over.

  “You had Westlake killed, didn’t you?” Cade already suspected the answer, but wanted the information confirmed.

  “He was a weak link and a liability.”

  “Same with the men driving the truck in the parking lot in Knoxville?”

  An ugly smile formed on Ingram’s lips. “I don’t leave loose ends.”

  Cade didn’t know if the remaining scattered members of Black Dog would carry out their boss’s orders if the organization was defunct, but he would give Ethan the information and let him do what was necessary.

  “Our parents will want to see you. It’s been a long time. Will you see them if they come to Otter Creek?” Sasha asked her brother.

  “No. Don’t tell them anything. Let them assume I’m dead. Get out, Ramsey.” He glared at Cade. “Take my traitor sister with you. You’re a dead man walking.”

  As Cade led Sasha from the room, Ingram repeated his threats, including Sasha in his plans for retribution. Cade nudged Sasha into the hall. “Stay with her,” he murmured to Liam.

  “Cade.” Sasha clamped a hand on his forearm. “Don’t.”

  “Do you trust me, Sassy?”

  “You know I do.”

  “Let me do this.” A kiss and he turned back into the room.

  “Get out,” Ingram snapped.

  His eyebrow rose. “What do you plan to do if I won’t leave?”

  “Call security and have you thrown out.”

  Cade laughed. “That’s the worst you’ve got?”

  “Leave.”

  “In a minute. You want to threaten me, go ahead. But leave Sasha out of it. Know this. If you come after me or Sasha again, I’ll kill you without a second thought. I won’t tolerate anyone threatening my wife.”

  Blood drained from Ingram’s face. “No. You can’t.” He turned his face toward the doorway. “Sasha, don’t do it. Don’t marry Ramsey. He’ll be the death of you.”