A crunch sounded behind him, but he was almost there. He raised a leg and jumped.
A shot fired, and he knew he was hit from the thud against his shoulder and the sudden fiery pain. Sliding down the side of the embankment, he reached out and grasped a rock, holding tight to stop his descent, and then rolled to his belly and brought up his rifle.
Gravel crunched closer; he shouldered his weapon and waited. The instant he saw a hand holding a gun appear over the edge, he drew his breath. When a face appeared to take a quick glance, he fired.
Raydeen pressed both hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. She’d watched the monitor Edgar had trained on Chester as he’d left the tree line, as well as the one pointed forward as the last of the three assailants from the SUV made his way to the van.
Then she’d heard Chester and the last man shouting to each other, and then listened as footsteps crunched beside the van.
Edgar had sat huddled beside her on the floor, still operating his drone, watching the team as they converged, but they were only now reaching the road.
She’d heard the shot fired on the far side of the van, knew that was where Brian was, but she hadn’t heard him cry out. Hadn’t heard another sound. Fearing he’d been killed, all she could do was blink like crazy because tears were spilling from her eyes, and she couldn’t take her gaze from the screens.
He can’t be dead. He can’t. I just told him I love him. The bastard has to say it back.
“They’re here,” Edgar whispered.
He pointed toward the row of monitors.
Dagger’s team was moving from the tree line, weapons raised. In the distance, the drone caught the sight of flashing lights from many patrol cars and black sedans.
“Fly over the van, Edgar,” she said. “I have to see.”
Edgar blew out a breath and turned the drone to follow the law enforcement vehicles as they drew nearer to the van parked on the side of the road and the dark SUV that still sat sideways in the middle.
She picked out the two figures lying prone on the highway. Both men had their arms outstretched, away from their weapons.
Beside the van stood Chester, raising his hands high, a handgun gripped in one.
On the other side of the van, she saw a man laying over the edge of the road, and beneath him…
Brian glanced up at the drone and waved, but she couldn’t cheer. He was hurt. Blood covered his face and shoulders. She couldn’t sit a moment longer. While figures on the screen began to move in to capture Chester, she pushed open the back of the van, jumped to the ground, and ran for the embankment.
Once there, she nearly vomited. The man lying over the edge barely had a head. Stepping past him, she went down on her butt and scooted down the side over slimy leaves and mud, her gaze going to Brian who gave her a weak smile. “Hey, babe,” he said.
“Hey, babe, my ass!” she gritted out, and then hiccuped as she crawled sideways to get to him. “Oh my God, Brian, are you hurt?” She reached out for him, but he thrust out his right arm to hold her away.
“Baby, don’t. I’m covered in blood and brains.”
She drew off the green sweater he so loved and began to wipe his face and hair.
He leaned back against the dirt and gravel. “I wanted to make it special. The right moment, you know?”
“What are you talking about?” she said, frowning as she noted the slow seepage of blood running from his bent elbow. Was he woozy from blood loss? “You need to sit forward. I have to find the wound.”
“Shut up, Raye.”
“What did you say?” she said, giving him a glare. Was he really trying to get her pissed when she was trying to save his life?
“Just. Please. A second.” He sighed and took a deep breath. “I love you.”
“I know, asshole. Now, will you please lean forward?”
“You know?” he said, a faint smile curving the corners of his lips.
“Of course, I know. You haven’t given me any shit when I made you work hard, no matter how much you hurt. And you just risked your life to save mine. Of course, I know.”
He got his elbows under him and began to push away from the ground. “Glad that’s over,” he said, his voice sounding ragged.
“Was it such a fucking ordeal, telling me you love me? Am I that scary?”
“Sometimes. I love that about you.”
Her eyes stung with tears, but she blinked them away and leaned around him to check for wounds. Blood burbled from a small round hole in his shoulder. Her stomach lurched, and she began to shake. “For a big tough guy, that asshole must have used a twenty-two. Thank God.”
“Yeah, guess I should be happy about that,” and then he groaned because she’d pressed hard against the wound with her sweater.
Fear and anger boiled together inside her. How could he be so calm when he was bleeding out? Didn’t he know how much his life mattered? “Think I’m gonna go easy on you because you got your ass shot—”
Brian shut her up with a hard kiss.
Epilogue
The day Brian was released from the hospital, the hunters gathered at the office building. He’d insisted on walking inside, so Raydeen followed closely in case he needed help, but he managed quite well on one hard-handled crutch. He’d undergone more rehab while he’d been in the hospital, endless walks down the corridors, which had helped him regain his progress and then some.
Raydeen couldn’t be prouder of him as he stood inside the entrance and gazed at the big dark blue banner with the MBH logo that stretched above the counter and said, “Welcome home, Brian!”
A crooked smile spread across his face as he gazed at his friends. Fletch Winter, the owner of the agency, was there as well to greet him. They all clapped as he strode confidently around the counter and into the bullpen.
The women gave him gentle hugs, the men clapped his uninjured shoulder. After they’d had their cake and daiquiris—Lacey’s contribution—they all settled into seats.
Fetch cleared his throat. “We’re thinking you might need to expand the building a bit.”
Brian gave him a questioning glance.
“Can’t bring a woman home to live with you in a two-room apartment,” Reaper said. “We’ve been drawing up plans.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier for us to simply find a house?” Brian said, his gaze going to Raydeen, because he had broached the subject with her while he was still in the hospital.
She’d been noncommittal because she’d known about the hunters’ plan.
“We’re spoiled,” Jamie said, drawing his attention. “We like having you here, watching over the place while we’re scattered to the winds.”
“And Raydeen said you like your mornings, getting ready then making your way into the office,” Reaper said. “If you’re not burdened by being tied to this place, we’d like to show you what we’ve got planned. You’d have privacy, more space, but you’d still have access to the office.”
Brian’s smile stretched wide. “I like my administrative duties, and it is pretty convenient when some of you are out for me to wander down the hall to help out with any needed research.”
“Doesn’t mean you’ll be tied to the office all the time,” Fetch said. “As well as you’re getting around, I expect you’ll be doing more knocking on doors to find skips.”
“But you’ll have a partner,” Reaper interjected.
Brian’s eyebrows rose. “Are we hiring again?”
“Brand newbie, who needs to learn the ropes,” Lacey said, grinning.
When Brian’s gaze scanned the room, it landed on Raydeen who couldn’t help giggling. “I’m joining the gang.” She arched a brow. “That is, if you can stand to work with me, day in-day out. I’m pretty good with paperwork. Know my way around Microsoft Office. I’m told I have a talent for getting people to tell me their deepest secrets…”
“I can vouch for that one,” Brian said. “You sure? What about your work with Soldiers’ Sanctuary?”
“M
y work’s here, baby. Looking after you.”
His eyebrows lowered. “You saying I need a babysitter?”
“No, I’m saying, you need someone to tell you when you’re being a jackass.”
“Oh boy, here they go again,” Reaper mumbled.
“Hey, Bri,” Lacey said, holding up her hand. “Rosalie sent a rough cut of your segment. Want to watch it?”
Brian blew out deep breath. “Anyone make popcorn?”
Laughter sounded, and Carly, Lacey, and Dagger moved to the kitchen.
When popcorn and cokes had been distributed, Reaper dimmed the lights. They took seats huddled around Brian’s large monitor, and he hit PLAY on the screen.
As a narrator described the special segment and gave a plug for donations to the Soldiers’ Sanctuary, Raydeen reached for Brian’s hand. They were going to be okay. And the expansion wasn’t charity. Reaper had been adamant about needing Brian happy and here, because the office went to hell when he wasn’t. When he’d offered her a job as well, and then offered to help with her training, she’d taken only a minute before making her decision.
Sure, she’d been scared to death out on the highway with Chester Morgan and his goons moving in on them, but she hadn’t lost her shit until she’d thought Brian had been shot. What he did was different every day; every skip providing a new challenge. She was pretty sure she’d love the work and love working with Brian. And while she was at his side, she’d make damn sure he didn’t do anything stupid, ever again. Like getting himself shot, trying to save her. Next time, she’d be armed and ready to take care of her own damn self. Because that was the kind of wife she planned to be.
Not that Brian had asked. Yet. Maybe, she wouldn’t wait for him to pop the question. Maybe she’d do it herself. She’d give him a little time, but if he was feeling too cozy with their arrangement and kept waiting for that “special” moment, she’d ask him when she was riding his fine-ass cock, unable to say anything but yes.
She smiled at the thought and glanced at him.
He was looking right back, his eyes narrowed.
Yikes, she wondered if he’d read her expression.
As the film detailed Brian’s journey from a description of how he’d been injured, including photographs of him at Walter Reed, through his first halting steps in his new prosthetics, to the moment Edgar filmed him from the top of the embankment while Raydeen knelt in her bra, trying to staunch Brian’s blood with her sweater, her heart grew and grew until her chest felt tight from all the warm emotions swirling inside her. Damn, she loved this man.
She would marry a brave man. A man no longer wounded by what his body had experienced. As terrifying and terrible as those minutes on the highway had been, they’d proved to him that he was still a soldier, still a man.
As the narrator repeated the Soldiers’ Sanctuary pitch at the very end, Brian leaned sideways toward her. “How soon do you think Andrew can hook me up with running blades?” he whispered.
Raydeen laughed. “I think after he sees how cute he looked on TV, he’ll fit you in this week.”
Brian squeezed her fingers. “Thank you, Raye.”
She turned her head to meet his gaze. “For what, baby?”
“For giving me back myself.”
She shook her head. “That was all you. You just had to be ready. All you needed was a kick in the ass.”
He gave her a one-sided smile. “Baby, don’t talk about asses.”
“And…that’s our cue to leave…” Reaper said.
Raydeen and Brian didn’t notice as everyone faded away. The front door chimed, but they couldn’t have cared less. When Raydeen straddled Brian as he sat on a rolling desk chair and shimmied down his cock, he pressed a kiss between her breasts then hugged her close against him. “I love you,” he said.
“I love you more.”
“Not possible,” he said, his voice muffled because he was nibbling on a nipple.
She gripped his hair and tilted back his head. “Are we gonna argue? Now?”
Brian cupped her bottom then gave one side a slap. “No better time. I’ve got you all figured out. The hotter you get under the collar, the hotter the sex.”
“I’m not wearing a damn collar.” But she couldn’t hide her grin as she gripped his ears and bent to kiss him. The man thought he had her all figured out, but a girl couldn’t leave a guy feeling too smug. She had a surprise or two ready to spring. One which would arrive in about eight months’ time… And oh, she couldn’t wait to see his face.
Would he laugh or cry? Would he be as happy as she was? As scared? She couldn’t wait to share the news, but first, they had to get the business of getting married out of the way.
Just as she began to hum with pleasure, moving up and down his shaft, Brian gripped the notches of her hips and held her hard against him.
She bent her face toward his and gave him a glare. “Not the time. I gotta move.”
“And I’ll let you, but you have to answer one question—and if you don’t give me the answer I want—we’re gonna sit here, just like this.”
She rolled her eyes. “Ask the question, already. But if it’s about the blowjob I promised you in the hospital, you don’t have to ask.”
Brian pressed his lips together. “Shut up, Raye.”
“I really don’t like that phrase.” But she really did, because he only used it when he gave her that fierce, sexy look he was giving her now.
He pressed a finger against her lips.
She moved her lips against the finger and gave a garbled, “Think you can hold me down with just one hand?”
“Damn, you’re stubborn.” He gripped the back of her neck and brought her down for a hard kiss. When he pulled back his head, he blurted, “Will you marry me?”
She drew a sharp breath. “’Bout damn time, daddy.”
Dream of Me
Uncharted SEALs
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Delilah Devlin
Chapter 1
Dread weighed her down, making her feel sluggish and stupid. I have to find the right door. She stumbled into a long corridor, wood paneling below wainscoting, and tattered, dark teal wallpaper with faded pink roses above. Like she’d seen in her grandmother’s house when she was a child. Only this corridor was endless and lined with teakwood doors—all identical, all closed.
How could she possibly find the right one? The panic in her body made her want to run and try them all, but she knew she didn’t have much time—a lesson she’d already learned. And turning the wrong knob led to horrors best left unknown.
She wanted to run but couldn’t, because her feet were as heavy as lead, mired in invisible muck, slowing her steps, making her tired. Her stride shortened. She dragged her feet on the floral carpet, staticky sounds following her, sparks biting her naked ankles. At last, she came to a halt, her body swaying. Too tired to care what she might find, she opened the door...
Aislin Dupree tugged at the collar of her dark uniform. She’d have a rash—a rosy red ring around her neck—because she’d sweated so much the collar was stiff.
“Stop messin’ with it, Ash,” her partner drawled from the driver’s seat. “You’ll only make it worse.”
“This stickiness is making me crazy. Heat’s so bad I wonder why I bother taking a shower before shift. I’m drenched again before I’m dressed. And why aren’t you sweating?”
She watched as Marc LeBrun’s smile in profile stretched in that lazy way that never failed to make her tingle from head to toe and exciting all the sexy parts in between.
He made a turn before glancing her way, flashing a smile. “I don’t fidget. Chillax, baby. It’s just another mornin’ in easy town. Good times...”
Good times... His sly code for sex whenever they were in company. “Stop,” she said, holding up her hand. “That’s not helping.”
He chuckled, but kept his gaze on the road ahead. “You think about Grand Isle?”
“Fishing on Grand
Isle is not my definition of a sexy getaway.”
“Won’t be no fishin’, sugar. Just you ’n’ me. Bed and breakfast on the beach.”
“The sight of oil rigs kinda spoils the view,” she grumbled, but only half-heartedly. The thought of getting away from the city, which smelled foul this time of year, due to the rain and humidity and the sewage floating just beneath the street grates, did sound good. “Should just head to Thibodeaux. Nice hotels there. Might find one with room service. We can take an airboat ride into the swamps if we get bored...” she said, giving him a teasing, sideways glance.
“And that’s sexier than a B&B on the beach?” His chuckles grew and grew.
And she grinned, happy she was there beside him. Just another day on their beat. Most cops rode single, but this part of town was more dangerous. Extra manpower had been added to the shifts in this ward. They’d been paired now for six months. Lovers for the last three.
However they spent their time together didn’t really matter. It was always...good times.
Dispatch broke the silence with the code for robbery. “Be advised, female at location says pedestrian forced her to empty her register.”
The location was only five blocks away. Marc gave her a short nod and flipped on the lights.
Ash pressed the button on the mic. “51-12 responding. Five minutes to location.”
“51-12. 10-4. All units in the vicinity be on the lookout for a male, medium height, wearin’ a gray hoodie...”
The next few minutes passed in a blur. They arrived at the shop with its barred windows and shabby, white-washed exterior.
Marc entered first with his weapon drawn. “This is NOPD,” he called out.
No response came from inside.
Ash edged closer to his body, turning to watch their six. The hair on the back of her neck rose. She knew Marc felt it too because, for once, he was quiet and moving slowly.
The shop was small, just a twenty by twenty square filled with rows of racks stocked with snack foods and drinks. Glancing over the top of the racks, Ash spotted a door toward the back, partially open. Dark.
Brian: A Montana Bounty Hunters Story Page 11