Mac snorted. “Good one, Bryson.” He turned to RJ. “You good?”
RJ nodded.
“A’ight then, Sheriff. Deputy. We’ll be right here if you need us,” Mac said, and RJ felt the others back off.
“Damn Delta grunts,” Gabe muttered under his breath, but RJ knew the guy admired the hell out of Mac, and the admiration evident in the sheriff’s tone confirmed it.
Despite serving different branches of the military, both Mac and Gabe were very much alike in brain, ethics, and brawn.
“All right, RJ, let’s roll.”
He followed Gabe from the room at a good clip, sprinting back in the direction of the study escape room, his mind screaming they were wasting too much time.
Within seconds, they reached a door at the end of the same hall where the night had started.
“I already have men in place. Here’s how it’s going to go down.” Gabe stopped near the awaiting deputies and set his hands on RJ’s shoulders. “You are here to get Lori. That’s it. My men and I will apprehend the suspect. You get her to safety, got it?”
It was funny how during his short sprint to this room, his fury had disintegrated, leaving only his concern for Lori.
He nodded. “Roger that.”
Gabe moved to one of the men holding a device with feed from inside the room. “Any changes inside?”
“Negative,” the deputy said. “Positions are unchanged.”
RJ released a slow breath and moved to the left of the posse. Lori was on the cot located on this side of the room. Target was pacing near the right. Christ, they’d gotten lucky. It was the best-case scenario.
He just hoped to God it stayed that way.
“Roger that.” The sheriff turned to his men and pulled a card from his pocket. “As soon as I swipe this, it’ll override the locked door and all hell will break loose. Let’s make sure none of it touches the victim. You all have your orders. You know your positions. You know what to do.”
Everyone shifted into place, guns drawn…except for RJ. He needed both hands free to get Lori and get out. He’d have to trust Gabe and his men to keep him and Lori from getting shot.
“Let’s roll…” Gabe swiped the card, twisted the knob and opened the door.
RJ heard a gasp, then a curse, followed by gunfire, but he didn’t look, didn’t care about the commotion ensuing on the other side of the room as he sprinted to Lori’s prone body on the cot.
At a glance, he noted the wound on the side of her jaw still oozed blood, but the spatter on her shirt was dry. Thank God. It meant no chest wound, other than where the damn tranq dart was still impaled in her.
Everything inside him twisted tightly.
He forced his mind to shut down so reflex would take over. RJ swept Lori into his arms and the motion dislodged the dart. Knowing it would help the doctors figure out what she was injected with, he cradled her with one arm, and ignored the strain to his back as he reached between them to grab the damn dart and shove it into his pocket.
With both hands around her again, he positioned his back to the chaos, shielding her with his body while he rushed out of the room. Not stopping, he continued down the hall and wasn’t surprised to find Mac and the others waiting to provide cover and escort them to the lobby.
A deputy guarding the entrance snapped to attention when they neared and unlocked the entrance to let them out without prompting.
Gabe had trained his men well, RJ thought as he rushed straight outside, relief coursing through him at the site of an ambulance waiting nearby.
“Oh my God, Lori!” Loni hurried over, while Dean, Cooper, and Dex formed a human wall to keep the cameramen from getting close. “She’s bleeding. What’s wrong with her? Was she shot?”
He shook his head. “No. Tranquilized,” he said, without slowing down until he reached the paramedics, and had to force himself to release her into their care. He informed them of what had transpired, handed them the dart, then hovered just out of the way, waiting while they did their assessment.
He put his arm around Loni, and together they stood vigil over the woman that meant the world to them both.
RJ never wanted to leave Lori’s side again.
But unease and disturbing thoughts whispered through his tired mind.
What if the distance she’d wedged between had nothing to do with her wanting to keep him safe?
What if the space, new apartment, the new hairdo…what if they were all signs she was moving on?
After all, his last girlfriend had done all three of those things before she left him.
The only difference was that Lori didn’t possess a key to return to him…because she’d never wanted one.
RJ knew he was tired and not thinking straight. He was stressed, exhausted, worried out of his skull. Jumping to conclusions wasn’t usually his thing. It was best to plan, dissect, look at all aspects, consider alternatives.
At the end of the day, the bottom line remained the same.
He loved Lori. He’d been in love with her for a while.
Question was, given time, could she—would she—ever feel the same?
Chapter Fourteen
Lori’s eyes fluttered open and the flash of brightness from the florescent light in the ceiling had her closing them tightly and groaning as the dull pounding in her head instantly increased to unbearable, radiating further down to her jaw.
What the hell had been in that dart the guy shot her with?
Dart…
The escape room…
Alarm shot through Lori, forcing open her eyes and sending her upright in bed. Damn, not smart. She squeezed her eyes shut, held her head, and groaned again as the room spun.
“Lori?” Her sister’s voice was a gift from God. “It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re in the hospital.”
Hospital?
She slowly opened her eyes and focused on her sister sitting on the edge of her bed near her arm, happy to note there was not a cameraman in sight. “Are you, okay?”
“Yeah.” Loni leaned in and gave her a hug.
She squeezed her back, hard, so damn thankful she was alive and able to see her sister again. “And everyone else? Abby? The baby?”
Everyone in that study had been way too close and an easy target for that crazy man.
“They’re all fine.” Loni released her and drew back, her gaze full of warmth, that same gratitude rushing through Lori. “You’re the one who was injured. You had a blow to the jaw, which needed five stitches. And he shot you with—”
“A dart,” Lori said, finishing the sentence.
Damn…she remembered thinking it had been a bullet, until she’d seen the dart sticking out of her chest…just before everything went dark.
“It was a horse tranquilizer,” her sister replied. “You’ve been asleep for hours. It’s ten o’clock Monday morning.”
Nodding slowly, she leaned back and closed her eyes, wishing she had the courage to ask if RJ had stopped by, but too damn scared to hear the answer.
If she’d meant something to him, he would’ve been there. And she couldn’t blame him for keeping the distance she’d instigated.
Over the past two weeks, they’d gone from red-hot lovers to acquaintances—all of it her doing.
“You’re thinking too hard.” Her sister chuckled. “And you’ve got it all wrong, too.”
She opened her eyes and blinked at her smiling sister. “What are you talking about?”
“RJ…as if you didn’t know.”
Lori sat up straighter. “What about RJ?”
“He rescued you while the sheriff and his deputies subdued the gunman. Carried you out, and I could tell he had a hard time letting you go so the paramedics could look you over. And when you were admitted here for observation, he wouldn’t leave your side. All night.”
“RJ was here all night?” Warmth seeped into her chest at the knowledge.
“Yes, and he’s going to be mad that he wasn’t here when you woke up.”
&nbs
p; Lori blinked at her sister, not really sure what to say. Or think. Or feel. The thing was, she felt everything at once. Elated, hopeful, worried.
“That man is in love with you, Lori.”
She sucked in a breath. “You think he loves me?”
“I know it. Saw it. Hell, the whole world did,” her sister said, her voice sounding as sure as the conviction in her eyes. “The crew had their cameras rolling when he emerged from the building, cradling you close, like you were the most precious thing in the world to him.”
Loni pulled out her phone and showed her the video and by the time it ended, Lori’s throat was tight and her heart overflowed with the same warm emotion that filled her eyes with tears and spilled down her face.
“So now, don’t you think it’s about time you give him a break?” Loni asked, putting her phone away. “He’s not like our dad. RJ wouldn’t abandon you. And he isn’t like your exes either. He wouldn’t cheat or try to smother you.”
Lori nodded, swiping the wetness from her cheeks, careful of the cut aching through her jaw. “I know, but it took me a while. I’m such an idiot.”
“No.” Loni’s hand covered hers and squeezed. “You’re a survivor and had every reason to be cautious.”
She swallowed past her hot throat and nodded.
“You love RJ, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “I have for some time, but was too scared to admit it, or even let it flourish.
“And you distanced yourself from him and me because you thought you had a stalker.”
She nodded. “Turns out I did, and God, the past two weeks have been hell. I was so worried that RJ and you and everyone else could become collateral damage because of me.”
Loni squeezed her hand again. “Well, it’s over now. Gabe caught the guy and he’s being extradited back to Connecticut to face murder charges as well as attempted murder. Speaking of Gabe, he’s going to need a statement.”
Lori blew out a breath and nodded.
“That’s where Dean and RJ are right now, giving their statements. Then Dean is taking RJ to his closing, because we’re pretty sure the guy would blow it off so he could come back here to you.”
She stiffened. “No. We can’t let him do that.”
“Dean won’t.”
She nodded and smiled as a plan started to form. “What time is the closing?”
“Eleven, why? What’s going on behind that smile of yours?”
Good. “That might be enough time.” With almost an hour before the closing appointment, and then the hour or so it took to go through the entire process, she might just make it. “I could use your help. And some clothes. I need to get to the bakery.”
She had a very special cake to create. The most special, and it was for the most special guy.
“Oh, I like where this is going.” Her sister grinned. “And here, I brought you clean clothes.”
“Thanks.” A shiver shot down her spine. She hadn’t been all that thrilled to put last night’s clothes back on.
“I’ll get the nurse so she can check you over and discharge you,” Loni said, disappearing behind the curtain that surrounded Lori’s bed.
Two hours and three minutes later, Lori was on the porch of RJ’s new house, waiting for him to arrive. With a cake box in her hands, she sat on a suitcase that held what meager possessions she’d acquired since the fire and did her best to quiet her nerves.
It was going to be fine.
Before they’d left the hospital, her sister had sent a text to Dean to fill him in on the surprise and to make sure he brought RJ here.
A smile tugged at her lips. RJ probably wouldn’t be happy but hopefully, she could change that.
Several of their friends were lurking at Gabe’s, two doors down. Two cameramen were waiting nearby, hopefully hiding out of sight. She didn’t really care if they were around while she spoke with RJ outside, but no way was she letting them or anyone else inside.
She had a few things to say to RJ in private, and a few things to show him, too.
Dean pulled into the driveway, but Lori’s gaze was on his passenger as he exited the car, his eyes full of the same hope and warmth flowing through her.
“Lori…” He took the steps two at a time. “What are you doing here? Are you okay? Should you be out of the hospital?”
She chuckled as the questions tumbled from his lips. “I’m fine,” she said, setting the cake box on the porch so she could cup his face. “Yes, I was discharged, and I’m here for you…and to stay with you forever…that is…if you want me here.”
“Want you...?” His voice trailed off as his eyes widened. “Hell, yeah, I want you with me. I want you here. I want you in my life and by my side. I love you, Lori.”
She smiled at him through a blur of tears. “I love you, too, RJ.”
A second later, he cupped the uninjured side of her face and his mouth brushed hers in a sweet, tender kiss, more potent than any they’d ever shared, because this one was full of love admitted, with the promise of a lifetime more.
He drew back and set his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up.”
“It’s okay. I heard how you rescued me. Even saw some footage of you carrying me out of the complex. I’m just humbled and blessed to have you in my life.”
“You are my life, Lori,” he said, his gaze so full of emotion she felt it to her soul. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
She nodded. “And me for you. It’s why I pushed you away. I didn’t want you to get hurt or killed because of me.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he said, bending slightly at the knee so their gazes were even. “I can take care of myself. I’m actually pretty good at it. Uncle Sam made sure of it.”
She smiled. “You’re pretty good at taking care of me, too.”
“Always.”
By now, a crowd had gathered on his lawn, but other than a few sighs and gushes, they were mostly quiet. Lori bent down to grab the cake box and straightened.
“I made this for you today,” she said, holding it so the inside faced him. “It’s something special just for you.”
He opened the lid to the kite-shaped cake and line before meeting her gaze. “It’s us.”
“Yes.” She nodded through more tears. “You’re my tether, RJ.” She caressed his cheek. “I love that you let me fly like a kite in the wind. I love that you’re the line that keeps me grounded. I’m connected to you and don’t ever want to soar without you.”
His gaze was as warm as his touch. “I’ll always be here for you, Lori. I’ve got you.” He kissed her nose. “Don’t you see? Our connection is unbreakable. So, fly all you want because I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
She kissed him then, uncaring that shouts went out through the crowd and that cameras no doubt were zoomed in.
None of that mattered.
Only RJ.
The man who’d caught her soul and held it tenderly with his heart.
Epilogue
Thanksgiving would always be bittersweet for RJ. Last year, he’d been at his absolute lowest. This year, he was so far north he was soaring in the atmosphere. His gaze drifted to the beautiful reason. Lori. She claimed he was her tether, and it was true, but she was the reason he always looked up. She was the reason his heart soared. The reason his pulse raced.
The reason he was grateful he was alive.
“I love how you look at my sister like she’s the most precious thing in the world,” Loni said, standing with her arm around Dean while conversations flowed and friends and family mingled throughout RJ and Lori’s house.
He smiled at his woman smiling at him from across their crowded living room. “Because she is.”
“Roger that.” Loni smirked, lifting up to kiss Dean’s cheek before waltzing into the crowd.
“A year ago, I never thought I’d be where I am today. You ever think our lives would turn out so full?” Dean asked, before taking a sip of
his beer.
RJ shook his head. “Hell, no. I questioned why I was spared but Troy wasn’t. Wondered if I’d ever walk normally again. Wondered if I’d ever do anything useful. Turns out, my Champion was waiting for me when I arrived in Texas. A special woman who would help me find those answers.”
“We’re two lucky sons-a-bitches.”
“I heard that.” He lifted his bottle to clank it off Dean’s before taking a drink.
“You two look as content as I feel,” Cooper said, walking over with a beautiful, week old baby girl sleeping in his arms. “Mindy, this is your uncle Dean and aunt RJ…I mean uncle RJ. Sorry, man it’s the hair. You need a cut. My talented wife can help with that, but not until next year. She’s on maternity leave until then.”
His chuckle mixed with Dean’s as they shook their heads at their wacky friend.
“Okay, what did Coop say now?” Carter strolled over with his arm around his wife, the new heart tattoo on his forearm peeking out from under his pushed-up sleeve.
“The usual.”
“Ah, you mean bullshit banter.”
“Hey. Language, dude.” Cooper frowned, making a show of covering his daughter’s ears. “Uncle Carter is going to have a fortune in his naughty jar before your first birthday, baby girl.”
“Don’t mind him, Mindy,” Mel said, smiling at the baby. “I think Lex is a bad influence on him.”
“Probably the other way around,” Mac said, motioning for their newest agent to join them.
Hunter strolled over from his perch against the kitchen wall, where the sight line to the front and back of the house was best viewed.
“Come have a beer with us,” Mac said, holding out a fresh bottle. Hunter accepted, nodding at everyone.
“Let’s lift our beers and toast to brothers in harm’s way. Brothers past. Brothers lost,” RJ said.
Bottles went up and beer slid down their throats in a tradition RJ intended to continue every Thanksgiving from now on.
RJ (HC Heroes Series Book 7) Page 13