by Jagger Cole
He glances at the clock. “Two in the morning.”
I laugh. “And we’re really going now?” Luke and Sienna’s mansion is out in the Hamptons. Carter and Sienna’s mom, Maryanne, lives near them in a huge rental house they’re putting her up in while they build her a house close by.
“You’re right,” he smiles. “I can’t not tell them I’m alive. And I’m sure it’s killing Luke not to tell Sienna. Unless he’s already cracked. But if he had, you know my crazy sister would already be downstairs with a megaphone yelling at me to get my ass outside.”
I giggle loudly. “One hundred percent truth.”
“We’ll stop at your apartment on the way or something. Or I could call my shopper and ask her to get a place on Fifth Ave. to open for us.”
I blink in surprise. “At two in the morning?”
He shrugs. “Why not?”
“Because it’s two in the morning!” I laugh. “I mean holy shit, Carter. Just how rich are you now?” I frown and shake my head. “Sorry, that’s so rude to just ask.”
“No, it’s not,” he grins. “And the answer is four-hundred.”
My jaw drops. “Million?”
“I know, I know,” he sighs dramatically. “It’s not the billion Luke managed to grab. But I think if I watch my spending, I can make do.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re ridiculous, you know.”
“I do know that,” he laughs. “But I also know that I’ve got you, so I can be as ridiculous as I want.”
He kisses me, and it starts to grow deeper. But I giggle and push him away before springing from the bed. “Okay, okay! We need to go, or we never will.”
“I was serious before, you know,” Carter says. He slinks out of bed, like a jungle cat uncoiling. I just stare at his grooved, muscled, perfect body. And then my eyes lower to his huge cock still hard between his legs. I’m pretty sure this is what winning the lottery feels like.
“About?”
“About using it for good. I do want to invest with Luke, because I know his investment company is doing really well. But I also want to build something. Maybe a security force or something, but not like Fortress Security.” He frowns at his own mention of the mercenary group he and Luke worked for after the Marines. “They were just hired guns. I want a protection force. To rid the world of evil men. Sometimes our heroes need protection.”
I sidle up to him, and he pulls me close and kisses me. My heart flutters, and I think about how I almost lost him. I think about how I did lose him, actually. But now that he’s back, I know I’m never letting him go.
“C’mon,” he smiles. He pulls on some jeans and a sweater and we leave his room. Out in the main living area, I blush and slip my dress and sheer underwear back on. Carter takes my hand and we leave the apartment. It’s funny to think that I came here with dread in my heart. Now I’m leaving here on cloud nine.
In the elevator, he pushes the button for the roof. I frown curiously. “The roof?”
Carter grins. “Can’t land a helicopter in the middle of Park Avenue.”
My jaw drops, and the elevator doors open. We step out onto the rooftop helipad, and I shake my head. “You have a helicopter,” I laugh. “Of course you do.”
He grins and pulls out his phone. I can hear him talking to someone about the chopper and he thanks them before hanging up. “Pilot’s on the way. Shouldn’t be too long.”
“How will we ever pass the time?” I grin hungrily at him. God, what does this man do to me? He’s just made me come like a dozen times tonight, and I’m still thirsty for more. I lean into him and he kisses me deeply. His arms circle me, and I moan. The wind whips around us, tousling my hair while I kiss him. He moves to my neck, and I smile happily as he teases me there. My eyes scan the views of New York around us, and I startle in surprise. Flying low and almost invisible against the city, is a sleek, dark black helicopter approaching the roof.
“Wow,” I giggle. “That was fast!”
Carter pulls back from me and frowns. “What was?”
“Your guy,” I grin. Behind him, the helicopter starts to drop out of the sky towards us. “Was he waiting on the roof next door?” I say with a giggle.
Carter frowns though. “What?”
“Your pilot?” I’m confused, and I point past him. “He’s already here.”
Carter starts to turn, but suddenly, he yells and grabs me. He knocks me over onto the ground, making me scream. But suddenly, the ground where we were just standing is peppered with jagged holes along with a banging sound that sounds like fireworks.
“Get down!” Carter yells and grabs me. He hauls me across the helipad, and we dive down behind a low wall. More holes and popping sounds chase us, and I suddenly understand what’s going on: we’re being shot at.
The helicopter circles and lowers, and a bunch of black ropes fall out from the doors. Four men in black tactical gear jump out and slide down the ropes. My heart climbs up into my throat, and I start to scream.
The men hit the roof and start running towards us. Their guns blaze, and I scream louder. But Carter’s strong hands pull me down low and he covers me with his body. Suddenly, he roars and jumps to his feet. He hurdles the small wall and hits the men in black all at once. His elbow cracks into one of the guy’s face mask, and Carter wrenches the automatic gun from his hands. The guy falls instantly when Carter pulls the trigger, and he spins to face the rest of them.
Two other men topple over onto the ground. The fourth sprays bullets towards Carter, which makes me scream. But he ducks behind a planter, and then comes up shooting, and the fourth man falls down.
My head starts to tell my body to run to him. But all of a sudden, an arm goes around me, and I feel something cold and sharp press to my neck.
“Don’t fucking move.” The accented voice rasps near my ear, and I freeze. I want to scream, but I can’t. I want to run, but even if I could get away from the man holding me, I don’t think my legs would work.
“Carter…” I whisper. His back is to me. He’s still holding the gun, scanning the roof for more attacks. I say his name again, louder this time. “Carter?”
“Get inside,” he growls with his back to me. “I’m calling...”. He turns, and his face turns white. His jaw sets, and I see a blaze of fury in his eyes.
“Hasaan,” he hisses coldly. He starts to raise the gun, but the man hisses and tightens his grip on me. I gasp, and Carter’s eyes dart to me. “Aurora…”
“Drop it, Mr. Holloway,” the man holding me hisses. “Drop it, or your woman bleeds.”
8
Carter
This is it. This is my moment. This is where I draw the line in the sand and send the last of the monsters that imprisoned me and threatened Aurora to hell. I hold Hasaan’s eyes as mine narrow. I clench my jaw, and my hands itch to raise that gun and blow his goddamn head off. But it’s not just a tricky shot. With his knife to her throat, it’s more than I’d ever risk.
“Drop it, Mr. Holloway,” he hisses again. The knife presses closer to her skin, and Aurora flinches. Every reflex in my body wants to react, and to rush him. But I know I can’t. Not when she’s in this much danger.
I’ve come too close to everything I’ve ever dreamed of to lose her now. I’ve gone through too much hell and waited too long. I stare at Hasaan, and the fury kindles to a blaze inside of me. He’s laying hands on my woman. He’s threatening the girl I love. And I know no matter what, I am never losing her again.
Slowly, I start to lower the gun. Hasaan smiles cruelly at me. “Ahh, you see reason, Mr. Holloway,” he needles me. “You wounded me, you know. I thought we were friends, Holloway.”
I sneer. We were never friends, and he fucking knows it. He just liked fucking with me. “You kept me in a cage,” I hiss. “You made me work for you, so that you could go on doing horrible things to the world.”
He smiles and shrugs. “And yet, I didn’t kill you.”
He didn’t. But he’s about to wish he had. I’ve g
one through too much training, first with the Marine Corp, and then with Fortress Security. I know that you never just roll over for an enemy. You lure them into security. You let them think they’ve bested you. And then, you go for the kill.
“I taught you so many things, Holloway,” he says angrily. “And you betrayed me! You killed my men—”
“And I’d kill them again,” I spit. “Every fucking time. I’d kill you too, given the chance.”
He laughs. “Perhaps you should have. Because now I’m going to make you hurt, Holloway. I’m going to make you watch me take what you love from this world.”
He pushes the knife against Aurora’s throat, and my blood runs like liquid steel. He should have killed me. It’s the last mistake he’ll ever make. Imprisoning me was one thing. Making me work for a terrorist group was another thing. But now, he’s laying hands on Aurora. He’s threatening what’s mine. It’s him who’s going to bleed.
I put the gun on the ground and stand. My arm reaches behind me, and my fingers close around the grip of the combat knife in my belt. I didn’t just scoop the gun and a spare clip off that first guy I dropped up here. A good Marine knows his knife is his second-best friend after his M-16. It’s the last lesson Hasaan will ever learn.
“Now, I want you to tell her it’s all going to be okay,” he hisses.
I smile coldly. “It’s all going to be okay, angel.” It is, too. With one motion, I whip the knife out of my belt, bring my arm back, and then throw it hard. The blade sings through the air and embeds itself to the hilt in Hasaan’s throat. The asshole screams, but he can’t with the knife where it is. He chokes and falls backwards while Aurora screams. I rush for her and Hasaan drops to the ground, dead.
“I’ve got you, angel,” I growl. I hold her tight and close, and I stroke her hair. “I’ve got you, Aurora.”
She catches her breath and clings to me. She takes another deep breath, and she slowly turns to look at Hasaan.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I say gently. I hold her close, and she hugs me tightly.
“I’m not,” she whispers angrily. I pull away and realize she’s glaring at Hasaan lying there dead on the ground.
“He almost hurt you,” I growl. But she shakes her head and turns to look at me.
“I’m mad that he did hurt you,” she hisses. “Furious, actually.” She clenches her jaw, and I’m blown away by how strong she is. She was always tough when we were young, but she’s so collected right now. Maybe it’s that we hold each other up.
“Is it over?” She squeezes my hand, and I nod grimly.
“Hasaan was their leader, and the last of them. My intel had him halfway around the world. He must have gotten wind of my surfacing here in New York. But he’s the last, angel. These other guys tonight were probably just hired guns. The Brotherhood is gone. I’ve destroyed every single one of them now.”
Aurora hugs me tightly, and she leans up to kiss me hard. “That’s it?” she whispers.
“That’s it, love.”
Hasaan’s helicopter is long gone. But I saw enough of it to know the serial number and logo on the side. It’s a rental from a New York sightseeing company. My guess is it was either stolen, or the pilot was threatened. When the shooting started, I bet that guy took off. But just the same, I send a quick text to one of my people to contact the police about the serial and rental place number. The shootout on the roof will of course need to be addressed. But first, I need to settle things. Before anything else, I need to make the move I’ve wanted to make for years.
My own chopper, the one I called before, whirs into view. The pilot lands, and I ignore his shocked look at the carnage on the roof. But he’s a vet himself and knows me well enough to not ask questions. I help Aurora in, and we take off up into the pre-dawn sky above the city. The sun is still just a glow over the horizon when I text Luke what I need him to do for me.
The pilot knows where we’re going, and he starts to head east. But I’m not waiting until we land. This has to happen first, like it should have happened years and years ago. I untangle my hand from Aurora’s, I reach into my pocket, and I slide from my seat. I drop to a knee in front of her, with the dawn sun glowing on her skin, and I hold up the box.
She gasps, and her hands fly to her mouth. “Carter.” I grin and open the box. The huge diamond glitters almost as beautifully as she does.
“Marry me, Aurora. Marry me and be mine forever. Be my wife, and my destiny, and my forever love. Be the mother of my children.”
Her eyes glisten with tears, and she blinks quickly. “Carter… I…”
“All you have to say is ‘yes,’” I whisper.
She bursts into a mix of tears and laughter, and she leaps into my arms. “Yes! Yes! Oh my GOD yes!” I barely have time to push the ring onto her finger before our lips slam together. I kiss her, and I hold her tight. Because she’s my all and my everything.
Everyone loses their shit when we step out of the helicopter in Luke and Sienna’s backyard. I mean, they really, really lose their shit. But who can blame them? I’ve been dead, and they’re just realizing I’m not. First Luke, and now me.
My mom and Sienna are crying when they throw their arms around me. Mom hugs me tighter than she ever has before. I always think of myself as someone who can mask his emotions when I have to. But hell, even I mist up a little. Sienna yells at me, but then she hugs me too like she never wants to let go. Luke sure gets an earful when she realizes he’s known since last night that I’m not dead. But pretty soon, we’re all laughing. Luke’s next—my brother from another mother. I could give him shit for tearing up himself when he gives me a big hug, but I let it go.
I give them the vanilla version of the story of my time over there, and my escape. Luke eyes me, and I know he understands that there’s a lot more to it. But mom, my sister? Aurora? They never need to know the extent of the blood spilled or what I did to break free. They don’t need to know I’ve been traveling the globe taking out terrorists, either.
When they all see the ring, they freak the hell out. It’s crazy, because somehow through hell and back, it’s all worked out how it should have years ago. Luke finally ended up with Sienna, like I damn well always knew he would. And I’m glad for it, too. My sister deserves the best, and Luke’s it. Then there’s me and Aurora. I know she was nothing I could have anything to do with when we were younger. But all is right with the world now that she’s in my arms, wearing my ring.
It’s the crack of dawn, but that doesn’t stop my mom from insisting on whipping up a huge breakfast for everyone. Shit I haven’t slept in more than twenty-four hours, and I just had a shootout with terrorists. But I’m not even tired. I don’t know if I could ever be anything less than wide awake and grinning with Aurora by my side.
We toast with orange juice and coffee, to life and to coming back from the dead. Then I raise one more for our future. But mostly, to love.
Epilogue
Aurora
I roll over in bed, trying to sleep. I fluff the pillow, but that doesn’t help either. What’s missing is Carter. And I know I won’t be sleeping until he comes home. It’s been a month since he came back to me. For a month, I’ve been in some kind of heaven, too. Mostly, we’ve spent it in bed, making up for a lot of lost time.
But Carter’s not the sort of man to just sit back and rest on the money he took from the Brotherhood. He’s set for life, of course. I guess we’re set for life. But he was determined to build something of his own. A lot of his money is invested with Luke’s new financial group, Crow Financial. But the rest he’s using to open Sword and Shield Defense, a new private securities company dedicated to going after the world’s worst villains.
They’re not paid mercenaries, in fact most of their funding comes from donations and foundations. That’s why he’s been out late a lot for the last week, and why I can’t sleep. Outside and many, many stories below me, I can hear the faint sound of traffic and New York City. Usually, it’s just what I need t
o be lulled to sleep. But I’ve gotten used to having him in bed with me, holding me.
When we were young, Luke and Carter used to sometimes drive Sienna and I out from our crappy town north of New York City to the Hamptons to find beaches to sneak onto. There was one spot in partial what we used to go to, a beach next to some high cliffs. Luke and Carter used to joke that they’d get rich when they grew up and build side-by-side mansions up on that cliff. The funny thing is, that’s the very spot where Luke built his huge house with his new money. So of course, Carter had to go and buy the land next to him.
Our house is going up as we speak, expected to be done in a few months. In the meantime, I guess we’ll just have to make do with the multimillion-dollar Park Avenue penthouse. I know, rough, isn’t it?
I’m still tossing and turning when I hear the door to the penthouse open. I know the sound of him coming home by now. I smile at the sound of him dropping his keys on the kitchen counter, and then walking down the hall to our bedroom.
“Hey,” I whisper when he steps inside the dark room.
“Sorry to wake you, angel.”
I do miss him when he’s not here. But I know he’s working his ass off trying to get the company up and going. He’s building an empire for us, and for the family we want to have. I’m not pregnant yet, but that won’t and sure hasn’t stopped us from trying. A lot.
Carter sheds his shirt and pants and moves across the dark room towards the bed. My heart beats faster, and I can feel the heat swell inside of me. I’ve gone to bed naked, though he doesn’t know it yet. The silk sheets feel like heaven on my bare skin, and I can’t wait for his hands to touch me too.
He pulls back the sheets and slides in. He moves to hover over me, and he growls when he realizes I’m wearing nothing. “Dirty girl.” I gasp at the feel of his hands sliding over my body. “Did someone forget to wear panties to bed?”
