by Anna Blakely
“Hate to break it to you, but that isn’t going to do you any good. Bullet hit too many organs.”
“Go to…h-hell.” Paul’s teeth clenched together. He dropped to his knees.
“Don’t worry, man. I’ll make sure you don’t wake up a vegetable.” Coop aimed the gun at the guy’s head, pulled the trigger, and took off in a dead sprint in search of Mac.
Hold on, baby. I’m coming!
As he got closer to the main door, Coop could hear muffled shouts coming from outside. Having worked multiple hostage rescue ops, he already knew the kind of scene he was about to walk into, but that didn’t matter.
Coop’s blood still turned to ice when he opened the door and stepped outside.
Henry Doyle was standing less than ten feet away from him, and he was using Mac as a human shield. With her back to his chest, the bastard had the barrel of his gun pressed against the side of her head.
I’m going to fucking end him.
Coop raised his weapon as he began to creep closer, but Doyle had heard him come outside. The other man turned enough to glance his way, keeping Mac in a position he knew would keep Coop from shooting.
Coop locked eyes with Mac. Gave her a single nod, letting her know he was okay. Relief filled her eyes, the smile spreading across her face damn near killing him.
The rest of their team was standing in a half-circle around their target. All four of his friends had their guns drawn and at the ready, taking turns yelling at Doyle to drop his weapon.
He refused, knowing they didn’t have a clear shot. If they did, they would’ve taken it by now.
Could they hit the bastard? Absofuckinglutely. But not without risking Mac, which was something no man on the team was willing to do.
“Drop the fucking gun!” Coop yelled.
“Stay back!” Doyle twisted from side to side in order to keep an eye on his enemies. “I’ll kill her. I swear I will!”
Derek inched forward, his trigger finger twitching. “You do, you’ll be dead before your ass hits the ground.”
“I didn’t want to do this!” The desperate man looked back at D. “It wasn’t supposed to end like this!”
“This is what happens when you make deals with the Devil,” Coop informed him. His jaw tightened, his voice turned deadly. “Let her go and drop the gun, or I swear to fuck I will drop you.”
Panicking, Doyle tightened his hold on Mac. The moved caused his arm to slide upward and press against her throat.
Mac’s hands began clawing at the son of a bitch’s arm, her toes scrambling to find purchase on the graveled lot. Even from here, Coop could hear her struggling to breathe.
“You won’t shoot me.” Doyle’s eyes met his. “I heard what you said in there. You love her, so you aren’t going to do anything to risk hurting her.”
While Doyle continued his desperate ramblings, Mac released the death grip she had on the man’s arm. Keeping one eye on Doyle, Coop watched as she slid her hand inside the cleavage of her tank.
What is she doing?
“He…might…not risk…it.” Mac choked out. “But I…will!”
She pulled a knife—a fucking knife—out from under her shirt and stabbed Doyle in the thigh. The man howled when she twisted the blade.
Moving the gun from Mac’s head, Doyle buckled at the waist from pain. Taking advantage of the moment, Mac spun on the balls of her feet, pushing against the man’s chest to get away. When she did, Doyle lifted the gun again, pointing it straight at her.
Mac turned and flew toward the ground right as Doyle—and every other man there—pulled their triggers. A barrage of gunfire blasted through the air, the sound of Alpha Team taking their target down.
With his weapon empty, Coop caught sight of Doyle’s bullet-riddled body. It was over. He and Mac were safe, and it was fucking over.
Mac!
Coop tossed the useless weapon to the ground and ran toward where she still lay. “You’re clear. Doyle’s down.”
Groaning, she started to push herself up.
“That’s one way to unfuck it.” Derek lowered his weapon. “Y’all okay?”
He and the others walked toward them.
“Yeah.” Coop huffed out a breath as he knelt to help Mac to her feet. “We’re good.”
Grant growled and shook his head. “Too fucking close, man.”
“Tell me about it.” Coop looked down at Mac, who seemed to be struggling to get up. “Hey, you okay? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?”
“Sort…of.” Her voice sounded off, like she was holding her breath while she talked.
Giving up on trying to stand, she rolled over onto her back. When she did, Coop’s entire world came crashing to a terrifying, soul-wrenching stop.
In the light from the power pole nearby, the reason for Mac’s struggles was clear to see. Blood—so much fucking blood—covered the left side of her lower torso.
It was soaked into her shirt. Was on her hands and the top of her jeans. Coop watched in horror as a puddle of the crimson liquid slowly began to puddle on the gravel beneath her.
Oh, God. No!
His eyes flew to hers. “Mac?”
She winced, her breathing rough as she tried to talk. “Henry…got me…before I…w-went down.”
“Oh, shit.” Derek looked at Coop. “I’ll call it in.”
Coop dropped down beside her, ignoring the biting pain from the sharp rocks digging into his knees. He pressed his hands against the wound, cringing when Mac cried out in pain.
“I’m sorry, baby.” His heart raced. “I know it hurts, but we’ve got to stop the bleeding.”
She covered his blood-soaked hand with one of hers, tears falling across her temples onto the ground below. “I’m s-sorry. Messed…everything…up.”
Looking nowhere but into her eyes, Coop shook his head and forced a smile. “No, baby. You didn’t mess anything up.”
“L-liar.” She tried to smile.
“Trev!” Coop blinked, not even realizing there were tears falling from his eyes.
“Right here. Let me take a look.”
Trevor moved Coop’s hands to get a better assessment of the damage. Lifting the hem of the dampened shirt, they could see where the bullet had entered.
“I need to check your back for an exit wound,” their team medic told her.
Mac nodded weakly but didn’t speak.
Turning her slightly, she hissed a breath as Trevor slid his hand along her back. “Feels like a through and through. Won’t know the extent of the damage until we get her to the hospital.”
“Ambulance is on its way.” Derek rushed over to them. “I got ahold of Eric. He put the call straight through to the area’s nearest EMS team. Told them to act like she was one of theirs.” The former SEAL looked sick with worry as he took in Mac’s condition. “He and Riley are on their way, too.”
“Thanks, D,” Coop mumbled, doing his damnedest not to break down and bawl like a baby.
To Grant, Trevor said, “Get my blue bag. It’s on the floorboard behind the passenger seat.”
Without hesitation, Grant took off for the first aid kit Trevor always kept in his truck for emergencies.
Coop couldn’t think of a situation more emergent than this.
Opposite him, Jake squatted down by Mac, his face tense with worry as he rested his hand on the top of her head. “How you doing, honey?”
“H-hurts.”
Her skin was pale and damp, and her body was trembling. She was losing a lot of blood fast, and if the ambulance didn’t get here soon…
I could lose her.
Coop closed his eyes and hung his head low so she wouldn’t see the staggering fear eating away at his soul. He honestly didn’t know how much more of this he could take.
Ever since this whole thing started, he’d had this gnawing feeling in his gut that he was going to lose her. He’d tried to ignore it, pretend it wasn’t there, but it never really went away. Coop was sick to fucking death of it.
I was supposed to protect her.
That was his job. As her partner, and as the man head over ass in love with her. Yet, he’d failed her, and now…now he may never get the chance to make it right.
Grant returned with the bag. Trevor pulled out a brand-new package of the same combat gauze they used in the field.
It was infused with a hemostatic agent designed to speed the body’s natural clotting ability. In doing so, it slowed the bleeding, increasing the patient’s chances of survival.
Coop had seen field medics administer it numerous times before, but this was the first time it had ever been used on the woman he loved.
Please, God. Please let this work.
Sirens blared in the distance, and there was a collective sigh of relief knowing help wasn’t far away. Mac’s eyes began to droop closed, but he refused to let her sleep.
“Open your eyes, McKenna.” Careful not to touch the cut on her cheek, he put a gentle hand to the side of her face. “I need you to stay with me, okay? You gotta stay with me.”
Her lids fluttered, those blue eyes finding his once more. The light he’d always sworn he could get lost in was dull and fading, and Coop’s soul shattered. His entire life was bleeding out in front of him, and there wasn’t a fucking thing he could do about it.
But then Mac licked her lips and whispered, “Not going…anywhere…without…you.”
Her image blurred behind a rush of fresh tears. Coop’s nose burned, and he barely managed to choke out a whispered, “Promise?”
The amazing woman held her trembling pinky up to him. “P-promise.”
Coop busted out a half-laugh, half-cry. “This is a promise you’d better damn well keep, woman.”
“Kept…y-yours.” She closed her eyes but quickly forced them open again.
“Which promise was that, sweetheart?”
“Story…b-beginning.”
Unable to form any words, Coop drew in a stuttered breath and nodded. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger against her smooth skin. He relished in the warmth he found there.
When he lifted his head, Coop saw the ambulance quickly making its way toward them, followed closely by Derek’s brother and his partner. Soon, the entire lot was filled with police and first responders, including a few FBI agents.
Coop rode to the hospital with Mac, because no fucking way was he letting her go without him. He held her hand the entire way. Told her over and over again how much he loved her and that she was going to be okay.
After the doctors and nurses rushed her back to surgery, the entire team sat with him in the waiting room. Talking, waiting…praying. Coop didn’t think he’d ever prayed so hard or so long in his life.
Soon, the R.I.S.C. wives showed up to sit with their husbands, including Olivia who insisted Jake take their daughter to the nursery and wheel her down here, so she could be with them.
Liv was a nurse here and was able to get in-depth updates on a more-than-regular basis.
According to the surgical nurse she spoke with, the bullet entered Mac’s left side, above her large intestine before exiting out her lower back.
It nicked the bottom of her spleen, which the surgeons were repairing now. They were also working on replenishing the blood she’d lost.
The doctor said the bullet missed anything major, and barring any unforeseen complications, Mac would make a complete recovery. Incredible luck, the doctor had called it.
Later, as Coop sat by her bedside holding her hand and giving thanks, he knew in his heart of hearts it was a hell of a lot more than luck.
But whether it was God, or fate, or what—the important thing was Mac was okay. She was still with him, and she was going to be okay.
They’d been given a second chance to make the life they always dreamed of, and Coop was determined not to screw it up. No matter how long he had to wait, he was going to give her the life she wanted.
The life she deserved.
He thought of the ring locked away in the safety of his truck’s glovebox. He’d tossed it in there after driving away from her earlier.
Now more than ever, he was convinced it belonged on Mac’s hand.
She would wear his ring one day. When she was ready.
Epilogue
Three weeks later…
From her cushioned lounge chair on Cheryl and Robert Cooper’s patio, Mac took a sip of her sweet iced tea.
Feeling pleasantly full of the surprise birthday lunch Coop’s family had hosted for his mother, she watched Coop and his dad begin cleaning up the cooled grill.
A breeze passed by, and Mac used her free hand to brush back a few strands of hair from her eyes. She felt like a lazy bum, watching everyone else work, but Coop and his entire family—including the two sisters she finally got to meet—had all but ordered her to sit and relax while they put everything away.
Shortly after she’d been discharged from the hospital, Coop called and filled his parents in on what had happened. Thankfully, he’d spared them the gory details.
All Robert and Cheryl knew was that their son had been held at gunpoint by someone from her past, and she’d been shot. And even after all that, they’d not only welcomed her with open arms today, they’d also been doting on her, hand and foot.
At first, Mac was shocked Coop had shared their troubles with them. When she asked about it, he’d simply shrugged, told her that’s what real families were for. After that, he kissed her on the forehead like it was no big deal.
The more time Mac spent with the Coopers, the more she realized he was right. Being a part of a real family—one not prone to blackmail and murder, like hers—was one of the most incredible gifts in the world.
No, they weren’t perfect, but they were there for one another. Shared things with each other, the good and the bad. Families leaned on one another when they needed to, and offered support when they could.
Coop glanced over at her, his handsome face drawing her away from her thoughts. He gave her a wink and a smile, making her insides tingle and spark to life.
God, I love that man.
With a grin, Mac raised her glass and tipped her head, taking another sip of her tea. She was still having trouble processing how much had changed since the day of the shooting.
The last few weeks had passed by in one, huge blur. She’d spent almost the entire first week in the hospital, which she’d hated. After that, Coop had insisted she stay at his place so he could help with her recovery, which she’d loved.
Jake had contacted Ryker, who worked a deal with the FBI ensuring Mac’s involvement with Moretti, Doyle, and Luca was kept under wraps. Since Moretti and Doyle were both being investigated by the feds prior to the incident, they took over the second they arrived.
Normally Eric and Riley would’ve been pissed to hand over a crime scene to the feds but not this time. Like Eric told Mac when he and Riley came to visit her in the hospital, plausible deniability was a beautiful thing in the law enforcement world.
Olivia’s brother had agreed to help Alpha Team, filling in until she and Coop went back to work. It was presented to Mike as a temporary assignment, but Mac had a feeling Jake would see to it his former Delta teammate stuck around.
Their boss postponed the search for additional R.I.S.C. operatives until things were back to normal. Sometime in the middle of the craziness and settling in with a new baby, Jake also found time to procure all the documentation and signatures needed for Mac to legally change her name.
As of six days ago, she was officially McKenna Anne Kelley. She was no longer living a lie.
Physically, Mac wasn’t completely recovered yet—that would take a few more weeks—but she was feeling better with each day that passed. In fact, she could do almost all of the normal, daily activities again without any assistance from anyone.
Problem was, Coop wouldn’t let her.
The frustratingly sweet man had been a total mother-hen. He waited on her hand and foot all day, every day. To the point she
got exhausted just watching him.
Since she was feeling better and much more capable now, Mac had brought up the idea of her going back to her place, just to gauge his reaction.
Every time she mentioned it, he came up with one excuse or another as to why she should stay with him a little longer. She couldn’t ask for a sweeter, more attentive caregiver, but the man was driving her insane.
It wasn’t that he constantly wanted to do things for her—although there were times when the independent part of her felt like screaming.
No, the worst part was Coop’s refusal to touch her.
Granted, she still had another week or two left before the doctor would clear her for everything physical. But Coop had apparently taken that to mean the same thing as nothing.
It wasn’t that he didn’t still want her. She’d seen the heat in his eyes when he thought she wasn’t looking. The poor, overprotective man was torturing himself—and her—for no reason.
Pent-up sexual frustration aside, there was something even more pressing Mac felt the need to address. Something that needed to be said in private.
Mac put her glass down and stood. A twinge of pain pulled at her side, but she ignored it. If Coop even suspected she was hurting, he’d rush over and start hovering again.
Bless his alpha male, overprotective heart.
“Hey, baby.” He finished zipping the cover onto the grill. “Need something?”
As a matter of fact…
“I do.” To his dad, Mac asked, “Mind if I steal your son for a few minutes?”
“He’s all yours.” Robert smiled. “I’ll go see if Cheryl and the girls need help inside. I’m sure they’ll find something for me to do.”
When the other man walked away, Coop looked at Mac expectantly. “What do you need?”
“You.” Mac linked her fingers with his. “Can we go to the bluff? There was something I wanted to talk about, and I thought it would be a good place for it.”
He looked down at their hands and back up to her. She could tell he wanted to ask more, but all he said was, “Sure.”
Minutes later, she and Coop were sitting on his lowered tailgate, looking out at the spectacular view.
