Intentional Risk (R.I.S.C. Book 4)

by Anna Blakely

  Trevor walked over to the table. With a flattened palm over one of the serving bowls, he shook his head. “Food’s still warm.” His dark eyes found Derek’s. “We just missed them.”

  Jake nodded. “Then they couldn’t have gotten too far.”

  The muscles in Derek’s jaw bulged. If Charlie fought Caleb off and ran—and all the evidence pointed to that being the case—God only knows what he’d do once he caught up to her.

  “She would’ve run straight ahead as fast as she could,” Mac surmised.

  York’s dark brows turned inward. “How do you know that?”

  Mac shrugged. “It’s what I would have done.”

  Derek prayed his teammate was right. It would be dark soon, and his gut told him Charlie’s time was running out.

  “Let’s go.” He turned for the door and ran.

  Jake began giving orders as he and the others followed.

  “Spread out. D and I will go center. Mac, you and York flank us to the east. Trev, you and Eric take the west.”

  “And move as quickly and quietly as you can,” Derek added. “I don’t want Porter to know we’re on him until I’m shoving my fist down his fuckin’ throat.”

  Without any further instruction, the group of deadly warriors got into position and headed toward the trees.

  Several yards in, they heard the unmistakable sound of someone firing a gun. Derek and Jake stopped in their tracks.

  Tilting his head and closing his eyes, Derek honed in on the echoing retort. His eyes shot open. “This way!”

  Exchanging silence for speed, he and the others ran toward the direction the shot came from. Fear left ice running through his veins, but he refused to let it slow him down.

  Hang on, darlin’. I’m coming.

  Minutes later, Derek caught a flash of white through the trees. He held his free hand up to stop Jake.

  With a finger to his lips, he motioned for his boss to be quiet, and then pointed up ahead.

  His heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears as both men carefully trekked over the rough ground. Thanks to their training, they knew how and where to step to ensure a silent approach.

  The closer he got, the more terrified Derek became. When he finally caught sight of her, Derek knew the horrific scene was one that would stay with him forever.

  Charlie was lying on the ground with Caleb straddling her waist...and the bastard was fucking choking her.

  Derek saw red. “Charlie!”

  He screamed for her as the thread finally snapped. A loud roar filled his ears as he ran to her, and it took Derek a few seconds to realize the sound was coming from him.

  “No!”

  Raising his gun, he took aim and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Caleb in the side of the neck. With a loud grunt, the man’s body flew backward, landing on the ground next to Charlie.

  Derek ran to him, his entire body shaking as he fought the temptation to shoot the fucker between eyes. Caleb’s wide, shocked eyes looked up at him as he begged Derek for help.

  “P-please... M-mercy.”

  Consumed by a hatred unlike any he’d ever known, Derek kept his gun trained on the dying man.

  “How many times?”

  Pale and confused, Charlie’s ex coughed and sputtered. “W-what?”

  Derek took a step closer. The gun shook in his hand as he demanded to know, “How many times did you show her mercy?”

  Blood continued to pulse out from the wound, seeping between the man’s fingers. A large pool of it already covered the ground next to his head.

  “P-please,” Caleb pleaded with him again. A spray of blood shot out from between his colorless lips as his shoulders and chest jerked with another coughing fit.

  Shoving his weapon into the back of his waistband, Derek squatted down beside him. His voice turned low and deadly.

  “I told you what would happen if you came after her again.”

  Weakening, Caleb whispered, “H-help...m-me.”

  Derek stood. With a mirthless smirk and one final shake of his head, he said, “Help yourself.”

  Caleb’s eyes widened with shocking awareness. The man knew he was about to die. Three seconds later, he took his final breath.

  Behind him, Derek heard a feeble gasping sound followed by Jake’s deep voice.

  “Easy, honey. Try to take slow, deep breaths.”

  The sight of Caleb trying to kill Charlie had filled Derek with a deep-seated, murderous rage. With the threat neutralized, he was finally able to break himself free and focus on what mattered most in his world.

  “Charlie!”

  Derek spun around and went to her. Dropping to his knees, his soul shattered when he took in her condition.

  Her swollen face was a mixture of blues and purples. Her bottom lip was busted open, and blood had trickled down over her chin. Then, there was her neck.

  Angry, red marks were already beginning to darken where the sonofabitch had nearly choked her to death.

  “Oh, God, baby.” He didn’t even try to hold back his tears. “What did he do to you?”

  Still working to control her breathing, Charlie’s eyes fluttered open to meet his. “Derek?” she croaked, her voice scratchy from the trauma to her throat. “You're really here?”

  “I'm here, darlin’. I'm here.” Derek drew in a stuttering breath, trying his damnedest not to break down. “God, Charlie. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.” For a moment, it seemed to be the only thing he could say.

  “I’ll call it in,” Jake told him as he stood and moved a few feet away.

  “Jesus Christ.”

  At the sound of his brother’s voice, Derek looked up to see Eric and Trevor making their way over to them.

  “What's her condition?” Trevor asked as he approached.

  Derek shook his head. “I don't know.” He looked back down at Charlie, his entire being filled with agony. “Do you think you can walk?”

  Charlie's lip quivered as fresh tears began streaming down her temples. Face crumbling, she shook her head. “I'm sorry.”

  “Hey,” Derek crooned softly as he ran his hand over the top of her head. “Nothin’ to be sorry for, darlin’.”

  “Charlie,” Trevor spoke to her. “Can you tell me where you hurt the most?”

  “Right...Sh-shoulder.”

  The three men glanced down toward her right arm, which was obviously out of place.

  “Where else?”

  “L-left l-leg. I think he...b-broke...it.”

  Derek drew his lips inward to keep from howling while Trevor began to perform a field triage on her.

  Later. You can lose it, later.

  “Ah, shit,” Coop exclaimed as he, Mac, and York approached from the east.

  Remorse mixed with compassion when York saw Charlie’s condition. Her dark eyes slid to Caleb’s dead body. “Who killed him?”

  “I did,” Derek answered immediately, his intense stare daring her to argue the justified shooting.

  The corner of York’s bow-shaped mouth rose slightly. “Nice shot.” She looked back down at Charlie. “How is she?”

  Derek shook his head. “I don’t know, yet.”

  “I’ll call it in.”

  “Already did.” Jake walked back toward them. Shoving his phone in his pocket, he said, “Ryker’s sending a chopper and will run interference for us with the county sheriff.”

  “Ryker’s our Homeland Security handler,” Mac explained to York. Tipping her chin toward Caleb’s lifeless form, she added, “He’ll make sure this gets taken care of.”

  Derek was relieved to know Charlie would be taken to Homeland’s private hospital versus a local one. The doctors and nurses there—including Jake’s wife, Olivia—were the best in the country.

  Continuing with his exam, Trevor ran his hands along Charlie’s sides to check for any broken ribs. When he got to the area just below her ribcage, Charlie flinched and let out a loud groan.

  Brows turned inward, Trevor used the light from his phone to try to see th
e source of her pain. Concern flittered in his eyes when he looked back up at her.

  “Charlie, there's some blood back here, but I don’t want to move you any more than we have to. Can you tell me what happened?”

  “Sh-shot,” she slurred, her eyelids becoming droopy.

  Derek's eyes grew wide with alarm. “He shot you?”

  She gave the slightest of nods, her energy quickly fading. “Just a...graze. Ran from...house. Almost m-made it to...trees.” She swallowed then tried to smile. “Forgot to zig...zag.”

  Though he was terrified for her, Derek smiled at their shared memory.

  “The medics are going to land in the front yard,” Jake informed him. “We need to get moving so they can get her loaded as soon as they fly in.”

  Derek caressed Charlie's head some more. “It's going to be okay, darlin’. You're going to be just fine.”

  He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more—her or himself.

  “We have to move you now, Charlie,” Trevor told her. “It’ll probably hurt like hell, but we need to get you back to the house to meet the chopper so they can get you to the doctors.”

  “Okay.” She nodded weakly. Her eyes began to close but jerked back open. “Derek?”

  “I'll be with you the whole time. You hang in there. I’m right here.”

  He was on the verge of bawling like a baby but held it all in. If she could be strong, he could, too.

  Kissing her forehead, Derek moved to a squatting position. He slid one arm beneath her back and the other behind her knees. Warm blood coated his fingertips as they came into contact with where the bullet had grazed her.

  Aware that any movement would be excruciating for her, he lifted her as gently as he could and stood. She screamed, the agonizing sound echoing through the trees.

  It was a sound Derek knew he’d never forget.

  ****

  Epilogue

  “So, have you two thought of any names?”

  Sitting sideways on the hanging porch swing with her casted leg propped up on a pillow, Charlie looked over at Mac and smiled.

  “We’ve come up with a few, but we can’t seem to find one we both like.”

  Mac took a sip of her hot cider. “Well, you still have some time. It’s not like you have to name her right away.”

  “True,” Charlie agreed, adjusting the throw covering her lap. “Although Derek’s chomping at the bit to decide.”

  “Tell me about it.” Mac rolled her eyes. “I swear it’s all the man’s talked about since he found out she was coming.”

  With a soft chuckle, Charlie said, “I know. I can’t really blame him for being excited, though. He’s waited a long time for her.”

  Just then, both women heard the unmistakable rumble of an engine. Charlie glanced down the road and smiled.

  “There she is, now.”

  Derek parked his brand new, special edition Challenger SRT Demon into their rental home’s driveway. In his silver Chevy pickup, Coop pulled in behind him.

  Mac let out a low whistle. “I have to admit, she really is a beauty.”

  Charlie nodded in agreement; however, her focus was more on the man climbing out from behind the wheel. Taking in his tall, fit form and sexy smile, she wondered for the millionth time how she’d gotten so lucky.

  Upon leaving the hospital, Jake had informed them he was giving Derek six weeks off with pay. Since then, he’d been by her side, helping with whatever she needed.

  From the day-to-day basics, such as washing her hair and getting dressed, to the more grueling aspects like physical therapy and attending her counseling sessions. No matter what it entailed, Derek had been a part of it all, and he hadn’t complained once.

  Charlie suspected he still blamed himself for what Caleb had done. She was hopeful the therapist they’d been seeing together would help ease the guilt they’d both been harboring.

  Deep down, she knew Caleb was the only one to blame for what happened. However, she still had those moments when the shame and regret of her actions long ago threatened to creep back in.

  When that happened, Derek always seemed to know the exact right thing to say or do to help her move past it. Just as she would do for him when she sensed his thoughts turning in the same direction.

  He’d told her once they made a great team. He was right.

  Charlie had put her plans for her business on hold until after she got the cast removed from her leg.

  Derek preferred she wait for her shoulder to be completely healed, but had also told her he’d do whatever he could to help when she felt she was ready to go back.

  “So.” Her handsome man held out his arms and gave both women a toothy grin. “What do you think?”

  “I love it.” Charlie smiled back.

  “All right, West, you win,” Mac conceded. “It’s a very nice car.”

  “Right?” He puffed his chest out a little.

  Coop got out of his truck and walked up the paved driveway. “It’s nice”—he slapped Derek on the shoulder as he walked past— “but I’ll stick to my four-wheel drive.” From the sidewalk, he looked up at Mac. “You ready?”

  “Yeah.” The petite blonde stood. “Just let me put my cup inside.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Charlie told her. “I’ll get it.”

  “You need to focus on getting better.” Mac gestured toward Charlie’s healing leg. “Not the dishes.”

  “I keep telling her that,” Derek’s deep voice rumbled.

  Charlie smiled up at him as he made his way up the temporary wooden ramp he’d built to help get the wheelchair in and out of the house.

  As always, her heart stuttered a little when she looked at him.

  “How you feelin’, darlin’?” He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

  “Better, now that you’re here,” she whispered back.

  “Aaaand, that’s my cue,” Mac teased. To Charlie, she said, “Call me if you need anything.”

  “I will.”

  “And you.” Mac gave Derek a pointed look. “Make sure she isn’t doing too much too soon.”

  “I keep tellin’ her to take it easy, but she’s got a stubborn streak a mile long.”

  “I know she does.” Then, the traitor ratted her out. “I caught her trying to hobble into the kitchen by herself earlier.”

  “Please tell me you stopped her.” Coop looked at Mac.

  “Hey,” Charlie interrupted. “I’m right here. And I’d like to see you guys try to sit around the house all day for weeks on end and not go stir crazy.”

  “I have, thank you very much,” Coop said with an arrogant smirk.

  “When?” Derek turned to him with an incredulous expression.

  Raising his brows, Coop said, “When I got shot in the leg in Venezuela.”

  “Oh, God.” Mac rolled her eyes again. “Don’t remind me.” She looked down at Charlie. “That man is the worst patient on the face of the planet.”

  “I am not,” Coop shot back, trying to defend himself. “First of all, that bullet wound hurt like a motherfucker. Secondly, no one forced you to play nursemaid. You took that role on all by yourself.”

  Mac’s long, blonde ponytail whipped around with her swiveling head. “Because I knew if I didn’t, you’d do something stupid and end up hurting yourself even worse.”

  While the two snipers continued their usual bickering, Derek looked back down at Charlie and shook his head. With a grin, he gave her another quick kiss before scooping her up into his arms.

  Yelping, Charlie threw her left arm around the back of his neck. “Where are we going?”

  “Inside. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

  She smiled. “I do love surprises.”

  With a quick wave, she told Coop and Mac goodbye while Derek carried her over the threshold and into the living room. When they made it to the couch, he sat down, settling her comfortably on his lap.

  “So.” She looked at him excitedly. “What is it? What’s the surprise?�
��

  “I found it.”

  Knowing exactly what he was referring to, Charlie’s eyes lit up.

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “Twenty acres, two stocked ponds, and the perfect spot to build where we can sit on the back deck and watch the sunset.”

  “What about a pool?” She raised a brow. “I know you’re going to want a pool.”

  “Plenty of level ground for that, too.”

  “Will you take me there today?”

  Derek nodded. “Of course. Plus, it’ll give you a chance to ride in Destiny.”

  “You want to name the new car ‘Destiny’? Why?”

  The most perfect set of sapphire eyes stared back at her. He brushed some hair from her forehead and said softly, “Because, darlin’. Destiny brought me back to you.”

  Leaning forward, Derek kissed her slowly. Thoroughly. When he broke away, those seas of mesmerizing blues glistened with unshed tears.

  Charlie was about to ask what was wrong when he began working his hand into his jeans pocket. She gasped when he pulled out a beautiful diamond ring.

  “Derek!” His name escaped on a breath as she stared at the round solitaire nestled in a simple, platinum setting.

  “I know we agreed to wait on a weddin’, but I figured”—he licked his lips nervously—“if you wanted, you could wear this until then.”

  Not long after she was released from the hospital, Derek had brought up the subject of marriage. After coming so close to losing her, he hadn’t held back in telling her what he wanted.

  Marriage. Kids. Forever.

  She wanted those things, too. More than anything. But with her leg in a cast and her shoulder still healing, Charlie had convinced him to wait until she could at least walk down the aisle on her own two feet.

  “You’re my forever, Charlie.” He slid the ring onto her left hand. “My everything.” He blinked, sending a tear down the side of his cheek. “So, what do you say?” He looked at her with more love than she deserved. “Will you marry me?”

  Through her own tears of joy, her heart more full than she ever thought possible, Charlie smiled wide. “Yes. Of course.” Putting her hand to his cheek, she whispered, “I love you, Derek. So much.”