“She’s being held hostage? Why the fuck would she call you?” Jake asked, sounding agitated. “Jesus Christ.”
Colton shook his head, in no mood to argue. “A crazy guy at the school has a bomb, Jake. Your sister is stuck inside. I’m outside of the building right now. There’re about twenty police cars that just pulled up. The bomb squad is on the way.”
“So why the hell did she call you instead of me? How does she even know your number?”
Colton blew out a breath, his heart pounding. His gaze narrowed as he looked at the side door of the school and decided the door or the window would be the best bet. He didn’t have time to scale the roof without a ladder or wait around for reinforcements. They were pulling into the lot, but he was on the ground. He was going in. “Doesn’t matter now. It’s a long story.”
“Shit,” Jake muttered. “Hell of a way to find out you’re seeing my sister.”
“I care about her,” Colton said quietly. “It just happened—I didn’t even know who she was when we first met. But listen, you’re going to have to trust me. I know you’re worried about Morgan, but I swear to God I won’t let anything happen to her. Let me do my job and get her safely out.”
“You better not let anything happen to her. And after this shit is over and she’s safe, I’m kicking your ass, man.”
“Fair enough,” Colton said, moving toward the building. It was stupid to approach without his gear on, without his team, but he couldn’t sit still. If there was a way in, he was taking it. “She’ll probably kick my ass herself since we got in a fight earlier this week.”
“That’s why she was in a bad mood? Jesus.”
Colton unexpectedly felt hope filling his chest. If she’d been upset enough to be mad, then maybe there was a chance that she cared about him, too. She’d called him today, after all. If she truly hated him after the way he’d practically thrown her out, wouldn’t she have just dialed 911?
“Get down here, Jake. I’m going in now.”
“Roger that. See you soon.”
They disconnected the call, and Colton moved toward the building. Other police officers were pulling around to the side where he was, but he wasn’t stopping. Grabbing a large rock on the ground that was painted, no doubt as some school art project, he smashed the window. The alarm began sounding, but he was already moving inside, ignoring the cut of glass against his skin.
It was stupid to go in alone, but nothing could stop him. No one was stopping Colton from rescuing his woman.
Chapter 20
Morgan softly cried as the guy rigged up more explosives. He had an elaborate setup, with wires running across the backstage area leading to the curtain and stage itself and some others that ran behind her. She whimpered as he moved closer to her.
“You know what? I decided I’m not going to stick around for the show. I hear the sirens outside. It’s too late to stop me.”
He tied some type of explosive to her chair, and she shook as he darkly chuckled. “Anyone who barges in here will trip the wire. It runs straight to you. After you blow up, it’ll set off the larger explosion. The school may not entirely be leveled, but no one will be going back here this year.”
He stood, brushing off his hands, and she cringed as he swayed slightly.
“I need a drink before I get the hell out of this shithole,” he muttered. Following his movements, she realized he’d brought a bottle of vodka with him. He took a long chug from the bottle, and she realized with alarm it seemed to be half empty. Had he drunken all of that this morning? He should be passed out or dead.
Swaying again, the guy sank to the ground beside Anna. She was still tied up and passed out, and he slowly slumped over against her.
Morgan let out a frustrated sound, trying to free her wrists. Did this idiot know what he was doing? If she somehow got free, would she blow herself up thanks to the explosive on her chair? He’d said there was a tripwire, so maybe if she was careful….
How the hell would she get free from the ropes though?
Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, and she shifted slightly, her arms and shoulders beginning to hurt. Colton would come for her. He had to. And they’d all heard the sirens outside. She’d called him, and he’d called the police.
Gasping for breath, she was shocked to see movement in the curtains.
“Mmmm Mmmm!” she tried to say around the gag.
Whoever was there was going to blow them all up. If this was truly wired correctly, they’d set off the chain reaction. “Mmmmm!” she tried again.
The movement slowed, and she froze, icy cold dread sweeping through her.
What if this guy was working with someone? Maybe they weren’t coming to save her, maybe they were coming to blow everything up.
She strained to hear anything, and then suddenly she heard the police on a bullhorn outside. “The building is surrounded. Surrender yourself immediately!”
Shaking, she looked over to where the man was passed out. What would he do if he woke up and heard them?
Her gaze shifted toward the far end of the room, where she thought she saw the curtain rustle again. Was someone on stage? Too fearful to even make another sound, she wanted to cry in relief when she saw Colton suddenly standing there.
He was livid, gun in his hand, muscles tense, his blue gaze sweeping the area. She could see the hard line of his jaw, the stiff way he held himself, and then a beat later, his gaze locked with hers. His jaw ticked, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She shook her head, looking down pointedly at the wires on the ground.
Colton nodded, his eyes trained on the explosives. He visually tracked the wires across the backstage area, his assessing gaze taking everything in. She saw him look at the man passed out on the ground by Anna and the custodian who’d been killed. His eyes ran along the wires crossing the room, and he stilled as he saw the explosive device rigged to her chair.
“Are you okay?” he asked in a low voice.
She shook her head, yes, trembling.
“I’ll get you out of here,” he assured her in a clipped tone. “Stay calm and don’t make any sudden movements. I need to ascertain how the device on your chair is rigged up. And I need to tie up this asshole in case he wakes up. Is anyone else here?”
She shook her head no.
“I’ll take care of this, sweetheart,” he said, his voice softening. She nodded, crying more, and he bit out a curse. “Please don’t cry, Morgan. I can’t come over there right now because of all the wires, but I swear everything will be okay.”
She whimpered, and his voice caught. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Just hold on for me a little longer.”
Moving toward the passed-out man, Colton removed the handcuffs at his waist and cuffed the guy. He bodily shoved him back to the ground, cursing as he saw that Anna was unconscious. Grabbing his cell, he made a phone call, speaking in a low voice.
Morgan couldn’t hear what he was saying and wondered if he was trying not to frighten her. Were they all doomed? Certainly he’d turn around and get the hell out of here. He wasn’t wearing any sort of protective gear aside from his bullet-proof vest.
She wouldn’t blame him if he left. She was literally strapped to a chair rigged with explosives. Any sane person would at least go back for their protective gear.
Colton knelt down, feeling Anna’s pulse as he spoke into the phone. He looked back at Morgan. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
He ended the call and stood, glancing around. “This guy was an amateur. He didn’t even connect everything properly. These tripwires here aren’t attached right.” Colton reached over to one, and Morgan cringed.
“It’s all right,” he said softly. “These aren’t connected properly, and I’ll move them out of the way.” Gently sliding his fingers underneath the wire, he moved forward slowly. “Fuck,” he spat out.
She looked at him in fear.
“I need to make sure the ones leading to you aren’t wired right,” he said, his voice tight. “I’m going t
o come closer to check it out. The large explosive is dangerous, but I’m getting you the hell out of here before anyone inspects it. The bomb squad can deal with that later.”
She nodded, thinking that sounded perfect. The sooner they got out of here, the better, actually. Colton moved slowly, his fingers under the wire, and he gently disconnected something. Pulling out his phone, he called his team again. “The tripwire closest to the curtain on the stage has been disconnected. Only send one or two guys in for now to retrieve the others. Any sudden movement could trip the larger explosive.”
He began speaking in a low voice, and she strained to hear. What wasn’t he telling her?
Morgan shook the closer Colton got to her. Maybe he should just leave, too. She didn’t want to be responsible for his death if something went wrong. Maybe it was irrational, since his job was to dismantle bombs. But if something happened because of her? She sniffled.
“I called Jake,” Colton said conversationally.
“Mmmm?”
He nodded, moving closer. “I told him you called me for help. Let’s just say he figured it out on his own.” Colton chuckled. “Hell. I’d rather deal with his wrath than this.”
He kept his eyes on the wires, and Morgan wished he’d look at her for just a moment. She was scared out of her mind, and he was acting casual despite the entire situation. He was probably still mad at her about everything. He was just being nice right now, performing his duty.
“All right,” Colton said as he moved closer. “I disconnected that, so we can’t set off the explosive from the tripwire over here. I need to see how it’s set on your chair though. I’m coming closer, but I’m not untying you yet. Any movement could trip that thing, so just hold on.”
She nodded, her entire body aching from sitting so still. What a crazy situation to be in—she was supposed to be hanging flyers at school for an hour and then heading home. Now she was trapped backstage.
“Easy,” Colton said, reaching out to her. “Don’t move at all.”
He reached behind her head, gently untying the gag. She was still bound to the chair, but she let out a sob, gulping in air as he pocketed the rag. Colton knelt down in front of her. His large hand landed on her thigh, and she shook. “Easy, sweetheart.” She trembled as he leaned closer. His thumb briefly moved back and forth, soothing her, as he looked at the wiring.
“I’m going to move to your side. Don’t move at all just to be safe. I’ll disarm the explosive and remove it. I’ll untie your ropes afterward, so just hang on for a few more minutes.” He moved to the side of her chair, removing his hand from her thigh, and she immediately missed his touch and warmth.
He set to work, not saying anything, and for a moment, she wondered if he regretted being here. He was stuck dismantling a bomb, and he didn’t even like her. That was her own fault though. God. Jake was probably here by now, too. Had he called their mom? She was probably freaking out.
She almost hoped Jake hadn’t come. What if the explosion was large enough to injure him, too?
Morgan hastened a glance at Colton, barely turning her head. His jaw was clenched, his gaze laser-sharp as he examined the wires. He didn’t even look up at her, just continued working. She couldn’t make sense out of any of it, but he didn’t look concerned exactly, just intense.
“Okay,” Colton said quietly a few minutes later. “I’m going to snip this wire, and we’ll be good.”
She held her breath, waiting for him to do it.
Seconds passed, the longest ones of her life, and she squeezed her eyes shut. This was it. She knew it. This was how it was all going to end—tied up to an explosive with the man she cared about getting killed right along with her.
She didn’t even have the guts to tell him how she felt in her last moment.
Snip.
She opened her eyes.
Colton was slowly removing the explosive device from her chair, handling it with extreme care. He walked cautiously across the back of the stage, setting it down somewhere she couldn’t see. The larger device was still near her, but it didn’t matter. Colton would come back and get her out of here.
“Here I am,” he said a moment later, and suddenly a knife was slicing through the ropes on her wrists.
She moaned in both agony and relief as blood rushed back to her hands. Leaning over in her chair, she was barely aware as Colton cut at the ropes on her feet. The doorway to the auditorium suddenly burst open, and she heard movement as a few people come down the aisles. “We’re backstage!” Colton barked out. “Approach with extreme caution.”
The knife finally cut through the rest of the ropes, and her legs were freed.
“Easy, sweetheart,” Colton said, lifting her up into his arms. She clung to him desperately, shaking with sobs as he carried her toward the curtain and people approaching. She sobbed into his chest, feeling his bullet-proof vest beneath her cheek. He carried her easily in his muscular arms, like she weighed nothing at all.
An EMT came in the auditorium door wheeling a stretcher, and Colton brushed past him. “I’ve got her!”
A beat later, and he was rushing her outside into the blinding sunlight. There were ambulances and police cars and all sorts of commotion around the school. She weakly lifted a hand, shielding her eyes from the sun.
“Morgan!” a voice sounding like Jake’s called out.
She heard men arguing in the background, and she looked up at Colton. “You came for me,” she gasped.
His blue eyes filled with emotion. “Of course I came for you.”
“We just met,” she said, echoing their conversation from days earlier.
He nodded. “And I’m already falling for you.”
Epilogue
Morgan blinked in the late afternoon sunlight, looking around her bedroom at Jake’s house. “Knock, knock!” her brother called out before walking in carrying a bottled water and sandwich. “You slept through lunch,” Jake said, setting the plate and water bottle on her nightstand.
Morgan sat up, rubbing her eyes. “You should’ve woken me.”
Jake lifted a shoulder. “I figured you needed your sleep.”
She nodded groggily. “Is it still Sunday?”
He chuckled. “Yep. You’ve been asleep for nearly eighteen hours—all last night and most of today.”
“Damn,” Morgan said, taking the water bottle and twisting the cap off. She took a tentative sip. “I guess getting held hostage takes a lot out of you. Oh! How’s Anna?” she asked, nearly spilling the water as she set it back down.
“Good,” Jake said, sinking down onto the bed beside her. “She’s still in the hospital and has a concussion, so she’ll be there a couple more days. I figured we could go visit her tomorrow. You need to rest up and eat today.”
“Did you tell mom?”
Jake nodded. “She was frantic. I convinced her to wait until tomorrow to come see you though since you’d been sleeping all day. But speaking of visitors, someone is here to see you.” He raised his eyebrows and looked at her expectantly.
She flushed, realizing he must mean Colton.
Colton was here? Even knowing that Jake would see them together? Even after he’d been mad at her?
“Well, where is he?” she asked.
“In the living room. I told him I’d check with you before letting him back here.”
“So you’re…okay with this.”
Jake scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Hell. I’m annoyed neither of you mentioned it to me. Why’s it some big secret that you’re together?”
“It’s not—I mean, we just met. And we’re not together,” she added hastily.
Jake chuckled. “You could’ve fooled me. The guy’s been waiting out there for hours for you to wake up. He was livid they wouldn’t let him in to see you in the ER.”
“God,” Morgan muttered, running a hand through her hair. “I must look awful.”
“You look fine. And Morgan? Give the guy a break. I don’t know what happened, but he said he screwe
d up. He was nearly beside himself when he rushed off to rescue you—and trust me, Colton is usually cool, calm, and collected in those situations. He cares about you.”
“I care about him,” she said softly.
Jake threw his hands in the air as he stood back up. “Well don’t let me stand in the way of true love.”
Laughing quietly, she watched as her brother left the room to get him.
***
Colton looked up as Jake walked into the living room, half expecting his friend to kick him out. He wouldn’t be happy about leaving, but if Morgan didn’t want to see him, he’d understand. That didn’t mean he’d give up on them, but he wouldn’t do anything to upset her further.
“She wants to see you,” Jake said, sinking down into a chair.
“Damn,” Colton said, jumping up from his own seat. “Thank God.”
“I wish you would’ve told me about you two,” Jake said, raising his eyebrows.
“Yeah, well, I wish she would’ve told me she was your sister.”
Jake burst out laughing. “Hell. What do you know.”
Colton shook his head, crossing the room. “We’ll talk later. I need to see her.”
Jake chuckled behind him. “Does this mean I get to be best man at the wedding?”
Colton was down the hallway in several long strides, trying not to smirk at Jake’s comment. Maybe he would marry her one day. If the way he’d felt when he’d nearly lost her was any indication, he’d already fallen in love with her.
A beat later, he was gently pushing open the door to Morgan’s room. She looked up the moment he entered, and his heart stopped when he saw how pale and fragile she looked on her bed. Her hair was hanging around her shoulders, and the thin top she had on didn’t seem like nearly enough to protect her from the world.
Morgan was a fighter. He knew that better than anyone now, but to have the woman he was falling in love with nearly taken from him? It was almost too much to bear.
He crossed the room in an instant, crouching down beside her bed. Morgan immediately burst into tears, and he collected her in his arms, his lips brushing over her hair. “Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he said gruffly.
Be Mine Tonight (Line of Duty Book 2) Page 12
