by Rebecca Deel
“Also in the air. The Shadow unit will be on the ground in less than an hour.”
Brent settled deeper into his seat and shifted Alexa enough to take pressure off his ribs. “Anything else I need to know?”
“Carstairs hasn’t crawled out of his cave yet.”
“Have my home checked. I’m taking Rowan and Alexa home with me.”
“I’ll take care of it.” His communications guru paused. “I hear you got nailed pretty good before you left.”
Someone had been talking too much. “I’m fine.”
A snort. “Right. I’ll let you know if something comes up,” Zane said and ended the call.
A warm weight settled on his shoulder. “Where’s Jake?” Rowan asked.
Alarm snaked up his spine. Had he been right about Rowan? “Where are you hurt?”
“Not for me. For you.” She nodded toward his biceps.
He glanced down. A dull ache commenced. He sighed. That’s the way it always happened. Injuries didn’t register at first because of the adrenaline rush. “It’s not bad, baby.”
She frowned. “I want Jake to check. Please.”
Jake was already moving, mike bag in hand. The medic raised the arm on the seat so Brent could swing his legs into the aisle and give him access to the injury without dislodging Alexa.
The medic shoved up Brent’s shirt sleeve. He opened his bag and cleaned the wound. “Needs stitches, boss.”
“Do it.”
“Will it hurt, Brent?” Alexa mumbled.
“No, sugar. Jake’s good at patching me up.”
Jake numbed his arm, glanced at Rowan. “Shift to Brent’s other side, Rowan. He needs a distraction. Can’t have him passing out with this little angel in his arms.” He grinned. “I won’t tell if you whisper sweet nothings in his ear.”
Chuckles broke out all over the plane from operatives who knew the instruction was for Rowan’s benefit, not his. Brent had stitched himself on the battlefield without the benefit of anesthesia when there was no time to wait for the meds to kick in. Brent turned his head and saw why Jake had made the suggestion to Rowan. She looked pale and on the verge of passing out herself. “Come here, baby.” He freed one arm from holding Alexa and wrapped it around Rowan. Settling her into his side, he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You kept your head and protected Alexa. You did what was necessary until I found you.” Man, he longed to tell Rowan he loved her, but didn’t want to spill his guts and beg her to give him a chance to love her for life with an avid audience of Fortress operatives.
“I was scared to death,” she said.
“Being brave means doing what’s necessary in spite of the fear.” He glanced at Alexa, noted the closed eyes and steady breathing. Man, she’d just dropped off to sleep. Brent turned his attention to Rowan, studied her a moment. “Tell me the truth, baby. Did Phillips, Garcia, or any of their flunkies hurt you?”
She looked away without answering.
Brent’s gut tightened. “Sweetheart, look at me.” He waited until her gaze locked with his. “Who hurt you?”
“Garcia was angry about the records,” she whispered.
“What did he do?”
“Nothing. Snake Skin did the work.”
“Relax your arm, boss,” Jake murmured.
Rowan’s face was unmarked, indicating Snake Skin stuck to body shots. She must be hurting, yet Rowan hadn’t uttered one word of complaint. “If I hadn’t already killed him and Garcia, I’d go back and take care of them,” he murmured. From the heated rumbling sweeping through the plane’s cabin, his operatives were angry as well. “When Jake finishes with my arm, he’ll check you.”
“Brent.”
“You could have internal injuries, Rowan.” Jake glanced up from his work. “Alexa needs you.” He tipped his chin at Brent. “So does he. Do it for them.”
She sighed, nodded.
After Jake completed the last stitch, he grabbed his mike bag and stepped back for Rowan to slip into the aisle. “This way.” The medic took her to the bedroom behind their row of seats and motioned for Celia, one of the PSI medic trainees, to join them.
Brent appreciated his sensitivity. Rowan would be more comfortable with a female medic in the room, trainee or not, despite the fact she trusted Jake.
When they returned, Brent noticed traces of tears on her cheeks. His eyes narrowed at the medic.
Jake held up his hand. “Rowan’s ribs, stomach, and back are bruised. Garcia’s man didn’t use full power, but he didn’t hold back his punches much. I gave her meds for pain so she’ll be more comfortable on the ride home. Nothing heavy duty. I promised she’d be alert when the plane landed. No internal injuries, Brent, although she’ll be sore for a few days.”
“Thanks.” When Rowan returned to her seat, Brent wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
“You’ve endured worse, I’m sure. I’ll recover.”
“I should have protected you better.”
“You did everything possible and you got us out alive. The bad guys are dead or will be soon. I call that a win for the good guys.” Her words began slurring.
“Sleep, sweetheart. You’re safe with me.”
“I know.” Rowan settled against his shoulder. “I love you,” she murmured and went limp.
Brent’s heart skipped a beat, then started pounding madly in his chest. She loved him? He longed for her to repeat the words, make sure he hadn’t misunderstood her. Couldn’t because she’d succumbed to the meds Jake administered to help her sleep.
He closed his eyes. The next few hours would be a slow form of torture while he waited for Rowan to wake and confirm the statement he desperately hoped she meant.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Rowan climbed from Brent’s SUV into the cool Nashville evening, swayed. Man, she had stiffened up on the plane ride home.
“Easy, sweetheart.” Brent supported her with an arm around her waist. “Let me get Alexa.” He nudged her to lean against the SUV, opened the back door, and lifted the girl into his arms.
Seeing Alexa wrap her arms around Brent and snuggle against his neck made Rowan smile. Seems like her niece had a crush on the handsome SEAL. Understandable. So did her aunt.
After dealing with the security, he ushered them inside his house. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Where’s he going?” Alexa asked once Brent left the room, slipping her hand into Rowan’s. “He’s not leaving, is he?”
“To the SUV, Lex. He has to bring in his bag.” From what Rowan observed, none of the Fortress operatives traveled without those black bags. They had certainly been packed full of useful equipment.
He returned with his bag in hand. Rowan noted the slight tightening of his features as he maneuvered the bag through the doorway. Knowing Brent, he wouldn’t take anything to dull the pain while she and Alexa were in danger. Maybe he’d be willing to take over-the-counter medication.
He brushed a kiss over Rowan’s mouth. “I need to secure my bag in case someone becomes curious about the contents.” With that, he left the room, ruffling Alexa’s hair as he went.
“I like him,” her niece whispered.
“Me, too.” She more than liked him. Rowan was crazy in love with Brent Maddox. Now if he was in love with her, life would be sweet.
When he returned, Brent held out his hand to Alexa. “Are you hungry, sugar?”
“For ice cream.”
He laughed. “I have pizza in the freezer. Sound good?”
“Yes! I love pizza!”
“Okay with you, baby?”
“Sounds great.” As long as she didn’t have to cook, she wouldn’t complain.
After dinner, Brent showed Rowan and Alexa the room his nieces and nephews slept in, one filled with the toys. Alexa’s eyes lit. “Can I play, Aunt Ro?”
Rowan glanced at her watch. “Kind of late, Lex. It’s a
lmost midnight.”
She immediately turned her gaze to Brent. “Can I, Brent?”
“Lex.” Oh, boy. Alexa had turned on the charm, flashing those ocean-blue eyes at the SEAL. What would he say?
“Hey, kiddo.” Brent knelt in front of Alexa. “The toys will be here tomorrow. Maybe we can compromise. Rowan, what do you think about allowing Alexa to play for thirty minutes, then go to sleep?”
She pretended to think about it for a few seconds. “All right. Thirty minutes, Lex.”
When she tucked Alexa in bed for the night, her niece grabbed her hand. “Where’s Mommy?”
Rowan froze, gut churning. Brent’s hand squeezed her shoulder in silent support. She talked with Alexa and held her niece through the emotional storm, Brent’s strong arms around them both.
When Alexa finally slept, Brent led Rowan down the hall. Before they reached the living room, he stopped, pressed her back against the wall, and moved within an inch. “Brent?”
“I know the timing is lousy, but tell me again. Please.”
She blinked. “Tell you what?”
“You know what. Say the words again, Rowan. I need to hear you say them.”
Her lips curved with tenderness and amusement as her focus shifted from her niece to the man who meant everything to her. “I love you, Brent Maddox.”
“Thank God,” he muttered before his mouth captured hers. He spent long minutes expressing the depth of his feelings. Long, drugging kisses left her mind fuzzy and her heart racing. Even though he hadn’t said the words, Rowan couldn’t miss how he felt about her.
He lifted his head, lips swollen, and gazed deep into her eyes. “I love you, Rowan Scott,” he murmured. “When Phillips had you, then took you to Mexico, I was afraid I might not have the chance to tell you my heart is yours. I don’t want to live without you.”
“And Alexa?” she asked softly.
He laughed. “Are you kidding? She captured my heart the minute she held up her arms for me to carry her. I’m not letting either of you go.” Brent cupped her cheek. “I’m not in a hurry, my love. I know Alexa will need time to become used to me. I’ll wait until both of you are ready. We have the rest of our lives.”
How had she been blessed enough to have Brent in her life? “Shouldn’t take long. Alexa likes you.”
“Then we’re a matched set because I like her, too. Come on. Time for you to rest as well.”
“What about you?”
“You know the answer to that.”
“Your operatives aren’t on watch?”
He smiled.
Of course. A man of secrets. She suspected Fortress surrounded the house, keeping watch over the three of them. Minutes later, Rowan slipped into bed. Seemed as though minutes went by when she heard Brent call her name from the doorway. She sat up. “What’s wrong?”
“Perimeter alarm went off. We have company.”
“Again?”
“Sorry, baby. I want you and Alexa in the safe room.”
Thankful she chose to sleep in her workout gear, Rowan jammed her feet into tennis shoes, then ran with Brent to Alexa. She pushed past him and shook her niece’s shoulder. “Lex, wake up.”
“It’s still dark,” the girl complained.
“Shh. We need to play hide and seek again, Lex,” Rowan whispered.
Brent scooped the girl into his arms. “Come on, sugar.” He handed her the stuffed rabbit and dog she’d been sleeping with. “I have a special room for you and your aunt to stay in while I check the house.”
“The bad guys won’t find us?”
“If they find the room, they won’t get inside. I won’t let anything happen to you or your aunt, Alexa. I promise.”
“And you don’t break promises.”
“That’s right, sugar.” He moved into the hallway.
“How did Garcia’s men find us so fast?” Rowan asked.
“I don’t think the cartel is to blame this time.”
A deep voice coming from the end of the hall stopped Brent and Rowan in their tracks. “You’re correct, Maddox. It’s not a cartel soldier pointing a gun at your woman.”
CHAPTER FORTY
Brent’s blood ran cold, his focus wholly on the disgraced operative standing in the shadows. “Carstairs. The police are looking for you. Not a smart move to slip custody. They dislike it when people leave before they’re released.”
A snort. “They’ll never find me.”
Brent turned to the side, making Alexa a smaller target. He pressed a button on his watch, then handed the girl to Rowan. He moved to stand in front of them, shielding them from Carstairs’ view. “What do you want?”
“You, dead.”
Alexa started crying.
Ticked Brent off that she was being subjected to more trauma, this time in the place he’d hoped to make her sanctuary. If she couldn’t handle living in this house once he married Rowan, Brent would find another place where his girls felt safe.
His jaw clenched. If Rowan agreed to marry him after this latest incident. Something else to hold against the rogue operative if Rowan refused to merge her life with Brent’s.
He wouldn’t blame her, but he prayed she was strong enough to take him on anyway. “Let Rowan and the girl leave. They have no part in this.”
Harsh laughter echoed in the hallway. “Why would I let them leave when you’ll do anything to keep them alive? Besides, your woman attacked me. You think I’ll let that pass without repercussions?”
As Carstairs bragged about his prowess as an operative, Brent felt Rowan removing his Sig from his holster. He turned so his right hand was hidden from the man holding Brent’s future family hostage. Seconds later, his hand wrapped around the grip.
At the same time, his watch vibrated twice. His operatives were converging on the house and would arrive soon. Brent wanted this resolved before his operatives arrived. No one broke into his home and threatened his family. “Why do you want me dead, Carstairs?”
That stunned the man into silence for a moment. “You destroyed my life.”
“That was your doing. You made the choice to use drugs to get ahead and were caught.”
Carstairs cursed. “You made it so I can’t work anywhere.”
“There are organizations who would hire you.” Not good ones.
“The companies I want to work for wouldn’t look at me. You’re responsible for that. My only employment option is assassin-for-hire. I’m kicking off my new career by killing you and your girlfriend. A free treat for me.”
“Did you think there wouldn’t be repercussions for what you did?” Brent asked. “You came after my girlfriend and wounded one of my operatives in a bid for revenge.”
“If you and your PSI group weren’t so self-righteous, I would have been the best at everything. Yeah, I came after your woman and pathetic operatives. I’m not sorry. And I won’t be sorry to take out Josh Cahill and his band of thugs.” A grin. “They’re next on my list of free hits. After that, I’ll strike out on my own. I’ll be rolling in money soon.”
“You made a huge mistake,” Brent said, voice soft.
“My only mistake was letting you live this long.” Carstairs smirked. “Say goodbye to your woman, Maddox. I might let her live if she begs hard enough.”
Before the echo of the last word faded, Brent raised his weapon and pulled the trigger twice.
Surprise crossed Carstairs’ face before he dropped to the floor.
Brent kicked the gun from his hand and checked for a pulse as his operatives appeared at the end of the hall, didn’t find one. “Did you get that, Zane?”
His tech guru’s voice came from the watch. “All of it. I’ll send a copy of the audio recording to Taylor.”
“Thanks.” He ended the call and returned his weapon to his holster, turned. “You and Alexa all right, baby?”
Before she could answer, Alexa launched herself from Rowan’s arms into Brent’s, stuffed animals clutched in her hands.
He shifted so Alex
a wouldn’t see Carstairs’ body. “I’ve got you, sugar,” he murmured in her ear. “You’re safe. I promised, right?”
“Uh huh. No more bad men?”
“No more, sweetheart.”
“Can I play now?”
He smiled. “Sounds like a good plan. Betsy, do you mind playing with Alexa?” he asked the female operative who had arrived with her teammates.
“No, sir. I love to play with toys.” She took Alexa in her arms, angling her body to keep Carstairs out of the child’s sight. “Did you see a dollhouse in the playroom, Alexa?”
“Uh huh.”
“Awesome. I have one of my own.”
“Really?”
“I have a picture of it on my phone. Come with me and I’ll show it to you.”
Brent approached Rowan, afraid to touch her, afraid she’d reject him because of the taint of violence on his hands and in his life. “Rowan,” he murmured.
Her gaze shifted from Carstairs’ body to Brent.
“Are you okay?”
A slow head shake was his answer. His gut tightened. “What do you need?”
“You.”
He covered the distance between them in two steps and wrapped her in his arms. Over his shoulder, he said, “How did Carstairs breach the house that quickly?”
“That’s on us, sir,” an operative said. “He had a partner who tripped the perimeter alarm on the other side of the house. We chased him down, but Carstairs slipped through without tripping a secondary alarm.”
“Find out how he did it and close the loophole.”
“Yes, sir. Cops will be here in five.”
Brent pressed a kiss to Rowan’s forehead. “Come on. Let’s wait in the living room. Alexa will be fine. Betsy won’t let her out of the room until it’s safe for her. If Alexa needs you, Betsy will let us know.”
On the couch, Brent gathered her close. By the time the police arrived, Rowan had stopped shaking. “Only answer the questions they ask, babe. Don’t volunteer anything.”
The next hours passed in agonizing slowness. He hated being separated from Rowan for questioning. When Taylor arrived, the interview process moved faster.
