by Maya Banks
me and he’ll suffer.”
“Reggie. Goddamn it. No!” He wouldn’t let her sacrifice herself for him.
But the choice wasn’t his. He found himself shoved forward, falling to the floor with a thump. He rolled, desperate to see what was happening around him.
Reggie crouched in a defensive position as Daniel closed in on her. Hutch yanked at the ropes around his wrists, uncaring of the fact they were shredding his skin. He couldn’t let her face Daniel alone. She didn’t stand a chance against the big son of a bitch, no matter how good she was.
Daniel lunged, and she ducked then launched herself across the floor toward her gun. She hit the carpet with a thump when Daniel snagged her ankle.
“Bitch,” he snarled. “You’ll pay for this. He’ll watch you die all right. And it won’t be quick. I’m going to enjoy taking you apart, piece by piece.”
She whipped her other foot out and connected with his jaw. He grunted but held on to her ankle and slowly dragged her toward him.
Hutch yanked frantically, trying desperately to loosen the ropes. He wouldn’t watch her die. Damn it, where were the cops she promised were showing up?
Daniel let go of her ankle, but grasped her shirt in his beefy hand and yanked her to her feet. He held her up so that her feet dangled from the floor. And then he backhanded her, sending her reeling.
Son of a bitch! Fury ignited like a brushfire. One of the ropes gave way and he had his hand free. He tore at the ropes that were slick with his blood.
Reggie recovered quickly and backed away, keeping space between her and Daniel. Her gun was behind Daniel.
Good, keep him away from you, baby. Please.
The final piece of rope fell free, and he reached for the bonds circling his ankles.
Keep him busy. Just a few more seconds. I won’t let you die for me, Reggie.
Daniel grunted in pain, and Hutch looked up to see Reggie on bended knee, her fist buried in Daniel’s balls. Good girl.
But then she went sprawling when Daniel clipped her with one of those big-as-a-brick fists.
Her cry of pain split the air. Hutch cursed his numb fingers as they fumbled with the ropes.
There was a flurry of action when Daniel went after Reggie and she came up fighting. She connected with a roundhouse kick that managed to knock Daniel back a step. She pressed her momentary advantage by throwing a barrage of punches to his midsection, and then she clipped him with an uppercut.
She was a blur of elbows, fists and feet as she continued to back Daniel across the floor. If Hutch hadn’t been so damn scared for her, he’d have admired the way she totally kicked ass.
Blood poured from her nose, but she didn’t even stop to wipe it as she continued her relentless assault. She executed a mean jab and must have found the bullet wound, because Daniel’s muffled cry of pain echoed across the room.
Finally the rope came free, and Hutch scrambled to his feet. He launched himself at Daniel, and they went down in a heap. His brother was built like a damn cement block. It was like hitting a brick wall going sixty miles per hour.
Hutch played dirty. He rammed his fist into the shoulder that had taken the bullet. Daniel grunted but threw a punch of his own, knocking Hutch off him.
As Hutch struggled to his feet, Daniel charged him, bellowing like an angry bull.
Reggie stepped in front of him and went down under Daniel’s assault. Rage blinded Hutch. Fury that Reggie had placed herself in front of him, fury that Daniel had hurt her.
Reggie reared back with her head and butted Daniel right in the nose. Blood spurted as Daniel howled in pain. Hutch leapt for him, knocking him off Reggie as they rolled in a mass of twisted arms and legs.
Hutch slugged him in the shoulder again then followed it up with one to his nose. The combined force of him and Reggie was getting to Daniel. His attack was weakening. Hutch felt a surge of hope. He and Reggie might get out of this yet.
Daniel connected with a fist to Hutch’s chin, and Hutch fell back. Daniel turned on Reggie again as she dragged herself to her feet. The gun was just a few feet from her, and she lunged for it, landing on her stomach as she reached.
Daniel reached down, grabbed Reggie by the back of her neck and pulled her up with one hand. He tossed her back, and she landed with a thump several feet away. Hutch lunged for the gun, but Daniel got to it first.
It was one of those moments when according to books and movies, things were supposed to move in slow motion. But Hutch barely processed the next few seconds.
Daniel raised the gun and pointed it directly at Reggie.
“Noooo!” Hutch yelled.
The shot echoed like a cannon in the small room. Hutch looked at Reggie in horror, but it was Daniel who faltered and then sank like a sagging puppet to the floor. The gun fell from his hand, and he clutched at his chest, sucking air like a friggin’ guppy.
Hutch yanked his head around to see Jeremy standing in the doorway, gun drawn. Behind him, a half dozen cops poured into the room. The entire world had gone to hell.
Reggie.
He whirled around again, searching for her. She sank to her knees, but she was alive. Sweet relief burst over him. Never had he seen such a beautiful sight as Reggie kneeling on the carpet as her fellow cops surrounded her.
He dragged himself to his feet and stumbled over to her. He threw one cop out of the way and yanked her into his arms.
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again, baby.”
“Me?” she sputtered. “You’re the one who disappeared on me. I find your empty truck on the side of the road, your blood, and you nowhere to be found. If anyone was scared it was me.”
He held her close, stroking his hand over her hair.
“Can we get out of here?” he said.
They pushed themselves to their feet, unsteady as a couple of toddlers learning to walk. She looked like hell, and God only knew how bad he looked. But he needed air. He needed to be away from the sight of his brother lying on the floor as the paramedics tended to him. As much as he wanted to feel hatred for Daniel, all he could summon was deep sadness.
Reggie hooked his arm over her shoulder, and began helping him toward the door. Oh hell no.
He dropped his arm and tucked her against his side, determined to help her.
She dragged his arm back up to her shoulders and held it there in her firm grip as they both staggered out the door into the night.
“How the hell did you find me?” he muttered. “I don’t even know where the fuck we are.”
“It wasn’t easy. I had to comb the entire countryside after I found your truck. I had the whole department looking.”
“I feel like I got run over by a damn Mack truck,” he said with a groan.
“You look like it too,” she said.
“Well you don’t look much better.”
She grinned, and he felt the heaviness in his chest ease.
“Aww, fuck,” she muttered.
He followed her gaze to see Sawyer and Cam standing by one of the police cars. They both looked worried as hell, but when they recognized him and Reggie staggering toward them, he could see relief lighten their features, drawn harsh by the glare of flashing lights.
He glanced back down at Reggie and saw the haunted look in her eyes, the fear and strain crowding her features. He tightened his arm around her.
“You two look like shit,” Sawyer said.
“Aren’t you observant,” Reggie said snidely.
Cam heaved an exaggerated sigh. “They probably think they deserve special attention. I’m not doing all the cooking.”
Reggie glared at both Cam and Sawyer while Hutch did all he could to hold in his laughter. God, this was what he needed. For a moment he could forget that he’d almost lost everything that was important to him to someone who had once meant everything to him.
Reggie trembled against him and started to sag. He made a grab for her, but his own knees buckled, and they went down in a heap on the ground.
> He groaned and looked up to see Cam and Sawyer staring down at them, both shaking their heads.
Sawyer made a tsking sound. “Pathetic.” He reached down to haul Hutch up while Cam reached for Reggie, cradling her in his arms.
“Be careful with her,” Hutch rasped. “She took a beating in there.”
“Yes, I see,” Cam said quietly.
Two medics from the second ambulance on scene hurried over, jump bags in hand. One of them reached for Reggie, only to be halted by Cam’s steely glare.
“Let us check her out,” the paramedic said.
Sawyer was holding Hutch up, which was a good damn thing, because he’d lost all the feeling in both feet.
“I’ll carry her,” Cam said. “Where do you want her?”
“Over by the truck.” The medic gestured toward the flashing ambulance twenty yards over. “Can you walk?” he asked Hutch.
“I’ll make sure he gets there,” Sawyer said grimly.
“Thanks man, I owe you,” Hutch said as Sawyer half dragged, half carried him toward the ambulance.
“No offense dude, but I think I’ll wait to collect until you’re looking a little better.”
Hutch snorted. “Big of you.”
There was silence as he and Sawyer followed behind Cam. Then in a low voice, Sawyer asked, “How bad is she, Hutch? What happened in there?”
They got to the ambulance, and Cam laid Reggie on a stretcher while Sawyer leaned Hutch against the back of the ambulance.
“She stuck up for me,” Hutch said quietly. “The little fool gave herself up for me and taunted Daniel into letting me go in exchange for killing her. Then she tried to beat the hell out of him. Succeeded for the most part.”
Sawyer shook his head. “It doesn’t surprise me in the least.” He chanced a glance at Reggie, who was being checked over by the paramedic. “You think she’ll be okay?”
“Yeah, I do,” Hutch replied. “She took a beating but she gave as good as she got. We’ll both feel like shit in the morning, but I don’t think it’s anything serious.” He hoped. God, he hoped.
His gaze found Sawyer’s. “I understand why she did it,” he said quietly.
Sawyer cocked his head. “Did what?”
Hutch took a deep breath. “When I was in there, and Daniel was whaling on Reggie, when I thought for sure he’d kill her and I’d lose her forever, I realized why she deceived us, because in that moment? I’d have done anything to protect her. I’d lie, cheat, steal. I would kill a man and I wouldn’t give a shit about the consequences. But you know what? It doesn’t mean I don’t love her. It just means I’d do anything to keep her safe. If she loves us half as much then I understand why she lied to us.”
Sawyer heaved a sigh, looked away then glanced back at Hutch, his eyes a little wild in the headlights and flashing blue and red. “Yeah, I hear you, man. I feel the same way. But in the end, she has to want to stay, you know? We can’t force her, and I wouldn’t want to.”
Hutch nodded, but he felt a little lighter and not as panicky as he had earlier. She loved them. She had to. He wouldn’t believe that it had all been an act. No one was that good.
Hutch waved off the medic as he walked over to check him over.
“I’m fine,” he said.
“Are you sure?” the medic asked.
Hutch nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. Just check Reggie out. Make sure she’s okay. Make sure she hasn’t broken her damn wrist. It was already injured.”
The medic chuckled. “I think she’ll be just fine. She’s steadily cursing my partner over there. I left before she started threatening me as well.”
Sawyer laughed, and Hutch could hear the relief in his voice. If Reggie was making threats, she was just fine.
CHAPTER 36
Regina lay curled in a ball on the ambulance stretcher, scowling as one of the medics poked and prodded at her. Cam’s fingers were laced with hers, a gesture she drew comfort from. He couldn’t hate her too much, right? He was here. He and Sawyer both were here. Only she’d lost track of both Sawyer and Hutch in the confusion.
“Sawyer? Hutch? Where the hell are they?” she demanded. Where the hell were they? Surely they wouldn’t leave. They couldn’t be that angry with her, could they?
The grip around her fingers tightened. “Calm down, Reggie. They’re here.”
What wasn’t Cam telling her? Had Hutch been hurt worse than she thought? Panic tightened its grip around her, squeezing mercilessly.
She struggled against the hands holding her down, fought to sit up. “Hutch!”
“I’m here, baby.”
She saw him push his way through the people surrounding her, and she went weak with relief. “Where’s Sawyer?”
Her gaze scanned the faces. They all swam in the cascade of flashing lights, and she blinked to try and make sense of it all.
A strong hand gripped her shoulder and shoved her back down on the stretcher. Relief caved her chest inward. Sawyer.
“Don’t make me strap your ass to this stretcher,” Sawyer growled. “Quit giving the medics such a hard time, and let them check you out.”
“Make sure Hutch is okay,” she said groggily. “His hands were a mess.”
“How ’bout you let me worry about Hutch, and you concentrate on patching your pretty little ass up, okay?” Sawyer said.
“I’m not going to the hospital,” she huffed. “I’m fine. Want you to take me home.”
Cam squeezed her hand, and Sawyer stroked the hair from her face.
“And where is home, Reggie darling?”
She frowned. “Wherever the hell you take me.”
Sawyer chuckled. “Good answer, honey. Good answer.”
“Where’s Hutch?” she demanded again.
“I’m right here, baby,” he said, and she turned her head to see him standing there beside her. Concern creased his brow as he stared down at her. “I wonder if you shouldn’t go to the hospital and let them scan that noggin of yours. You seem a bit fuzzy.”
She pushed Sawyer’s hand away from her shoulder and sat straight up. “I don’t need to go to the goddamn hospital. What I need is for everyone to back the fuck off so I can breathe. And then I want to go home.” She was desperate for home. Their arms. Being with them.
The paramedic gave the guys a look of sympathy and then retreated with his jump bag. “She’s all yours,” he said.
She glanced over at Hutch and saw that he hadn’t been tended to at all.
“Goddamn paramedics,” she grumbled. “I told them to make sure Hutch was taken care of.”
Cam’s hand stole up her neck, and he massaged gently at the nape. She groaned in sheer bliss and leaned into his touch.
“Not to worry, love. Sawyer and I will take care of our baby brother as soon as we get the both of you home.”
She looked gratefully up at Cam. He must have heard by now that it had been Hutch’s brother behind the attacks. With his statement, he reemphasized that Hutch had two brothers who cared about him.
“Baby my ass,” Hutch growled. “What are you, six months older than me?”
“Seven,” Sawyer said with a grin. “I’m six months older. Cam is seven.”
“And you wouldn’t keep count, I suppose,” Hutch said darkly.
“Can we go already?” she asked as she slid off the stretcher. Her feet hit the ground, and she went down like a rock, her knees buckling and the rest of her sliding to the ground like jelly.
Sawyer and Cam both made a grab for her and hauled her to her feet between them.
