by Kat Martin
“Are you okay?” Gray whispered, his voice so low she could barely catch the words.
“Yes,” she whispered back. “Where are we going?”
Gray came to a sudden halt, turning to face her. “You’re going back to the house. The master bedroom doubles as a safe room. It even has steel panels that cover the windows. Just punch the silver button on the wall next to the door.”
She stared up at him. The rain had plastered his hair to his head and his sweats were soaked. He should have looked like a drowned rat. Instead his grim expression and the handgun he held clutched in his fingers warned this was a trained warrior on a mission.
This was Detective Gray Hawkins.
“I’m not going without you,” she protested.
“There’s no cell service here,” he warned. “You have to get back to the house to call 9-1-1. Otherwise we’re both dead.”
Her brows snapped together. “Fine. Come with me.”
He was shaking his head before she finished speaking. “I’m going to lead them down the mountain; then I’ll double back.” They both froze as they heard the sound of shouts from behind them. “Go, Mel,” Gray urged in a harsh voice.
Accepting that the only way to assist Gray was to get to the house and call for backup, Mel went on her tiptoes to place a fleeting kiss on his lips before turning to scamper over a fallen tree trunk and along the low ridge.
Reaching the fence that surrounded the estate, she climbed over it. Inside the house the alarms would be blaring, but they weren’t connected to the local authorities. She still had to get someplace where she had cell service to call for help.
She continued to battle her way through the underbrush, at last reaching the narrow pathway that Gray had led her down earlier that morning. A shiver raced through her. Right now, it seemed like a lifetime ago.
Stepping out of the trees, Mel gasped as she caught sight of two large men standing on the path, just below her.
“I thought I saw a little birdie flitting through the forest,” the taller of the men drawled.
Hammer. The creep who’d tried to kidnap Donny. Next to him was the thug she recognized from his mug shot. Manny Hamil. Hammer’s brother and partner in crime.
Her heart lodged in her throat, stark fear making her freeze like a deer caught in the headlights.
Hammer smiled in anticipation, waving his hand toward his brother. “Go tell Dobbs that I have the woman.”
Manny frowned. “Why don’t we just take her with us?”
“I intend to have a little fun with her first.”
“But—”
“Go,” Hammer barked, sending his brother a warning glare.
Manny muttered a curse, but obediently turned to head back into the trees. Hammer studied Mel, a cruel smile curving his thin lips.
“Well, well. I finally get to have you all to myself.” His smile widened. “I’ve been thinking about how I intend to punish you.”
Mel trembled, but his harsh threat stiffened her courage. She’d grown up surrounded by drug users who were always willing to abuse a young girl. She’d discovered how to be a master of the quick escape.
Clearing her mind, she concentrated on her surroundings. She could run, but she didn’t doubt the larger man could catch her. Plus, there was every possibility he had a weapon beneath his rain jacket. Screaming would be a waste of energy.
Her only hope seemed to be finding a way to distract him. But what?
Her gaze darted from side to side, and distantly she realized where they were. They were standing at the precise spot where she’d fallen into the ditch.
Perfect. It was her best chance. She swallowed a hysterical urge to laugh. Not her best chance—it was her only chance.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said, not having to fake the fear in her voice as she moved toward the edge of the pathway.
Hammer smiled, walking toward her with cocky confidence. “Actually, I do, you interfering bitch. You ruined everything.”
“Because I didn’t let you kidnap a helpless little boy?” she demanded, her heels hanging off the edge of the drop-off.
“It was none of your business,” he snarled.
She tilted her chin in a gesture sure to challenge the testosterone-bloated fool.
“I always make it my business when oversized bullies are picking on little kids,” she mocked. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Easily provoked by the chiding words, he lunged for her. “When I’m done with you—”
Hammer cursed as Mel quickly darted to the side. It wasn’t until the idiot tried to turn back, however, that he realized the ground was crumbling beneath his feet. He grunted in surprise, his arms windmilling as he struggled to regain his balance.
Mel kept her wary gaze on the man while she bent down to grab a heavy rock. Then, as he tumbled backward to roll into the ditch, she leaped forward and landed next to him. Without giving herself time to consider what she was doing, she smashed the rock against the side of his head.
There was a terrible crunching sound and his eyes slid closed as his body went limp. Mel didn’t bother to check for his pulse. Right now, she didn’t care whether he was alive or dead. Instead she reached beneath his jacket, finding the weapon he had holstered at his side.
She clutched it in her hand and turned back to hurry up the pathway. The quicker she could call the cops, the quicker she could head back out to help Gray.
Lowering her head, Mel slogged through the mud. The wind and rain were deafening as she struggled forward, which meant that she had no warning anyone was behind her.
Not until a hand reached out to grasp her arm.
Chapter Eleven
Gray returned to where his car had slid off the road. Searching for the perfect spot, he waited for Dobbs to cautiously make her way toward the wrecked vehicle.
“I know you’re there, Hawkins, show yourself,” the detective called out.
Gray pressed his back against the trunk of a large tree, his gaze searching for any sign of the Hamil brothers or Leo Blake. Where were they?
The thought that they might be tracking down Mel made his stomach cramp with terror. It was only his years of training that kept him focused on the woman who was inching her way toward him.
He had to deal with the danger in front of him before moving to the next.
“The cops are on their way,” he yelled, deliberately leading Gwen in his direction.
“The cops are already here,” she taunted. “Come out and discuss this like a man.”
“You can’t call yourself a cop,” he sneered. “You’re a stain on the badge.”
There was the sound of snapping twigs as the detective pushed her way through the undergrowth. Closer and closer.
“At least I don’t spend my days spying on my fellow officers,” she said, obviously hoping to rattle him. “Are you any less of a traitor?”
“We’ll ask the chief when he gets here,” he suggested.
Her sharp laugh echoed through the air. “If the chief was on his way, why would you be leaving?”
Good point. Gray searched his mind for a reasonable explanation. “I wanted to make sure he didn’t miss the turn in the rain,” he finally said.
“You must think I’m stupid.”
“I think you’ve allowed your greed to overwhelm any morals you might once have possessed.” Convinced that there was no one else nearby, Gray replaced his gun in the holster beneath his sweatshirt. “How much did your house cost? I’m guessing several million. Clever of you to put it in your mother’s name in case anyone started snooping.”
She was close enough for Gray to hear her muttered curse. She hadn’t expected him to have researched her. As far as she knew, no one suspected that she and Leo were the dirty cops.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she insisted.
Gray reached up to grab the nearest branch. The tree was slick from the rain, but digging his fingers into the rough bark, he pulled himself
upward.
“A pity you have to share the cartel money with Leo and the Hamil brothers,” he taunted, carefully climbing to a higher branch. “Oh, and of course, Butch,” he added. He wanted her thinking of anything but the fact that he might be leading her into a trap.
He heard her stumble, followed by more cursing. Then with a determination he might have admired if she wasn’t a lying, greedy bitch who put every other cop at risk, her footsteps restarted.
“Butch?” She forced a laugh. “Never heard the name.”
“He knows you. The prison guard has been singing like a canary for hours.”
Gray could see the woman emerge through the trees. She halted next to a large bush that would act as a shield and pulled her weapon from beneath her jacket. Then, crouching low, she peered around the limbs and fired a shot at where he’d been standing just a minute before.
“Right now, you’re facing drug charges and attempted kidnapping,” he warned, his voice ricocheting through the trees. The echo made it impossible to pinpoint his location. “Do you want to add cop-killer as well?”
Lured by the sound of his voice, Gwen crept forward. When people lived in cities, they never remembered to look up.
“I’ll take my chances,” she said, releasing another shot.
Gray tensed his muscles, at the same time slowing his breathing. The world disappeared as he mentally prepared himself to attack. The sharp breeze, the incessant rain, the creak of the branch beneath his feet. It all disappeared as he concentrated with fierce urgency on the woman who approached with nerve-racking caution.
If she looked up, or even decided to turn back, his opportunity to gain the advantage would be lost. But even as the dark thoughts threatened to distract him, Gwen halted directly below him. Almost as if she could feel he was near.
Gray didn’t even consider pulling his weapon and shooting the woman. Not out of pity. He would kill her in a heartbeat to protect Mel. But a bullet was no guarantee of putting down an opponent. He had a better chance of overpowering her with his superior size.
Gray waited for the detective to squeeze off another random shot before he shoved himself off the branch and plummeted downward.
As he’d hoped, he landed directly on top of Dobbs, crushing her to the ground with enough impact to knock the gun from her hand. She made a strangled sound of fury, her hands reaching up to scratch his face. Gray didn’t hesitate as he pulled back his arm and then slammed his fist against her jaw.
Instantly her eyes rolled back in her head and she went limp beneath him.
Gray didn’t let down his guard. Scrambling off the unconscious woman, he grabbed the gun that had skidded beneath a nearby bush and rose to his feet. What was that sound? The crunch of pine needles? Someone had to be approaching.
Silently moving to crouch behind a thick bush, he tossed aside Gwen’s gun and pulled his own. He couldn’t be certain her weapon was as accurate as his.
Preparing to fire as soon as the prowler revealed himself, Gray stiffened as the sound of a familiar voice called out his name.
“Gray, it’s Ian. Don’t shoot me.”
Soul-deep relief cascaded through Gray as his friend stepped into view, along with Mel, who was walking beside the large man.
Gray straightened, but held his gun ready as he moved toward his friend. “There are at least two others sneaking around here,” he warned.
“Actually, there were three,” Ian told him, his face barely visible behind the thick black slicker he wore with the hood up. “I managed to take down the other cop while my cousin took care of one of the thugs.” He nodded toward the silent Mel. “I tried to rush to this damsel-in-distress’s rescue, but she’d already wrestled the monster to the ground and smashed in his head.”
Gray didn’t bat an eye. There was a core of strength in Mel that he’d always admired. It ensured that she was perfectly capable of taking on any challenge and coming out the victor.
Even if the challenge was a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound villain named Hammer.
He held out his arms, his heart filled to the brim as she rushed to throw herself against him. He hugged her close, indifferent to the fact they were both soaking wet and covered in mud. Nothing had ever felt as good as the feel of her trembling body pressed against him.
Glancing over her shoulder, he sent his friend a grateful smile.
“Not that I’m not happy to see you, but why are you here?”
“The associate that I had watching the goon squad followed them back to Seattle. When they stopped at your house and then headed north, she gave me a call,” Ian explained. “I feared that they’d managed to figure out that Mel was at your family cabin, so we headed up to warn you.”
“Is it over?” Mel whispered against his chest.
Gray tightened his arms. There were no doubt months of investigations left to ensure that there weren’t any others involved in Dobbs’s and Blake’s corruption. And then the takedown of the drug cartel.
But both Mel and little Donny were safe.
For now, that was enough.
“Yeah.” He laid his cheek on top of her head and closed his eyes in silent gratitude. “It’s over.”
Epilogue
The next few weeks were a whirl of activity for Mel. She had to give a formal statement to the police. A nerve-racking experience considering she was condemning one of their fellow officers to several years in jail.
Next had been ensuring that Donny was safely home with his grandmother. The young boy hadn’t seemed traumatized by recent events, but she knew that looks could be deceiving. Especially when it came to children who hid their emotions as deeply as Donny. Mel had made it her mission to visit the boy at his home, as well as continuing to tutor him at the center.
And then there was Gray . . .
He’d been equally busy as he’d assisted the police. Detective Gwen Dobbs had refused to speak, but Leo Blake had been eager to reveal everything he knew about the local cartel, including names and addresses. They’d arrested over a dozen suspects.
Still, Gray had managed to find plenty of time to stop by her apartment, going so far as to bribe her landlady with bottles of her favorite wine to keep her from calling a tow truck when he parked in front of her house. And he’d become a regular at the youth center, volunteering to coach the older boys’ basketball team.
Mel hadn’t tried to get rid of him. Why would she? When she’d been running through the woods to call for help, she’d promised herself that if they survived, she wasn’t going to waste one more day. She loved Detective Gray Hawkins. And she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
She just hadn’t told him that yet.
Perhaps today was the day, she acknowledged as she glanced around the large crowd that had gathered to celebrate the purchase of the empty lot next to the Hummingbird Youth Center. The sun was shining brightly, and they’d just completed the ribbon-cutting. A perfect occasion. There was even champagne being passed out in slender, fluted glasses.
Almost as if able to read her mind, Gray appeared at her side, wrapping his arm around her waist. Like her, he’d made an effort to dress for the formal event. But while her own yellow sundress was at least five years old, he had on a new white shirt with his sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a pair of silky gray slacks that perfectly hugged his gorgeous backside. He’d even had his chestnut hair trimmed so it lay smoothly against his head.
It was no wonder that every woman at the ceremony was eyeing him with a hopeful glance.
“An amazing turnout,” he murmured, his silver eyes glowing with unmistakable admiration. “You should be proud.”
She smiled. She was happy with the large crowd that was there to support the center, but the money had come from Remi. Along with a generous check from an unexpected source.
Mel’s gaze drifted toward the clutch of VIPs who were standing across the lot. Among them were local politicians, doctors who donated their services, and a sprinkling of wealthy citizens. Plus, one s
urprising guest.
Ms. Veronica Hawkins, Gray’s mother.
“Did you thank your mother for her donation?” she asked her companion.
A wry smile touched his lips. “You can thank her yourself,” he told her. “We’re having dinner with her on Friday night.”
Mel arched her brows, not entirely surprised. She knew that after their return from the cabin, Gray had been spending time with his family. Including his brother, sister-in-law, and their new baby girl, Ariel.
“Are we?”
“Now that she’s a grandmother, I think she’s anxious to mend bridges. She plans to make us all one big happy family.” He rolled his eyes. “Sappy sentimentality.”
Mel chuckled, not fooled for a second. There was a part of him, deep inside, that was finally healing. The resentment over his father’s death had eased, and he was able to accept the family he’d kept at a distance for years.
“You were pretty sappy yourself when you were holding your new niece,” she teased.
His features softened at the mention of Ariel. They were all bewitched by the tiny girl.
“I like babies,” he admitted without hesitation, his gaze sweeping over her face. “Especially when they’re my own.”
Mel felt a blush crawl beneath her cheeks. “Gray.”
He leaned down to brush his lips over her forehead. “Something to think about.”
She clicked her tongue even as the thought of holding her child tugged at her heart.
“Impatient.”
“Yes,” he murmured, his lips moving to nuzzle her temple.
“And pushy.”
“Yes.”
“And . . .” Her words trailed away.
“And what?” he demanded.
“Annoyingly irresistible,” she finished.
His smile widened. “Ah, now I like the sound of that. It gives me hope.”
“What do you hope for?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Us. Together.” His expression was suddenly serious. “Forever.”
She’d heard the saying about a heart melting. It’d always seemed silly. People’s hearts didn’t melt.
