by AJ Quinn
She stopped as she rounded a corner, confronted by a phalanx of FBI agents, while her mind replayed that oh-God moment and tried to make sense of what she was seeing.
“It’s called pink mist.”
Dana turned and stared at the agent that had spoken. “Pardon?”
“Sorry. Pink mist refers to blood being ejected at high velocity. When someone is blown up by a bomb, the only thing left is a pink mist of blood.”
She closed her eyes, but it did nothing to stop the flow of tears. “There should have been another way. She didn’t have to go with him.”
“Yes, I did.”
Dana’s eyes snapped open and she saw her then, standing at the edge of the trees. Her face was white, splattered with red. She was breathing heavily and shivering, walking without assistance, but unsteady on her feet. And then her whole body seemed to sway and she dropped to her knees.
Her heart pounding in her throat, Dana ran to her. Just as she reached her, Kellen lifted her arms, welcoming her against her chest. Inhaling raggedly, Dana tightened her hold on Kellen, an agony of relief rushing through her.
“Kellen.” Dana closed her eyes and let out a shuddering breath. “God, I thought I lost you. I thought you were blown up. Oh God. Thank you for coming back to me.”
Kellen smiled wanly, attempted to wipe the blood from her face, then rested her head wearily against Dana’s forehead. “I was not blown up. And just to be clear, I wouldn’t leave you. Trust me on that.”
“But you’re bleeding. Where are you hurt? Let me see.”
“I’m okay, Dana. I was a little closer than I’d hoped to be, that’s all.”
Dana moved away a little. “That’s why you told me to trust you? This was planned? You knew this would happen?”
Kellen winced. “Not exactly. Special Agent Grant and I, we figured Broussard would show. The plan was for me to lead him away to where the FBI sharpshooters were waiting.”
“You mean they were using you as bait?”
“Not really. Well, kind of. But I’m wearing Kevlar”—she knocked her knuckles against her chest—“so I’d be protected. It’s just that no one anticipated the suicide vest.”
Dana wanted to know how wearing Kevlar would have saved her from a head shot. But when Kellen closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against her lids, Dana knew she was still seeing Broussard. Replaying what had happened in her mind. “Kellen?”
“He—he told me to get on my knees. Told me to put my hands behind my head while he walked a few feet away from me.” Kellen swallowed visibly. “I’m not sure, Dana, but I think he hesitated.”
“He hesitated?”
Kellen nodded. “I don’t know how or why, but it gave me enough time to scramble off the path and dive behind a tree before the sharpshooters shot him and he…released the compression switch. And then he…oh God—”
Pink mist. Dana held her as Kellen closed her eyes. Held her until the shaking eased and she was sure she wouldn’t get sick. “You okay?”
Kellen’s eyes were reddened, shadowed, exhausted. But she nodded gamely. “Yes. Your hands are shaking.”
Dana laughed lightly. “Yours too.”
“I know. It’s really over, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Kellen’s gaze became intense, searching. “And are you ready for this? For me?”
“More than ready.”
“In that case, can we go home? I want to hug Cody and Ren and Annie and Bogart, and then”—she reached for Dana and pulled her closer—“and then I want to love you like you’ve never been loved before.”
“As long as I can love you right back.”
“Always.”
Epilogue
“I want you,” Kellen murmured as she sank into Dana.
She drove her fingers into Dana’s hair and laid claim with her mouth, swallowing her moan. Intense and kinetic, she drank her in. The dark, sultry sounds ignited her even more as her mouth trailed along Dana’s throat and then lower.
Never one to be shy, Dana encouraged her. “Taste me.”
Kellen obliged.
Dana gasped, arched, offered more. And Kellen indulged, enjoying the sensual feel of her skin, her heat, her taste. She was about to touch her more deeply when Bogart’s sharp bark preceded a knock on the front door that echoed in the stillness of the cabin.
Kellen groaned as she glanced at the clock, confirming it was not yet five in the morning, before she pushed up off the bed. She hesitated, watched as Dana stretched, saw the tangled sheets pooling lower, and wanted nothing more than to get back in bed and love her. Again and again. Just as they’d been doing all night.
The knock returned, more insistent this time.
“It better be an emergency or I’m going to let Bogart have at whoever’s knocking on the door.”
Running a hand through her disheveled hair, she grabbed her jeans and a T-shirt from the floor and slipped them on as she went to the door.
Whatever she might have expected, this surely wasn’t it. Two girls stood there. Both young, blond, thin shoulders hunched against the cold. They looked up as Kellen opened the door, fear and hope burning brightly in their eyes.
“Cate sent us,” the taller one said warily.
Kellen frowned. “Cate? From Seattle?”
Both girls nodded.
“She said you might be able to help us,” the younger one said. “We knew we were taking a chance coming here without her talking to you first, but—”
“Kellen, sweetheart, they look cold,” Dana said as she came up behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist. “Why don’t you let them in, start the coffee, and light a fire, while I make us all some breakfast. I bet you’re both hungry. I’m Dana and she’s Kellen. How does scrambled eggs and toast sound?”
“That sounds—” The tall girl froze as Bogart approached.
“This is Bogart,” Kellen said gently. “He won’t hurt you, unless he thinks you’re going to hurt Dana or me.”
“We would never do that,” the younger girl said seriously. She stretched out her hand and let Bogart approach her, then began to gently rub Bogart’s ears. “I’m Riley and she’s Jorie. And scrambled eggs and toast sounds really good.”
After showing the girls where the bathroom was and leaving clean sweatpants, sweatshirts, and thick socks for them to wear after they showered, Kellen returned to help Dana put breakfast together.
“Who’s Cate?”
“An old friend. She runs a shelter for homeless kids out of Seattle.”
“She’s the one that hooked you up with Cody and Ren, isn’t she?” Dana looked at her, a gentle smile playing on her lips. “Why do I get the feeling our family is about to grow?”
Kellen looked at her. “The chosen family would have to agree—”
“I think Cody and Ren would love to have a pair of younger sisters to get into trouble with.”
“What about you?”
Dana stood still for a long moment. “I get to vote?”
“Dana,” Kellen murmured. “I love you. Cody and Ren love you. Bogart loves you. I can’t believe you would actually question that you’re a part of our chosen family.”
“Okay,” Dana said before walking toward the bedroom, leaving Kellen staring after her. Thirty seconds later, Dana returned to the living room, holding a blue backpack in her hand. Without saying a word, she opened the front closet and put the backpack on the shelf beside Kellen’s backpack.
“What are you doing?”
Dana smiled. “Just being prepared. I love you, Kellen, and if you ever feel the need to run, I’ll be right there with you. Always.”
Kellen pulled her into her arms, her kiss devouring Dana. “I can’t breathe when you say that,” she said, knowing in her heart this was where she belonged.
Old memories of life before Dana faded. They’d be replaced by the new ones they would make together, surrounded by a growing family and held together by love.
About the Author
&
nbsp; A transplant from Cuba to Toronto, AJ Quinn successfully juggles the demands of a busy consulting practice with those of her first true love—storytelling—finding time to write mostly late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. She’s the author of three previously released romantic thrillers: Hostage Moon, a Lambda Literary Award finalist; Show of Force; and Rules of Revenge. An avid cyclist, scuba diver, and photographer, AJ finds travel is the best medicine for recharging body, spirit, and imagination. She can be reached at [email protected].
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