by KaLyn Cooper
Fear shot ice through Jonathan’s entire body. Had one of the terrorists figured out that it had been Gwen who’d discovered their plan? Had they torched her place? He hadn’t checked her smoke detectors. How would she get out of the third floor? From the backside? There was a rusty ladder from the roof down, but she’d have to climb out a window. Why hadn’t he checked that it opened easily?
The closer they got, the more worried he grew. He couldn’t lose her. Not now. He’d just found her.
Police had traffic stopped a block away. Jonathan didn’t care. He jumped out and ran toward the flashing lights.
A policeman tried to stop him at the barricade, but he could see him change his mind. Jonathan wasn’t sure if it was the blood covering his bulletproof vest, the look of madness in his eyes, or all the guns and knives strapped to his body. He didn’t care as he sprinted toward the woman he loved.
Oh, fuck. It was Gwen’s place.
The building was fully engulfed in flames, water shooting at it from several angles. He caught sight of the Station 58 trucks. “Kole.” He screamed at the top of his lungs to be heard over all the noise. He grabbed a man in turnout gear. “Where can I find Kole Brandt?”
“You shouldn’t be here,” the man warned. “Move back beyond the barriers.” Then the man paused and slid off his helmet and face shield.
Thank God. It was Dane Chandler.
“Jonathan, isn’t it?” Dane shook his head. “This obviously isn’t a good—”
“My fiancée is in that building,” Jonathan talked over the fireman.
Concern covered the man. “What floor?”
“Third, on the backside.” Please. Please, God. Let her be safe.
Dane talked to someone through his communication system and relayed information as it came in. “They rescued a man and woman on the second floor.” He fiddled with a knob. “Say again.”
Where the hell is Gwen? Jonathan was about to go in there himself. If she was gone, he wasn’t sure life was worth living. But if she was alive, he’d die trying to get to her.
The obnoxious sounds of another firetruck arriving drowned out what Dane was saying. He finally pointed to where a ladder was extending toward a third floor front window. Two men held a hose shooting water onto the roof.
“No, her apartment is in the back,” Jonathan yelled. “Is there another truck back there?”
Dane pointed again. The men on the ladder had stopped spraying. The window opened and smoke rushed through the new opening like a dirty, upside down waterfall. A third fireman stepped onto the ladder…with a limp body over his shoulder.
Jonathan ran to the ladder truck, determined to be there when her feet hit the ground. He ran past an ambulance and caught up with a man and woman running beside a stretcher. He instantly recognized Trent Barnes and called to him.
“You shouldn’t be here, Jonathan,” Trent scolded.
“Gwen is my fiancée.” At least she will be as soon as I can ask her. He pointed to the fireman on his way down the ladder. He could see the debate in Trent’s eyes.
“Just don’t get in our way,” Lexi Fletcher sternly warned. She softened her voice and told him, “Let us do our job. We’re damned good at it.”
Jonathan could feel the heat lifting off the firefighter’s suit as he laid Gwen on the gurney. He ripped off his headgear and stared at Jonathan, who couldn’t take his eyes off the small body on the white sheet. He had to touch her so he lightly laid his fingers on her bare calf. It was then he noticed that she was wearing one of his Marine Corps t-shirts and no bra. He hoped she’d worn panties to bed because he’d have to kill the fireman if he’d seen her—
“You and Gwen?” A gloved hand touched his shoulder and he turned his head to see Kole. Jonathan nodded. He couldn’t speak around the pain in his throat. He could hardly breathe as he watched the medical team work on her.
“Well, hell. I lost that pool.” He hoped his friend was trying to lighten the situation and not piss him off thoroughly. “Your name wasn’t even in there as a dating possibility.”
“She’s mine,” Jonathan croaked out. She just doesn’t know it yet.
Gwen started coughing as she came around.
“Keep that over your nose and mouth,” Lexi said in a calming voice. “You left us for a while, but we’re glad you’re back. Can you tell me if you hurt anywhere?” She continued with the necessary questions as Trent started an IV line and talked with the hospital.
Griffin suddenly appeared at Jonathan’s side. “How is she?”
Trent answered, “Smoke inhalation, a few secondary burns, no third degree.” For the first time, he looked up at Jonathan, then at Griffin. “Where are you hurt?” he demanded.
“Not my blood,” both men said.
“What the fuck?” Trent asked then inserted a bag of fluid into the line.
“That’s confidential,” Griffin told him and whipped out a Homeland Security badge. He’d have to ask Griffin about that later. “We were never here.”
“We’re ready to transport,” Trent announced over his comm.
Realizing that they’d never let him go with her with a blood spattered vest, Jonathan stripped down to his black t-shirt and cleaned up with the wet wipes they always carried. “Griffin, can you take my gear back? I’m going with her.”
“Be glad to. You need to call Alex.”
Jonathan understood the meaning. He wasn’t going to be at the debrief and their boss needed to know why.
Finally alone in an ER room, Jonathan took Gwen’s hand. He couldn’t wait for a romantic moment. “I love you, Gwen Shaw. And I plan to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much, if you’ll have me.”
She started to answer and it turned into a coughing fit. Once she’d settled, she stared up at him. “You sure you want to be with me? I might still have a target painted on my back. I pissed off a whole bunch of terrorists, including the big man.”
Jonathan smiled. “Then who better to be with than a trained professional in personal protection? Besides, Guardian has ten offices, we can move.”
“That might be a good idea,” she suggested.
“And we’ll need to change your name,” he continued.
“Do I get to pick it?” She brightened at that idea.
“No. I do.” He bent and kissed her temple so as not to disturb the oxygen mask. “How about Gwendolyn O’Neil?” he whispered in her ear.
“I like the sound of that.”
So did he.
Epilogue
The following evening, Jonathan and Gwen stood hand in hand in front of the charred remains of the diner and home that had been hers for a short few months.
She wanted to cry. Again. Her aunt and uncle had entrusted their life’s savings to her and she’d caused it to burn to the ground. Luis was out a job and a home. She’d spent hours on the phone with other restaurants getting her employees new jobs, most with better pay than they’d been able to afford.
The real kicker was the headline in both the Dallas and Fort Worth newspapers: Up In Smoke Lives Up to Its Name. A picture of her over the fireman’s shoulder on the ladder was the lead story. At least she wasn’t flashing her lady bits. Not a word, though, about the brave Guardian men who stopped a terrorist attack on the American Airlines towers.
Another gray SUV parked in the side lot, next to its twin. Alex, Griffin, and Quin sauntered over.
“We were on our way out, and I wanted to say how sorry I am about your restaurant, the building, everything.” Alex looked beyond tired. “We finally captured the Dallas cell leader, Aqil Faris, who gave himself that Arabic name of intelligent knight. I guess he thought of himself as a knight of ISIS. By the way, his real name was Tyrone Jackson.”
Griffin shook his head. “He was one of the subcontractors for the dry wall in the towers and placed over two hundred pounds of explosives inside the walls attached to throwaway phones.”
“Why did he do it?” Gwen asked.
“He did what he wa
s instructed to do,” Alex explained. “While in college, he became a Muslim, not that he had any religious affiliation while a youth. He was recruited into the Dallas cell, even went to Iraq to study directly under Caliph Ibrahim. Believe it or not, that’s how a lot of American young men are being influenced into terrorism.”
The breeze changed directions and Gwen was assaulted with the smell of garbage and char. “What am I going to tell my aunt and uncle. My family is going to disown me.”
“Actually, that was another reason we stopped.” Alex held out a slip of paper. “This was an act of terrorism just as much as the bombs in the AA towers. This woman will help you get the money you deserve to rebuild, regardless of what the insurance company pays.”
Quin stepped forward. “Do you think they’ll rebuild the restaurant?”
“No, they want to retire and travel more in their motorhome.” Gwen sighed. “They’d talked about selling the land. Someone offered them a good price so he could build condos here. It is a good location.”
“That’s why I built in this area.” Alex checked his watch.
“Can I get Luis’s phone number?” Quin asked. “I’d like to hire him to cook for us when we move into the new building.”
“Now I wish we were staying here,” Jonathan retorted.
“I need you in San Francisco,” Alex reminded him.
“Before you leave,” Gwen hurriedly asked, “I haven’t seen Kane since…”
Quin smiled at her. “He’s now working in our operations center, and I have him set up to see one of the top endocrinologists in the south. The VA hospital is good, but this doctor is better.”
Gwen threw her arms around Quin, careful of his stitches. After a brief hug, she moved to Griffin. He was next in line, so, why not.
Alex welcomed her with open arms. “If there is ever anything I can ever do for you, you have my number. Don’t hesitate to call. Once you two are settled in San Francisco, we’ll talk about job opportunities for you.”
“Thank you, Alex.”
“Hey, that’s my woman you’re holding,” Jonathan challenged his boss.
With Jonathan’s arm around her, she felt safe as they waved goodbye.
“You ready to go diamond ring shopping?” He encircled her and just held her.
She started to giggle. “I was thinking smoky topaz would be more appropriate.”
“I happen to know they have black diamonds.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Would that be close enough?”
The End
If you’ve enjoyed Smoke & Mirrors, please tell others about the Guardian Elite Series crossover with Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire & Rescue Kindle World by leaving a review on your retailer’s site or Goodreads.
Consider other books by KaLyn Cooper:
Black Swan Series
Unrelenting Love: Lady Hawk & Alex (Black Swan Book #1)
Katlin is a kickass SpecOps Team Leader but Alex still wants to protect her from terrorists and needs to claim her as his.
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Unrelenting-Love-Lady-Hawk-Black-ebook/dp/B01HHCZWJ2
Related to (but not part of) the Black Swan Series
Explosive Combination
A disgruntled CIA agent rescues a beautiful, kidnapped explosives expert. Can he get them both to safety before the Colombian cartel catches them or she captures his heart?
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Explosive-Combination-KaLyn-Cooper- ebook/dp/B00IR2H0WO
Noel’s Puppy Power part of the Dog Tags for Christmas anthology
He’s better at communicating with animals than women, but as an amputee she knows firsthand, it’s the internal scars that can be the most difficult to heal.
AMAZON: http://amzn.to/2a8EOTS
Double Jeopardy a Guardian Elite series Novella Crossover with Hildie McQuees’s Indulgences series) Coming January 10, 2017
Guarding a billionaire and his wife isn’t easy when you can’t keep your eyes off your bikini wearing, gun carrying partner who is lethal in stilettos.
FREE on Kindle Unlimited (for a limited time)
Cancun Series
Christmas in Cancun (Book #1)
Can the former SEAL keep his libido in check and his family safe when the quest for ancient Mayan idols turns murderous?
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Cancun-KaLyn-Cooper-ebook/dp/B00PD61SQG
Conquered in Cancun (Novella #1.5)
A helicopter pilot’s second chance at love walks into a Cancun nightclub, but she’s a jet fighter pilot with reinforced walls around her heart.
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Conquered-Cancun-Novella-1-5-ebook/dp/B00WQDUK2M
Captivated in Cancun (Book #2)
Since his job is tracking down terrorists, he’s not interested in a family. She wants him short-term, then needs him when their worlds collide.
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Captivated-Cancun-Book-2-ebook/dp/B01B11BAZ0
Claimed by a SEAL (Novella #2.5 Cancun Crossover with Cat Johnson’s Hot SEALs Kindle Worlds)
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Hot-SEALs-Claimed-Crossover-Novella-ebook/dp/B01B27X4CK
Crisis in Cancun (Book #3)
(coming January 2017)
For the latest on works in progress and future releases, check out KaLyn Cooper’s website
www.KaLynCooper.com http://www.kalyncooper.com/
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For more on Paige Tyler’s Dallas Fire & Rescue Kindle World
http://paigetylertheauthor.com/BooksDallasFireAndRescueKindleWorld.html
About the Author
KaLyn Cooper writes romantic suspense based in fact. Twenty-seven years as a military wife has shown her the world and the men and women who protect it every day. Thirty years in PR taught her fact can be stranger than fiction, but she leaves it up to the reader to separate truth from imagination. She and her husband live in Tennessee on their micro-plantation filled with gardens, cattle, quail, and a puppy. When she’s not writing, she’s at the shooting range or paddling on the river.
Website: www.KaLynCooper.com
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