Cade came over, leaning down, hands on his knees. “Did she faint?”
“Yeah, I think dehydration played a bigger part than the wound, most likely.” He gestured to her left arm. “She’s lost blood, but I don’t think that much. I already examined her head to toe and there’s nothing broken and no more wounds, thank God.”
Cade straightened up, his gaze never leaving Gordon. With his hands cuffed behind him, he was going nowhere when he awoke. “I need to find out how far we are from the tree line. Can you keep an eye on both of them?”
“Yes, go ahead,” Sloan said.
Cade turned and trotted west, toward the unseen Snake River.
Allowing a gutted sigh to slip from his lips, Sloan moved his fingers in a grazing motion across Dev’s cheek. He willed her to return to him, willed her to consciousness.
Her lashes fluttered in response to his touch.
Instantly, Sloan’s fingers froze. Dev’s eyes slowly opened, their green depths cloudy and pupils large and black.
“Dev?” he called, cupping her cheek. “It’s Sloan. You’re okay. Can you look at me?” And he watched her gaze slowly move toward him. His heart leaped with hope. She slowly licked her lips and a small frown began to form and spread to between her eyebrows. Sloan waited, allowing her time to return, to become fully conscious. He grazed his hand across her hair, caressing her.
“We’ve got Gordon. You’re safe,” he rasped. Her eyes began to focus, as if someone were coming home. To him. Sloan managed a shaky smile as her gaze clung to his. “Welcome home, sugar.” He leaned over, lightly caressing her lips, needing desperately to feel her warmth and softness. He loved Dev so damned much his chest ached. Sloan had almost lost her. Easing away, he touched her cheek, watching it begin to flood with pinkness. His hopes rose even more. “Do you want to sit up or stay lying down?”
Dev closed her eyes, lifting her right hand, touching her brow. “Gordon?” she rasped.
“Handcuffed.” Sloan raised his head, seeing the man had started to regain consciousness. He shifted his attention to Dev, who was dazed. “You didn’t kill him. But he’s not going to hurt you ever again, sugar.” He couldn’t stop touching her, knowing it was stabilizing to another human being. Pressing several strands of hair away from her cheek, he watched her eyes wander back to his gaze. Her pupils were still much larger than normal, a thin crescent of green around them, making her eyes appear even larger.
“I—I hit him,” Dev whispered.
“You sure did,” Sloan praised. “From the looks of the left side of his face, I’d say you’ve busted up his jaw, but good. It’s pretty swollen.” He watched Gordon’s eyes snap open. He might have been coldcocked by that limb Dev had hit him with, but his eyes were hard. Bart continued to glare at Sloan, jerking and trying to get his hands free. That wouldn’t happen.
Pressing his hand down on Dev’s shoulder, Sloan murmured, “Cade has a helo coming in to pick us up. Matter of fact, I hear it coming right now. I’m going to tend to Gordon. Stay where you are, Dev.”
Dev didn’t want to move at all. Her legs felt like sawdust. Her mouth was cracked and dry. She heard Gordon’s snarling voice nearby and more movement. Her heart started to pound with terror. Lifting her head, she saw Sloan pull him to his feet by the shoulder of his shirt, his hands cuffed behind him. Sloan took Gordon to the huge pine tree where she had originally hidden. Closing her eyes, Dev felt like the weight of the world had just been taken off her shoulders. Sloan was here. He had come to rescue her. Him and Mouse. And although he hadn’t saved her directly, Dev had never been so glad to see him as when she woke up. Her heart swelled fiercely with love for him.
Dev heard something near her head. Turning slowly toward the sound, she met Mouse’s cinnamon-colored eyes. He was panting heavily, his flanks heaving in and out. She weakly placed her hand on his brindled side, petting him. Mouse leaned over and eagerly slurped her fingers several times, whining. Dev could feel the dog’s worry for her, she was that sensitive. Her brain was coming back online. She remembered now how she had hid and plotted to strike Gordon as he’d passed near the tree where she’d crouched. And she had. Pain was throbbing in her left arm near where Mouse lay, inches between them. Guarding her. Sloan and his dog loved her, and it had never been more evident than right now. She gave Mouse a soft, trembling smile because she felt like the dog wanted to crawl up into her arms and lie on her to protect her. Sloan had placed his body physically between her and Gordon, who was sitting down at the trunk of the pine tree.
A helicopter approaching the area snagged her wandering attention. Sloan rose after making Gordon remain sitting against the tree. Sloan’s face was hard and unreadable. Now, she was getting the taste of the warrior deep inside him. Like his dog, who could be so warm and loving, Sloan had a deadly side to him, as well. She managed a wan smile as Sloan crouched down near her head, always keeping watch on Gordon.
“How are you doing?”
“Better… My brain’s starting to work again. Do you have any water?”
He touched her hair. “Yeah, hold on…” He moved to his pack beyond where Mouse now lay. Dev automatically tried to get up, pushing weakly and finally rising to her elbows. She was so damned exhausted it was pitiful. Why?
Sloan motioned for Mouse to move. He didn’t want his dog’s back to Gordon at any time. Instead, Mouse would keep an eye on their prisoner at all times because Sloan sent him over to sit three feet away from Gordon and stare at him, growling. Leaning down, Sloan slid his arms around her shoulders, easing Dev up into a sitting position. She grimaced in pain because he’d brushed that wounded arm of hers.
“Okay?” he asked, supporting her for a moment.
Leaning forward and pulling up her knees, she nodded. When Sloan handed her that bottle of water, Dev thirstily gulped it down, water sliding out of the corners of her mouth, wetting her shirt, but she didn’t care. Dev felt Sloan rise. When he returned, she was finished with that bottle and he’d handed her another open one. Gratefully, she took it, drinking nearly all of it, too.
“Thank you,” she said hoarsely.
“You were dehydrated,” he murmured, picking up both bottles. “That’s probably what made you faint.”
“Yes,” she said, wiping her mouth with her dirty hand. Dev could hear the unseen helicopter landing, the reverberations rippling through the area.
“How close are we to the river?”
Sloan stood and tucked the bottles in his ruck and closed it. “About a tenth of a mile.” He glanced up. “Here comes Cade and another deputy.” He smiled a little at her. “Ready for a ride?”
Was she ever. And yet, as Dev looked wearily over at Gordon, who sat with hatred in his eyes for her, she shivered inwardly. “Yes, I am,” she said, her voice a little stronger. Drinking the water was doing wonders for her. Her heart expanded as Sloan gave her a tender smile meant only for her. He hefted the ruck over his shoulders, strapping it on.
Cade walked up.
“How are you doing, Dev?”
“Better now,” she said, her voice still raspy.
Cade told the deputy to go get Gordon to his feet. He turned to Sloan. “Can you take care of Dev? Get her to the Black Hawk? They’re going to take her straight to the hospital. I want you with her.”
Sloan nodded. “What about you two?”
“Got another helo coming in to take us directly into Jackson Hole,” Cade said. He nodded toward Dev. “She’s our priority.”
Dev felt relief that she didn’t have to ride in the Black Hawk with Gordon near her. She didn’t trust him. He was angry and snarling at the deputy who had his arm. Mouse stood, growling menacingly at Gordon, his hackles up from his neck all along his back to his tail, which was up and straight out in warning to the man. If Gordon tried to escape the deputy, Mouse would attack and bring him down.
Before she knew what was happening, Sloan leaned down, slipped his arms beneath her legs and back, lifting her easily into his arms. She gasped, her
left arm against his chest, pressing against the wound.
“Sorry, sugar,” he said roughly, holding her lightly, “we’ll be there in just a few minutes.” Sloan called Mouse to his side. The dog hesitated, as if wanting to take a chunk or two out of Gordon. Then he turned, obeying his owner.
“I can walk, Sloan,” Dev protested.
A faint smile hovered at the corner of his mouth. “I’m sure you can, sugar. But not right now. You’re pretty weak from the looks of everything. We need to get you on an IV of fluids.”
Just being in his strong, caring arms made Dev relax. The wounded arm continued to throb, but the love in his eyes made her feel so much better. “My legs are wonky,” she admitted as he began taking long, lanky strides. Mouse followed obediently at his side, sometimes looking up toward her to ensure she was all right. Wearily, Dev laid her head on Sloan’s shoulder, inhaling the sweat and male scent of him. It intoxicated her in the best of ways and she placed her right hand against his chest.
“That’s better,” Sloan murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair. “All I want you to do is just rest, Dev. You’ve been through hell.”
Closing her eyes, Dev barely nodded. “I was so scared, Sloan. God… He jumped me in the bathroom at headquarters. I never expected him to come after me in there…”
“He’s insane,” Sloan muttered. He cleared the tree line, where the Black Hawk was idling, the blades slowly turning. Gusts of wind pummeled him and he leaned into them, head down, protecting Dev against him. To his relief, the ER doctor, Jordana McPherson, was just inside the cabin, waiting for them. She was in a dark green one-piece flight suit. He’d recognize that woman anywhere. The fact that she was head of ER at the hospital in town made him feel even better for Dev’s sake. Jordana was the best when it came to any type of emergency medicine. A litter had been attached to the inside of the cabin fuselage wall and was waiting for Dev. He looked down and saw Dev was asleep. Completely out. His heart ached with love for her.
At the door of the Black Hawk, Sloan crouched and stepped inside with help from the crew chief. Mouse knew what to do, leaping in beside him, taking a spot between two empty jump seats at the rear of the bird. Jordana smiled a hello at Sloan. She moved aside as he laid Dev on the awaiting stretcher.
Dev woke up from the movement, drowsy and slightly disoriented as Sloan deposited her on the litter. He helped her get the helmet on her head to protect her hearing and then stepped aside so the doctor could examine her. The crew chief slid the door shut and locked it. He gave Sloan a helmet and he plugged it into the ICS unit overhead so he could hear all the conversations going on within the cockpit and rear cabin.
Sitting in one of the two jump seats in the rear, Sloan heard and felt the shuddering of the helicopter surround him as it got ready for takeoff. Mouse sidled in between his legs and he placed his hands on the shoulders of his brave dog. The vibration pulsed through the bird, which relaxed Sloan. He was glad Jordana McPherson was here. Sometimes she volunteered for life flights. The physician took Dev’s blood pressure, talking to her, smiling and putting her at ease. He sat there, the afternoon sunlight streaking through the cabin for just a moment as the helo lifted skyward a thousand feet above the forest floor and then banked. The Black Hawk headed across the dark green Snake River and aimed directly at Jackson Hole, to the hospital on the outskirts of it. Sloan began to feel exhaustion stealing upon him, combined with sheer relief. They’d found Dev, but not before she had had to defend herself. He wished he could have been there to do it, but she had an inner strength and toughness honed by her military days. And it had served her well today. He was so damned proud of her.
Mouse lay on the deck, panting and keenly keeping watch over Dev. Laying his hand on his dog’s head, Sloan turned and smiled down at the Belgian Malinois. Today, Mouse was all combat-assault dog. Even now, his hand and elbow ached from the dog pulling and lunging constantly, wanting off the leash, wanting to race to Dev’s side to defend her. As much as Sloan wished he could have released his dog to run ahead, he knew Gordon would not have hesitated in killing him. And what would that have achieved? Nothing except to alert the bastard that he and Cade were closely trailing him. Mouse would be dead, and Dev would still be in danger. Yet he knew his combat dog could fearlessly take down an enemy. Without a protective Kevlar vest however, Mouse might have died, and nothing would have changed the stakes for Dev’s life as a result.
Rubbing his face, Sloan saw Dev close her eyes as Jordana quickly inserted an IV into her good arm to give her fluids she was badly missing. All he wanted to do was take her home, stand with her in a shower, wash her hair, wash her and give her a sense of safety. He was glad he and Cade had believed Dev about her stalker. Gordon had been a potential murderer on the loose. And if Dev hadn’t done what she did, she wouldn’t be here with him right now.
His gut twisted with angst because Sloan had put off telling her so much more about how he felt toward her. Now, he wondered if, after Dev came out of the shock and trauma of this event, she would still want a relationship with him. Sloan wanted it more than ever. Dev was priceless. She was going to be a permanent part of his life, if that was what she wanted. She owned his heart, whether she knew it or not. The green countryside swiftly skimmed below them, and the four-story redbrick hospital would be coming up soon. Sloan slumped wearily against the seat, allowing his own shock to begin to dissolve.
He saw Jordana lightly move her hand across Dev’s mussed hair as she slept. Placing a second blanket across her, Jordana turned and gave Sloan a nod.
“We’ll take a look at her bullet wound in a bit,” she promised him, standing near Dev’s litter. “I don’t think she’ll need to stay in the hospital for observation.”
“That’s good to hear,” Sloan said. “Dev needs to be home. With me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“I DIDN’T THINK I was going to live,” Dev quietly told Sloan as she sat with him on the couch in his apartment. He’d made her a cup of coffee after they’d driven home from the hospital. Her left arm had a nice, clean bandage on it, the pain much less because of the medication Dr. Jordana McPherson had ordered for her. Touching her hair, still damp from the shower they’d taken together, Dev wanted nothing more than to be in Sloan’s arms. He sat in the corner of the couch, his arm around her shoulders while she tucked her legs beneath her, thick, warm socks on her feet. Mouse and Bella lay nearby on their doggy cushion, their combined gazes trained upon her.
Bella had been beside herself once Dev had come home. Another ranger, John Welborn, had thoughtfully driven her Lab home and brought her to Sloan’s apartment. John knew where the extra key was kept at the manager’s office and was able to bring Bella into the apartment to wait for their arrival. It was a wonderful welcome home for Dev to have her beloved Lab greet her at the door.
“We didn’t even know where you were at first,” Sloan confided. He inhaled the fragrant scent of nutmeg in her softly shining hair. It was nearly 5:00 p.m., and he was glad to finally get Dev home where she could begin the decompression from the life-and-death trauma.
“I can’t even imagine what you went through, Sloan,” Dev whispered, lifting her chin, meeting his dark, worried eyes. He had showered with her, lovingly cleaned her dirty hair, gently washed her from head to toe, because she had problems lifting her wounded left arm above her breast. It was exactly what Dev needed: tenderness. And Sloan didn’t disappoint her. His touch has been caring, not sexual, as if he were giving her his energy, his love, with every stroking touch of his fingers upon her stiff, badly bruised body. Being able to climb into a pair of old gray sweatpants and a loose-fitting yellow T-shirt, no bra or panties, was exactly what Dev needed. Sloan had thoughtfully placed heavy warm socks on her cold feet. He’d warmed each of them up first, placing each of her sore, bruised feet between his long, large hands. Her heart spilled open with so much love for this man.
“It took a lot of swift work by a lot of good people,” Sloan said, skimming his hand lig
htly down her right arm. Dev was pensive, still in shock. But her cheeks had color in them now, and there was life returning to her once-cloudy eyes. “I brought Mouse in to trail your scent at the headquarters. He’s the one that led us out to the boat ramp area.”
Dev smiled down at Mouse. “He helped save me, too.”
“Everyone wanted to save you,” Sloan said thickly, pressing a kiss to her damp but drying hair.
She sipped the hot coffee, relishing it. Dev knew she could be dead right now, not enjoying the quietness of Sloan’s apartment with him, his love for her as he held her on the couch. Dev no longer tried to avoid the fact she had fallen hopelessly in love with this man. “I knew you would,” she whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder. “I felt it. I knew I just needed to survive long enough for you to locate me.”
“You were within a mile of the bridge, did you know that?”
Shaking her head, Dev said, “No. I must have run a lot of miles, then. I knew the only way to get help was to go back to the bridge and get to the main entrance of the park. And I knew Gordon would know that, too.” She dragged in a ragged sigh. “God, Sloan, I was so afraid…”
“I know you were. We all were, too. If we hadn’t had that family on the bridge who snapped that digital photo of you and Gordon in the raft, we wouldn’t have gotten on this as fast as we did. They were a huge help.”
She finished the coffee and eased out from beneath his arm, setting the cup on the coffee table parallel to the couch. Slowly turning around, Dev crossed her legs and reached for his left hand. “I need to fess up,” Dev offered, giving him an earnest look. “All the while I was with Gordon, my only thought was escape and getting back to you.” Dev squeezed his roughened fingers. “I was so scared I’d die, Sloan. I kept crying off and on as I ran, because I’d never told you that I loved you.” Searching his narrowing blue eyes, feeling a shift of energy around him, she gave him a trembling smile. “I knew from the day we met that we were meant for one another. I fought it for a lot of reasons. Mostly because it was too soon for a relationship. But I’m hoping you feel the same. Because life’s too short. That was proven to me for a second time in less than a year.”
Out Rider Page 28
