“But, Marc, you don’t know what’s—”
Marcus’s voice raised in volume. “You’re the idiot. I know everything, you stupid pup!”
“Is that so?” Rick. At the sound of his quiet, steely voice behind them, her knees nearly gave way. Then she heard the distinct click of a safety being flicked off behind them. “I’m thinking there’s one or two things you haven’t figured out yet. Leigh? Baby, are you okay?”
She struggled to take in a deep breath then answered shakily, “Yeah. I’m good.”
Wendell raised his arms in the air as another man she knew stepped into the room. Detective Jake Bowie. Talk about a triple threat. She couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather have coming to the rescue than these men.
The hand holding her upper arm squeezed harder as Marcus trembled behind her. She couldn’t tell if the increasing tension came from anger, fear, or frustration. But it didn’t matter, did it? Any combination of the three spelled bad news. She still had a gun aimed at her head in the middle of a standoff with no easy way out.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as her gaze connected with Wendell’s across the room.
He took a step toward them, pleading. “Marc, bro, listen. If we walk out of here, then we can make another plan. There will be plenty more babes later. She pretty and all, but I’ve seen and done hotter.”
“Idiot. They’re not going to let us walk out of here. It’s not about her. What do I have to do to get that through your thick skull? This is about getting our due. They owe us! You never let an opponent get one over on you.”
Frustration pinched Wendell’s features. “But, Marc, they’re also family. We’ve never had famil—”
“Shut. Up. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Family? You want to know what family will get you?” The metal against her temple disappeared and Marcus jerked her aside as he aimed his gun at Wendell.
Something that looked like resignation crossed over Wendell’s face. “Shit, Marc. Was it always going to come to this?”
Cold, detached and utterly heartless, Marcus replied, “Probably.”
“If you despise family so badly, then why’d you get so obsessed with them?”
She looked to her family, Joe, and thanked the heavens for what she’d been given. He flicked his eyes to the floor and her heart stuttered.
“You mother fucker!” Marcus bellowed and fired.
She dove onto the floor and her cheek smacked the hardwood as a second shot thundered. A hard body landed on top of hers. She squirmed and struggled to draw in air. The heavy weight, shifted a minute fraction, letting her inhale. The small breath carried Rick’s scent and she could have cried with relief.
Then she had a terrible thought. “Rick?”
“Shhh. I’m fine. Stop squirming. I’ll let you up as soon as they’re both unarmed.” Heavy footsteps moved through the room.
She rested her head on the floor and waited. “Ease up a smidge, big boy. I can’t breathe.” The weight of his body lessened as she listened to Jake call for medical transport for two. He kissed the top of her head.
Rick’s chest rumbled at her back with a terse question. “Dad? You okay?”
Frederick released a shaky breath. “I think so. Leigh, my dear?”
“I’m good.” And she was.
At least until her brother responded. “Only until I we get this taken care of. When I finally get my hands on her, she might not be. Stubborn brat.”
She could’ve quaked beneath the fury in his voice if she didn’t know him as well as she did. As furious as he’d been, he’d also been terrified that he wouldn’t be able to help get her out of the danger she’d put herself in. She responded to his name calling wryly, wishing she could stick her tongue out at him, only so she could watch him roll his eyes. “I love you too, Joe.”
Rick’s weight lifted and he helped her to her feet, but when he spoke, it wasn’t to her or anyone in the room. “Copy. Bring them to the front lawn. I’ll pass the info to Bowie. Jake? How is he?”
Jake looked up from where he was checking Wendell’s pulse with one hand at his neck. The other hand pressed a growing red stain over a thin chest that rose and fell with rapid, shallow breaths. “I don’t know. His pulse is still strong but he’s losing blood fast. How many men are there?”
Rick answered. “They’re marching three of Marcus’s crew in now. They’ll meet your officers on the front lawn. Keep me updated on Wen. I need just a second.” He pulled her by the hand out into the hallway.
“Where are you going?”
“I have a phone call to make.” He pulled his phone out of a pocket in his dark fatigues.
What in the world could be so important? She waited, confused, as he put the phone to his ear. She faintly heard half a ring before someone on the other end picked up. A little voice spoke. “Rick?”
“I have her. We’re both safe.”
Oh dear. Poor Addie! The waiting and not knowing must have been torture.
She barely heard her response. “Really? Promise.”
Rick smiled. “I promise. She’s right here beside me. I’m holding her hand. We’re going to stuff the bad guys into ambulances and then we’ll be home as soon as we can. We’re going to have to answer a lot of questions, so it may be a while. Stay with Kate or Sandy, okay?”
Rick tilted the phone so it was a little easier for her to hear. The little voice strengthened. “Okay. Don’t let her go! I love you guys.” The sweet words hit her like an anvil as Rick’s dark eyes met hers.
“We love you, too.” He answered for them both then disconnected. She burst into tears and smashed her face into the solid heat of his chest. “Hey. What’s this for?” He pulled her back so he could look at her.
She wiped her tears away. “Sorry. I guess it finally caught up with me. I was fine until I heard her say those magic little words. I’ll get it together in a minute.”
“They are pretty damn powerful, aren’t they?” He caught a tear she’d missed with a gentle sweep of his thumb. “Sometimes, especially when someone hasn’t said them in a long time, they can be hard get out.”
She could only nod.
He cupped her jaw and kissed her. His mouth met hers full of sweet promise and delectable heat. Too soon he broke the contact and met her gaze. “I love you.”
“Oh, Rick. I love you too. I love you so much.”
Wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug, she thanked her lucky stars for everything she’d been blessed with and vowed to never, ever take it for granted.
Chapter 21
Four long hours. Rick sat on the couch and watched his father finally walk Detective Bowie to the hallway leading to the front door. He took Leigh’s hand in his and raised it to his mouth. He kissed her knuckles, savoring his first quiet moment with her since he’d seen Marcus hold a gun to her head.
They’d received word a little while ago that the gunshot wound to Marcus’s heart had proved fatal. Joe had taken no chances.
Rick had checked on Wendell, who was faring on slightly better. He’d made it out of surgery where the trauma surgeon had done her best to repair the damage done by Marcus’s bullet. He was and would be listed in critical condition for some time. Marcus had a history of using hollow point ammunition and the damage from his bullet had been devastating.
He heard the front door shut. “I’ll be right back.” He kissed the top of her head and rose to meet his father.
Rick was smacked with the changes in his father brought on by time. He appeared tired, maybe even a little frail. He’d never been weak. To Rick, he’d always been tall and strong like an old oak tree.
But even the strongest trees weren’t immune to the effects of time.
His father held his hands together over his abdomen as if not quite sure what to do with them. Still, he had manners fit for dinner at the White House. “I would offer you two dinner. I know you must be starving, but I don’t have anything prepared. The moment you called to tell me Marcus was moving
, I sent my staff home. We could have sandwiches and soup, if you’d like?”
“No, but thank you, Dad. Here in just a few minutes, we’re going to get Addie. We’ve called her a couple of times, and she knows everything is okay, but she won’t rest until she sees Leigh in person. I don’t want her to worry any longer than necessary.”
“Of course not. You should take care of your family first. Always. I…I didn’t. I made too many mistakes and lost mine. I wouldn’t want the same for you.”
Rick reached a hand out behind him, knowing Leigh would come and take it. When she did, he pulled her into his side. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arm around his waist. “Dad.” The word still felt awkward on his tongue, almost as if it were a foreign word he couldn’t master. “This Saturday afternoon we’re having a barbeque at my house. It’ll be more of a burgers and beer crowd. You’re more than welcome to join us. Bring swim trunks. Addie and Kylie can’t get enough of the pool, so things might get a little wild. It should be entertaining if nothing else.”
When his father appeared surprised by the invitation, he felt like an utter asshole. He had virtually no one left, other than his employees and household staff. The thought didn’t set well.
“I…I’d like that. What time?”
“Four o’clock. There’s no telling how long it will last.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Leigh softly squeezed his waist in approval.
“Mr. Evans.” Leigh slipped out of his hold so she could give his father a kiss on the cheek. “Please come. We’d love to have you.”
Not able to let her get more than an arm’s length away, he drew her back to his side as they walked down the hallway. They stepped into the night air, and he released a heavy sigh. It was finally over.
He walked her to the passenger door of his truck which Noah and James had dropped off a little while ago. He opened the door but before he could help her in, she stopped him with a hand over his heart. “I’m proud of you. I didn’t know we were having a cookout, but I’m so very glad you invited your father.”
Not sure how to process her approval, he focused on the easy part. “The idea came to me a little while ago when I was talking to Joe. He wasn’t too happy with me and the way I hurt you when we found Addie.”
“Oh. I didn’t even realize. I’ve been so caught up in everything. I’ll talk to him and—”
He put his hands on her waist. “I, we know. It’s okay now. We’ve worked it out. He’s still not thrilled at the idea of me taking his little sister away, but he’ll come to terms with it eventually. I can’t fault him when it’s because you two are so close. I’m happy you have that.”
She played with the collar of his shirt. “You’re stealing his little sister, huh? What exactly does that mean?”
Taking both of her hands in his, he held them over the center of his chest. “I know this is not the best time, but I want to make this permanent, you and me, forever.”
The was an audible hitch in her chest. Her eyes widened as if she was afraid she’d misheard him. “Forever?”
“Forever. We don’t have to put a ring on it tonight but, yeah. That’s where I’m headed with this. What do you think? Not that Addie and I will give you much say in the matter.”
“Yes. Forever sounds perfect.”
The End
Epilogue
“Addison Jolene!”
Holy crap. Addie dropped her pencil and looked up from her sketch of the flowers she picked earlier that day.
Rick never hollered. Even when she’d dropped cake on the rug in his office. She’d known the rug had to have been an expensive one. A lot of the things around his—no, their—house were, but he never yelled. Not even when she cursed or broke a plate in the kitchen. Glass shards had gone everywhere, but he’d only closed his eyes and taken a deep breath. Then he’d picked her straight up and carried her out of the room so she wouldn’t get glass in her bare feet.
What had she done? She jumped from her desk chair and hurried. Leigh waited at the end of the hallway with him, but she was smiling. Then she winked. It was nice, but Leigh was always kind. Addie couldn’t give it much thought, because Rick looked so serious.
Rick crossed his arms over his chest in what she’d come to call his “boss-man” pose. “I have a problem.”
She looked to Leigh for a hint, but she wasn’t budging. They were in on whatever this was together. Damn it. I mean, darn it. She was really trying not to curse, at least out loud, but still struggled sometimes. “What’s wrong?”
Rick answered. “Follow me.” He turned and led them through the maze of rooms until they went out through the big mudroom. He opened the door and held it open. When they were all outside, he took Leigh’s hand in his and walked across the backyard. “Addie, I have a problem.”
“What is it?” She couldn’t figure out what was going on. She didn’t think she was in trouble, but she just didn’t know.
“See, I bought a horse farm, and I don’t know the first thing about animals.” He continued leading them across the property. They headed toward the closest barn, but a flash of something gray caught her eye in the opposite direction. She turned her head to see the front of Trent’s truck coming onto the driveway. As it carefully turned off the main road and around the gate, a horse trailer came into view. “Seems like a pretty silly idea, to have a horse farm with no horses.”
Her heart stopped. Torn between bright hope and fear that she wasn’t wrong in her guess, she couldn’t breathe.
“Come on. You’re falling behind. We’ve got work to do.”
She picked up the pace, practically running to keep up with his long strides. She looked up, hoping to find a hint, but he had his face locked up tight. Damn—darn it. He’s still in boss-man mode. “What’s going on?” She looked to Leigh for an answer, but she had some sort of weird face going on. Was she trying to hide a smile? Maybe she was just holding in a sneeze.
She tried to pay attention to Rick and keep up with his long legs, but got caught by the movement of Trent’s truck. It was halfway up the drive. The trailer behind it was really big, but that didn’t mean anything. He was a horse guy and always wore barn clothes and boots. He was probably just stopping by to talk to Rick.
“I think it’s time we expanded your list of chores. You’re doing a good job so far, but it’s not enough.” He stopped at the corral and turned. He leaned back against the rail and crossed his arms over his chest.
She heard the rumble of the truck as it neared. It pulled to a stop behind them but she didn’t dare look. Doors opened and when they closed, she felt the loud thump in her chest.
“What chores do you want me to do?” She didn’t mind. When she’d lived by herself, she did pretty much everything. She and Leigh worked on a lot of things together and it was kind of nice. She could do outside stuff too.
She refused to turn and look when she heard more opening sounds behind her.
Trent’s opening the trailer. I’m not looking. I’m not looking. Nothing but wonderful things had happened since she’d come to stay with Rick and Leigh. Life was almost too perfect. Sometimes, when she woke in the mornings, she didn’t want to open her eyes, afraid that it still might be a dream.
Trent called to her. “Addie, can you open the gate? I seriously doubt Mr. Shiny Shoes knows how. You’ve got your work cut out for you, sweetheart. Definitely, braver than me.” She held her breath and moved to do as Trent asked. Her hands shook, but she got the latch on the second try and swung the gate open.
Unable to bear the suspense any longer, she turned. Trent was leading a dark chocolate mare down the trailer’s ramp. She tried but couldn’t hardly draw air into her lungs.
Kate came to her rescue. Addie hadn’t even realized she was there until Kate pulled her into a gentle side hug. Then she bent down and whispered into Addie’s ear. “Breathe, sweetheart. Take a big breath and let it out. It’s going to be okay. Trust me?” She squeezed her hand.
Add
ie couldn’t find her words, but managed a small nod. Kate smiled. “I remember when my dad brought our first two horses home. Jack and Ms. Priss really weren’t anything special, just a couple of old horses. When he led them out of that rickety old trailer it was love at first sight.”
Trent murmured something to the horse before releasing it into the paddock. Then he returned to the back of the trailer.
Kate pointed to the horse. “That’s Seraphina, or Sera. I helped Rick choose her. You’ll love her; she’s an absolute doll. I thought she’d be a good match for Leigh. Isn’t she a pretty thing?”
It was all she could do to nod.
Trent led a second horse down the ramp. “That big guy is Apollo. I thought he’d make a good match for Rick.”
Still at a loss for words, she nodded.
“I’ll be right back, okay?” Kate patted her on the shoulder and took Apollo’s lead from Trent. She walked him to the paddock. After running a hand down his neck, she removed his lead and returned to Addie’s side.
Leigh came to stand with them. She took Addie’s hand in hers and squeezed as Trent ambled over. “What Kate was too kind to say is that Apollo doesn’t know the meaning of the word run. He’s a big, steady slowpoke that even a chicken like Rick can’t fall off.”
She knew she should laugh at his joke or say something nice, but she still couldn’t make her mouth work. He went back up into the dark trailer again.
A minute later he brought a third horse out. It was a pretty reddish brown color, much like Apollo, but smaller in size like Sera. Kate made another introduction. “That’s one of Apollo’s girls, Gypsy. She’s three years old. Trent says she’s the only one good enough for you to ride. He’s always picky, but when he’s selecting a horse for family, he’s even more so. She’s steady, and listens well, but she’s fun, too. I think you’ll like riding her. I’ll be right back, okay?”
Finding Leigh: Dark Horse Inc. Book 3 Page 23
