“Where is she?” Dion asked the second the door closed.
There was a sniffing sound, and through the shadows Sean could see the guy using his arm to wipe his nose. He appeared disheveled from head to toe, and Sean only hoped he hadn’t put those grimy hands on Briana.
“I’m supposed to get the key first,” he said, his voice slurred a bit.
“He’s high as hell,” Dion said with disgust. Sean knew his tone of voice linked back to Lyra’s mother, who had been addicted to drugs and had died in a car crash a few months ago.
“I’ll give you the key when I see that Briana’s all right,” Sean spoke calmly. If this guy was high on drugs, maybe that could be their advantage.
There were two of them and only one of him. He didn’t have a gun in his hand, and Sean prayed there wasn’t someone with a loaded weapon just beyond one of these dark rooms.
“Just let me see her,” he continued. “Then I’ll give you the key and we all can go about our business.
“I want the key first,” the man said.
Dion took a step toward the man and Sean moved beside him, putting a hand on his arm. He knew what his brother was thinking and figured he’d give it one last try before this meeting turned physical.
“I want my daughter, now,” he said in a voice louder and with more conviction than just a few seconds ago.
“Then come and get her,” a female voice said from behind the man.
He knew that voice, despised it, but he knew it. Sean turned slowly to see Briana’s tear-filled eyes illuminated by another candle that was held too close to her face for safety. The woman was holding her. Long black hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, and the face was flawless. Large dark eyes stared at him below elegantly arched eyebrows. Her lips were glossed, the only way he’d ever seen them, as they spread into a smile.
“Sabine,” he whispered, a sick feeling spreading in his gut.
* * *
“Trent?”
“Sabine Ravenell is really Sarah Ann Dennison. She changed her name when she did her first adult movie seventeen years ago. She’s one of two children born to Darlene and Joel Dennison in Daytona Beach, Florida. Her younger brother is—”
Devlin cut him off. “Patrick Dennison.”
“Bingo!” Trent said through the other line.
“Damn it!” he cursed.
“What’s up? This cracks both cases. Sabine doesn’t have enough money to meet the price she bid for Infinity, but I see her brother’s been racking up some funds, probably through his continued fraud empire. He makes Madoff look like a saint.”
“Sean and Dion went into the house to meet the kidnapper.”
“You sent them in alone?” The question came with a low rumble in Trent’s voice. Devlin knew that wasn’t a good sign.
“Relax. I’m right outside, and I’ve got backup not ten seconds away. But they’re not expecting Sabine Ravenell.”
It was Trent’s turn to curse. “She’s not just a porn star, Dev. One of her managers was found dead three years ago in L.A. They always suspected her but didn’t have enough evidence to make an arrest. She’s a killer, and you sent my cousins in there alone.”
Devlin was already getting out of the SUV. He had his Bluetooth in one ear, the earpiece that linked him to his backup partners in the other. “I’m on it,” he said into the Bluetooth and disconnected it before Trent could really go off.
“Cover the house!” he yelled to his backup through the earpiece.
He didn’t hear them get out of their cars or hit the ground running, but he knew they did. It was what they were trained to do. Devlin was first at the front door. Only a shadow caught in his peripheral said he had backup right behind him.
* * *
Things seemed to move in extra slow motion inside the house.
Sean took steps toward Sabine the moment he saw it was her. Without a word, he reached for Briana. Sabine swung away so he couldn’t reach her. The action caused the candle to fall to the floor. He didn’t think to grab it; his only focus was getting his baby girl.
“All you had to do was sign over the damned magazine!” she yelled at him.
She was taking a few steps away, like she was prepared to run, but Sean was not about to let her take off. He reached out and grabbed a handful of her ponytail, wrapping it around his hand and using it as a sort of leash to pull her back, stopping her in her tracks.
She yelled and Briana started to cry.
“Give me my daughter!”
“She’s not your baby, you naive idiot! She’s my niece!” Sabine screamed at him.
Sean heard her words but didn’t have time to process them. When he had her close enough, he yanked on her hair so hard that her head jerked back and she yelled again. She reached up to swipe her nails over his face, in the process releasing her hold on Briana. He instantly grabbed his baby and cradled her close. He felt the sting of her nails making contact with his face and then pushed Sabine to the ground with a shoulder bump.
“Get your crazy ass away from her!” he yelled, turning to run toward Dion and the front of the house.
Sabine could stay here with the grungy guy. They were leaving. His heart beat wildly against his chest as he held Briana close, rubbing a hand over her head and whispering to her as he went.
Suddenly he saw flames and almost stepped right into a wall of sparking orange and yellow heat. Instinctively, he grabbed at the shirt Briana was wearing, lifting it from the bottom to pull over her head so she wouldn’t inhale the smoke. He didn’t know the layout of the house and wasn’t sure how to get around the wall of flames. As soon as he decided to go to the right he heard the gunshot. Seconds later he felt the burn of a hot bullet ripping through his flesh.
It took everything in him—all the love he felt for this little girl in his arms, for the woman waiting for him to return, for his mother and his father, for his brother who had been so loyal and dedicated to come with him—all of it created an adrenaline rush that pushed him forward. His legs moved without any real direction from him. His baby gripped his shirt, her wails growing louder and louder.
He couldn’t get enough air in his lungs. He smelled the stench of burning flesh, but he kept moving and moving until he couldn’t move anymore and he fell to the ground, dampness covering his face with a stinging sensation.
Briana still cried, which meant she was alive and she was safe. Lights flashed, blue and red. A siren sounded. Police, he thought. Then he coughed.
“Tate,” her name fell from his lips before everything around him went black.
Chapter 21
Tate sat in a different chair now. It wasn’t as comfortable as the one she’d been in all night, and the surroundings weren’t as warm, but she didn’t dare move. Nobody could get her out of this room. Nor could they convince her to let the hospital bassinet, which was too small for Briana, out of her sight. She was staying right here where she could see her baby. She could reach out and touch her, feel her pulse and know that she was still alive.
Sean had been rushed into surgery before she’d arrived at the hospital early this morning. They said he’d lost a lot of blood, that the bullet had entered through his back and was stuck somewhere in his chest. Briana had been rushed to the pediatric unit, where she was being checked out for smoke inhalation.
Lyra and Regan walked with her to the pediatric unit, one on either side of her. As she’d waited to see Briana, all sorts of scenarios had run through her mind. There was a fire and talk of some woman named Sabine being there and an unknown man who had died. Tate wanted to take comfort in the fact that Briana was alive, which was a tremendous blessing, considering all that had gone on. Still, her legs shook and her hands trembled when she finally walked into the room.
Briana had a tiny tube up her nose, but she was sitting
up, a light yellow hospital gown with clowns all over it hanging from her shoulder. She had smudges on her cheeks and her eyes looked red, but as Tate drew closer her precious baby lifted her small arms up in the air to her. Tate rushed forward and scooped her up in her arms. Tears poured from Tate’s eyes as she held Briana in her arms and felt the beat of Briana’s heartbeat against her chest. Joy had soared through her with a gush of breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
* * *
Regan and Lyra both hugged Briana, and they all stood around her cooing and kissing for what seemed like forever.
Then, as if on cue, a cloud passed over the early morning sun. The room grew darker, colder, and Tate gasped, “Sean.”
It had taken some convincing and the Donovan name being tossed around—Tate was sure—for the pediatric doctors to allow her to take Briana to another floor of the hospital. They called upstairs ahead of time so the trauma unit would not be alarmed by seeing her with the bassinet and baby in tow.
For an endless amount of time they’d sat in the waiting room. Waiting.
Dion had been treated for smoke inhalation as well. He and the man that had allegedly kidnapped Briana had gotten into a fight and crashed right into Devlin and his men as they had entered the house. It had taken a few minutes to untangle the men and discover that Sean wasn’t there. By the time the discovery was made, they all smelled smoke. And only seconds later they heard the gunshot. By that time the house had filled with smoke and they couldn’t get to Sean. They’d run out of the front of the house to keep from being engulfed in the flames and smoke, when Devlin heard the call of one of his men at the back of the house, where Sean had made his getaway.
They’d found him lying on the grass, blood pouring from his back, Briana on her knees beside him crying.
“He made it through the surgery, and we were able to remove the bullet,” the doctor said the moment he walked through the swinging double doors.
“He’ll be in recovery for another couple of hours, then we’ll move him to a room.”
“I have to see him,” Tate said.
She’d been standing behind the Donovans, letting his parents and his brother be the first to get the news. But she couldn’t remain quiet, and her feet shifted from side to side as her hand stayed on the bassinet.
“Can I see him now?” she asked anxiously.
Janean Donovan moved through the family members to come to Tate’s side. Tate wondered nervously what she would say.
“Yes, she needs to see him,” she said, putting an arm around Tate. “He’ll want to know that Briana is safe.”
Tate didn’t know what to say, but she found herself doing something she never thought she’d do—leaning into Janean’s embrace for strength.
She’d decided after Patrick that she’d never lean on anyone again. That she and Briana were in this life alone. And then she’d come to Miami and found this family, who had welcomed her with open arms. She didn’t know what to say to express how grateful she was and figured it probably wasn’t the time to go into all her revelations about relationships.
Instead, when the doctor nodded his head, Tate pushed the bassinet ahead of her through the double doors. Down a long corridor she traveled with the doctor right beside her.
“This is highly unusual. Children aren’t even allowed in the trauma ward, let alone back here in intensive care. But I know this has been a trying night for everyone. Still, you have to make this quick. When he’s moved to his room, I’ll make sure you and the baby can stay in there with him.”
He was a nice-looking guy, with his honey-blond hair that curled around his ears and clear blue eyes. What was nicer was the tone of his voice, the soft baritone that reassured her the more he spoke.
“Thank you very much,” she said when they came to a room at the end of the hall.
The doctor opened the door for her and she walked in with the bassinet. She stopped at the end of the bed and simply stared down at Sean, who was surrounded by machines and white sheets. His chest was bare but for the bright white bandages, and his hands were still at his sides.
“Sean.” She said his name so quietly she didn’t think he’d even hear her. She’d barely heard herself.
But his eyes opened. They closed languidly, then opened again.
“Tate.”
Her name was a whisper on his lips, a gravelly sound that she barely recognized. She went to him then, lifting his hand in hers.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I brought this into your life. I wish it were me. I swear I wish it were me instead of you.”
She lifted his fingers to hers and kissed them.
“Briana,” he whispered next.
“She’s fine.” Tate moved back to the bassinet and lifted Briana out.
She was asleep, and her head fell instantly against Tate’s shoulder. But when Tate got closer to Sean he lifted his hand to touch Briana. She leaned close to him to make it easier. His fingers rubbed the baby’s back, over her mussed hair.
“You saved her,” Tate told him. “You carried her right out of that house away from the kidnappers and the fire.”
Tears poured down her cheeks as she spoke. “I owe you everything, Sean. Everything. How can I ever repay you for saving my baby?”
Sean now touched the side of her face and Briana’s at the same time. He’d winced when he moved the left arm across his body and she’d almost pulled away from him. But his gaze held her still.
“Marry me,” he said earnestly.
He’d become blurry through her tears and his voice was raspy to her ears, but it was still Sean. She’d know his touch anywhere, this feeling that always seemed to settle over her when he was around. All of it was familiar and it was comforting. It was everything Tate had ever wanted. So her answer was no surprise.
“Yes,” she said, nodding her head enthusiastically. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
* * *
Sean had quickly slipped off to a deep sleep, and Tate wondered if he’d even remember his question when he awoke.
She decided that it didn’t matter. She’d be here regardless.
When he’d been moved to his private room and his family had filed in to see him, they’d all been ecstatic that he was going to recover. But the pain medications had still kept him asleep.
Janean had offered to take Briana home since she was technically discharged from the hospital now, but Tate wouldn’t let her. She just wasn’t ready to be apart from her so soon. Janean understood and promised to return later with a change of clothes for both her and Briana.
Now it was early afternoon and Briana was up. One of the nurses had been nice enough to get her one of the leftover patient lunches. Briana wasn’t a fan of the food but managed to get at least some of the tuna down. She’d eaten all of the peaches and drank the milk. Now she sat in the bassinet playing with the blankets.
There was a knock at the door.
“Hi,” Devlin said, peeking his head inside.
“Hi,” she replied, giving him a slight smile. She owed him a lot and had thanked him last night.
“He’s still not awake?” Devlin asked, coming all the way into the room and stopping at the end of the bed.
“He comes and goes. The painkillers are really strong,” she told him.
Devlin nodded and continued to watch Sean.
Here was a complex man, Tate thought as she continued to stare at Devlin. He was tall—not as tall as Sean’s six feet, four inches—but still tall enough to tower over her. And he was broad—his body was solid and muscled everywhere, from the veins that bulged in his neck to the thick sculpted shape of his thighs. He wore pants that looked like parachutes that were tucked into his black steel-toed boots. His shirt almost seemed too small as it molded against his iron-man chest. When she looked at him she instant
ly thought wrestling star or bodybuilder.
Until she looked at his face.
He had dark brown skin, like tree bark, and even darker eyes framed by lashes that were thick and long and probably the envy of every woman who’d ever seen them. But it was his eyes that said so much more than any other aspect of his body. He wasn’t happy.
For a second Tate wondered if people could look at her like this months ago and say the same thing about her. If this man’s unhappiness cloaked him like a shield, she figured hers probably had, too. She wondered how she appeared now. Was there a glow of happiness surrounding her instead? Lord, she prayed so.
“You always stare at people in hospitals like that?”
The sound of Sean’s voice yanked Tate from her thoughts and she looked to the bed to see that he was fully awake. He didn’t look as groggy as he had earlier.
“Only when dudes act like pansies, laying in bed like they’re really injured,” Devlin replied with a hearty chuckle. “How you feeling?”
“I feel like I was shot,” Sean said.
Tate smiled. His voice didn’t sound as raspy as it had before. When she’d asked the nurse, they’d explained that during surgery he’d been intubated and that could cause sore and raspy throats.
“You feel like hearing what’s been going down since you decided to jump in front of that bullet?”
“Only if you’re going to tell me they put Sabine’s crazy ass in jail.”
“Something like that.”
Briana began making noises, lifting her arms toward Sean. She’d been wanting to get on that bed with him all day, but Tate wouldn’t let her. To keep her quiet so they could all hear what Devlin had to say, she picked her up and sat her in her lap. That was a mistake. Briana wanted Sean and she wasn’t letting up this time, probably because she could see that he was awake.
“Come here, pretty girl,” he said, lifting one of his arms for her.
“Are you sure? I know you’re still in pain,” she said.
He shook his head. “I want to hold her.”
Gingerly she placed Briana on the bed and watched as Sean lifted her little fingers to his lips for a kiss.
Surrender to a Donovan (Kimani Romance) Page 16
