“With you? Hell, yes. Sooner rather than later,” he shocked me by replying.
I managed to swallow the wine I’d just sipped without sputtering all over the table. I hadn’t expected such an emphatic response.
“Once all this shit gets wrapped up with Weston, it’s my first order of business.”
I raised an incredulous brow. “If memories from sex ed serve me correctly, I believe you’d need me to complete that particular order of business,” I pointed out.
He grinned, his eyes alight with mirth. “Oh you’ll be there, too.” He winked before his expression grew more serious, while maintaining all of its previous warmth. “I’ve always wanted a family—always wanted a woman by my side that I could picture as the mother of my children. My mother did a hell of a job raising me, but she was alone and I know it was damn hard. I want to be the kind of father mine never was—I want you to have a man by your side that you deserve. I want a life filled with chaos and laughter and poopy diapers and everything in between.” He leaned in across the table. “And sweetheart, I want that life with you.”
His words momentarily stole my breath. “Okay, now that is definitely the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,” I managed once I’d recovered.
He chuckled. “We have to find you a better adjective.”
“Nicest statement from the sexiest man I’ve ever seen in real life who makes me laugh, makes me feel safe, adored and cared for in a way that I know our children will always feel as well. How’s that?”
He grinned. “Much better. Let’s get the damn check. I hope you got some rest by the pool today, because there won’t be much of it tonight.”
He was true to his word, and the lack of sleep was well worth it in the end.
Chapter 21
I sat watching the landscape shoot past from the passenger seat the next morning as I sipped my much-needed coffee.
“Tired, babe?” Theo asked with a grin, reaching his hand over to squeeze my thigh before returning it to the wheel.
I shot him a droll look. “Yes. And I feel weird meeting your mother this exhausted from being up having sex all night!” I exclaimed.
He shot a warm look my way before his eyes returned to the road. “Don’t be nervous, sweetheart,” he soothed, getting to heart of my anxiety without effort. “She’ll love you.”
I bit my lip and nodded. I’d never met a boyfriend’s parents before, and this felt so much… more than that. Theo was so much more.
“What did Travis say about the evidence on Evan?” I’d overheard him checking in briefly with the guys last night, but had quickly become too preoccupied to ask what happened.
“Travis thinks it’s enough, especially given the relationship he already has with the department.”
Years ago the Talon team had helped the Feds bring in a Russian mob boss. That relationship had grown right along with the success of Talon.
“They have a meet in a few days,” he continued. “Travis is pulling Greer off the tail, since he needs to work on other things and we have some solid evidence.” He turned to glance at me briefly. “But I want you with me or one of the guys until he’s brought in.”
“That’s fine.” I nodded readily. It was almost too good to be true that this could all be over soon.
He pulled off the freeway a short while later, driving through a suburban neighborhood before stopping in front of a sweet yellow house. Roses of all colors bloomed in the front yard, and green ivy wrapped artfully around the lattice and white picket fence in vibrant welcome.
“You’re here!” A woman’s exuberant voice rang out a moment before I caught sight of Theo’s mom rushing toward us with a broad grin.
I’d barely set my feet on the ground before I was wrapped in a warm hug. “Sarah. It’s so nice to meet you finally.” She beamed, pulling back to look at me.
“You, too.” I smiled, feeling more relaxed already.
With her sparkling blue eyes and wavy short brown hair that had more than a smattering of gray, Theo’s mother was beautiful and full of life. I liked her immediately.
“Mom, gentle with my girl, yeah?” Theo complained with a grin as he rounded the front of the SUV and bent down to hug his mom.
“Come in, come in.” She gestured, walking into the house with us following dutifully.
The house was small but well-lit and tidy, with a living room right off the entry and attached kitchen beyond. The walls were painted a muted yellow, and every art piece and furnishing lent itself toward the warm and cozy feeling of the space.
“Can I get you something to drink?” she offered.
“Water’s good,” Theo replied, pulling me down to sit next to him on one of the sofas.
“For me too,” I agreed. If I had any more coffee, I’d be bouncing off the walls.
She handed us each iced waters before dropping gracefully to the couch across from us, pulling her bare feet underneath her. “How was the hotel?”
“Good,” Theo replied simply.
“It was beautiful,” I added. “A perfect getaway.”
Her gaze was soft as she looked at me. “From what Theo has told me, you needed it. I’m glad you two got away.”
I wasn’t sure exactly how much detail Theo had shared, but nodded regardless. “Me too.”
“I stayed there once, years ago,” she shared wistfully.
“When was that?” Theo asked in confusion.
“After you went into the military,” she explained. “Ron took me—we dated off and on for a few years. You remember him, don’t you? Anyway,” she continued before Theo could respond, “we spent a weekend there. Very romantic.” She sighed.
“Maaaaaa,” Theo groaned.
“Oh please.” She rolled her eyes. “Your mother can’t have a love life?”
“Not one I know about,” Theo protested, looking adorably befuddled. I knew that if his mom were to meet a stand-up man, he’d support it fully after everything she’d been through.
Clearly she knew that too by the knowing wink she shot me.
“So, what happened to Ron?” I asked boldly. Her open attitude emboldened me to ask, and I was curious to learn more about her.
She waved a hand. “Too serious. I wanted to have fun.” She shot a look at her son. “You make sure this one has fun,” she instructed him, pointing at me.
“He’s very good at that,” I assured her. “He’s super nice to me.” I shot him a playful grin.
He pinched my arm as I batted him away.
“I’ll go get lunch ready.” She smiled, clearly enjoying our banter.
“I can help,” I offered, standing as well. “I was hoping after we eat I could see some old photos.” I tried like hell to keep a straight face.
I was having entirely too much fun.
“Great,” Theo muttered.
As it turned out, meeting his mother was one of the best afternoons I’d had in a while—the middle school photos of Theo with a mullet were just icing on the cake.
Chapter 22
The bliss of the weekend carried me through to Monday morning as Theo and I drove into Talon for my first official day back on the job.
“I should probably get my own car,” I mused as we stopped at a red light.
“You don’t need one,” he argued.
I rolled my eyes. “We live in LA, babe. Everyone needs a car. You don’t want to have to drive me everywhere.”
“I like driving you everywhere,” he protested.
I was about to deliver a smart-ass response when out of nowhere we were hit with metal-crunching force in the driver side of the Yukon. The screech of metal and shattering glass split the air, the impact leaving me so breathless I couldn’t even scream.
The airbags deployed, and I distantly heard people screaming as my door was wrenched open. A firm grip pulled my arm, dragging me out of the SUV as I fought to clear my scrambled brain.
Theo.
The impact had been to his side. Was he okay? I couldn’t get a good l
ook as an unfamiliar man dragged me to a waiting utility van, shoving me in the back before I even had a chance to fight back.
Doors slammed and the motor revved as the van rocketed forward. There were no windows in the back, no way to see out or for anyone to see me. I tried the door despite our accelerating speed, finding it locked. I fought the panic that wanted to well up inside me.
“Shit, man, Drew wasn’t supposed to hit them that hard,” the driver complained. “Is he okay?”
“Who the fuck cares.”
Evan’s detached tone, so familiar and yet so foreign in its lack of humanity, sent an arctic chill down my spine. “She’s in one piece, that’s all that matters,” he added, twisting to look at me from the passenger seat as I sat stunned on a bench seat in the back of the van. “Aren’t you, love?”
The croon in his voice made me want to vomit as I glared at him. I couldn’t allow myself to be scared; I wouldn’t. All my energy was directed toward praying Theo was okay, and wondering how the hell I was going to get out of this.
My head was pounding and as the adrenaline wore off I realized my right arm hurt like hell. Trying to bend it sent a shock of pain through me so intense, bile rose in my throat.
It had to be broken. Dammit.
“Where are you taking me?” I demanded through gritted teeth.
“You and I? We’re going to disappear. I never got my taste of you. We’ll hide out for a while. Until I’m tired of you, anyway,” he sneered.
I had a feeling that wouldn’t take very long, and my thoughts slid to Jessica.
“Why did you kill her?” I asked hoarsely.
An expression akin to surprise lit his gaze before it settled back to calculating. “Who? Jessica? I didn’t. Not that I gave a shit about her, but I didn’t kill her.”
His answer surprised me. He had nothing to gain by lying as far as I could tell. But if he didn’t kill her, who did?
“Why are you doing this?” I demanded.
His gaze filled with a hatred so fierce it had me sinking back into my seat. “You don’t get to be with him, Sarah,” he snarled. “You don’t get to be his whore after everything you put me through. You’ll be mine.”
Rage like I’d never known surged through me. “What I put you through? You tried to rape me! You’ve made my life a living hell. But you don’t control me, not anymore. It doesn’t matter what you do to me. I’ll never be yours. You’re disgusting,” I spat.
He had the gall to grin. “I couldn’t care less what you think. You’ll be spreading your legs for me regardless. I had grander plans for us, but I know those assholes have been sniffing around. I’m not fucking stupid. So, this plan will have to do.” His gaze slid over me, making me want to cover up despite being fully dressed. “Plan B will have the same result.”
I didn’t want to know what Plan B entailed.
“We’ve got a tail,” the driver announced, drawing Evan’s attention.
A fragile hope surged through me. Could it be Theo? Was he all right?
“What the fuck? It can’t be that motherfucker. He was knocked out in the crash.”
“He’s not knocked out now,” the driver muttered as the van picked up speed.
Evan’s gaze slid to the passenger side mirror, and I took more than a small amount of satisfaction to see him visibly tense up.
The asshole was nervous and he should be.
“Lose him,” he barked to the driver.
“I’m fucking trying,” the guy sputtered as he weaved us in and out of traffic. “He’s good, dude.”
Damn right my man was good; the very best.
Moments later the sound of sirens wrenched the air.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Evan shouted. “Asshole must have called them in.”
“What do I do?” the driver demanded.
“You should pull over.” I spoke up even though I knew he wasn’t asking me. “I doubt you planned to get yourself killed today,” I threw in.
Evan shot me a death stare. “That happens, you’re coming with us.”
I glared at him in defiance, refusing to give him the satisfaction of my fear.
“You said this would be easy, dude,” the driver blathered. “We’d pull her out and drive away free and clear.”
“Well obviously, the plan has changed,” Evan snapped. “Now, calm the fuck down and drive.”
I watched the driver, noting his growing apprehension, sensing he was my best chance to get out of this.
“You still have a chance here.” I spoke up again, knowing I’d be invoking Evan’s wrath. “If you pull over now, I’ll tell them you didn’t know what you were doing. You might not even do jail time and you’d live—”
Evan launched himself into the back seat, backhanding me hard across the face.
“Shut the fuck up. Now,” he snarled. “Dustin, drive!” he hollered over the increasing blare of sirens. “This is your fucking fault,” he seethed, his hands grasping my jaw painfully. “You’re like poison. Ever since I touched you. Any hope I had of a political career is over. You’ve even ruined my father’s career. He didn’t get reelected because of you!”
I looked into his wild eyes, knowing there was no reasoning with him. There was no making him see what he’d done. He was the victim in his mind, and there was no changing that. Instead of arguing, I stared at him defiantly as blood trickled from my nose.
The van slowed, pulling to the side of the road. The move was quickly followed by the sound of tires screeching to a halt all around us, doors slamming shut, and police yelling orders to each other. The blaring sound of sirens cut, and for a moment the silence was deafening.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Evan screamed, releasing me and scrambling to the front of the van.
“I’m done, dude.” Dustin was shaking his head as the engine cut. “This is way more than I signed up for.” He opened the driver-side door, putting his hands up in surrender as he prepared to exit the van. Evan frantically tried to force him back in, but with a swift elbow to the side, Dustin freed himself.
I didn’t hesitate to follow, scrambling up front, ignoring the searing pain in my arm as I launched myself over the seats. I threw myself out the door, not caring about the impact as long as I was free.
My progress was halted when Evan grabbed me from behind, latching on to my belt loop. I screamed in frustration, fighting him with everything I had as the police drew in closer, weapons drawn.
Dustin was on the ground being handcuffed. I watched as two officers hauled him to his feet, dragging him toward a cruiser.
“Let her go, now!” a policeman ordered, stepping closer until he was mere feet away.
Evan pulled my hair, yanking my head back roughly, trying to gain purchase to yank me back toward him.
When Theo appeared in my line of sight flanked by two officers I screamed his name, hearing the terror and pain in my voice.
Unlike the officers surrounding us, who were exhibiting caution in the face of chaos, Theo didn’t hesitate. He stalked to the van, reached over me, and delivered a bone-crunching punch to Evan’s face.
My body was instantly released and Theo caught me before I fell to the ground.
He hoisted me in his arms, striding toward the line of police officers and away from danger. I yelped in pain when he shifted me in his arms as he neared the waiting ambulance.
He looked down at me, his eyes alight with worry. “What is it?”
“My arm,” I rasped. “I think it’s broken.” I gasped at my first clear look at him. The side of his head was matted with blood. “Babe. Your head. Are you okay?”
“Don’t worry about me,” he clipped, stepping up inside the ambulance and placing me gently on the stretcher.
Within seconds the doors slammed and we were off, sirens blaring once again.
“Look at my boyfriend. He’s bleeding,” I protested when the paramedic checked my vitals.
“I’m okay, sweetheart,” Theo assured me. “I love you so much, Sarah.”<
br />
That was the last I heard before sliding into unconsciousness.
Chapter 23
“Armstrong, let them check you out, man.” Travis’s voice came through a fog sometime later. The sound of rhythmic beeping met my ears as the telltale smell of astringent tickled my nose.
I’d come around briefly when we’d reached the hospital, only to be almost immediately wheeled into surgery to reset and cast my arm.
Theo’s answer was immediate and not to be argued with. “Later.” He grasped my hand, squeezing reflexively.
“Come on, honey. Let’s give these two a minute.” That was Emerly’s soft voice.
“All right,” Travis agreed, sounding hesitant. “She’s gonna be okay, Theo,” he added, his tone laced with concern for his friend. “Make sure you get checked out.”
The hustle and bustle of the hospital beyond momentarily filtered into the room, indicating their departure, then the door shut, leaving us in relative silence once again.
I tried like hell to open my eyes, finding them heavy and slow to do as I wished. Finally, I managed a flutter, flashes of light meeting my eyes before I closed them again.
“Sarah? Babe?” Theo’s tone was low and soothing.
I turned my head toward his voice.
“You’re okay, sweetheart. Surgery went well,” he assured me, tenderly stroking my head. “Let me see those gorgeous brown eyes, babe.”
His soft command was the motivation I needed, and this time I managed to hold my heavy lids open, wincing against the bright lights in the room.
Theo sat right next to me, his elbows propped on the bed. I fought to focus on him, relishing the view when his handsome face came into focus. “Hey.” His smile was pained as he looked me over.
“Hey,” I croaked, my eyes landing on the caked blood on the side of his head and splattered across his white T-shirt. It was obvious he hadn’t left my side. “Is the blood from the accident?”
He nodded. “I’m fine, Sarah.”
“You’re not fine. Please have someone check you out. I need you to do that,” I pleaded.
Collide (Talon Security Series Book 3) Page 14
