by Becca Van
“I know that. I just…My gut won’t let up, Seamus. She’s hurt and I need to see her. To be with her and hold her.”
“I know, Connell. Now, get it together again or you’re going to blow this,” Seamus said.
Connell took slow, deep, even breaths, getting his fear and anxiety under control once more. He turned and faced his brother and knew he was back to being that cold, calculating killing machine he had been trained to be when Seamus slapped him on the shoulder. He and Seamus moved over to the others.
“Whoever it is that took Leah is hiding in the trees. Billy from the Double E Ranch followed him, but lost him when he slid amongst the bushes. He and his brother, Tom Eagle, as well as Clay and Johnny Morten, from the Double M Ranch, are searching for the bastard. Tom called Clay and explained the situation and they volunteered to help.
“We should go into the line of trees over there and work our way up to the rise. I don’t want that bastard seeing us by walking out in the open. Hopefully we’ll spot him as we move. We need to get to Leah as quickly as possible, but we don’t want any casualties. Let’s move out and stay out of sight,” Luke commanded.
Connell followed Luke and Damon, Seamus at his side, and Tyson and Sam brought up the rear. They were all packing as much firepower and as many knives as they could carry in their clothes and boots. They were all now in warrior mode, and nothing was going to stop them from catching their prey. They moved silently and stealthily through the trees, being careful of where they placed their feet. The last thing they wanted to do was alert the bastard they were after him, if he wasn’t already aware. There were no birds singing amongst the trees. The only sound was the swish of leaves in the breeze as they moved. They were like ghosts in the wind.
* * * *
Leah was so cold she was shaking. She knew there was something terribly wrong with her leg, but she didn’t have time to stop and worry about that now. She needed to free herself so her men wouldn’t be used as sitting ducks when they came for her. Her fingers were so sliced up and covered with blood she’d nearly lost her small shard of stone several times. Her heart dropped down into her stomach each time the bit of rock nearly slipped out of her fingers. She felt as if she’d been working at cutting the rope around her wrist for hours. She had no concept of time at all, but she was determined to get free and not be a lure to trap her men.
Leah felt the rope around her wrist slip again and tugged with every bit of strength she had left. She nearly cried out with joy when the rope gave way. She moved her now-free hand to the rope around her other wrist and worked to undo the knot. She felt it slide off her red, abraded skin, and instead of sitting up, leaving herself as an easy target, she contorted her body around so she could reach the rope at her ankles.
Her head felt woozy when she moved, and she was so tired she wanted to lie down and sleep, but she didn’t have that luxury. She got back to work. The first knot around her ankle came undone easily. The second knot was so tight, and she couldn’t get her fingers to cooperate to pull it off. She lifted her head up and looked around her. She decided she could slide off the rock to the front where she would be out of sight of the tree line and work on the rope when she was hidden.
She used her arms and hands as well as the leg that wasn’t hurting to push and pull her body to the front edge of the rock. She gave one last push, using the last of her strength, and fell off the rock to the ground. She bit her lip as agony, white-hot excruciating pain, radiated down her thigh and the entire length of her leg. The pain was so bad she thought she was going to throw up or pass out. She panted through the pain and tried to keep herself conscious. She needed to get the last rope off. That task became her focus. She obsessed over it. She was so out of it now, finding it hard to concentrate, and forgot she was out of sight of the tree line at her back, hidden completely from view. She twisted her body until she was bent in half and pulled at the rope knot with her cold, numb fingers. She passed out just as the knot slid free.
* * * *
Connell could feel the bastard close by. He stood completely still, his breathing shallow so it couldn’t be heard. The others were nearby, and they had frozen in their tracks as well. His eyes searched the trees from the ground up to the top branches, but he couldn’t see him. He could feel that time was running out, a gut instinct he didn’t push aside. There was only one option. He was going to have to draw the bastard out. He moved away from his brother and the other men, not making a sound. He was careful of where he placed his feet and made sure his clothes didn’t brush anything. He could see Seamus looking at him with anger, but knew his brother was aware of his plan. Once he was far enough away from the others, he stepped on a twig. The sound was like gunshot fire, echoing through the trees, being carried on the wind. He held still for a bare moment then dove to his left behind a large tree limb which had fallen to the ground.
He’d been wrong. Gunshot fire was so much louder than the twig cracking. The sound of a man screaming in agony followed the shot, and then a loud thud followed that. The bastard had just fallen from his perch to the ground.
Connell didn’t worry about the fallen man. His one and only intent was to get to his woman. Now that the danger was over, stealth went to the wayside. He ran as though the hounds of hell were chasing him and burst from the tree line. The sight of so much blood on the flat rock nearly had his knees buckling out from beneath him. He ran around the large outcropping and roared with anguish.
Leah lay crumpled on the ground. Her body twisted unnaturally, and she was covered with blood. He pulled her into his arms and began to rock her. He was careless of the tears streaming down his face.
“Connell, we have to see to Leah. Let me take a look at her so we can fix her up.” Seamus growled.
His brother’s anguished voice cut through Connell like a knife. He had to get it together again for his woman. He lowered Leah so her head was resting in his lap, but he got to work helping his brother. She still had a pulse. It was faint and fast, but she was still alive. He helped Seamus to get Leah onto her side as gently as possible and they began to work.
Seamus found the site of her wound and cut away her jeans with a knife as he watched. She had been shot. The bullet had gone into the back of her thigh and was still embedded in her flesh. Connell tore off his shirt, bunched it up, leaned down, and pressed it against her injury. He saw Seamus remove his own shirt and tie it as tight as he could around Leah’s thigh. Damon’s voice had him and his brother looking up.
“The paramedics are on the way. We need to get her down to the roadside.”
Connell shifted to his knees and carefully lifted Leah into his arms. He was on the move before anyone could stop him. The sound of a helicopter overhead had his stomach knotting again, but he knew Leah would be in the best of hands. It was going to take over an hour to get to the large hospital a few towns over, and he didn’t think he was up for the drive. No, he was getting on that chopper with his woman, come hell or high water.
The copter landed, and instead of waiting for the paramedics, Connell ran the last of the distance, carefully placing Leah on the stretcher. He moved to the side of the chopper and watched as the paramedics got to work. He sighed with relief as they took off. He had expected the paramedics to tell him there wasn’t enough room for him. They hooked Leah up to a drip and began to work on her battered, injured body. One of the men worked on her gunshot wound as the other placed the heart-monitor tags to her chest. Connell couldn’t hear the sounds of the heart monitor, but he watched as the lines jumped with her pulse across the screen. Once the paramedics had her stabilized, there wasn’t much else they could do. The rest was up to the doctors, Leah, and God Himself.
Chapter Fifteen
Connell had paced the corridor outside the surgery theater for what seemed like hours. He rubbed a hand down his face again and then turned toward the corridor when he heard heavy footsteps. His brother and Luke, Damon, Tyson, and Sam, as well as Billy, Tom, Clay, and Johnny, were all moving
down the hallway, in his direction. He saw the nurses at the station stop whatever they were doing to openly ogle his brother and friends.
“Is there any news?” Seamus asked.
“No. I’ve about had enough. I’ve been as patient as I can. I was about to burst through those doors to find out what was going on just as you arrived,” Connell replied.
“Fuck it. She was in a bad way, Connell. Surely there is someone who can tell us what is going on.” Seamus growled, and Connell watched his brother pace with frustration.
Just as Seamus turned to head back toward him, Connell heard the doors to the operating theatre open. He turned to face the doctor.
“Are you with Ms. Harmer?”
“Yes, she’s our fiancée,” Connell replied and was glad when the doctor didn’t balk or show any expression to his statement.
“I’m Dr. Wayne Plante,” he said and offered his hand in greeting.
“How is she, doctor?”
“It was touch and go for a while. Leah had lost a lot of blood. The bullet had nicked a major artery and we nearly lost her. She’s a fighter though, which is good. We got the bullet out and have her patched up. The bullet didn’t hit her femur, which is a plus. We’ve got her hitched up to an intravenous drip. We’re pumping her full of antibiotics to stave off infection, as well as saline. We had to give her blood, and she seems to be responding well. I’m not going to lie to you, but it’s up to Leah now. Her survival is in her hands and the hand of God. The next twenty-four hours are the most critical, and if she makes it through those, then she is well on the way to recovery.”
Connell’s legs felt so weak at the doctor’s information he was in danger of having to sit down, but he knew he had to be strong for Leah.
“Can we see her?” Connell asked, his voice so low and raspy even he didn’t recognize it.
“Yes. A nurse will be out in a few minutes. We’re just getting Leah into the intensive care unit. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call me,” Dr. Plante said, handing over his business card.
“Thanks, doctor,” Connell replied and watched as he left.
“Fuck it, Connell. We only just found her. We can’t lose her now,” Seamus whispered.
“I know, brother. I know,” Connell replied.
A nurse appeared a few minutes later and led Connell and Seamus to where Leah was resting. She looked so small and helpless. Connell felt tears forming in his eyes again. He didn’t care that he was crying over the sight of his woman lying on that hospital bed, so small and pale. She was hooked up to more machines than he could count, and she had needles taped to the back of both hands. He wanted to yell and rage, but he knew that wouldn’t help his woman. He grabbed a chair from against the wall and pulled it close to the bed. He sat down and slid his hand beneath one of hers. The feel of her cool flesh on his had his heart clenching with fear. He was careful not to touch the needle in her hand, but he rubbed his thumb back and forth over the exposed skin. She was so precious to him. He didn’t know what he would do if she left them. He placed his head on the bed and bawled his eyes out.
Connell must have fallen asleep, because a light hand to his shoulder had him jerking upright. A young nurse stood over him and smiled kindly at him.
“Why don’t you go and get some sleep? I’ll call you if there is any change.”
“No. Thanks anyway but I’m not going anywhere,” Connell replied.
He sat back in his chair and looked across the bed to see his brother was asleep. His head was resting on the bed, and he was holding Leah’s hand. He glanced at his watch and was surprised to see it was three in the morning. He hadn’t been asleep long. After he’d cried out his anguish, he sat staring at Leah, willing her to fight, and he’d prayed. He’d never really believed in God, not with all the fighting he’d been in and the murder and destruction he’d seen. But he vowed if Leah pulled through he would become as devout as the Pope.
He must have fallen asleep again. Seamus woke him up and handed him a cup of coffee. The sun was streaming through the windows as if nothing bad had touched his life or the world. He sat with Leah’s hand in his as he sipped his coffee. He had never felt so useless in his life. There was nothing he or his brother could do to help their woman now. It was all up to her.
Visitors dropped in over the next few hours, each of them wanting to know how Leah was. Luke and Damon had come by to let them know the bastard, Shayne Green, who had abducted and wounded her was out to hurt him and his brother. It seemed he had been in a relationship with their ex, Debbie, and, since he had been obsessed with the woman, had vowed to get back at them for taking her away from him. Luke had told him the man was off his rocker and had been committed into a mental institution after having the gunshot wound to his arm seen to. He felt guilty about that, and even though he knew it wasn’t his or Seamus’s fault, the guilt had him feeling sick to his stomach. The hours wore on, and Connell was getting scared Leah wasn’t going to wake up.
The nursing staff didn’t seem to be worried that she slept so long, and the doctor had been in a few times to check on her. When Connell had questioned the doctor, he had told him Leah was in a healing sleep and probably wouldn’t awaken for another twenty-four hours. That didn’t ease Connell’s mind at all. He ran his hand down his face, his stubble rasping against his hand. He knew he probably looked like hell and was in dire need of a shower but he didn’t care. Luke had bought him and Seamus each a T-shirt to put on, and he was glad he didn’t have to go around half dressed. The sound of a low moan had his head spinning on his shoulders. He looked up to Leah, and then the hand he was holding pulled at the oxygen mask on her face. He felt joy and hope filling his heart. The sight of his woman moving was the best thing he’d seen in his life. He rose to his feet and moved up to the head of the bed. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead, and then he whispered in her ear.
“I love you so much, baby. You’re going to be fine. Seamus is here with me. We’ve been so worried about you. You’re in the hospital, Leah. Just rest and get better,” Connell said and kissed her again.
Leah’s fingers tugged at the mask, obviously trying to remove it. Connell lifted it from her face and let it fall around her neck.
“Water,” Leah whispered.
Connell felt tears leaking out of his eyes. That was the best word he’d heard in a long time. He knew then that Leah was going to be all right. He leaned down and spoke quietly in her ear again.
“I’ll get you some water, baby. I just have to go ask one of the nurses. I’ll be back in a minute. Okay? Seamus will keep you company while I’m gone.”
Connell was off like a shot. He hurried to the nurse’s station and knew he probably looked like a fool with stubble coating his face and his clothes rumpled, and he probably smelled even worse, but he didn’t give a shit. His Leah was awake.
After assuring the nurses would bring Leah ice chips and then water, Connell hurried back to his woman. Connell hesitated in the door as he watched Seamus weeping all over Leah. He knew if he hadn’t already, he would be bawling alongside his brother. Leah had her fingers on Seamus’s scalp, running them through his brother’s short blond hair. It touched his heart to see their woman comforting his brother when she was still so weak. Her face was still pale, she was hooked up to machines and drips, but she was comforting Seamus. God, what a woman!
Connell moved up to Leah’s side and took her hand in his. She squeezed his hand, and he looked down to see her eyes open to slits and a small smile on her face. She had never looked so beautiful.
The nurse came bustling in, a jug of water in one hand and a cup of ice chips in the other. She smiled at him, and his brother placed the items on the table and left them alone.
Connell picked up the cup of ice chips with the spoon and held the utensil to Leah’s dry, cracked lips. She moaned as she opened her mouth, her tongue flicking out to capture the moisture. She licked over her dry lips and came back for more ice chips. Connell knew when she shook her hea
d slightly she’d had enough. He watched as her eyes drifted closed again and she slid back into the healing sleep.
Leah woke on and off throughout the day, and every time she woke he or Seamus was ready with the ice. She graduated to water by the time the sun set, and Connell felt weariness tugging at him.
“You look exhausted. How long have you been here?” Leah rasped out.
“A couple of days, baby,” Connell answered.
“Why don’t you go and get some sleep? I’m going to be fine,” Leah stated.
Connell hesitated. He knew they should catch up on a bit of sleep so he and Seamus could take care of Leah when she was ready to go home, but he didn’t want to leave her.
“Connell, I’m fine. I promise. I’m not going anywhere. Go and get some sleep and clean up. You’ll feel a lot better,” Leah said.
“Are you telling me I smell, baby?” Connell asked with a smile.
“Well, I don’t think it’s me,” Leah replied. “Go on. I’m just going to go back to sleep. By the time you’ve had a sleep and a shower, maybe I’ll be ready to stay awake longer.”
“Okay. We’ll go, but get the nurses to call us if you need us or want anything. Okay?” Connell asked.
“I promise,” Leah replied, her eyes closing once more.
“I love you, baby,” Connell stated.
“Love you, too,” Leah slurred.
“I love you, darlin’,” Seamus said.
“Love you,” Leah replied, and then Connell heard her breathing deepen as she drifted off.
Chapter Sixteen
She heard heavy footsteps outside and looked up as they walked in the door to her room. She had been unhooked from all the tubes and wires the previous night and was about to go have a shower.
Leah was kept in the hospital for another four days. Her men had booked a room at a motel and left her each night to sleep. She was glad she had encouraged them to seek rest that first night she had awoken to find them at her side. They had looked worse than she felt, and she had been worried about them. The day of her release had taken too long to come around, and she was itching to get out of the place. The stitches in the back of her thigh had just been removed, and she was anxious to see her men.
